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Mock Trial
Students rewrite a traditional fairy tale to represent the viewpoint of the villain. They participate in a mock trial of that villain in which all regular court participants (judge, jury, defendant, witnesses, plaintiff, etc) play roles.
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Mini-Mock Trial
Students read through accounts of a teenage boy's use of a personal watercraft vehicle. They discuss the presented evidence and consider the varying details of the defendant, plaintiff and witnesses. They come to an agreement and state a...
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Opening Statements -- Mock Trial Preparation
Students prepare for their mock trials in the classroom. As a class, they are introduced to the elements to be included in an opening statement. They make their own statements and present them in front of the class. They make...
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Arrest- A Legal System Simulation
What would your class do if a police officer arrested a student in class? This is exactly the anticipatory set that gets students engaged in a unit on the legal system. The plan is to get the officer to simulate an arrest, and then guest...
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Mock Trial
Students, after the traditional read and discussion of BEOWULF, put one of the the main characters on trial.
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Arrest
Young scholars become active participants in the legal process as they take on the roles of witnesses, jurors, and defendants in a trial simulation. An understanding and appreciation of the legal system is fostered through the experience.
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Hero vs. Claudio: A Case of Slander
Students research marriage customs of the Renaissance, discuss and debate the issues raised by Claudio repudiating Hero at the altar in the Shakespearean play Much Ado About Nothing, and then stage a mock trial accusing Claudio of...
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Judges in the Classroom - Mock Trials
Students conduct a mock trial and follow established procedures role-playing attorneys, witnesses, judges, bailiffs, etc. Students examine documents, present arguments and decide a case in which a sea lion is on trial for eating fish.
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Tort Liability: Mock Trial
Students explore the trial process and the tort concept of host liability.
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Science in the Courtroom: The Woburn Toxic Trial
Students role-play expert witnesses in a mock trial dealing with contamination of groundwater. They prepare for the role-play by studying the movement of groundwater and the transport of contaminants through computations, map exercises...
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The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald
Students run a mock trial for Lee Harvey Oswald. They identify what motivated him to assassinate the President. They examine his personality as well.
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Rebels Or Resisters?
Middle schoolers participate in a mock trial on the Whiskey Rebellion that took place in the state of Pennsylvania in 1794. They analyze the perspectives presented by both sides to determine whether the Whiskey "rebels" were guilty of...
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The Trial Process
Students explore the trial process as a guest speaker visits the classroom.
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Environment: Mock Trial
Students role-play a trial regarding the taking of family property for a new water purification plant. Among the roles are the judge, attorneys, witnesses, plaintiff, mayor, and jury members. Once both sides present their case, the...
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Crime and Justice
Students investigate what happens when someone is arrested. They engage in a mock trial role play about a burglary. They engage in the process of the Criminal Justice System from arrest to sentencing.
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Trial Simulation Project on First Amendment Cases
Students engage in research and role play to discover the history and importance of certain First Amendment court cases. They act out the cases in different roles in order to understand different perspectives from the prosecution to the...
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Charging Redchief
Read and analyze the novel, Ransom of Redchief. They identify the elements of character development, and participate in a mock trial, creating the witnesses through the use of character development.
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Was the Wolf Really Guilty?
Students read plays, short stories, or novels which revolve around trials, and write essays explaining or defending the assigned role in a mock fairy tale trial.
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Swiss Bank Accountability: Mock Trial
Students use a variety of sources to construct a case defending and prosecuting the Swiss government for their role in Nazi gold transactions during World War II. They practice research techniques, persuasive writing and speaking.
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Japanese-Americans of World War II
High schoolers research the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II and Roosevelt's Executive Order. They listen to an audio file of the Fifth Amendment before holding a mock trial about the policy of internment of...
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Direct and Cross-Examination
Students continue to prepare for their mock trial. In groups, they are introduced on how to properly cross and direct examine someone using the techniques. They practice each technique on one another and compete against other groups in...
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Was Goldilocks Innocent or Guilty?
Fourth graders act out a mock fairy tale trial. They use a fairy tale like "The Three Little Pigs", "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", "Hansel and Grete"l, and/or "Little Red Riding Hood".
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Juvenile Justice-Adjudicatory Hearing
Students list the role of the prosecutor and the role of defense counsel. They state the elements of robbery and defense of compulsion. Students conduct a mock hearing, following the sequence of steps in an adjudicatory hearing and...
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The Case of the Plugged Toilets:
Students identify the process for settling a criminal dispute (how are the facts of the case presented; how is the dispute resolved?, and