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Explain how the U.S. Constitution safeguards and limits individual rights.
Standard #: SS.912.CG.3.2
Standard Information
Standard Clarifications

Clarification 1: Students will identify the individual rights protected by the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and other constitutional amendments.

Clarification 2: Students will describe the role of the Supreme Court in further defining the safeguards and limits of constitutional rights.

General Information
Subject Area: Social Studies
Grade: 912
Strand: Civics and Government
Standard: Demonstrate an understanding of the principles, functions and organization of government.
Date Adopted or Revised: 05/24
Status: State Board Approved
Related Courses
Related Access Points
  • SS.912.CG.3.AP.2 # Recognize how the U.S. Constitution safeguards and limits individual rights.
Related Resources
Lesson Plans
  • Search and Seizure Scenario Roleplay # Using the case study, "See-The-Sea Arrest Party," students will role play either a lawful or an unlawful search or seizure. Students will work together in groups and apply the case study to 1) determine if their scenario will be a lawful or an unlawful search ore seizure, 2) complete a storyboard graphic organizer to prepare for role playing their scenario, and 3) orally present their role play scenario to the class. Students will then complete an analysis to determine if each scenario presented is lawful or unlawful and then explain why.
  • Reconstruction Amendments # Students will identify the rights being protected/guaranteed by the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments by reading each amendment and answering several analyzing questions.
  • The "Red Scare" (3 of 3) #
    • A guided practice containing primary source political cartoons from the "Red Scare" for students to analyze.
  • Accusations and the Supreme Court #

    In this lesson plan, students will analyze and rank the importance of 5 Supreme Court cases regarding the subject of the rights of the accused.

