Mock Trials for Government and Civics Classes:Bundle

Room 311
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What educators are saying
This is probably the best resource I have ever invested in. My students were obsessed with the fairytale mock trials.
Description
This bundle includes three unique mock trials for your government or civics classes to further their study of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments of the Constitution. I created these cases as a fun way for students to get involved and interested in our judicial system.
The cases included are:
The Trial of Kat Kyle
The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf
The Trial of Snow White
Each case includes the following:
1) brief case outline
2) witness testimonies
3) suggested evidence for trial
4) documents such as subpoenas and police reports
I have also included:
1) requirements for each job during the trial
2) suggested questions for the lawyers
3) rubric
Each case will take approximately 2 weeks to prepare and perform.
These mock trials are designed to teach the students the importance of performing their civic duty (i.e. jury duty), as well as understanding their rights as stated in the Bill of Rights. This activity works best after a unit on the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments. Because these are fictional rather factually-based cases, students will be asked to perform roles and inhabit characters. The defendant's guilt or innocence is often left up to the student portraying them. It is the duty of the lawyers to prove their case based on the evidence and testimony presented.
Here is a sample of how you could schedule this into your class. Of course, you could always modify this to better fit your classroom setup and schedule.
This outline is based on scheduling your mock trial to last ten days.
Day One: Discuss the mock trial and give out notes necessary for the students to understand the proceeding and terminology of the courtroom.
Day Two: Go over the case. Assign roles to each student.
Day Three-five: Students work individually on their roles. The first newspaper should be ready by the end of day five.
Day Six: Schedule individual time with each person/group and discuss how things are going and if they need help. This might be the right time to go over Constitutional challenges the lawyers might have.
Day Seven-Eight: Trial Commences.
Day Nine: Go over the trial with students. Discuss how things went and what they learned. This may be when final assignments are due.
Day Ten: I would add an extra day into the unit in case the trial runs longer than expected. I’ve found that oftentimes, the witnesses can be on the stand much longer than I planned for.
______________________________________________________
Mock Trials for Government and Civics Classes by Dena Lopez is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
______________________________________________________
If you like this product, you may also enjoy these products from Room 311:
The First Amendment Unit
U.S. Constitution Unit
U.S. Constitution Test
Essay Prompts for Government and Civics
The Trial of Snow White
The Trial of Kat Kyle
The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf
The Trial of Bugs Bunny
Being a Juror for Government and Civics Classes
The 4th Amendment Unit
A Criminal Justice Unit for your Government Class
The Trial of Goldilocks
______________________________________________________
Check me out at Room 311 on Facebook
Email me at room_311@yahoo.com
______________________________________________________
Customer Tips:
How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases:
• Please go to your My Purchases page (you may need to login). Beside each purchase you'll see a Provide Feedback button. Simply click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give a quick rating and leave a short comment for the product. Each time you give feedback, TPT gives you feedback credits that you use to lower the cost of your future purchases. I value your feedback greatly as it helps me determine which products are most valuable for your classroom so I can create more for you.
Be the first to know about my new discounts, freebies and product launches:
• Look for the green star next to my store logo and click it to become a follower. Voila! You will now receive email updates about this store.
The cases included are:
The Trial of Kat Kyle
The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf
The Trial of Snow White
Each case includes the following:
1) brief case outline
2) witness testimonies
3) suggested evidence for trial
4) documents such as subpoenas and police reports
I have also included:
1) requirements for each job during the trial
2) suggested questions for the lawyers
3) rubric
Each case will take approximately 2 weeks to prepare and perform.
These mock trials are designed to teach the students the importance of performing their civic duty (i.e. jury duty), as well as understanding their rights as stated in the Bill of Rights. This activity works best after a unit on the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments. Because these are fictional rather factually-based cases, students will be asked to perform roles and inhabit characters. The defendant's guilt or innocence is often left up to the student portraying them. It is the duty of the lawyers to prove their case based on the evidence and testimony presented.
Here is a sample of how you could schedule this into your class. Of course, you could always modify this to better fit your classroom setup and schedule.
This outline is based on scheduling your mock trial to last ten days.
Day One: Discuss the mock trial and give out notes necessary for the students to understand the proceeding and terminology of the courtroom.
Day Two: Go over the case. Assign roles to each student.
Day Three-five: Students work individually on their roles. The first newspaper should be ready by the end of day five.
Day Six: Schedule individual time with each person/group and discuss how things are going and if they need help. This might be the right time to go over Constitutional challenges the lawyers might have.
Day Seven-Eight: Trial Commences.
Day Nine: Go over the trial with students. Discuss how things went and what they learned. This may be when final assignments are due.
Day Ten: I would add an extra day into the unit in case the trial runs longer than expected. I’ve found that oftentimes, the witnesses can be on the stand much longer than I planned for.
______________________________________________________
Mock Trials for Government and Civics Classes by Dena Lopez is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
______________________________________________________
If you like this product, you may also enjoy these products from Room 311:
The First Amendment Unit
U.S. Constitution Unit
U.S. Constitution Test
Essay Prompts for Government and Civics
The Trial of Snow White
The Trial of Kat Kyle
The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf
The Trial of Bugs Bunny
Being a Juror for Government and Civics Classes
The 4th Amendment Unit
A Criminal Justice Unit for your Government Class
The Trial of Goldilocks
______________________________________________________
Check me out at Room 311 on Facebook
Email me at room_311@yahoo.com
______________________________________________________
Customer Tips:
How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases:
• Please go to your My Purchases page (you may need to login). Beside each purchase you'll see a Provide Feedback button. Simply click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give a quick rating and leave a short comment for the product. Each time you give feedback, TPT gives you feedback credits that you use to lower the cost of your future purchases. I value your feedback greatly as it helps me determine which products are most valuable for your classroom so I can create more for you.
Be the first to know about my new discounts, freebies and product launches:
• Look for the green star next to my store logo and click it to become a follower. Voila! You will now receive email updates about this store.
Total Pages
88 pages
Answer Key
Rubric only
Teaching Duration
2 Weeks
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