Anticipatory Set
Before embarking on a study of Supreme Court cases and their relationship to education, students must first be made aware of how the courts and the laws affect their lives. A poster of the Fourteenth Amendment will be displayed in the classroom. This should spark some interest in the students who will, I hope, ask why it is in English class. I will then ask them why they think it is there. If students don't discover that the provisions relate to education, I will point out the section prohibiting the government to "abridge the privileges" of its citizens and ask the students what that has to do with education. This should segue to a discussion/lecture about what they know about education in this country, the history of it, the reasons behind establishing public education, and how important education is to their own futures. Gathering opinions and facts will present a lot of different ideas from the students. This information can be jotted on the board and made into a poster to be referred to, added to, and possibly, corrected as the unit progresses.
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