Teachers Network
Witness for the Prosecution: Online Newspaper
Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution becomes the text for an online newspaper activity. Young journalists craft news, features, obituary, and opinion articles based on the characters and events in the play.
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Beowulf Mini-Mock Trial Manual
For this Beowulf worksheet, students identify a crime and prepare the prosecuting and defense case to present to the class "jury."Â Students must follow court procedure and use court terminology as they present their case.
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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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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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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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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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Monster: Guilty or Not Guilty
Is Steve Harmon innocent or guilty? Examine the evidence with a instructional activity based on Monster by Walter Dean Myers. As kids read the book, they note particular passages that they believe indicate whether or not Steve committed...
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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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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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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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The Trial of Monty Terry
Students research and analyze the Federal Reserve System. They participate in a reader's theater, acting out the roles typical of a courtroom drama as they determine whether the defendant, Monty Terry, is guilty or innocent of...
Novelinks
The Winter’s Tale: Putting the Play on Trial
After reading the first act of The Winter's Tale, class members conduct a trial and consider Leontes' accusations against Herminone.
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Lessons from the Holocaust
In an ultimate instructional activity about listening to opposing points of view, your young historians read testimony from the Nuremberg Trials by Nazi SS officers regarding their actions during the Holocaust and a brief speech by...
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Witch Hunt or Red Menace? Anticommunism in Postwar America, 1945-1954
Young scholars investigate what constitutes an "un-American" activity and why Soviet espionage was such an important issue in the 1940's and 1950's. Joseph McCarthy's impact on American anticommunism is examined in this lesson. There are...
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The Trial of the Bloody Sucker
A blood sucking what? Grade schoolers identify the characteristics of blood sucking parasites. They organize their information, identify their arguments, and present them to the class in persuasive arguments. They participate in a debate...
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DNA Fingerprinting: You Be the Judge!
Students use their knowledge of DNA fingerprinting to evaluate the use fingerprints in courts, and will address the ethics of establishing a national database of fingerprints.
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DNA Fingerprinting: You Be the Judge!
High schoolers explore DNA fingerprinting. Students discover how DNA fingerprinting is done and judge the validity. They evaluate the use of certain prints in courts and address the ethics of establishing a national database of...
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Fairytales for 4th Grade
Students read different versions of the Three Little Pigs and then hold a trial for the Wolf. They create a Venn diagram to show the likenesses and differences and engage in a poster making activity to advertise the books.
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Do We Need a Permanenet International Criminal Court?: War Crimes, Violence, International Law and Politics, Nuremberg
In this lesson, students explore the history, relevance and current application of international tribunals for war crimes. Students look at cases from the Nuremberg trials, Tokyo trials and the Bosnian War.
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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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Thomas Edison on Trial
Students learn about Thomas Edison and his invention laboratory/factory and the concept that he might not have given enough credit to the employees who invented for him. They hold a trial to determine guilt or innocence as a outcome.
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Verb Tense Worksheet 1
In this grammar worksheet, learners identify the incorrect verb forms in a paragraph and correct each one. Students also circle the correct verb in nine additional sentences.
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Navigating The Legal System
Students identify personal rights allowed under the law in the United States. An exploration of the legal process leads students to describe how the American legal system works. This lesson is intended for students acquiring English.
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Damilola Taylor: Young people in court
Students read the story, "The scene in the courtroom" then discuss a list of questions. They look at the criminal court system, and design their own user-friendly courtroom.