"It is not freedom from conditions, but it is freedom to take a stand toward the conditions," wrote Victor Frankl, Holocaust survivor and author of Man's Search for Meaning. The abilities to take a stand, exercise freedom, and alter one's conditions are influenced by the rule of law--a concept central to many middle and high school history, social studies, and government teachers.
At Write the World, we’re pleased to share a special competition sponsored by the Supreme Court Historical Society dedicated to this topic, encouraging youth around the world to consider the rule of law as it relates to their lives, local communities, countries, and role as global citizens. Below, you’ll find four classroom activities designed to introduce students to the topic and build their conceptual understanding before entering the competition. These activities are fully customizable, pursuant to your instructional objectives, and build in intensity so as to scaffold deeper, more nuanced engagement with issues of rights, rules, and justice.
Before students develop their conceptual knowledge of the rule of law, they must first have a shared definition of it. But rather than simply sharing its meaning with the class, consider taking an inductive approach by inviting students to hypothesize, debate, and define the term for themselves—encouraging deeper thinking.
To do so, divide the class into small groups using a Jigsaw framework (typically, 3-5 students per group is best). Ask each group to research the rule of law using credible sources and to infer its definition based on their findings. If you prefer, rather than assigning open research, you could assign 1-3 different sources to each group, drawing from the Supreme Court Historical Society’s Beyond the Bench resources or government or human rights publications related to your country—or those that take a global perspective, such as the World Justice Project (a possible extension activity is to ask students to compare/contrast global definitions and consider how and why varying cultures define this concept similarly or differently).
Ask each group to assign a notetaker, time-keeper, and presenter. Notetakers can document the sources used and serve as scribes while their group strives to reach consensus on a definition. This activity typically works best when students have 15-20 minutes to delve into multiple sources and compare and contrast their original definitions, drawing on examples from their lived experience.
At the conclusion of the activity, invite group presenters to share their group’s definition. Share all definitions in a central space—like on a whiteboard or in a shared Google document. Then, ask students what similarities and differences they notice across the definitions. Through a whole group discussion, ask students to engage in respectful debate as they work to create one central definition as a class. Once they’ve done so, fill in any informational gaps by sharing definition(s) you’ve pulled from credible sources—to ensure a shared, validated definition of the concept that learners can return to during subsequent class activities and writing assignments.
Once students have a shared understanding of the rule of law, leverage their personal experiences to foster their investment in the concept. To do so, use Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Systems Framework diagram (you can easily adapt this in a tool like Canva or Magic School, creating worksheets designed and tailored to your class).
Ask students to engage in a think-pair-share activity in which they discuss how the rule of law impacts them at each level—as an individual; in their family/school/home; in their community, local government, and friend/neighbor groups; nationally, through media and dominant cultural messaging; and globally, as citizens of the world.
As they talk, ask them to make notes of concrete examples of the rule of law at each level of the diagram. Then, hang students’ diagrams around the room (anonymously, if desired) and facilitate a silent gallery walk, asking students to think about—and later, as a class, discuss—what they notice and wonder about the diagrams, and how this activity has shifted their thinking about the rule of law.
As students continue to develop their understanding of the rule of law and prepare to enter Write the World’s writing competition on the topic, invite them to “simplify to solidify,” meaning simplify their understanding of the concept through a writing activity designed to solidify their conceptual knowledge in advance of more in-depth work.
To do so, ask them—independently, or with peers—to create a short children’s story about a court case, conflict, or leader in connection with the rule of law. Invite them to use a medium of their choice (flip-book, slide deck, animation, poster, illustrated pamphlet, etc.). They should consider language, events, and facts appropriate for the age of their intended readers; if you have the capacity to partner with a younger grade in your school, or a local elementary school or youth group, this real-world partnership will further help teen writers tailor their content for an authentic audience.
The act of teaching others, especially those younger than oneself, about a new concept reinforces prior learning and enhances student motivation—positioning teen writers well to create a new piece of writing for WtW’s forthcoming competition.
Studying the rule of law can raise strong feelings and opinions, especially related to issues of equity, fairness, and justice. A critical component of honing one’s perspective—and requisite arguments—is considering counterarguments and thinking deeply about their origins.
What does the opposing side believe, and why? What life experiences may have led to their opposition? What fears, vulnerabilities, relationships, rights, privileges, or experiences are at the core of naysayers’ arguments—and what are at the core of your own?
These questions support students’ perspective-taking skills—and one way to channel them is through the “Step Inside” thinking routine from Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Making Thinking Visible.
For this activity, ask students to study the 1988 US Supreme Court case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, a case exploring students’ right to free speech, specifically an instance when journalism students at a high school in Missouri wrote about peers’ experiences with teen pregnancy and the impact of divorce. “When they published the articles in the school-sponsored and funded newspaper The Spectrum, the principal deleted the pages that contained the stories prior to publication without telling the students,” explains the U.S. Courts summary. The Court ruled in favor of the principal, in a 5-3 ruling.
If you teach outside of the US, feel free to use this case or select a case or event relevant to your geographic context.
- Ask students to review the case using Supreme Court Historical Society resources and the U.S. Courts summary.
- Next, have them zoom in on key excerpts from the majority opinion and dissenting opinion to get a sense of both sides of the argument. Ask them to consider their own opinion, after carefully reviewing the materials.
- Once students have taken a side, ask them to follow the “Step Inside” framework and think only about the “other side”--meaning those in favor of the ruling if they, themselves, are against it, or vice versa. Have them write, then talk with a peer or the class, in response to the following questions:
- What can this person see, observe, or notice?
- What might the person know, understand, hold true, or believe?
- What might the person of thing care deeply about?
- What might the person wonder about or question?
In conclusion, ask students to write or talk about how examining and empathizing with “the other side” changed their thinking. How might they tweak their own argument, having now thought more deeply about those in opposition to them? Invite them to write a 2-3 sentence thesis statement for or against the ruling, with this deepened perspective in mind.
We invite you to use any or all of the activities above to scaffold students’ understanding of the rule of law in preparation for Write the World’s October competition. If you’ve done so, we’d love to hear from you! Reach out to educators@writetheworld.org to share how it went, ask any questions about the activities, or to celebrate with snapshots of student work—you might even be featured on our blog or social media channe
Thank you to the Supreme Court Historical Society for making this content possible. The Supreme Court Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to preserving and collecting the history of the United States Supreme Court, increasing public awareness of the Court's contribution to the constitutional heritage of the United States, and acquiring knowledge covering the history of the entire Judicial Branch. Learn more at supremecourthistory.org and explore resources at civics.supremecourthistory.org.