What better way to get your class interested in history than to embody important historical characters and make events come to life? Stage a realistic mock trial of the British soldiers accused of murdering five Bostonians after the famed Boston Massacre! You can also simply read the story aloud as a class for an engaging narrative of the pivotal historical event.

Additional Tags

crispus attucks, social studies

Show More Show Less

Pros

• Interesting narrative of events at Boston Massacre
• Offers general instructions for each student role in mock trial

Cons

• Many areas where you'll need to provide and clarify guidelines for the mock trial student roles. Terms such as "voluntary manslaughter" may be difficult for young learners to grasp
• Given the lack of detail in the lesson plan, you may wish to treat this as a light activity rather than a major form of assessment.
• Best suited for a more mature group
• Will require a considerable degree of classroom management and preparation, including providing your own rubric or means by which you will assess student presentations during the trial

Common Core

RH.6-8.2