Law 12

Intro. to Law Lesson 9

Overview & essential understanding(s)
- To understand the role of prisons in our legal system. Are prisons
a reflection on our morals and how we view life?
- Moral vs. legal issues How morals reflect our legal system.
- Inquiry question: What do our laws tell us about Canadian
society?
IRP PLO(s) addressed
- A2: describe concepts of law: moral vs. legal issues
- B3: analyze the goals and processes of sentencing
(rehabilitation, restitution, and retribution
Objectives (Specify skills/information that will be learned.)
- To understand how our legal system punishes people for
breaking the law.
Pre-Activity (Hook, Energizer, etc.) 15mins
- Students will spend the first 15mins of class discussing the questions
that they were asked to prepare for today.
o What is the perception of the use of prisons in Canada?
o Are prisons the right way to rehabilitate someone?
o How does the article and video clip help you answer our
guiding question?

What do our laws tell us about Canadian society?

Activity #1 (mini-lesson, guided practice, independent practice etc.)

15mins
-

I will then acknowledge the issues that students had expressed

to me about the video clip where Justice Minister Rob Nickelson
(now Minister of Foreign Affairs).
o People seemed to interpret what he said as that its easy to
avoid punishment from the law. Dont be involved with
the activity to begin with. There are serious
consequences for the crimes.

o Why were you upset with those statements?

o What is he not acknowledging in his statements?
Activity #2 (mini-lesson, guided practice, independent practice etc.)
40mins
-

I will show the 8th Fire video on Winnipegs Most. (15mins)

o http://www.cbc.ca/8thfire/2012/01/winnipegs-mostwrestles-with-past.html

The purpose of showing this video is to show how there are other
factors to why people may break the law.
o What are these factors?

Questions to consider when watching the video

o What influences people to break the law?
o Why do people choose to break the law?
o Not wanting to get rid of the image of being a gangster or
heatbag. Why would someone not want to get rid of that
image?
o If Brooklyn didnt find music, why does he say that he
would be in jail or dead?
o Lack of recreation centers for kids. What does that say
about the community that Brooklyn is from?
o The image of the police and enforcers of the law seems to
be uncomfortable for Brooklyn. Why is that? Does the
police seem like they were a positive influence for him in
his life?
o John Cs mother did not know how to raise him. Does the
police acknowledge his story?
o Are John Cs issues being acknowledged by the legal
system?
o The effects of residential schools still impact the Aboriginal
community. Does our legal system acknowledge a
persons past? From what we learned from the Safe

Streets and Communities Act and the purpose of the act,

do you feel that it would acknowledge peoples stories?
o Should the law consider a persons past and motives for
committing crimes?
-

Questions to be completed independently: (30mins)

The legacy of residential schools still impact the Aboriginal

community.
1. Do you feel that our legal system acknowledges a persons
story?
2. Do you think of the presence of law enforcement in communities
where crime rates are high effective?
3. Do you feel that the laws acknowledge the social issues in inner
city communities or communities at risk of crimes?
Homework
-

Bring an article from a newspaper, magazine, or Internet that

talks about law in Canada.
o Questions to answer about the article you choose.

What law does your article talk about?

How does it help you answer the guiding question?

What do our laws tell us about Canadian society?

Read pgs. 27-35

Summary/Assessment (How do you know that learners have

attained learning goals?)
Assessment as learning
-

Students will be asked to have a 15 minutes discussion on the

questions I gave them for homework. During these 15 minutes, I
will be walking around and sitting in on their conversations. I will
be seeing who is participating in the discussions and what
questions are being asked. Are there questions that can lead to
further inquiry?

Assessment of learning
-

Students will answer the questions I have asked for the 8th Fire
video, Winnipegs Most. I will ask them to answer the questions
in class and hand it in. This is to show me and help the students
reach the PLO, B3: analyze the goals and processes of
sentencing (rehabilitation, restitution, and retribution).