Stages of the Project for Students

Step 1: Choose a topic and write a rough thesis

A. What is an issue raised by the Bill of Rights that interests you? Read through the Bill of Rights again and consider what you studied in the unit to find something that catches your attention.
B. Write a preliminary thesis about the topic you choose. What do plan to prove or argue?

Step 2: Find an appropriate Supreme Court Case or Supreme Court Cases that address your topic.

A. Use the Supreme Court Case List to find cases that work for your topic.
B. Use the Court Case Organizer to gather useful information from the cases. (HTML version:Court Case Organizer)

Step 3: Gather multiple opinions about your topic.

To get a sense for the debate that surrounds your topic, you need to read what other people have already said about the issue. For this step, you need to find at least 3 good newspaper or web articles on your topic. At least one of the articles should oppose the position that you plan to take. Be sure to check with your teacher to make sure that the articles are of sufficient quality. Print out your articles so that you can receive a grade for this step.

Step 4: Put your reasearch together.

Use the Graphic Organizer for Constitutional CBA to organize your thoughts in preparation for writing your paper. Use the Supreme Court case quotes you have collected, the articles you have collected, and the summary you have writen to sharpen your ideas into an organized pre-writing shape. (HTML version:Graphic Organizer for Constitutional CBA)

Step 5: Write your final thesis.

Use the Graphic Organizer for Constitutional CBA as a helper for writing a single-sentence thesis that your paper will prove or disprove. You want a statement that expresses your opinion and gives some hint as to why you hold that position.

Step 6: Write the Curriculum Based Assessment

Either in class or at home, depending on the instructions of your teacher, write the essay. You may use all of your collected evidence, the graphic organizer, and any supporting materials you choose.

Supporting Documents

Grading Rubric for the final Curriculum Based Assessment Paper

HTML version: Grading Rubric for the final Curriculum Based Assessment Paper