While the U.S. Supreme Court begins hearing final cases in April before recessing until the fall, Poptential’s free digital curriculum provides teachers a rich curriculum about the role the Supreme Court plays in the U.S. government, including landmark cases and the court’s lifetime appointments. Click to tweet.

“The Supreme Court has been in the news a great deal over the last year, so it’s especially important for students to understand the role of this co-equal branch of government,” said Julie Smitherman, a former social studies teacher and director of content at Certell, Inc., the nonprofit behind Poptential. “Poptential makes the topic interesting with multimedia content to illustrate lessons and help teachers explain the duty of the court to uphold the Constitution.”

Poptential’s Government eBook includes media-rich lessons, bell ringers, and tests that offer high school students an in-depth look at the U.S. judicial branch of government, the highest court in the country. Lessons on the Supreme Court include:

• The concept of Judicial Review—The landmark Supreme Court case, Marbury vs. Madison, established the principle of “judicial review,” granting the court the power to strike down laws that violate the U.S. Constitution and ensure that each branch of government recognizes the limits of its own power. This important case in Supreme Court history is discussed in a video clip.
• The first female justice: On September 21, 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court. This bell ringer includes a video that highlights Justice O’Connor’s ground-breaking career and stance on a variety of landmark cases.
• Stand by decided matters: The Supreme Court has the final say on U.S. laws and most often uses precedent—previous rules of law—to make their new decisions. A video clip from Chief Justice John Roberts’ appointment hearings discusses “Stare Decisis,” the legal term for precedent, and the view that overruling a precedent can cause a jolt to the legal system.
• The appointment process: A Supreme Court justice must be nominated by the president of the United States, approved by the Senate, and then formally appointed to the court by the president. Any individual can be appointed regardless of nationality, education or age. This video clip highlights a nominee’s path to be appointed for life to the court.

Poptential course packages include everything instructors need to teach a subject, including lessons, e-books, bell ringers, quizzes, and tests. The lessons use a variety of pop culture media to illustrate concepts, including those taken from sitcoms, movies, animations, cartoons, late-night shows, and other sources. The curriculum is standards-based and developed by teachers.

Poptential is available via a digital platform that allows students to access lessons even in poor bandwidth environments. Course packages in American History, World History, U.S. Government/Civics, and Economics are available free at www.poptential.org.

About Certell, Inc.

Certell is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to foster a generation of independent thinkers. More than 100,000 users from throughout the United States have signed up for Certell’s Poptential™ family of free social studies courses. Certell course packages have won a number of awards, including EdTech Digest Awards for Curriculum and Instruction Solution, Tech&Learning Best Tool for Back to School, Tech Edvocate Awards, Bronze Award of Excellence from the National Association of Economics Educators, and Civvys Awards. More information is available at poptential.org.