A tour of the United States Supreme Court building located in Washington, DC, would make an excellent experiential learning experience for students.

Most educators agree that travel is one of the best methods of experiential learning. And one of the most rewarding destinations for travel for American students is our nation’s capital city, Washington, DC. There are many historic sites to visit in the city, and one of the most impressive is the United States Supreme Court building. This building is the work place of the United States Supreme Court, the highest and most influential court in the nation.

Originally the Supreme Court justices met in a small side chamber in the US Capitol building. By the turn of the 20th century, however, the court had outgrown the space. In 1912, Chief Justice William Howard Taft began advocating for a separate structure to house the justices. Shortly thereafter, architect Cass Gilbert designed a new Supreme Court building in the neoclassical style. Construction began in 1932 and was completed in 1935.

A visit to this impressive building would make an excellent experiential learning experience for students. While there, they can view the actual courtroom where the Supreme Court justices meet. If they time it right, they can even listen to a short lecture conducted by one of the docents. The docent will present interesting information about how the court works. In addition to the Courtroom, portions of the first and ground floors of the building are open to the public. Be sure your students see the John Marshall statue and the numerous portraits and busts of former justices which decorate the hallways.

Your class can learn more about the US Supreme Court at this website: Supreme Court. You can also view this brief 3-minute YouTube video for an overview of the building  (please ignore the commercial at the end).

As always, I urge you to teach a great day!

https://youtu.be/dmBFq3s3oJE