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

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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 teachers 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 Courts decisions on American life. This book provides any teacher with viable, useable case law to fit any historical timeframe or unit of study.

Reviews

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 thatand for increasing secondary students historical and civic knowledge. -- Timothy Shanahan, distinguished professor, University of Illinois at Chicago
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. -- Stefanie Wager, president, Iowa Council for the Social Studies
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! -- Rhonda Watton, National Board Certified Teacher, 2013 NCSS Middle Level Outstanding Teacher of the Year, 2015 James Madison Fellow, and 2017 Wisconsin History Teacher of the Year

Author Bio

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.