Selecting and Discussing Your Topic
Now you will begin the pre-writing process for your informational article.
Select one of the Amendments in the Bill of Rights as your topic, and organize your ideas in the Topic Selection Chart. You will be researching the following:
- an Amendment of your choice, from the Bill of Rights
- the personal liberty defined in the Amendment
- a landmark court case heard in the Supreme Court that presented an important ruling regarding your chosen Amendment
- two current court cases that involve your chosen Amendment
- how this personal liberty is handled in another country
Topic Selection Chart
| Amendment Selected: (must be part of Bill of Rights) |
| What is the personal liberty defined in the Amendment? (examples: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Right to Bear Arms) |
| Which landmark case will you use to as your primary example? Visit the Bill of Rights Institute Landmark Supreme Court Cases or do a quick web search to find a case. (use search terms like “landmark cases amendment 3”) Remember, a landmark court case is a case heard in the Supreme Court that presents an important ruling regarding a law. |
| What is the landmark case about? |
| List two current court cases relating to this amendment. Do a quick web search for current court cases. These cases must be from the last five years, and should be cases that interest you. |
|
How is this personal liberty handled in other nations? |
| How is your topic informative/explanatory? |
