Week 7

The Judicial Branch! So many interesting things to learn, so little time! We discussed the powers of the judicial branch, as well as its jurisdiction (the areas of law the courts have authority over, like state vs. state disputes, foreign diplomats' legal issues, maritime crimes, and more.) We also discussed the Marbury v. Madison decision which established Judicial Review, or the power to rule any law unconstitutional. I encourage you all to read/study about other landmark court cases, because these often mark major turning points in our nation's history, define public policy for generations, and also show the progression of the court's usurpation of power that Thomas Jefferson was so afraid of. (Some examples are Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade, Plessy v. Ferguson, Dred Scott v. Sanford, etc.) Click on this link to read about many landmark cases: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/pop_landmark_cases/index.html

The video below is about Marbury v. Madison, for those who want to review:

 

ASSIGNMENTS:

 

 

OPINION PAPER: Have the Supreme Court rulings helped or hindered our nation? Explain. (For this one, you will probably want to familiarize yourself with some Supreme Court rulings--those listed above would be a great start--and cite them in your paper.) Remember to FILL THE PAGE with all your amazing insights!

 

DEBATE: Should the minority be allowed to win over the majority? Read your articles (and bring them back to class), do some internet searches, take some notes, and be prepared to argue!

 

CONSTITUTION JOURNAL / BOWL STUDY: Amendments 1-10 (That's the whole Bill of Rights, folks). We really need to practice this week, so let's try to stay on task in class so we can have time at the end.

 

DEVOTIONAL: And the winner is...Reina!

 

NEWS: Keep those news stories coming! You guys brought a tear to my eye last week when you were discussing the John Deere tractor story...I'm so proud to see you all debating this stuff!

 

READING: Book discussion on The Great Little Madison will be next Thursday, March 23rd, and led by Ethan. There will be treats for those who finish the book!

 

****Check back to the Week 6 post for info about the air soft battle on March 24th.****

 

Signing off--Mrs. Hellyer