Education Technology


NCSS: How the Supreme Court Impacts Lives

Activity Overview

After reviewing several Supreme Court decisions, each student will write an essay regarding how one Court decision has directly impacted his or her life. The student will recognize the power of the Judicial Branch over the lives of American citizens.

Before the Activity

See the attached Activity PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity.

Print the appropriate pages from the Activity for your class.

Install the and LearningCheck(tm) App on the students' graphing calculators following the attached instructions.

Review the terminology from this lesson as well as the case summaries used in prior activities. Review how these cases have impacted both individuals and society as a whole.

During the Activity

  • Distribute the appropriate pages from the Activity to your class
  • Distribute the LearningCheck(tm) file(s) to your class using TI Connect(tm) and the appropriate TI Connectivity cable
  • Follow the procedures outlined in the Activity


  • Students will:
  • Describe the processes of the Supreme Court as outlined by the U.S. Constitution.
  • Analyze Supreme Court decisions to determine the merits of each case.
  • Compare the influence of society and historical period on two Supreme Court decisions that deal with the same topic.
  • Evaluate the effect of one Supreme Court decision on society and his/her life in particular.
  • After the Activity

    If time permits after the essays are turned in, begin a class discussion by sharing with the class how one specific Supreme Court case has impacted your life. Encourage the students to share their cases, being sure to steer the discussion back to the point of how powerful the Judicial Branch is and how the other two branches of government balance it.