While co-chaperoning the Competition Civics state meet earlier this month (a favor to my hallway bestie, the team’s adviser), my stupidity was embarrassingly apparent. The weekend was filled with two dozen of my school’s sharpest seniors citing Constitutional case law as they debated with actual working lawyers and I pretty much stood around the periphery, pretending to know what in the world they were talking about. Sure, I’d nod and give a faux-thoughtful gesture whenever it seemed appropriate, but my lack of Constitutional knowledge was appalling.
By the end of lunch on the first day, my friend wisely put me in charge of running errands. Yeah.
To fill the chasm that is my brain, I decided to review the Amendments (Quick now, can you name all 27? Don’t feel bad – neither can I) when I came across an article from the New York Times highlighting precedent-setting cases on topics that impact teens. Finally, an article that was speaking my language, explaining legal issues in a way an ordinary dolt like me could actually understand.
Want more easy-prep lessons for a sub or yourself? Check out these other budget-friendly solutions, one lesson built on a 43-minute viewing of Edgar Allan Poe’s biography and another to use with a viewing of the short documentary Billions in Change.
Hope these materials help some folks.
Teach on, everyone!