Curated OER
A System of Rules
Learners write letters, create models, create a photo display, and make charts about the rules that a state has. In this rules lesson plan, students learn about and make different displays of how states come up with rules, change them,...
Curated OER
Beowulf Mini-Mock Trial Manual
In this Beowulf worksheet, students identify a crime and prepare the prosecuting and defense case to present to the class "jury." Students must follow court procedure and use court terminology as they present their case.
Curated OER
Hero vs. Claudio: A Case of Slander
Students research marriage customs of the Renaissance, discuss and debate the issues raised by Claudio repudiating Hero at the altar in the Shakespearean play Much Ado About Nothing, and then stage a mock trial accusing Claudio of...
Curated OER
Boston Massacre Trial
Students participate in trial simulation following the Boston Massacre in which they use core map A to help present their evidence and testimony.
Curated OER
Ethical Dilemmas in Teaching the Holocaust
Students are exposed to a variety of readings about the Nazi Party and concentration camps. Using the readings as a guide, they identify moral issues that we all face studing the Holocaust. They decide to work together to end bigotry...
Curated OER
The Role of Lawyers
Twelfth graders compare and contrast the role of lawyers in Japan and the United States. After viewing movies and television shows, they make guesses about the justice system in the United States. They answer discussion questions and...
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People are People
Explore human diversity in this human rights instructional activity. Middle schoolers compare novels, speeches, videos, and short stories that promote diversity and basic human rights. They complete daily coursework as they read the...
Shell Education
A Tribute To Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
How much do your learners know about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? Set up an opportunity for kids to learn about Dr. King while practicing reading fluency with a reader's theater activity. The script is for four voices and includes...
Curated OER
Who Serves Time? Breaking Down Stereotypes About Juvenile Offenders
Young scholars read and discuss article "Doing Time," explore juvenile justice system and juvenile hall, and discuss stereotypes of young offenders.
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Court System Scavenger Hunt
High schoolers are assign a particular Federal or State Court. They are asked to make a poster of the court they have been assigned. Students are told that the poster should include a list of the types of cases that particular court...
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Bang to Rights
Students take a closer look at the rights of British prisoners. In this current events lesson, students research the listed Web sites that include information about the British justice system and voting practices. Students discuss...
Curated OER
Birth Control By Law? - Legislative Hearing
Learners participate in a mock legislature. In this American justice system lesson, students follow the provided steps to participate in a simulation that requires them to debate a proposal for mandatory birth control for substance abusers.
Curated OER
Laws...Who Needs Them?
Who needs laws? Junior high schoolers sure do! Provide your 7th-9th graders with an understandng about why laws are important and how they are used to create a functioning society. Learners use a series of handouts and readings to build...
Curated OER
Consequences
Students identify and describe what consequences are and how they affect others. Then they play the "Kids' Court" game as a class as outlined in the activity. Students also identify how consequences and their actions are linked using...
Curated OER
The Journey of a Banana
To investigate the price of bananas in order to evaluate basic counting and number sense skills, your mathematicians focus upon multiplication and problem solving that incorporates social studies in the form of building awareness about...
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Hodgson v. Minnesota
Students investigate the role of and develop opinions of the court in weighing competing interests in making decisions. They examine the power of the courts and legislature to regulate constitutional rights.
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Mock Appellate Arguments
High schoolers participate in a mock appellate argument by role playing a case. They develop a case and present it to the judge using proper argument techniques.
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Role Playing Free Speech
Students conduct research into looking at a free-speech issue. They role play the events surrounding a court case. The lesson includes guiding questions to help create context and determine areas of further study. The presentation...
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The Distance Formula and Marching Nonviolently for Social Change
Students explore the distance formula using real world data from nonviolent marches for social change. In this secondary mathematics lesson, students investigate the marches of Gandhi and King using maps overlaid with a coordinate...
Nebraska Department of Education
Social Class and Fitting In
Social classes may be explicitly defined as in a caste system or based more informally on such ideas as wealth or education. After reading and discussing an article about one woman's experience with trying to fit into a system different...
National Woman's History Museum
African American Activists
Ida B. Wells, Rosa Parks, and Fannie Lour Hammer are three African American activists who stood up for change. Though living in different time periods, all three women sought justice and equality. Class members examine primary source...
Curated OER
US Constitution
Think about the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence with your budding historians. They analyze the importance of historical documents by examining several famous documents, and then they complete activities that check...
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What Makes a Good Law?
Why were laws created? Spark a group discussion on why we need laws to co-exist. Should the sale of some things be outlawed on Sundays? Read a case summary between Target and the state of Minnesota that debated this issue. Ask your...
Curated OER
Hopi Tribal Council
Focusing on the differences between traditional Hopi government and the Hopi Tribal Council, this resource is a good addition to your unit on Native American culture. Learners conduct Internet research, analyze primary source photos, and...