INTERACTIVE EDUCATIONAL GAMES

The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands is developing an ensemble of interactive educational resources about the Constitution. 

Being John Marshall:  
John Marshall served as chief justice of the Supreme Court for 34 years. In the landmark case Marbury v. Madison, he established the principle of judicial review, elevating the Court as an equal power in government. In this game, the player takes on the role of John Marshall and tries to persuade the other justices to vote with him. Coming September 2009!
 

The First Amendment:  
This game, based on a landmark case about students’ right to free speech, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969), launches students on a journey to the U.S. Supreme Court. Along the way are mini-games and challenges that teach about the First Amendment, the Tinker case, legal concepts such as precedents, relevant vocabulary, and how the federal courts work.
 
The Constitutional Convention:  
Travel back to 1787 and take part in the Constitutional Convention as the Founding Fathers struggle to decide how the new nation will be governed. Explore how these very different men representing their states’ conflicting demands created our Constitution. 

Featured for Constitution Day 2009  

A 2-disc set containing Sunnylands videos on the Constitution was sent to all members of the Annenberg Classroom mailing list, the principals of every public high school in the country, law school deans, federal judges and public libraries. The materials are scheduled to arrive by September 10, 2009.

The DVDs provide an easy way to jump-start conversations about the most important document in U.S. history. The complimentary educational resources include:

• A Conversation on the Constitution with Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony M. Kennedy: Freedom of Speech, in which the Justices discuss students’ free speech rights and the landmark case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District and Morse v. Frederick with a group of high school students

• A Conversation on the Constitution with Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony M. Kennedy: Jury Service, which explores the history and responsibilities of juries and the role they play in the United States judicial system 

• The Constitution Project: Korematsu and Civil Liberties, a documentary on the landmark Japanese internment case, Korematsu v. United States (1944), concerning the constitutionality of the presidential executive order 9066 during World War II

• The Constitution Project: Yick Wo and the Equal Protection Clause, a documentary on Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886), in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that non-citizens had due process rights under the 14th Amendment 

• FAQs: Juries, a series of 11 short video segments featuring constitutional experts, lawyers and judges discussing the importance of jury service, types of juries, qualifications for jury service, and what to expect as a juror