Students become active participants in the legal process as they take on the roles of witnesses, jurors, and defendants in a trial simulation. An understanding and appreciation of the legal system is fostered through the experience.

Class members take on the role of jurors in this guided imagery activity designed to be used with chapter 15 of Mississippi Trial, 1955. 

Students participate in a simulation of the voir dire portion of a trial. There are student lawyers assigned for the prosecution and the defense. They must review and question all prospective jurors to obtain a fair and impartial jury.

A blood sucking what? Grade schoolers identify the characteristics of blood sucking parasites. They organize their information, identify their arguments, and present them to the class in persuasive arguments. They participate in a debate...

Kidnapper or kindly old woman? Kids stage the trial of Mary Witch and must decide if Mary kidnapped Hansel and Gretel or in fact was trying to save them. A script and complete directions are included in the 17-page packet.

What would your class do if a police officer arrested a student in class? This is exactly the anticipatory set that gets students engaged in a unit on the legal system. The plan is to get the officer to simulate an arrest, and then guest...

In this literature worksheet, students read the novel Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli and then answer ten comprehension questions about the novel.

Students use the Sean 'Puffy' Combs trial to compare how and why various media cover a news story differently.

Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the concepts related to the teaching major themes of Geography. They participate in a role playing activity using the context of a court case. The lesson includes a time set for teacher...

Young scholars 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.

Students explore how people's views on animal treatments differ. In this animal treatment and attitudes lesson, students review cases on animal treatment and evaluate whether or not the case was animal cruelty. Students understand...

Students come up with a synopsis of whether they feel jury duty is necessary or not and how people rate their experience. They research state jury duty websites and express their ideas. They can propose changes that they feel may...

Students discover how to work cooperatively within a group and communicate their ideas clearly in order to reach an agreement. They summarize their experience in writing and hand down a verdict of guilt or innocence based on the...

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...

Students consider deliberations by juries. In this citizen jury lesson, students complete readings regarding the constitutional right to a trial by jury as well as on the civic responsibility to serve on a jury.

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...

This lesson plan features the Latin roots CERN-CER-CRE = separate, distinguish; JUR/JUS = law, right; LEG = law. Choose 1 of the 8 different word puzzle activities from the list below. Each word puzzle will have directions, a clue and a...