Teaching about the Minnesota Marriage Amendment

Grade

9-12

Lesson Duration

by University of Minnesota Law Students Aleida Ortega and Ryan Conners.

This unit of study includes three lessons

Introductory Lesson on Constitutional Interpretation of Fundamental Liberties Under the Due Process Clause. Working in groups, the students decide whether certain hypothetical laws enacted by the state violate the 14th Amendment. Students may role play Supreme Court Justices deciding whether a law is constitutional, and engage in discussion/debate with each other in the process. Constitutional Interpretation of Fundamental Liberties Under the Due Process Clause

Evaluating Voter Advocacy – MN Constitutional Marriage Amendment. This lesson focuses on the importance of voter advocacy through examination of a current proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution defining marriage as the union between one man and one woman. Students are expected to gain a better understanding of the issue through class discussion based on audio clips from both sides of the issue and through deliberation with classmates. Audio clips from Minnesota Public Radio. Powerpoint is divided into two parts.

Federalism and Lawmaking: Claim Your Powers State v. Federal Government. This lesson focuses on the basic concepts of federalism and lawmaking. It explores powers reserved to the states and those given to the federal government through discussion and a “Claim your Powers” activity. It also reviews the federal and Minnesota constitutional amendment process and the legislative lawmaking processes. Students are introduced to federalism and lawmaking through a series of charts and instructional videos.

From the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library

Resources on Minnesota Issues: Same-Sex Marriage in Minnesota

Source

Types of especially helpful comments: How you modified this for your class, How you would improve this lesson.