Implementing Constitutional Rights into the History Classroom

The field of social science education is continually changing and developing in accordance with contemporary beliefs. Boyle-Baise (2003) writes that properties and qualities of “citizenship” within a Democratic government have taken many different definitions and meanings. The purpose of this study was to explore and investigate current beliefs of citizenship, and how citizenship is often taken for granted by most high school students. By incorporating Supreme Court cases on Constitutional issues into the history classroom, students were led to visualize and contextualize their own definitions and meanings of citizenship. The data collected in my research include lesson plans, field observations, and student work. The lessons created in this study were intended to engage students to reconsider how they conduct themselves in society, and ultimately, raise awareness of citizenship rights. My goal in this study was to examine the advantages and disadvantages of focusing on Supreme Court cases that demonstrate citizens’ liberties