This is a children’s book by Benny Agosto, Jr. and his daughter, Victoria Agosto, and its story describes the importance of the legal system to fighting injustice.
Rules, Rules, Rules
In this lesson, students are asked to play a game – passing an object, such as an eraser – in which the rules are unclear and keep changing. Students are then asked to actively reflect on when and why rules are important and necessary. The leader might then connect rules of the game to the rule of law, and discuss the importance of law in our communities and in our society.
Why Should We Care? Understanding Rights and Responsibilities as Citizens
Students will identify some of the rights they enjoy as a citizen, and what responsibilities accompany those rights. They will reflect on whether or not they have a responsibility to protect the rights of others as well as their own.
Mediation and the Adversarial Process
Students are first asked to resolve a hypothetical case via the adversary process. Each student is assigned the role of plaintiff, defendant, or judge. The plaintiff and defendant argue their case in turn, and the judge renders a decision. Students are then asked to reflect on the resolution. They are then instructed to resolve the same case via mediation, and to compare the two methods of dispute resolution.
Rights in Conflict: The Case of the Professional Tap Dancer
In this lesson, the leader presents students with a situation in which one person’s rights conflict with another’s. The students will identify the problem, suggest solutions, and discuss the potential outcomes of their proposed solutions. The leader encourages students to think about which solutions are most fair, and can use the situation to illustrate the importance of having and adhering to clear rules ahead of time.
Choosing an Impartial Jury
In this lesson, students are asked to select from a list of potential jurors those most likely to be fair and impartial in a trial of Goldilocks v. The Three Bears. Students are prompted to justify why each juror they chose would be impartial, and so gain an understanding of the challenges associated with selecting an impartial jury.
Independence Day Lesson Plans & Resources
On July 4 each year, the United States celebrates Independence Day. This day commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in which citizens of the thirteen American colonies announced their break from the British Empire and their intention to form a new nation: the United States of America. This Share My Lesson collection provides educators with free preK-12 lesson plans, activities, and materials to use to teach their students about Independence Day.
People Who Make Courts Work
Students are presented with a situation in which a person is accused of committing a crime. They will then identify the people in the courtroom who are responsible for ensuring due process in determining the person’s innocence or guilt.
Salem Witch Trials
This lesson centers around a short play in which the accused person is given an obviously unfair trial. Students are asked to discuss why they think the trial is unfair, and propose measures to rectify the problems they found. It leads naturally into a discussion of why we have due process guarantees under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Seeking Facts to Solve Mysteries
In this lesson, students will discuss the difference between fact and opinion. They will role play a mock trial, decide the case, and justify their decision. Students will discuss why facts are more reliable than opinions, and understand why courts rely more upon facts than opinions.