Alabama Social Studies SS24.USG.6c
The Standard
- SS24.USG.6
- Summarize the functions and duties of the judicial branch, including the power of judicial review and interpretation of laws.
Contrast strict and loose constructionist views of the Constitution of the United States.
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students compare how two readers apply the Constitution to the same proposed federal action. They identify a power given to Congress and explain how narrowly or broadly each reader interprets the power to carry it out.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a proposal to create a national bank, a student can explain Jefferson's objection and Hamilton's defense. They connect both arguments to Congress's power to collect taxes and the necessary and proper clause.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think a strict reading ignores the necessary and proper clause. They may think a loose reading lets Congress do anything it wants. Both readings require a connection to a power the Constitution gives Congress.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Congress proposes a bank to help collect taxes. Write one objection based on a narrow reading of “necessary” and one defense based on a broader reading.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs cards marked “collect taxes,” “borrow money,” and “create a bank”; have them connect the bank to the other cards with string.
Ask: Does “necessary” mean required or helpful? Have students defend one meaning using Congress's power to collect taxes.
Play a clause match game: match tax collection, bank charter, and hiring tax clerks to listed or implied powers, then defend each match.
Show a dollar bill labeled “Federal Reserve Note”; have students write competing arguments about Congress creating a central bank.
Free download
Printable SS24.USG.6c Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to SS24.USG.6c, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetKeep exploring
Related Standards
- SS24.6.13
Describe major ideas, concepts, and limitations of the Constitution of the United States.
- SS24.6.20b
Compare the arguments for and against the establishment of the National Bank as represented by differing interpretations of the Constitution.
- SS24.US2.14c
Compare and contrast major Supreme Court decisions from the 1960s through the 1980s and explain how they reflect an ongoing national debate regarding the expans...
- SS24.USG.3
Analyze the major features and structural organization of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.
Also for this standard:Make a WorksheetMake a QuizMake a Sub Lesson