USF Lesson Plan

Teacher: Holli Ross Lesson Title: 14th Amendment, Equal Protection

LESSON OVERVIEW
Grade/Level: 12th Grade
Content Area: US Government
Subject Matter: The Constitution - The 14th Amendment, Equal Protection
Learning Goal(s)/Objective(s)
1. Describe the various provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment, Section I.
2. Explain and analyze what is meant by equal protection of laws as stated in the Fourteenth
Amendment, Section I.
3. Explain, in terms of equal protection, how the Fourteenth Amendment defines citizenship.
Time Allotment: 50-80 Minutes
Activity Logistics: Students will be asked to evaluate and give their opinion of the 14th Amendments
Equal Protection Clause at the beginning of class. They will then be given an article to read and asked to
fill out a double-entry journal for reading comprehension purposes. They will use the journal to analyze
how the article relates to their own understanding and opinion of the 14th Amendments Equal Protection
Clause. They will share in partners/groups what they came up with in their journal, as well as their
opinion on the article and whether they agree or disagree. Students will return to a class discussion and
talk about if their opinions have changed or if the article supported their feelings. They will also discuss
the structure of the constitution and why we have such large debates about certain topics. The constitution
was written so long ago that often times it is hard to see how it would fit or was meant to fit in such a
different society. All of these topics will be discussed as a class reiterating the importance of our Supreme
Court Justices, the definition or lack thereof, of the 14th Amendments Equal Protection Clause, and
constitutional interpretation and how that is different for everyone and changes with time. Students will
follow up with watching a video debate on the topic and how the constitution protects it and how it relates
to us every day.

MATERIALS & RESOURCES

Resources: Pocket Constitution, Double-Entry Journal Article: The Constitutionality of Same Sex
Marriage: https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2015/04/economist-explains-27
Instructional Materials: Double Entry Journal, Constitution, Article: The Constitutionality of Same Sex
Marriage

LESSON SEQUENCE
Anticipatory Set: Students will be asked to take out their pocket constitutions and underline in
Amendment 14, Section I what phrase has to do with equal protection ...nor deny to any person within
its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Ask them to quickly think about and write down what
they believe to be the intent of this statement. What might it have meant when the constitution was
written in 1787 versus what it may have extended to mean during our current climate? Students should
take a few moments to write down some of their ideas and share in partners, groups, or as a whole class.
Students can show agreement or disagreement to certain statements with their own response.
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Students will be asked to read an article, handed out by the teacher or linked to on their devices, about the
14th Amendment, specifically the Equal Protection Clause, while filling out a double-entry journal.

