THE JUDICIAL BRANCH

Introduce students to the judicial branch in one or two class periods with this easy lesson plan. First, kick
students off with our optional sponge activity while you’re taking care of business, then show our video on the
Judicial Branch. Using our printable resources, have the class read a short passage that reinforces and builds
on the video, then guide students as they use what they’ve learned to complete a worksheet and/or crossword
puzzle. If there’s time, assess them with an easy version of “Judicial Branch Bingo.” Only have a few minutes
to spare? Take them right up to the bell with a no-materials-required, active-participation assessment activity.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes: 2. Give students a copy of the Judicial Branch

• Students will be able to describe the structure
of the Judicial Branch.
• Student will be able to explain the roles of the
three levels of the Judicial Branch.
• Students will be able to define key terms
associated with the Judicial Branch.
reading page. Read the passage as a class.
3. Have students complete the Judicial Branch
worksheet or the Judicial Branch crossword
puzzle.
4. Stop students a few minutes early and assess
the group using either the true/false or A/B
active participation assessment activities.

Materials: Two-Class Plan:

• Judicial Branch video on www.OurCourts.org
(optional)
• Judicial Branch reading page
• Judicial Branch worksheet
• Judicial Branch crossword puzzle (optional)
• Judicial Branch “Bingo!” grid and teacher
instructions (optional)
• Judicial Branch “active participation” teacher
page
Sponge Activity/Bell Work:
This is designed to be an open-ended, ungraded
brainstorming-type activity that students begin the
moment they sit down and that gets them thinking
about the topic. You can provide scratch paper or
they can provide their own. On the board, write the
following question for which students will
brainstorm answers:
List as many things (or people) as you can think of
that might be found inside a courtroom
One-Class Plan:
1. Show the Judicial Branch video found on
OurCourts.org. The video is also broken down
into individual “chapters” so you have the option
to review certain topics afterward. (If you can’t
show the video, start with the reading page.)
Class One:
1. Show the Judicial Branch video found on
OurCourts.org.
2. Give students a copy of the Judicial Branch
reading page. Read the passage as a class.
3. Have students complete the Judicial Branch
worksheet.
4. Stop students a few minutes early and assess
the group using the true/false active
participation assessment activity.
Class Two:
1. Make sure each student still has a copy of the
reading page.
2. Begin class with the A/B active participation
activity as a review.
3. Distribute the Judicial Branch “Bingo!” grids and
play two rounds of the game.
4. Have students spend the rest of class
completing the Judicial Branch crossword
puzzle.
Accommodations:
• Chorally read the passage.
• Repeat and reinforce bolded words.
• Read worksheet to the class or as a chorus
 THE JUDICIAL BRANCH
It’s All About the Robes SUPREME COURT
The highest court
Actually, it’s not. The cool black robe that judges wear is 
the first thing a lot of people think of when they hear the
Reviews selected cases
from Court of Appeals

word “judicial.” But the first thing you really
need to know is how courts were created.
If you read the Constitution of the United COURT OF APPEALS
States, you’ll see the only court it actually Reviews cases from the
creates is the Supreme Court—the highest District Court
court in the country. But the Constitution also Does not hear cases for 
allows Congress to create other courts. When the first time
Congress did that, the federal court system was born.
GOING UP!
DISTRICT COURT
Federal? State? Huh?? Taking a case The trial court
through the court Hears cases for the first
Here’s the confusing part: There are two systems of system is like
riding an elevator time

