Prepare lectures on the history of the court system. Include information from Article III of the Constitution and the scope of the government established by the Bill Of Rights.
Explain common legal terms and their significance such as habeas corpus, legal precedence and due process of law.
Use visual aids. For example, show your students a chart or diagram that displays the structure of the federal and state court systems. Look for visual aids that show the interconnectedness of both federal and state courts.
Discuss jurisdiction of state courts. For instance, state courts handle family, tort, property, personal injury and state criminal cases.
Compare a state court structure with the federal court structure. Show students state and federal government websites that explain the court structure.
Give your students the timeline of a landmark case that includes legal history, important events surrounding the case and the path the case took to the U.S. Supreme Court. For example, look at the timeline for the historic Brown v. Board of Education case.on the National Archives website.
Assign a quiz or short paper to reinforce your lesson. Make sure your assignment covers important themes from your lesson such as legal terms, court structure and differences in federal and state courts.