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Lesson
Mock Trial Course Social 9
Title/Focus

COURSE OUTCOMES
General Outcome(s):
Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how Canadas political processes
impact citizenship and identity in an attempt to meet the needs of all Canadians.

Specific Outcome(s):
9.1.5: analyze the role that citizens and organizations participate in Canadas justice system by
reflecting on the following questions and issues:
What are citizens legal roles and their responsibilities?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson students will be able to identify how typical court proceedings go, as well they
will understanding the roles of the several parties, and why they are important to the justice system as a
whole.

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Mock Trial Booklet
Mock Trial Roles or Character Sheets
Chapter 2 Homework Books
Class set of Chromebooks

PREPARATION AND LOGISTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

By exploring the many facets of Canadas Justice System, specifically court proceedings, through
project based learning, I believe the students are being subject to a more impactful and engaging
learning process. Students will be given time to prepare their roles, ask questions to their partners and
myself, then experience what a typical trial looks like.

The purpose of the homework books is to facilitate student engagement once they have completed the
pre-trial assignments, and are awaiting the trial date to then complete the post-trial assignment. It not
only gives the students an activity to work on, but it will also make for an excellent study tool when the
exam comes around.

PROCEDURE
Introduction Time
Assigning roles and reading the scenario
Four students will be chosen to be the prosecutors and the defenders, and
the rest of the roles for the mock trial will be determined by random draw.
20 min
The purpose of selecting these 4 roles is to ensure that students who are
capable of handling the increased workload are chosen, yet it also rewards
those students who have shown leadership qualities thus far.
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Once roles have been assigned, review the scenario with the students, as
well as what each role is expected to do as part of their pre-trial and post-
trial assignment.

Body Time
Pre-Trial Students have two full class period to complete their pre-trail
assignment. This assignment differs depending on what your
role is in the mock trial. Students have access to the
Chromebooks in order to type out their assignments rather
than writing them out by hand. When they are completed,
they are to be working on their homework books which are
due on a later date. The purpose of allowing 2 class periods is
more so for the lawyers so they have an opportunity to 2 Classes
interview the witnesses (their peers) during class time. They
too need to complete a pre-trail and homework book
assignment, hence why selecting the lawyers is key to
ensuring the process runs smoothly. Be sure to clarify to the
students what is expected from them in order to receive full
marks for both the pre and post-trial assignments

On the day of the trial, students are asked to dress according

Trial & Post-trial to their role provided. Half of the student mark comes from
Assignment their assignments, the other from my observations during the
trial proceedings. Each student is being assed based according
to a rubric, so students who disrupt trial, or come to trial
unprepared will have their mark reflect this accordingly.

While the trial is underway, students need to be making notes

as their post-trial assignment asks them to answer questions
based on their observations. For the majority of students (all
those except the 4 chosen lawyers), they will be asked to
write down a list of questions they thought the lawyers should
have asked but didnt. The point of this is two-fold. For
1 Class
starters, it gives the students who may have wanted to be a
lawyer, but were not selected, an opportunity to ask the
burning questions they may have. Second, it ensures that
students are paying attention even when it is not their roles
opportunity to present.

The post-trial assignment will be handed in at the end of class,

along with the pre-trial assignment which they should have
completed prior to trial beginning.
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Closure Time
Twelve Angry Men (Movie)
To conclude, students will get to watch a movie titled Twelve Angry Men,
the centers on court room and its proceedings. This movie is based on the
trial which the students have just completed, so all of the information
regarding the case should already be known by the students, except for the
few additions in the movie that was excluded from our mock trial.
Any students who were not present on the day of the trial, and therefore
2 Classes
missed the post-trial assignment, will be given a question booklet to
complete that will be taken in along with their pre-trial assignment to create
half of their grade for this project.
Be sure to stop the movie at critical parts in order to discuss court room
proceedings, why characters may have said what they did, and other
insightful nuances that may not have appeared during our mock trial

Assessment
Formative
Work periods as well as the trial itself give the teacher and opportunity to see how well
the students understand concepts relating to justice and court room procedures.

Summative
Pre & Post Trial Assignment
Mock Trial Observational Assessment
Twelve Angry Men Questions (if necessary)

All of the following will be assessed in order to create a summative mark regarding how well the
students comprehends the core material from Chapter 2.

Ministerial Order Outcomes

2-1) be Engaged Thinkers and Ethical Citizens with an Entrepreneurial Spirit

2-2) Strive for engagement and personal excellence in their learning journey

4. a) know how to learn; to gain knowledge, understanding or skills through experience, study, and
interaction with others

b) Think critically, conceptualize, apple, analyze, synthesize and evaluate to construct knowledge

d) manage information: interpret, evaluate and use information effectively, efficiently and ethically

e) Innovate: create, generate and apply new ideas or concepts

h) demonstrate good communication skills and the ability to work cooperatively with others