courts in the United States. The federal court system
deals with disputes about laws that apply to the entire
United States. State court systems mostly deal with
disputes about state laws. Each state has its own court
system created by its own state constitution. Whether It’s Not Over ‘Til It’s Over
people take their case to a federal or state court Losing in the trial court doesn’t mean the case is over.
depends on the laws involved in the case. The good The losing side can ask a higher court to look at the
news is that state court systems usually work just like verdict and replace it with a different decision. The
the federal court system. courts above the trial
court are called An appellate court can…
You’re On Trial! … affirm the trial court’s
appellate courts.
decision
Almost all court cases begin in a trial court. In the Asking an appellate … reverse the decision
federal system, the trial court is called a District Court. court to review a case … remand the case back to
The trial court is the first court to hear a case. Everyone is called an appeal. the trial court to start over
loves a good courtroom drama on TV, but in While a trial court only
real life people don’t usually make shocking has one judge, at the Court of Appeals cases
confessions on the witness stand. In the are usually heard by a three-judge panel. The judges
trial court, lawyers use evidence to try to review the case to see if the trial court made a mistake.
prove that their client’s side of the story is For the losing side in the Court of Appeals, there is one
what really happened. Evidence can be more chance: the Supreme Court, which is the highest
almost anything—witnesses, videos, photographs, a court. There, a panel of nine justices reviews the case.
letter, a piece of fabric, or even a murder weapon! But don’t hold your breath waiting to take a case to the
Supreme Court… The Supreme Court gets to choose
Criminal or Civil? which cases it wants to hear, and it doesn’t choose very
Most trials you see on TV involve a person who has many!
been accused of a crime. But criminal cases are not
the only kind of cases that go to Who Gets The Last Word?
civil = relating to trial. Sometimes people have a The judicial branch! That is, if you’re talking about the
the rights of citizens disagreement that they can’t Constitution. If you’ve ever read the actual text of the
criminal = relating resolve on their own. Often Constitution, you know it’s not easy to understand. The
to crime one side feels that the other Supreme Court is in charge of deciding what the
side violated their rights in some Constitution is actually saying. If Congress or the
way. This kind of case is called a civil case. The goal President tries to do something that goes against the
of a civil case is not to find out whether Constitution, the Supreme Court can strike it
someone is innocent or guilty, but to down. Once the Supreme Court has
decide which side’s version of Who Decides? decided something is
the story is correct. In a jury trial, a group of twelve unconstitutional, that’s it! Only the
people listens to the evidence and
Court itself can reverse that
decides who wins the case. That
decision is called the verdict. In a decision. This power of deciding
bench trial there is no jury, so the what is constitutional is called
judge gives the verdict. judicial review.
 THE JUDICIAL BRANCH Name _________________________________

Date _________________

A. Finish each sentence. B. Making Comparisons. Decide whether each

description fits trial courts only, appellate courts only, or
both, and write the letter of the description in the correct
The only court the Constitution creates is: part of the diagram. The first one is done for you.

_____________________________________________
Trial Appellate
If you make an appeal, you are asking: Court Court

_____________________________________________ A

Two kinds of legal cases are:

_____________________________________________

The job of the Court of Appeals is:

_____________________________________________ A. Hears civil cases

It’s difficult to take a case to the Supreme Court
because:
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
If you lose a case in the trial court, you can:
_____________________________________________
If an appellate court affirms a case, that means:
_____________________________________________
If a law is unconstitutional, the Supreme Court can:
_____________________________________________
Evidence is used to:
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
B. Might have a jury trial
C. Does not hear cases for the first time
D. Hears criminal cases
E. Reviews a verdict to look for mistakes
F. Usually has three-judge panels
G. Hears cases for the first time
H. Works with laws
C. 1, 2, 3… Sequencing! Number each set of
events to put the three events in order.
1)
____ Trial is held in the District Court
____ The Supreme Court agrees to hear the case
____ An appeal is made to the Court of Appeals
2)
____ Evidence is presented to the jury
____ The members of the jury are chosen
____ The jury returns a verdict
3)
____ The Court of Appeals affirms the case
____ The jury returns a verdict
____ The case is appealed
4)
____ The Court of Appeals remands the case
____ A new trial begins
____ The first verdict is appealed

5)
A trial with no jury is a: ____ The Supreme Court strikes down the law
____ The Supreme Court hears a case about the law
_____________________________________________ ____ Congress passes a law
 THE JUDICIAL BRANCH Name ___Teacher’s Key________________

Date _________________

A. Finish each sentence. B. Making Comparisons. Decide whether each

description fits trial courts only, appellate courts only, or
both, and write the letter of the description in the correct
The only court the Constitution creates is: part of the diagram. The first one is done for you.

