Curated OER
Lesson 4: The Judiciary: A Brief Introduction to the Courts System
Focusing on the judicial branch of government, the fourth lesson in this series explores the structure of the US courts system. Beginning with an engaging activity based on the short story The Lady or the Tiger, students go on to examine...
Judicial Learning Center
The Judge and the Jury
Unless you are a lawyer, you might not understand just how unrealistic Law and Order and other legal dramas actually are. Here's a great resource to help scholars of criminology gain a more realistic perspective. The lesson outlines the...
Curated OER
The Jury System
Students analyze Article III and the Seventh Amendment. In this US Justice instructional activity, students research the US jury system and complete a Student Jury questionnaire. Students will discuss the impact the implementation of the...
Curated OER
Twelve Angry Men: Trial by Jury as a Right and as a Political Institution
Students explore the constitutional guarantee of the right to trial by jury. In this U. S. Constitution lesson, students read or view Twelve Angry Men and respond to discussion questions regarding the jury. Students examine the...
Curated OER
A History of Conflict Resolution and the Jury System
Students study the history of the jury system in the United States. They enact a number of different types of trials including trial by jury. They complete a worksheet that compares the trials systems before writing a persuasive essay...
State Bar of Texas
Hernandez v. Texas
What if the jury is not made up of people from your ethnicity or background—are they still considered your peers? Scholars analyze the impact the Supreme Court case Hernandez v. Texas had on jury selection across the nation. Paired...
Curated OER
Can I Have a Jury Trial?
Students examine the difference between a jury trial and a bench trial. They discuss any protections that the Indiana and United States Constitution offers its citizens. They use the internet to research any current press of jury trials.
Curated OER
Fun with Jury Trials
Students take a true or false quiz about jury trials and then gain understanding of interesting facts. It is basically again, an outline that students have as the teacher lectures. The quiz would be for students to remember for further...
Curated OER
Navigating The Legal System
Students identify personal rights allowed under the law in the United States. An exploration of the legal process leads students to describe how the American legal system works. This instructional activity is intended for students...
Curated OER
The Color of Justice
High schoolers analyze racism and justice. In this legal system discrimination lesson, students listen to their instructor lecture on disparities in the legal system. High schoolers respond to discussion questions following the lecture...
Judicial Learning Center
The Players in the Courtroom
Courtrooms are complicated. In addition to the many rules, there are a number of people whose jobs are not very clear to the casual courtroom observer. With the resource, individuals identify some of these roles and review more...
Curated OER
A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION: A SIMULATION
Learners discuss two computerized options to change the current U.S. government. In this Constitutional Convention lesson, students write a statement advocating for one of the choices and participate in a mock modern Constitutional...
ConnectED
Crime Scene Investigation
How exactly does a crime scene investigation work? The resource, a unit on criminology, covers everything from the deductive reasoning skills needed for detectives to DNA fingerprinting, all the way to how to gather evidence and bring...
Curated OER
Inside the Courtroom
Twelfth graders explain the difference between a class action and civil law suit. In groups, they compare and contrast criminal and civil trials and review various cases. They determine the place of law in the American constitutional...
Curated OER
Exploring United States V. Hirabayashi
Students discuss and examine the case of Gordon Hirabayashi.
Curated OER
To Kill a Mockingbird
Students explore the components of racismas they read through Horton Foote's, "To Kill a Mockingbird." The trial of the main character reveals instances of justice in the face of prejudice and forms the focus of the lesson plan.
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Understanding China: The Prospects for Democracy in China
This document provides useful information for a unit on democracy in China. While it does not include detailed activities, it does have a list of democratic principles, and important facts about China that facilitate understanding of its...
Curated OER
Baseball's Steroid Test Program: Fair or Foul?
Students examine the issue of performance enhancing drugs. In this health journalism lesson, students read the USA Today article titled "Baseball's Steroid Test Program: Fair or Foul?", respond to discussion questions regarding the...
Curated OER
Government
Eighth graders analyze the purposes of government. They examine or assess the importance of citizenship to the individual or to society at large (e.g., the importance of voting). Students explain the structure and functions of the three...