  • Bill of Rights, Amendments 5-10 # Students will analyze amendments 5-10 and complete a graphic organizer.  Then students will match real world examples with the correct amendment.  Finally, students will paraphrase amendments 5-10 in their own words.
  • DNA and the United States and Florida Constitutions # Students will summarize the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution and selections from Florida Statute 817.5655. The relationship between DNA collection and testing as they relate to their constitutional rights will then be explored in this integrated lesson plan.
  • DNA True Crime Analysis # Students will investigate the Fourth Amendment implications of DNA collection techniques and technologies used in solving true crime examples in this integrated lesson plan.
  • Cell Theory and Foundations of our Government: Lesson Three # Students will connect the concepts of Cell Theory and our founding documents by researching cell related issues including cancer cells, stem cells, and cloning. They will be able to explain how new ideas and unique solutions require people of various backgrounds and specialities working together and how the founding documents created a system of government that works to protect the rights of both scientists and public health.
  • Integration and the Supreme Court # In this lesson plan, students will analyze and rank the importance of 5 Supreme Court cases regarding the subject of integration.
  • DNA and the Fourth Amendment # Students’ knowledge of DNA will be broadened to include the concepts of touch/shed DNA, PCR, genetic genealogy, and how the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution relates to those cutting edge technologies in this integrated lesson plan.
  • U.S. Constitution Safeguards and Limits Individual Rights # In this lesson, students will analyze the facts and opinions of landmark SCOTUS cases, looking for evidence of how the Court safeguarded and/or limited the rights of certain individuals, populations, or communities.
  • What About Me? # In this lesson, students will learn about how the U.S. Constitution safeguards the rights of all citizens by looking at the history of rights for individuals with disabilities in the United States. Students will examine the 14th Amendment, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and their role in shaping societal treatment of people with disabilities and their treatment by others. Students will analyze court cases related to various disabilities and discrimination in the United States, determining how these court cases and clarification of the law helped to shape society’s sentiments regarding individuals with disabilities. Students will create a public service announcement regarding their court case analysis, using the public service announcement to create awareness.
  • Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier # This PowerPoint slideshow is designed to support teachers in delivering direct instruction on the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier landmark Supreme Court case. The accompanying guided notes can be completed by students during instruction.
  • Landmark Supreme Court Cases # This gallery walk covers landmark Supreme Court cases that may directly impact the lives of students.
  • The Road To Equality # Students will "think, pair, share" the road to African-American equality based on reading about various U.S. Supreme Court cases and constitutional amendments.
  • Expanding the 14th Amendment # In this lesson plan, students will read excerpts from Plessy v. Ferguson [1896], Brown v. Board of Education [1954], and Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education [1971] and explain the outcomes of each case using a graphic organizer. Students will receive direct instruction on some historical context and background information of each case to aid in understanding. Students will complete a timeline to illustrate the impact of landmark Supreme Court decisions as it relates to integration and busing. The lesson will conclude with a student analysis of the impact of the Supreme Court cases on integration and busing and how those cases have expanded rights found in the U.S. Constitution 
  • The Reconstruction Amendments & Their Aftermath # In this lesson, students will use a slideshow and guided notes to learn about the protections guaranteed by the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.  They will also learn about Southern resistance to those new rights and how they were restored in the 20th century.  Finally, students will  complete a worksheet utilizing primary source texts.
  • Balancing Individual Rights with the Public Good During Wartime # In this lesson, students will develop a deeper understanding of how the U.S. government balances the rights of individuals with the public good.  Students will learn about the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act and will research the Schenck v. U.S. case of 1919 to explain and evaluate the Court’s ruling in relation to these controversial laws.
  • Investigating New Freedoms: the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments # In this lesson plan, students will research the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution of the United States.  Students will explore the significance of these amendments in group settings and in an invidual written reflection.
  • Two for Two - Two Ideas About the Second Amendment # In this lesson plan intended for the debate classroom, students will explore the ways two Supreme Court Justices interpreted the rights enumerated in the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. They will use these interpretations to explore the basics of argument and the many ways a single text can be interpreted to support an argument.
  • Restrictions of Rights: Does Government have the Power? # In this lesson plan, students will review a Supreme Court case, identify the rights restricted and, try to determine a ruling for the case before reviewing the historical outcomes. The cases relate to historical events that have resulted in the government limiting or attempting to limit the rights/freedoms of the people of the United States. Students will then compare their decisions with the findings of the Supreme Court. As they review the cases, they will build an understanding of government-imposed restrictions on citizen’s rights and why they may happen.
  • May It Please the Court: Arguing Landmark Cases (Freedom of Speech) # In this lesson plan, students form “legal teams” to learn about and discuss three landmark Supreme Court cases: Tinker v. Des Moines, Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, and Texas v. Johnson. Teams present their cases to a student “Supreme Court” and make oral arguments. The Court decides each case and announces its rulings. The teacher reveals the actual rulings and leads a final discussion about the cases.
Teaching Idea
  • Grades 9-12 Civics Family Guide: Standard 3 # This Grades 9-12 Civics Family Guide provides some ideas and activities to support civics education when at home, out and about, and in the community. The activities provided align to the civics learning benchmarks within Standard 3 at these grade levels.
Video/Audio/Animations
  • Portraits in Patriotism - Idelia & Cristina Viera: Middle - High School # Idelia Viera shares the experience of being exiled from Cuba as a young woman, with special focus on the Cuban Missile Crisis. Ms. Viera describes the difficulties her immigrant family faced and overcame in their new home, providing educational opportunities for their children she and her husband never had. Her daughter, Dr. Cristina Viera, shares her experiences growing up as the child of political refugees and talks about how her career path stems from the dreams her father had before he left Cuba.
  • Portraits in Patriotism - Luis Martínez Fernández: Middle - High School # Luis Martínez-Fernández was born at the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. Dr. Martínez-Fernández immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 2 years old after the Bay of Pigs Invasion. His family moved to Lima, Peru after his father was offered employment there. Dr. Martínez-Fernández’s family left Peru after the President of Peru was ousted from power. The new government in Peru concerned Dr. Martínez-Fernández’s father and the family moved to Puerto Rico where they become U.S. Citizens. Dr. Martínez-Fernández moved to the U.S. after graduation from The University of Puerto Rico. He is a Professor of History, an author, and is civically engaged through his nationally syndicated column.
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