Rights and Responsibilities

Students read a variety of well-known studenT books and discuss concepts presented in the books as they relate to the Bill of Rights. They discuss the books and compare them to the Bill of Rights Amendments.

Sixth graders investigate Civil Rights by participating in role-playing activities.  In this U.S. History lesson, 6th graders research the history of slavery in order to portray a story through their debating and acting...

Robert Coles’ The Story of Ruby Bridges forms the basis of this powerful cross-curricular study of civic education and civic responsibility. Class members consider how the book presents authority, responsibility, justice, and privacy.....

Learners analyze the concept of procedural justice. In this judges in the classroom instructional activity, students role play the ways the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights established certain procedures to protect people from...

Fourth graders compare the constitutions of five Pacific Rim countries. In this constitution comparison lesson, 4th graders work with a visiting judge to find similarities and differences in the constitutions of five countries. They...

Young scholars examine classification categories of rights: liberty, security, cultural and group rights using worksheets. They analyze the constitutions of five countries of the Pacific Rim while looking at the rights that are included...

Most people support the idea of an independent judiciary in theory until they hear about a court case that violates their principles. An informative resource explains why the concept is important. It also provides scholars of criminology...

Whether out of choice or necessity, people want to know what will happen on a typical day in court. A helpful lesson walks scholars in the field of criminology through the trial process from opening statements to the final verdict. 

Create your own classroom court. After studying courtroom proceedings, with a focus on the concept of a trial by a jury of your peers, pupils create a set of classroom rules and develop a procedure for solving conflicts. They then are...

Why doesn't the Supreme Court hear testimony from witnesses? How do they complete an entire proceeding in less than two hours? A helpful lesson guides scholars of criminology through these and other questions by explaining how appeals...