About This Lesson
Thinkalong.org is a free, evidence-based interactive tool for students to develop media literacy skills by applying the 5 Key Questions of Media Literacy to public media content. Importantly, the tool does not require registration for teachers or students, abides by student privacy laws, and is advised by a board of both youth and educators.
Each module consists of:
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a compelling and timely question;
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related current and age-appropriate public media content including audio, video, and text;
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extension resources for advanced or highly-interested students;
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student graphic organizers;
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a simple debate tool;
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a teacher's guide to the module;
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and a guide to the 5 Key Questions of Media Literacy.
This Teacher's Guide supports the Should Supreme Court Justices have term limits? module on thinkalong.org. Here is the full module and below is a summary.
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States, but it's not above debate over how it should be run. With the unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016 and the recent death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, some are calling for term limits for the top judges in the land. Others object to changing the lifetime appointments to the court, saying it would be difficult to amend the Constitution to do so. Should Justices get the gavel after 18 years? 10 years? Longer? Or should they serve for life or until resignation?
To use this module with learners in any setting, we recommend using one of the structured discussion formats outlined at thinkalong.org/structuring-discussions. You can find options for a small or large group, so that all students or just a few participate, and examples of some discussion formats.
