General

Grade Level

Middle School

Author Info

Mhiser

Type of Lesson

Challenge

Type of Project (Individual/Group/Both)

Individual

Duration

90-120 minutes

Challenge Question

How did the rulings of the Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, and Gibbons v. Ogden strengthen the Federal Government?

Rationale

This activity will help check a student’s understanding of three of the key Supreme Court cases in American History and the powers they established for the federal government. They will have to analyze the case and determine what powers the government did not have prior to these cases.

Steps

1. Create a t-chart titled Marbury v. Madison on one side list questions asked by the case on the other side the answer to the question.
2. Create a t-chart titled McCulloch v. Maryland on one side list questions asked by the case on the other side the answer to the question.
3. Create a t-chart titled Gibbons v. Ogden on one side list questions asked by the case on the other side the answer to the question.
4. Analyze the powers established in all three cases.
5. Choose one of the powers and create a digital poster with a minimum of 3 images depicting this power.