Direct Quotation from the Text with Page Number My Comment/Question/Connection

Modeling: Students will ask students to fill out a Double Entry Journal while they are reading. The
teacher will begin by modeling/explaining what this looks like and the expectations of the journal. They
can copy the drawing that the teacher has on the board in their notebooks, or the teacher can hand out a
printed version for students to use. On the left side of the journal, students will write down a phrase or
sentence that was particularly meaningful to them or they found that they agreed or disagreed with. The
right side of the journal is for students to write their reaction to the passage by writing a personal
response, comment, question, or a connection made.
The teacher will have an example table on the board and model the process of filling out the journal
themselves. They can write down a quote from a historical person, or a book, etc that they may have and
write down their response in any of the appropriate forms mentioned before (comment, question,
connection). Ask students to write down the page number, or paragraph depending on the length of the
article next to the quote they choose so when they share or look back at their journal, they will know
where to find the quote if they need more context.
Guided Practice: As the students open up their document to read, the teacher may have chosen a quote
they can do together. Ask the students to read the first paragraph and write the following quote down in
their first left hand column. The teacher will tell them the quote they chose and ask students to volunteer
examples of what they might write in the response side. After a few examples, students can fill out the
right side of the column for that specific quote and continue reading the article and filling out their double
entry journal. Student should have a clear number of the minimum columns to fill out to fill the
expectation of the teacher and the assignment.
Independent Practice: Students will take the allotted time to finish reading their article and fill out their
double entry journal. When the time has passed and students have finished their double entry journal,
students will be asked to share/discuss in partners or small groups the quotes they chose and their own
response before the conversation is brought back to the whole class.
Closure: When students have finished sharing in their partners or groups, the teacher will ask them to
return to a whole class discussion. Ask students to share some of their thoughts on the article and their
opinion on how it relates to the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause? Do they agree that same sex
marriage is a constitutional right under the 14th Amendment or do they disagree? Revisit their original
writings or thoughts from the beginning of the class on what they believe to be the intent of the Equal
Protection Clause. When the constitution was written, the founding fathers had no ideas the issues that
would arise far after they were gone. Do you believe this clause was written with intent to bend with the
current political times or meant strictly for their specific era (slavery, blacks vs. whites, etc.)
Assessment/Evaluation Plan: Assessment and evaluation will be based on participation throughout the
class as well as their completion of the double entry journal. The teacher can collect them and give credit
for the finished journal before returning them to be put in their binder, or they can walk around and mark
off the journal in their notebook at the end of class. Students will take the last few minutes of class to
write an exit ticket answering the question: Based on the conversation, their interpretation of the 14th
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Amendment, and the article we read has their opinion of what is covered under the 14th Amendment
changed?
Follow--up: When students return to the next class, students will start off by watching clips from a debate
on the 14th amendment and same sex marriage. They will be reminded that the constitution is full of grey
areas and it is the Supreme Courts job to fill those places in, but that doesnt mean that with time and
change of justices, that the answer they give will hold forever. Grey areas may always be grey regardless
of what color the current justices decide it to be. Students will also be reminded, that even though the
constitution was written so long ago, it will always be relevant to us.
https://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/equal-protection-clause-does-not-require-states-license-
same-sex-marriages

IMPLEMENTATION
Contextual Information: This lesson should be given after a substantial amount of information has been
discussed about the constitution and how the Supreme Court operates. Often it can be given after
discussing Brown v. Board of Education so students may have a little background knowledge of the 14th
Amendment and how it was applied. It can also be done before as an introduction to the Equal Protection
Clause so students will have a grasp once you reach Brown v. Board of Education or other cases.
Teaching and Learning Strategy Overview: Oftentimes, students will read their textbook or an article
without any strategy to help them really comprehend the information. The Double-Entry Journal is a
during reading strategy that enables students to interact with the text they are reading by recording their
own responses. The read and respond strategy allows students the opportunity to express their thoughts
and become actively involved with the material they are reading. It also allows students a chance to
respond to the author as if they were having a conversation - just because we are reading a text does not
mean that it is unarguably true and this gives students the opportunity to either agree or protest what they
are reading instead of immediately taking it as fact.
By choosing an article that students may have some investment in, really allows them to push their critical
thinking to another level. When students have an emotional attachment to something they will want to
know more about it and be involved in a conversation around it. It allows students to have a voice about
something they believe in while learning and will help with understanding and retention.
Accommodations/Modifications: A teacher may choose a specific article to be done based on the interest
of the students, the age group and maturity level, or the current political climate. The article chosen can
also be about current school and racial inequities, etc. really depending on what is going on and what their
students may find interesting.
If students need more time for the article and the double-entry journal, it can be split up into two class
periods and the article can be given as homework instead of classwork. Students can also be told that they
can fill out their journal however is most beneficial to them. This can include drawings or explanations
and drawings.
Sample Student Products: There will not be sample student products available for this activity. The
modeling of the double-entry journal by the teacher will be the only sample provided.
Reflection: Student reflection will take place in their exit ticket as they answer whether or not their initial
opinion is the same and how the information and class period activities have added to their opinion or
changed it. It will also take place during the follow up as they watch the video and reflect on the 14th
Amendment and how it applies to our lives today.
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STANDARDS & ASSESSMENT

Student/Content/Teaching
Standards:
12.5 Students summarize landmark U.S. Supreme Court interpretations of the Constitution and its
amendments.
12.7 Students analyze and compare the powers and procedures of the national, state, tribal, and local
governments.
12.10 Students formulate questions about and defend their analyses of tensions within our
constitutional democracy and the importance of maintaining a balance between the following concepts:
majority rule and individual rights; liberty and equality; state and national authority in a federal system;
civil disobedience and the rule of law; freedom of the press and the right to a fair trial; the relationship of
religion and government.