Court System Teacher Resources

Focusing on the judicial branch of government, the fourth lesson in this series explores the structure of the US courts system. Beginning with an engaging activity based on the short story The Lady or the Tiger, students go on to examine...

Students research and prepare a persuasive paper on how federal courts should be constructed in a new country. In this Federal Court System instructional activity, students decide whether they should model a new country's federal courts...

Twelfth graders explore the functions of the Federal Court System. In this Judicial Branch lesson plan, 12th graders examine the needs for courts as they discuss justice and rights, take a virtual tour of the Supreme Court building,and...

Twelfth graders explore the functions of the Federal Court System. In this Judicial Branch lesson, 12th graders examine the needs for courts as they discuss justice and rights, read an excerpt from Hamilton's Federalist Papers and...

The Supreme Court is set up to practice a concept known as Judicial Review. Scholars investigate the structure of the court system in the United States government and politics. They use a short video, the 19th of a 50-part unit, to...

Ninth graders investigate the basis for the Common Law Tradition. They examine the organization of the Federal Court System and students identify the various sources of the American Law.

What is the difference between the federal court and state court systems? What about criminal versus civil cases? Check out this resource that will offer your class members a general and effective overview of the judicial branch in the...

Students research the branches of government.  In this federal court system lesson, students use internet research and NoteFolio technology to research the structure and purpose of the federal courts.  In groups of three, they create a...

Introduce your learners to the federal and state court systems with a fun, interactive online video game! After reading sample cases, class members identify to which court the case should be assigned and gain a greater understanding...

Students investigate the treatment of juveniles in the court system. In this juveniles in court lesson, students research one case of a juvenile and how that child was treated by the court system.  Students write a report, the length...

An amazing set of resources! Found here are several lessons that work in conjunction to help learners better understand the juvenile court system. Learners review the judicial process, discuss how juveniles are tried, and hold a class...

An interesting lesson on juvenile law, and the juvenile court system. Young law makers are given a lengthy document to read on the basics of juvenile law, then they must answer some questions about what they've read. Additionally, they...

Eighth graders examine the role of the U.S. Federal Court System. In this Judicial Branch lesson, 8th graders participate in a prepared mock trial. This lesson is 14 of 16 in the unit plan, "The US and WV: In Pursuit of Independence."

Do the courts only exist to punish people? Scholars investigate the many roles the criminal justice system plays in the United States government and politics. They research a short video clip to better understand and analyze the role the...

The Supreme Court gets all the glory, but very few federal cases make it to the highest court. An interesting lesson explores the structure of the lower levels of the federal court system. In addition to outlining the organization of...

Students examine the court system and court cases. For this language arts lesson, students work in groups to analyze court cases from their assigned chapter.

One of the first public signs of equal protection under the law came with the Brown v. Board of Education court case in 1954. Learners use a short video clip to analyze the role equal rights play in the US court system. They research...

What is a civil case? Who appoints members to the US Supreme Court? What is the ultimate goal of sentencing juveniles? Here is a 15-question multiple-choice assessment on law and the court system in the United States.

Young lawyers put Goldilocks on trial as they develop an understanding of the legal system in the final activity of this five-part series. After learning about key terms relating to litigation, students are assigned roles and reading...

Most young scholars are aware of the criminal courts system, but the United States Constitution allows for a much broader role. What other roles do courts play in settling other questions? A case study and WebQuest-style activities...

Students discuss strengths and weaknesses of the court system in providing equal justice for all. They identify factors that cause these weaknesses and recommend solutions.

High schoolers explore the judicial system, its effectiveness, and the many types of justice. They research the judicial system and explore the federal and state court system. Afterward, students read, "To Kill A Mockingbird," and then...

What's the difference between civil and criminal law? How do the court proceedings differ in these two types of trials? How do the standards of proof differ? Why do these differences exist? As part of their examination of the US court...

People often hear the words precedent and Supreme Court together, but why? A resource on the Supreme Court includes a variety of discussion questions, handouts that guide young historians, a video about Nixon and the court system, and...