Curated OER
Courts in the Classroom: Ritter v Stanton
Young scholars read the case briefs of Ritter v Stanton. They simulate the trial with classmates taking various parts such as appellant, appellee, bailiff, and justices. After conducting a mock argument, they write their own opinion for...
Curated OER
Trial Simulation Project on First Amendment Cases
Students engage in research and role play to discover the history and importance of certain First Amendment court cases. They act out the cases in different roles in order to understand different perspectives from the prosecution to the...
Law Focused Education
Objection! Your Honor Game
Objection! Scholars research the rules and regulations of trial law. Using a trial game simulation, class attorneys choose whether to object to questioning during various trial scenarios. Once objecting, they must also choose the...
Administrative Office of the US Courts
Snyder v. Phelps
Does the Westboro Baptist Church have the protection of the Constitution when protesting military funerals? High schoolers examine the 2011 Supreme Court case of Snyder v. Phelps before comparing the situation to a fictional...
Administrative Office of the US Courts
Morse v. Frederick
If you stop a student from expressing views that advocate drug use, are you violating their right to free speech? Use the 2007 Supreme Court case Morse v. Frederick to discuss a nuanced interpretation of the First Amendment....
Curated OER
The Amistad Case: A Mock Trial
Learners hold a mock trial. In this Amistad case instructional activity, students prepare for and participate in a mock trial regarding the Amistad case and determine the fate of the Africans recovered on the ship.
Curated OER
Stolen Car Mini-Trial
Students participate in a mock trial about stolen cars. In groups, they take turns representing their clients and examining how a court operates. Other students act as the jury and share their reasons for the verdict they deliver.
Curated OER
"Whispering Wires": Public Law vs. Individual Civil Liberties
High school student love discussing controversial issues like those brought up in this fourth amendment case study. They examine the 1928 Olmstead vs. U.S. prohibition court case, applying the fourth amendment to determine whether...
Carolina K-12
Minnesota v. White: Exploring a Judicial Candidate’s First Amendment Rights
After watching a documentary on the Supreme Court case Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, class members research how the First Amendment and free speech issues influence judicial elections and then conduct a mock judicial election.
Curated OER
Mini-Mock Trial
Students read through accounts of a teenage boy's use of a personal watercraft vehicle. They discuss the presented evidence and consider the varying details of the defendant, plaintiff and witnesses. They come to an agreement and state a...
Administrative Office of the US Courts
US v. Alvarez
Is it illegal to lie about military service? Discuss the ways the First Amendment affects the Stolen Valor Act with a lesson that focuses on the Supreme Court case U.S. v. Alvarez. As high schoolers learn more about the history of the...
Curated OER
Tort Liability: Mock Trial
Students explore the trial process and the tort concept of host liability.
Curated OER
What is a Court?
Students examine and discuss the judicial branch of the U.S. government. They define what a court is, list three characteristics of a trial court and an appellate court, and analyze various trial and appeal situations.
Curated OER
The Trial Process
Students explore the trial process as a guest speaker visits the classroom.
Curated OER
Moot Court Preparation
Twelfth graders prepare themselves for a mock moot court. In groups, they are presented with an overview of each activity and research appellate cases related to the topic given to them. They identify regions of the country that have...
Curated OER
Judges in the Classroom - Mock Trials
Students conduct a mock trial and follow established procedures role-playing attorneys, witnesses, judges, bailiffs, etc. Students examine documents, present arguments and decide a case in which a sea lion is on trial for eating fish.
Curated OER
Mock Trials/Five Themes of Geography
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...
National First Ladies' Library
Safety or Civil Liberty? The Trial of Sacco and Vanzet
Students investigate the Sacco-Vanzetti trial and develop a basic understanding of the issues involved. Then they write an essay taking a stance on the Sacco-Vanzetti trial: was the trial fair? were the two men falsely accused? Finally,...
Pennsylvania Bar Association
The Pied Piper vs. The City of Hamelin
How would the Pied Piper recover his damages from the deceptive citizens of Hamelin if the story took place today? Explore one of the Pied Piper's options with a short play that depicts a court case in which he sues the city of Hamelin...
Curated OER
Battered Child Syndrome - Mock Trial
Students present a mock trial using the battered child defense to a murder charge.
Curated OER
Hydraulic Mining Offline Lesson
Students utilize a variety of source materials to explore reasons for supporting or opposing hydraulic mining. A mock court hearing is held where a decision to allow the continued use of hydraulic mining is made.
Curated OER
Judges in the Classroom
Students study the court process by participating in a mock trial. They demonstrate an understanding of the tort concept of host liability for injuries to third parties.
Utah State Courts
Judges in the Classroom
Class members explore the process of a disposition hearing for juveniles, particularly looking at how the judge decides what sentence the juvenile offender should receive. Task your pupils with evaluating different sample cases provided...
Curated OER
All Hats for Ecology: Solid Waste Presentation
Students investigate community issues with solid waste. For this mock trial lesson, students examine the issues of solid waste from an ecological and economical perspective. They will develop a mock trial which encourages preservation of...