The Icing on the Cake

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Lead Teacher Mentor

Cake seems to be a reoccuring theme in my social studies classroom. Marie Antoinette allegedly said, “Let them eat cake!” when confronted with information that her subjects were starving from lack of bread. Benjamin Franklin noted, “A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges.” Who can forget the marble vs. layer cake analogy when teaching students about federalism? This week the United States Supreme Court served up another “slice” for classroom use when they heard oral arguments in Masterpiece Cakeshop vs.Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

Masterpiece Cakeshop is the “icing on the cake” of a year full of compelling court cases that can be used by classrooms to address essential questions related to power, freedom, justice and equality. By employing the proven practices of current and controversial issues discussions as well as simulations of democratic processes, teachers can facilitate student inquiry as prescribed by the new Illinois Social Studies standards that build both skills and deeper knowledge of the democratic institutions that scaffold our republic.

Here are some of my favorite resources to use when I have students examine the Judicial Branch of government.

• The Constitutional Rights Foundation of Chicago offers a myriad of lesson plans and strategies to engage students in examining compelling issues before the court, past and present. They also host summer institutes for middle and high school teachers aligned to standards and best practice in civic education.
• The American Bar Association Division for Public Education has a teacher portal that is full of resources to understand judicial review. Be sure to examine their latest materials related to Executive Orders.
• Street Law has both lesson plans and strategies for students to engage in moot courts. They also provide excellent professional development. I highly recommend their Supreme Court Summer Institute! Be sure to check out their page on the Masterpiece Cakeshop vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.
• Icivics.org provides both high and low tech tools for students to understand the court system. One of my students’ favorite games, “Do I Have a Right?” was just made available in Spanish.
• The American Board of Trial Advocates has a long tradition of supporting civic education and provides resources ranging from lectures to lesson plans. Our civic regional mentor, Jim Vera, has participated in their educator training and endorses their materials.
• PBS Learning Media has a page for Illinois teachers about the Supreme Court that includes landmark cases, lesson plans and materials related to civil rights.
• Annenberg Classroom has a plethora of videos and materials related to key court cases throughout history.

What is missing from this list? Are their resources you can share to help students understand the court system? Please comment below. Together, we can prepare ALL students for college, career and civic life.