Texas TEKS 8.18.B

Social Studies8th GradeGovernment

The Standard

summarize the issues, decisions, and significance of landmark Supreme Court cases, including Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, and Gibbons v. Ogden

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do

Students identify the constitutional question in each case, state the Court's ruling, and explain what changed because of it. They connect Marbury to judicial review, McCulloch to implied federal powers and federal supremacy, and Gibbons to federal control of interstate commerce.

What Mastery Looks Like

A student can give a concise issue, ruling, and impact summary for all three cases without mixing them up. The student can use each precedent to predict who would prevail in a similar government dispute and justify the answer.

Common Misconceptions

Students often say Marbury created the Supreme Court or let it write laws, rather than establishing judicial review. They may reverse McCulloch and claim Maryland could tax the national bank. They may treat Gibbons as federal power over all business, instead of commerce crossing state lines.

How to Assess It

Exit ticket: Choose one case and complete three lines labeled constitutional issue, Court decision, and lasting effect. Then name one modern dispute where the precedent could apply.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

  1. Give pairs nine cards labeled issue, decision, or impact, then have them sort three matching cards under each case name.

  2. Ask students to write: Which ruling most increased federal power, and what evidence from two cases supports your answer?

  3. Run a case-clue relay where teams identify the case, ruling, and constitutional principle from one clue at a time.

  4. Present a state tax on a federal office and an interstate shipping rule, then ask students which precedent each situation raises.

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