Landmark Supreme Court Cases One-Pager Creative Activity for Civics & American History

In this Landmark Supreme Court Cases One-Pager Creative Project for Civics & American History, students will create a one-pager all about a Landmark Supreme Court ruling, like Brown v. Board, Bush v. Gore, or Miranda v. Arizona. Perfect for middle or high school students studying the Judicial Branch or the our Landmark Supreme Court Cases in Civics, American Government, and American History!

Students will summarize the key concepts and main arguments of a Landmark Supreme Court case of their choosing, provide a primary source quote, and fully illustrate their One-Pager. This is a fun, engaging way for students to show off what they have learned! A Rubric and sample One-Pager are included.

Use this no-prep, print-and-go One-Pager Project as a culminating activity, homework, easy sub plans, or make an attractive bulletin board out of your students’ work!

Students can choose from the following cases (or select one of their own with your permission!): Brown v. Board of Education, Plessy v. Ferguson, Dred Scott v. Sandford, Tinker v. Des Moines, Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, in re Gault, Gideon v. Wainwright, Miranda v. Arizona, Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Bush v. Gore, U.S. v. Nixon.

Aligned to the Florida State Standards for Middle School Civics:

• SS.7.CG.3.11: Analyze the effects of landmark Supreme Court decisions on law, liberty and the interpretation of the Constitution

In this Landmark Supreme Court Cases One-Pager Activity for Civics & American History, students will:

✯ Summarize the main facts of a Landmark Supreme Court Case of their choosing. This will include:

• The Supreme Court case’s historical context or background information.
• The argument each side made before the Court.
• The Constitutional Question the case asked the Supreme Court to answer.
• A summary of the Supreme Court’s ruling, including the vote total and a summary of the Court’s Majority Opinion.
• The Ruling’s legacy or impact on American History.

✯ Include at least three illustrations! Students will illustrate the main idea behind each side of the case, as well as illustrate the final verdict. Students can draw by hand, or you can have them print out pictures from the internet to glue into place!

✯ Include a primary source quote related to the Supreme Court case. This quote can come from the arguments, ruling, or even be related to the case’s legacy!

This resource is presented as a non-editable, printable PDF, and it includes:

✯ A Landmark Supreme Court Cases One-Pager Instructions worksheet. This page details the assignment, student expectations, and includes a template showing what a finished One-Pager should look like.

✯ The One-Pager Blank Template.

✯ The One-Pager Instructions Rubric. You can use this optional grading rubric to score the students’ work. There’s also a place to leave teacher comments!

✯ An optional Research Guide. This page helps guide students through the process of researching their Landmark Supreme Court case by asking questions related to each of the One-Pager’s prompts.

✯ A Sample One-Pager themed around Brown v. Board of Education to inspire your students’ creativity!

Encourage students to use their notes, textbook, or internet research to complete their one-pagers. You can have students present their completed One-Pagers to the class, create a gallery walk, or build a bulletin board of student work!

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