Tinker vs. Des Moines

Middle School 180

Ms.Ramos

Introduction:

      You’ve been discussing the upcoming Presidential election as part of Social Studies class since school started. You’ve been reading the paper, watching the news and you even watched all three debates! Remember how mad you were when Ms. Ramos not only made you watch the debate, but write about it too? It was kind of boring until you really started paying attention to what these two men were really talking about. You actually “got into it” and chose a side. You even started talking to other kids about it. You started meeting at lunch with other kids about it. Be fore you knew it, you were posting signs around the school voicing your opinion on how people should vote. A teacher pulled you aside one day and advised you to stop putting up the signs because Mr. Uzzo didn’t like it. You did it anyway. Next thing you know, you were being suspended from school!

Can the school do that? What ever happened to Freedom of Speech?

How would you use the facts of the case in the Tinker vs. Des Moines’s court ruling to defend yourself?

 

 

Task:

Pretend you are the lawyer hired in the above case scenario to defend a student being suspended from school for disobeying the Principal. Use the facts of the case to prepare a case defending the student who voiced his/her opinion. Remember, a defending lawyer who can anticipate the arguments of the prosecuting lawyer has a better chance of winning!

 

 

Process:  

            Using Compulegal and the websites listed you will research the case of Tinker vs. Des Moines and produce the following:

 

1)  A chart in which you discuss any similarities between your case and the facts of the case in Tinker vs. Des Moines.

2)  One full typed page (12 font) presenting your argument in defense of the above student. You must use examples and historical details to support your case.

3) You must be able to present your argument orally in front of the class. You may refer to index cards for this presentation, but you may not read your written paper. Your written defense must be submitted to the teacher before your oral presentation.

 

 

Resources:

·      CompuLegal

·       Freedom of speech cases  

·       History of Education

·      The Constitution

·      Landmark cases

·      Tinker case

·      Ask a Legal Eagle

·      Background of Tinker v. Des Moines

 

 

Evaluation:

      You will earn two grades, one for the written piece and one for your oral presentation. Your written piece will be determined as follows:

Grade A:

-writing is clear and easy to understand

-writing is supported by examples from the case and/or history

-writing does not contain spelling or grammatical errors

-writing is typed and is at least one full typed page in length (12 font)

-chart is clear and includes at least three similarities and three differences

 

Grade B:

-writing is clear and easy to understand

-writing is supported by examples from the case and/or history most of the time

-writing contains some spelling or grammatical errors

-writing is typed and is almost one full typed page in length (12 font)

-chart is clear and includes either three similarities and/or three differences

 

Grade C:

-writing is unclear and difficult to understand

-writing uses few examples from the case and/or history

-writing is typed and is half of the page in length

-chart includes only two similarities and two differences

 

Grade F/Unacceptable/Must be Re-done:

-writing is unclear and difficult to understand

-writing is not supported by examples from the case and/or history

-writing contains many spelling and/or grammatical errors

-writing is typed, but does not fulfill length requirements

-chart includes only one similarity and one difference or is not completed at all.

 

 

Conclusion:

As a result of completing this Web Quest you used Compulegal and additional websites to assist you in your research.  You reviewed and analyzed Supreme Court cases and the Constitution of the U.S.  You critically analyzed information and prepared an oral presentation.  You organized and documented your research by creating a chart and typing a report.  You can now continue to utilize the technological research and critical thinking skills you acquired during this process to further explore the issue of Supreme Court cases, and the Constitution of the United States.