Justice Oriented Lesson

Kaitlyn Meadors

Teacher Candidates:

Kaitlyn Meadors

Date:
PLAN
1. Activity Title & Source, &
description of activity:

Who is above the law?

Yertle the Turtle
(http://www.justiceteaching.org/resource_material/Yertle_the_Turtle_
Elementary%20(3).pdf)
This lesson will educate students on laws and rights while teaching
them the importance of the rule of law.

2. Class description &

Differentiation: Describe
the important characteristics
of the students that need to
be considered in planning &
teaching to facilitate
learning for all students.

Students' prior content

knowledge, language
development, social &
emotional
developments, special
needs

Include how you

differentiate your
instruction based on this
information

3. Common Core ELA

Standards: Identify strand,
grade, number (e.g. RL4.3)
& include entire standard.

This lesson comes in the middle of a government unit. Students will

be familiar with the different branches of our government. This
lesson is an opener to a more detailed lesson about the Constitution.
This lesson provides a medium level of support from the teacher
because it is familiar content. The content is at students instructional
level and therefore provides appropriate differentiation for content.

SS.3.GO.11 Laws are rules which apply to all people in a

community and describe ways people are expected to
behave. Laws promote order and security, provide public
services and protect the rights of individuals in the local
community.

Justice Oriented Lesson

Kaitlyn Meadors
4. Student Learning
Objective

Students will be able to

Explain the consequences of an absence of rules and laws.

Identify the Constitution as the document which establishes

the structure, function, powers, and limits of American
government.

5. Instructional Materials,
Equipment & Technology:
List all of the texts,
materials & technology the
teacher & students will use
during the lesson, including
titles & sources (Cite
creator of materials. Where
appropriate, use "Lesson
plan or activity adapted
from _____)

Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss OR video of Yertle the Turtle

(available on YouTube)

Above or Below pictures

LAW poster

U.S. Constitution Moon

Turtle coloring sheet/poem

6. Academic Language:
What literacy terms will you
use to help the students
understand the reading
strategy? Use terms from
the strategy & the standard
(e.g., predicting,
connections, decoding, etc.)

Law

Rule

Constitution

Rights

7. Key Vocabulary: List the

vocabulary from the
text/strategy that is at the
students instructional &
frustration level.

Throne

Mule

Jury

ENGAGE & INSTRUCT

Learning Activities: Give detailed, step-by-step instructions on how you will implement the
instructional plan in the procedures below. Describe exactly what you & the students will do during the
lesson & how you will scaffold their learning. Please use a numbered or bulleted list.
In planning your lesson, think about:

The complete step-by-step directions & scaffolding you will provide

What kinds of questions you plan to ask

Justice Oriented Lesson

Kaitlyn Meadors
8. Opening:

"Today, we will be playing a game called Above or Below.

Arrange students into groups of 3-4. Each group will receive

pictures of six people (a president, a judge, a policeman, a
parent, a child, and a celebrity.) Students should cut out
these pictures.

Post the paper with the word "law" on the board.

Ask students:

o "What is a law?"
o Discuss responses
Define law:
o

Law- Rules made by government that people must

follow to keep us safe and protect our rights

Say "Thumbs up/down/middle if you think you understand

what a law is." (Re-explain if needed)

Guided Practice:

Tell students: "Each of your groups will need to decide if each

person is above the law (not required to follow the law) or
under the law (required to/must follow the law).

Each group should then take turns posting the pictures over
or under the word law based on their response.

Discuss why students place certain people in the places they

chose.

"Now, let's read a story and see how laws affect other
people?"

Read aloud Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss OR play video of

Yertle the Turtle (available on YouTube)

While reading, explain that a throne is a big special chair for

a king. Also, clarify that a mule is a donkey.

Have students think about King Yertle and discuss the

responses as a class. Ask:
o
o

Is he a nice king?
A mean king?

Justice Oriented Lesson

Kaitlyn Meadors
o

Is he fair?

Did he care about the other turtles?

Ask: "What is a right?" (S response)

Define right:
o

Right- A right is a freedom of some kind.

Say " In the United States, we have the right to free speech,
the right to choose or not choose a religion, the right to a jury,
the right to go to school, and many other rights." (explain jury)

Ask students:
o

"What are some examples of rights that you can think

of?" (S response)
o "Do you think Mack and the other turtles had any
rights under King Yertle?" (S: "no")
Say "Thumbs up/down/middle if you think you understand
what a right is." (Re-explain if needed)
Pose questions:
o
o

"What happened when King Yertle did not have any

restrictions, or limits, placed on his power?"
"What happened to the other turtles?"

Explain that the turtles did not have any rights and King
Yertle was able to have complete power over them.

Say "King Yertle thought there was nothing higher than him
as a ruler. In the United States, we have laws and an
important document called the United States Constitution.
The United States Constitution is the HIGHEST law in the
land and establishes the structure, function, powers, and
limits of American government. Everyone must follow the
laws and what is in the United States Constitution. This is
known as the rule of law. The rule of law means that no one
is above the law, not even people that we think are really
important, like a president."

Say "Thumbs up/down/middle if you think you understand

Justice Oriented Lesson

Kaitlyn Meadors
what the Constitution does." (Re-explain if needed)
Independent Practice:

9. Closure:

Refer to their responses from the activity earlier to reinforce

the idea that no one is above the law. Allow students to
move the people below the word law.

Hold up the cut out of the moon. Explain that in the story, the
moon represents the law something that was higher than
King Yertle. That no one was higher than the moon!

Have a student read the poem aloud.

Say " You will need to name and color your turtle to represent
your personality. Then you need to name rights that YOU
have by putting them in the different shapes on the turtles
shell."

Post the moon on the wall. Have students tape/hang their

turtles under the moon as a reminder that all people, and
turtles, must follow the law and that no one is above the law.

ASSESS
10. Assessment Strategies

Target-Assessment Alignment Table

How you will document the

students ability to meet the
objective. (Degree) List
quizzes, rubrics, handouts, or
any additional documentation
related to your assessment.

Objective

Formative: Measures
process/progress toward
mastery of target(s)
Summative: Measures
outcomes/achievement of
target(s)

Explain the
consequenc
es of an
absence of
rules and
laws.
Identify the
Constitution
as the
document
which
establishes
the
structure,
function,
powers, and
limits of
American

Degree
In this space, describe how you will assess
(F&S) whether students have met this
objective.

Formative: Through observation

during the lesson, the teacher will
identify student mastery of objective by
having students evaluate their own
understanding in a thumbs up thumbs
down assessment:
o

Thumbs up: Student felt they

thoroughly understood the
material

Thumbs sideways/middle:
Student was felt they
understood but still had more
questions.

Justice Oriented Lesson

Kaitlyn Meadors
o

government.

Thumbs down: Student felt they

had no understanding about the
topic.

Summative: Student progress will be

measured at the end of the unit through
a written assessment.