Roslyn Burkes

10/19/14
Blended Learning Project Plan
American Government Online Course
The Institutional Context
The course will be for high seniors that attend Columbia High School in Lake City, FL.
The course that is being offered is American Government which is a required course for students
to graduate from high school. Columbia High School is offering a blended learning course for
the first time which will be 51 % online to help in students satisfy the credit to requirement to
have one online class before they graduate high school. The module is being created from scratch
because there is no existing format to base this class off of since this will be the first time it is
being offered.
The purpose of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to acquire an
understanding of American government and political behavior. Within this course students will
learn about the different functions of government and how they contribute to overall function of
the American government. The course stresses the rights and responsibilities of citizens and the
importance of individual civic participation in the democratic political process. Students will
understand their rights and how to live their lives as productive citizens once they graduate.
Seniors in this class will be able to vote once they graduate so this is a great way to expose them
to that process beforehand. Most importantly this course requires extensive self -motivation and

commitment of time. There will be reading from different text made available to the students
online.
Your experience teaching this content
My experience teaching this content comes from the work I did within my Master
Program. Within my Master Program in Social Studies education I completed a practicum in an
American Government class. During this practicum I had the opportunity to create lesson plans
for this senior level class. One of the lesson plans I created was on the Supreme Court case
Tinker v Des Moines. With this lesson the students first got the two opinions that were reached
in this case. They had to pick which one they agreed with and explain why. In addition with this
case we went over the amendment it violated. This created a class discussion that allowed them
to discuss how that decision affects them currently in school and what rights do they actually
have in school. They also created a timeline of events that happened throughout the case to better
understand why a certain verdict was cast down for this case and the impact it had on history.
In addition my experience in teaching this content comes from that I am currently
teaching an American Government course to high school seniors. Within this course currently it
is all face to face with no online components because the school does not have the resources for
every student to complete work online. Within my class I take current events and incorporate
them into my daily lessons. For example we watch a daily news show called CNN Students news
that broadcast current events from around the world. From this news show we discuss the current
issues that are going on and apply it to the content they are learning within the classroom. In
addition I create power points based off of the content we are covering. In addition teachers are

encouraged to create higher order thinking questions for students. These questions allow students
to take the information they are currently learning and apply it at a higher level.
An overview of the learners
The students that will be in this class come from a diverse background as it relates to
learning ability. These students are seniors who will be graduating at the end of the school year.
The different learning abilities are students who have Individualized Educational Plans and may
have different accommodations. Students who make average grades and students who are above
average but are not in advance placement classes.
Goals and Objectives
Students will learn about the First Amendment and the freedoms that are explicitly stated
throughout it.
Students will understand the importance of the First Amendment.
Students will understand and know the different types of Speech
Students will be able to discuss Supreme Court decisions and how they were affected by the
Freedom of Speech in the First Amendment
Students will be able to identify the safeguards and limits of individual rights in the Great
Debaters movie
Students will be able to identify other issues that were affected by freedom of speech in the
Great Debaters movie
Students will be able to identify key outcomes from the Tinker v Des Moines

Students will be able to use the key outcomes from the Tinker v Des Moines case to prepare for
a Mock Trial
Lesson Content Module 1:
Topic of Lesson:
Introduction to the First Amendment
Essential Guiding Question for Lesson:
What is the First Amendment?
What freedoms are explicitly stated in the First Amendment?
Background:
The First Amendment is a part of the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights are the first ten
Amendments to the Constitution. Introduced by James Madison they became Constitutional
Amendments on December 15, 1791. The Constitution of the United States is the blueprint of
nation and lays down the laws and rights of people. However the Bill of Rights was written
because the founding fathers believed that the Constitution did not express certain rights of the
people or people feared the government would have an ultimate power and that would not reflect
a democratic nation. In addition some people that signed the Constitution would not it sign
unless there would be amendments to it that contained procedural and substantive guarantees of
individual liberties and limits upon government control and intervention.
The First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of

speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
government for a redress of grievances." The five freedoms that are explicitly stated are speech,
press, religion, petition, and assembly.
Topic of Lesson:
Freedom of Speech!
Essential Guiding Question for Lesson:
What type of speech is protected under the first Amendment?
How has specific Supreme Court case decisions been affected by Freedom of Speech with in the
First Amendment?
Background:
Within the First Amendment one of the five freedoms that are explicitly stated is
Freedom of Speech. This freedom is the political right to communicate one's opinions and ideas
using one's body and property to anyone who is willing to receive them. This is an important
freedom because many landmark Supreme Cases have either limited or given power to the usage
of Freedom of Speech in certain situations. This freedom has wide publicity because it is one of
the rights that people believe should not be regulated by the government no matter the message
they are sending.
Topic of Lesson:
Freedom of Speech: Protections and Restrictions (2day Lesson)
Essential Guiding Question for Lesson:

How is freedom of speech restricted in the movie Great Debaters?

What other issues are affected by freedom of speech in the Great Debaters?
Background:
In the Great Debaters movie it focuses on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor
at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team,
which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship. The students who attended
Wiley College an all-black college faced different issues that involve race, segregation, and
freedom of speech.
Title/Topic of Lesson:
Freedom of Speech: Tinker v Des Moines-Mock Trail Preparation Part 1/2
Essential Guiding Question for Lesson:
What are the key outcomes of the Tinker v Des Moines Supreme case as it pertains to Freedom
of Speech?
Background:
John and Mary Beth Tinker were public school students in Des Moines, Iowa in
December of 1965. As part of a group against American involvement in the Vietnam War, they
decided to publicize their opposition by wearing black armbands to school. Having heard of the
students' plans, the principals of the public schools in Des Moines adopted and informed students
of a new policy concerning armbands. This policy stated that any student who wore an armband

to school would be asked immediately to remove it. A student who refused to take off his or her
armband would be suspended until agreeing to return to school without the band.
Two days later and aware of the school policy, the Tinker children and a friend decided
to wear armbands to school. Upon arriving at school, the children were asked to remove their
armbands. They did not remove the armbands and were subsequently suspended until they
returned to school without their armbands.
The children returned to school without armbands after January 1, 1966, the date
scheduled for the end of their protest. However, their fathers filed suit in U.S. District Court.
This suit asked the court for a small amount of money for damages and an injunction to restrain
school officials from enforcing their armband policy. Although the District Court recognized the
children's First Amendment right to free speech, the court refused to issue an injunction,
claiming that the school officials' actions were reasonable in light of potential disruptions from
the students' protest. The Tinkers appealed their case to the U.S. Court of Appeals but were
disappointed when a tie vote in that court allowed the District Court's ruling stand. As a result
they decided to appeal the case to the Supreme Court of the United States.
The case came down to this fundamental question: Do the First Amendment rights of free
speech extend to symbolic speech by students in public schools? And, if so, in what
circumstances is that symbolic speech protected? The First Amendment states "Congress shall
make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech." The Fourteenth Amendment extends this rule
to state governments as well, of which school systems are a part. The First Amendment,
however, does not identify which kinds of speech are protected. For example, it is not clear

whether hate speech against an individual or group is protected. Neither does the First
Amendment specify what types of expressive actions should be considered as speech.
The Supreme Court of the United States has made many attempts to determine what types
of symbolic speech are protected under the First Amendment. In 1919, the Court decided in
Scheck v. United States that an individual could be punished for distributing anti-World War I
pamphlets urging non-compliance with the draft because the pamphlets created a clear and
present danger that they will bring about an essential evil Congress has a right to prevent draft
obstruction. The Court wrestled with the issue of the right to symbolic speech again in the case
of Thornhill v. Alabama (1940) when the Court ruled that picketing was a form of symbolic
speech protected by the First Amendment because no clear and present danger of destruction of
life or property or of breach of the peace was inherent in the action. Three years later in West
Virginia v. Barnette (1943), the Court extended the First Amendment protection of symbolic
speech to students in public schools. In Barnette, the Court held if f there is any fixed star in our
constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be
orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion.
In 1968 the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear Tinker's case and consider
the constitutionality of the Des Moines principals' anti-armband policy. The Court's decision in
Tinker v. Des Moines was handed down in 1969.
The Blend: Module 1
Topic of Lesson: Introduction to the First Amendment
Methods:

