Goals:

Students will be able to analyze how the constitutional right of privacy and the definition of search and seizure have evolved over time.

Students will understand that:

• The U.S. Supreme Court is the supreme authority over the meaning of the U.S. Constitution and can change its interpretation of the Constitution over time.
• The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized the right of privacy as an implicit right contained within the Bill of Rights.
• While a general right of privacy has been recognized since colonial times, the meaning of the right of privacy has changed over time.
• Technological advancements have caused the Supreme Court to reevaluate the meaning of a search under the Fourth Amendment.
• Changing interpretations of the Constitution allow it to keep up with the times.

Essential Questions:

• Why is the Supreme Court permitted to change its interpretation of the U.S. Constitution?
• What is the difference between an explicit and an implicit legal right?
• How and why has the meaning of the right of privacy changed over time?
• Why has the Supreme Court periodically reevaluated the meaning of a search under the Fourth Amendment?
• How does the Constitution keep up with the times?

Students will know:

• Important terms regarding the right of privacy and searches under the Fourth Amendment.
• Key facts about the changing interpretation of the right of privacy and more specifically the Fourth Amendment.
• Key Supreme Court cases on the right of privacy and more specifically on the Fourth Amendment.

Students will be able to:

• Recognize, define, and use right of privacy and Fourth Amendment vocabulary in context.
• Research Supreme Court cases and recent news on the right of privacy and the Fourth Amendment to add depth to their understanding of its development over time.
• Express their learning orally during class discussions and in writing.
• Collaborate successfully with their peers to improve and express their learning.

Learning Activities:

In these activities students will explore the meaning of privacy and the development of the constitutional right of privacy over time.