“Using the Trial of John Peter Zenger (1735)
to Teach About Freedom of Expression:
A Focus on Understanding Two Sides of an Argument”

II. LESSON PLAN CONTENT

1. Introduce concept of rights. Quick-write/discussion: What rights do you have? What is freedom of speech, etc.? What kind of limits are there/should there be on our rights? Illuminate examples where the rights of one person may be mutually exclusive with the rights of that community to be free from such activity.

2. Introduce use of a case summary. Using Chicago v. Morales text, guide students to articulate concerns of prosecution and defense. If students can see clearly only one side, introduce examples that cause them to see what would happen if the rights of the other side were not considered.

3. Introduce use of T-chart (abbreviated). From Morales text, guide students to identify position statement of each side and support for each side. Define counterargument. Why is it important to state your understanding of the side you may not support? Model contrasting a viewpoint with its counterargument.

4. (May save introduction of fourth section, Drawing the Line, for later lesson).

5. Use T-charts as guide to write a persuasive essay supporting one side of a court case.

6. Practice identifying position, support and counterarguments using additional court case readings (Engle v. Vitale, then Feiner v. New York). Introduce Drawing the Line section of T-chart; an argument is strengthened by articulating that you are not promoting an unlimited freedom or an unlimited restriction on people’s freedom, but that your position has a reasonable limit. Practice writing four-part persuasive essays from T-charts.

7. Zenger: Intro vocabulary as necessary to support student access to Zenger summary (modified primary source).

8. Read text chorally, emphasizing that students mark language that will constitute position, support, counterarguments, and limits of each position.

9. Students complete T-Charts in small groups using text.

10. Students use T-charts to write a persuasive essay in which they choose a position and defend it completely with four-part format.