Students will propose their own questions about the First Amendment at home and create
a plan on how to answer their question by gathering resources online before they come to class.
By doing this students will be able to create their questions and plan without conforming it a
group and less copying and more creativity. In addition the students will be given time in the
computer lab to find other sources online as well.
In class they will be placed in groups within their groups the students are to assume their
given roles and use the information they have gathered to present to the class on the First
Amendment and the 5 freedoms explicitly stated in it. This assignment will be done over three
days. The first two days are spent conducting research and putting together their presentation.
There presentation has to be done using an online resource called PREZI. On the third day they
will upload their presentation online to the website and everyone will have to view them and
leave a comment.
Topic of Lesson:
Freedom of Speech!
Methods:
In class we will review the First Amendment and what was learned over the past days
from the first assignment in which they conducted the research. But the night before at home
students had to research about different Supreme Court cases and pick one to share with the
class. To participate in the discussion each student will have to turn in their Citizens Pass which
basically is their pass to participate in the discussion from one of the three different Supreme
Court Cases that they found information on. Students will complete a web quest/reading on the

First Amendment and the different types of Speech. The web quest will allow the students to
search the internet for different answers about the Frist Amendment and this is more useful than
myself creating a PowerPoint for them to glance over and not really read.
Discussion Questions:

What is your specific Supreme Court Case and explain the ruling?

Do you agree with the Supreme Court ruling? Why or Why not?

What is the relevance of your specific Court ruling for your personal life?

How was Freedom of Speech limited in your Supreme Court Case?

How was Freedom of Speech allowed in your Supreme Court Case?

What are some examples of people exercising their Freedom of Speech?

Why is it important to know specific freedoms given to you?

Why do you think the Founding Fathers included freedom of Speech in the Constitution?

How has your specific Supreme Court ruling impacted students Freedom of Speech in

school?

As a student do you believe that you have the right to say or express anything in
school? If yes what are those things and if no why do you think you are not able to?

Topic of Lesson:
Freedom of Speech: Protections and Restrictions (Day 1)

Methods:
I will start off the class by giving the students instructions/agenda for the day and that for
the next two days we will be watching a movie in class that shows different issues pertaining to
Freedom of Speech. At home they will take the issues they write and put them into presentation
comparing and contrasting their rights as they relate to the First Amendment. They will be
instructed to clear off their desk except for a pencil and a piece of paper. I would instruct them
that throughout the movie I will stop it twice during the class and allow them to write out all of
the issues they saw that fell under Freedom of Speech. After each day the students will take their
papers home and add to their presentation they wrote down each day from the movie.
Important Questions to Ask:

What have you learned about protections and restrictions under Freedom of Speech?

Do you think any of the issues that you saw in the movie would be grounds for a court
case? If so how?

Where there any reoccurring issues throughout the movie

What are different protections we have under the first Amendment?

What are different restrictions will have under the First Amendment?

How would you handle the issues that people face during this time in the movie?

What have you learned about protections and restrictions under Freedom of Speech?

Do you think any of the issues that you saw in the movie would be grounds for a court
case? If so how?

