Teaching tip for Lesson Three:  A time saver is to discuss the reasons why a search warrant should or should not be issued for 935 Bay St., St. Louis, MO, but not have the students actually write them in the spaces provided.

Time management:  Prepare in advance!  Read the materials for Lesson Three, know what is included and be sure to cover the materials in small groups rather than in full lecture format.  This lesson covers Fourth Amendment search & seizure concepts, and in years past has been one of the students' favorite lessons. 

 
Current Search and Seizure Cases:  If you do find that you have extra time after covering the day's lesson, you may wish to mention the Fourth Amendment case the U.S. Supreme Court may decide to take up later this month: Florida v. Jardines, which asks whether a police K-9's sniff outside a house gives officers the right to get a search warrant for illegal drugs, or whether the sniff is itself an unconstitutional search. Florida's highest state court said Franky the police dog's ability to detect marijuana growing inside a Miami-area house from outside a closed front door crossed the constitutional line. The case is being closely monitored by law-enforcement agencies nationwide because they depend on dogs for a wide range of law-enforcement duties.  (For full story, click here.)

Another case you may wish to share is State v. Johnson, heard by the Ohio Supreme Court in October, 2011 on whether extended warrantless GPS tracking of a suspect's movements violates the Fourth Amendment and Section 14 Article I of the Ohio Constitution.  Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued for the need for judicial oversight by a neutral magistrate before such an intrusion of privacy, but prosecutors argued that the Fourth Amendment doesn't require a warrant when tracking a car on a public road because there is no expectation of privacy there.  (For overview of oral arguments, click here.)

School closings: We encourage you to check with the schools the day of your 3Rs class in case inclement weather has forced the school to close.  Phone numbers for the schools may be found here.   To check for closings online, click here.  If you discover your school has been closed on Friday, please notify your captain and teammates.  Please also alert Mary Groth at (216) 696-3525 x5004.  3Rs lessons cancelled due to school closings may be rescheduled according to your teacher and teammates' preferences.
 

Use of Optional Student Worksheets:  The pages labeled Optional Student Worksheets are provided as optional activities for students to do when we are not in the classroom.  Encourage the students to complete them after we leave.  The classroom teachers are encouraged to use the worksheets and other optional activities as homework and/or extra credit.