The Themes That Bind Us: Simplifying U.S. Supreme Court Cases for the Social Studies Classroom

Teaching U.S. Supreme Court cases can be a daunting task for any social studies teacher, but this book can ease that process. Carefully aligned with the NCSS’ Ten Themes, this teacher’s guide provides thirty-two high-interest U.S. Supreme Court cases edited to a more reader-friendly format while retaining the original verbiage. Features of each chapter include pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading questions, as well as teaching extensions to help students better understand the stories behind the cases, the intricacies of the laws involved, and the effects of the Court’s decisions on American life. This book provides any teacher with viable, useable case law to fit any historical timeframe or unit of study.

Table of Contents:
Chronological Timeline of Cases Cases Organized by Big Ideas Chapter 1- Why Teach Students to Read Case Law in the Social Studies Classroom? What is an Appropriate Primary Document to Teach? Connecting Case Law to the “Big Ideas” in the Social Studies Classroom The Importance of Teaching Disciplinary Reading The Teacher’s Role in Teaching Case Law How Cases Were Selected, Prepared, and Edited for this Text A Note from the Authors Chapter 2- How to Use this Book Understanding the Themes of The National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies Teaching Students to Read a Case How Cases were Prepared for this Book A Sample Case Resources Beyond the Cases A Note from the Authors Chapter 3- Culture Meyer v. State of Nebraska Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union A Note from the Authors Chapter 4- Time, Continuity, and Change Marbury v. Madison Whitney v. California Brandenburg v. Ohio South Carolina v. Gathers Payne v. Tennessee A Note from the Authors Chapter 5- People, Places, and Environments United States v. Amistad Kelo v. City of New London Michigan v. Environmental Protection Agency A Note from the Authors Chapter 6- Individual Development and Identity In re Gault Loving v. Virginia Wisconsin v. Yoder A Note from the Authors Chapter 7- Individuals, Groups, And Institutions Korematsu v United States Adler v. Board of Education of City of New York Sherbert v. Verner A Note from the Authors Chapter 8- Power, Authority, and Governance Gideon v. Wainwright Miranda v. Arizona Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District A Note from the Authors Chapter 9- Production, Distribution, and Consumption Swift & Co. v. United States United States v. 95 Barrels of Vinegar Gonzales v. Raich A Note from the Authors Chapter 10- Science, Technology, and Society United States v. American Library Association, Inc. United States v. Jones Maryland v. King A Note from the Authors Chapter 11- Global Connections Roper v. Simmons Medellin v. Texas Maselenjak v. United States A Note from the Authors Chapter 12- Civic Ideals and Practices Edwards v. South Carolina Texas v. Johnson Shelby County v. Holder A Note from the Authors Bibliography Index About the Authors

About the Author :
Gretchen Oltman, J.D., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Creighton University. She is a lawyer, author, and former high school teacher. Johnna Graff has over fifteen years of secondary classroom teaching experience, and she currently serves as an English department chair and high school teacher in Lincoln, Nebraska. Graff is a 2004 graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Law. Cynthia Wood Maddux is a former practicing attorney and non-profit executive director. She currently is an English teacher at Lincoln North Star High School and adjunct faculty at Nebraska Wesleyan University.

Review :
Social studies teachers are responsible for teaching the special text features and reading demands needed to read history effectively. This marvelous book provides a provocative collection of primary documents and instructional guidance for doing just that—and for increasing secondary students’ historical and civic knowledge. This book is a social studies teacher's dream. The authors organize Supreme Court cases by theme and provide several supports to help students access and understand cases in their historical context and how they relate to and impact contemporary society. The integration of U. S. Supreme Court cases and the NCSS themes create this teacher friendly, primary source book, focusing on the main ideas from notable historic cases relevant to secondary students. It brings what would be challenging text to life and makes it applicable for your students!