Where there any reoccurring issues throughout the movie

Lesson Topic:
Freedom of Speech: Tinker v Des Moines-Mock Trail Preparation Part 1
Methods:
Students will spend the day preparing for a mock trial they will be reenacting the next
day in class. In this first class students will be given specific roles which are the 9 Supreme
Court Justices, the Tinker defense, and the Des Moines Independent Community School District
defense. I will be keeping the students on task and I will have a desk in the front of class for
them to come and ask me questions. However they will only be able to as me 5 questions
throughout the class period. So they will have to work together with their groups to come up with
their questions. I will also provide a handout to guide their research as they are compiling their
information together for the mock trail. Work will be completed in class and anything remaining
will be completed at home. Each student will have access to a chrome book to complete the task
for the day.
Lesson Topic:
Freedom of Speech: Tinker v Des Moines-Mock Trail Preparation Part 2
Methods:
Students will spend the today reenacting the mock trial they prepared for the day before
in class and at home as homework. In the first class students were given specific roles which are
the 9 Supreme Court Justices, the Tinker defense, and the Des Moines Independent Community
School District defense. For the mock trial each defense will start off with their opening
arguments. After the opening statements the Tinker defense will go first and have their witness

come up to the stand. After each witness the Des Moines defense will have the opportunity to ask
the Tinker witness question as well. Once they have finished then the Des Moines defense will
go and the same things will apply to their defense as well and the Tinker defense will be able to
ask their witness questions after each one is questioned by the Des Moines defense. After both
sides have rested then the Supreme Court Justices will be able to ask up to 5 questions to each of
the defenses about the case. Once this is completed each side will give their closing statements
and the Supreme Court Justices will deliberate and hand down their verdict.
Technology:
The technology used for this module will be chrome books that are used in class. This is a
simple light weight laptop that allows the students to easily move throughout the classroom and
use in groups or with independent work. In addition the school computer lab will be another
resource for assignments that are strictly online and we have time to complete them in class. The
school computer lab is used a supplement for those who do not have access to computers at
home. The most important part of this class are their personal computers that they use at home.
These computers allow students to complete the online component before coming to class. This
is where they will create there presentations using PREZI a fun interactive presentation creator,
the internet, and Microsoft office to type documents to submit. These are all great tools for them
to learn how to use now while in high school so when they go off to college they will be able to
use these important tools.
Assessment Plan: Module 1 Evaluations
After each lesson there will be some type of evaluation or homework that they will have
to complete and submit opt me online through the website. This will assess what they have

learned in class that day from the in class instruction combined with the online component of the
class.
Evaluation:
Lesson Topic: Introduction to the First Amendment
For homework students will rewrite the First Amendment in their own words and explain
why they choose to exclude or include certain words, phrase and ideas. This will help me
evaluate the students by having them take what they have learned from the presentations and the
research they complied within their groups to rewrite the First Amendment. In addition it will
also show their understanding of the First Amendment and the freedoms that are stated within it
and use it to create their own interpretation of it. They have to type a minimum of one paragraph
and submit online.
Lesson Topic: Freedom of Speech!
For homework the students will have to research another Supreme Court of their
choosing and type a half page summary about the ruling, if they agree and how it relates to
freedom of speech. This will help me to further evaluate my students understanding of the
Freedom of Speech and how they have influenced landmark cases. In addition it will give them
more experience with reading Supreme Court ruling to help them for when we construct a mock
trial in the classroom.
Lesson Topic: Freedom of Speech: Protections and Restrictions
Students will have to type a one page paper using one of the issues that were compiled as a class
after every day to create a court case in favor of that issue. They will have to write how the

freedom of speech was restricted and find different resources to support their answer. For
example they could use other Supreme Court cases to use as a resource to support their particular
issue. This will allow me to evaluate my students by seeing their understanding of the protections
and limits to freedom of speech for different issues within the movie. By having them create a
case it will help them when we do a mock trial in the classroom for the next lesson.
Lesson Topic: Freedom of Speech: Tinker v Des Moines-Mock Trial
As a homework assignment I will have my students pick the most important thing they
learned from this unit and have them type a 1 page summary explaining the topic, why it is
important and how it applies to their lives. This evaluation will allow me to see how they are
able to apply the unit to their personal lives.