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Adult Criminal Justice System
Twelfth graders examine the procedures and protections involved in processing an accused person through the criminal justice system. They view a Powerpoint presentation, conduct research, and write a paper describing a crime they have...
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Design for Social Justice
Students create a solution to a social justice problem within their community. In this urban planning lesson plan, students read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines. Students then complete a...
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The Youth Criminal Justice Act
Students review the Youth Criminal Justice Act and examine the consequences for young people who commit crimes. They investigate the rehabilitation and reintegration processes associated with the act.
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Government Lesson Plan: Lesson Plan 9
Students examine and compare/contrast the steps of criminal and civil cases. They define key vocabulary terms, develop an outline of a criminal and civil trial, and analyze the differences in standards of proof in legal cases.
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Supreme Court Confirmation Process
Students examine the Supreme Court and the confirmation process. They simulate a confirmation hearing with students role-playing as nominees and others as members of the Judiciary Committee. Students compose short essays outlining the...
Anti-Defamation League
Exploring Solutions to Address Radical Disparity Concerns
The deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice, and the protests that followed the 2014 shootings, are the focus of a current-events activity that asks class members to brainstorm and research possible strategies to address the...
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You and the Judicial System
Students explore how the structure of the state and federal judicial systems affect them. They select an appropriate media and create a presentation on the structure of the judicial system, the criminal judicial system and a guide to the...
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Supreme Court
Eleventh graders explore the redistricting process. In this American Government instructional activity, 11th graders examine the electoral map. Students write an essay posing an argument for the redistricting process.
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THE JUDICIAL BRANCH
High schoolers create a series of drawings to show the process of how the Supreme Court does its work. The drawings may be in strip cartoon form or a series of separate illustrations.
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Moot Court Preparation
Twelfth graders prepare themselves for a mock moot court. In groups, they are presented with an overview of each activity and research appellate cases related to the topic given to them. They identify regions of the country that have...
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Affirmative Action
Students explore policies concerning affirmative action. After reading affirmative action handouts, students use the internet and other resources to research information about affirmative action laws, court cases, and arguments. They...
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Bill of Rights and Lawmaking
Ninth graders consider how the Bill of Rights impacts the lawmaking process in the United States. In this Bill of Rights lesson, 9th graders discuss the amendments and their limitations. Students research the role of the Legislative...
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Independent Courts: How Important Are They?
Students investigate the importance of judicial independence and how it is exercised while conducting research to gather information using different resources. The teacher discusses the importance of Law Day. They also read the handout...
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Why Juveniles Commit Crimes
Students examine the reasons why juveniles commit crimes. As a class, they watch movies showing juveniles committing crims and discuss the impact on societies. They take a field trip to adult and juvenile courts and compare their...
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Racial Profiling
Students debate both positions on the controversial topic of racial profiling with support for each and then develop a consensus position on how racial profiling as a law enforcement tool should be used.