__________Supreme Court.___________________
Trial Appellate
If you make an appeal, you are asking: Court Court

the court to review your case._______________

A C
B
Two kinds of legal cases are: D E
G
________criminal and civil._________________ H F
The job of the Court of Appeals is:

to see if the trial court made a mistake._____ A. Hears civil cases

It’s difficult to take a case to the Supreme Court
because:
the Supreme Court chooses which cases to___
hear and they don’t choose very many._____
If you lose a case in the trial court, you can:
__________appeal to a higher court._________
If an appellate court affirms a case, that means:
the verdict stays the same.__________________
If a law is unconstitutional, the Supreme Court can:
______strike it down.________________________
Evidence is used to:
prove that one person’s side of the story is___
what really happened.______________________
B. Might have a jury trial
C. Does not hear cases for the first time
D. Hears criminal cases
E. Reviews a verdict to look for mistakes
F. Usually has three-judge panels
G. Hears cases for the first time
H. Works with laws
C. 1, 2, 3… Sequencing! Number each set of
events to put the three events in order.
1)
__1__ Trial is held in the District Court
__3__ The Supreme Court agrees to hear the case
__2__ An appeal is made to the Court of Appeals
2)
__2__ Evidence is presented to the jury
__1__ The members of the jury are chosen
__3__ The jury returns a verdict
3)
__3__ The Court of Appeals affirms the case
__1__ The jury returns a verdict
__2__ The case is appealed
4)
__2__ The Court of Appeals remands the case
__3__ A new trial begins
__1__ The first verdict is appealed

5)
A trial with no jury is a: __3__ The Supreme Court strikes down the law
__2__ The Supreme Court hears a case about the law
_______bench trial._______________________ __1__ Congress passes a law
 JUDICIAL BRANCH CROSSWORD Name ___________________________

2 3 4

7 6

10 11

12 17

13

15 16

14

18

22

19 20 21

23 24

25

Across
1. Number of court systems in the U.S.
3. Group of people that decides a case after hearing the
evidence
6. When an appellate court upholds a verdict
7. What appellate judges look for when they review a case
8. Something that goes against the Constitution
9. Number of justices on the Supreme Court
10. Taking a case through the court system is like riding one
of these
11. When an appellate court rejects a verdict
14. This court gets to choose which cases to hear
18. Type of court that reviews the trial court’s decision
19. The Supreme Court’s power to decide what is
constitutional
23. When there is more than one judge, the group of judges
is called a _____
24. The lowest court in the federal system
25. Choosing between the federal or state court system
depends on the ____ involved in the case
Down
1. The first court to hear a case
2. People or things that can prove one side’s version of
what happened
4. When an appellate court sends a case back to the trial
court
5. One kind of evidence
11. What an appellate court does with a case
12. The document that created the judicial branch
13. Type of case relating to peoples’ rights
14. Court system that deals with state laws
15. Court system that deals with United States laws
16. What a judge wears
17. One kind of evidence
20. Type of case about someone accused of committing a
crime
21. Asking an appellate court to review a case
22. Type of trial that has no jury
 JUDICIAL BRANCH CROSSWORD Name ______Teacher’s Key___

1
T W O
2 3 4
E R J U R Y
5
V I E W
7 6
M I S T A K E A F F I R M I

D L A T
9
E C N I N E
8
U N C O N S T I T U T I O N A L D E

C U S
10 11
E E L E V A T O R R E V E R S E
12 17
C T E P
13
O C V H
15 16
N I I F R O
14
S V S U P R E M E C O U R T

T I T W D B O
18
I A P P E L L A T E E E G
22
T T B R R
19 20 21
J U D I C I A L R E V I E W A A

T R P N L P

I I P C H

O M E H

N I A T
23 24
P A N E L D I S T R I C T C O U R T

A I
25
L A W S A

L
Across Down
1. Number of court systems in the U.S. 1. The first court to hear a case
3. Group of people that decides a case after hearing the 2. People or things that can prove one side’s version of
evidence what happened
6. When an appellate court upholds a verdict 4. When an appellate court sends a case back to the trial
7. What appellate judges look for when they review a case court
8. Something that goes against the Constitution 5. One kind of evidence
9. Number of justices on the Supreme Court 11. What an appellate court does with a case
10. Taking a case through the court system is like riding one 12. The document that created the judicial branch
of these 13. Type of case relating to peoples’ rights
11. When an appellate court rejects a verdict 14. Court system that deals with state laws
14. This court gets to choose which cases to hear 15. Court system that deals with United States laws
18. Type of court that reviews the trial court’s decision 16. What a judge wears
19. The Supreme Court’s power to decide what is 17. One kind of evidence
constitutional 20. Type of case about someone accused of committing a
23. When there is more than one judge, the group of judges crime
is called a _____ 21. Asking an appellate court to review a case
24. The lowest court in the federal system 22. Type of trial that has no jury
25. Choosing between the federal or state court system
depends on the ____ involved in the case
 JUDICIAL BRANCH BINGO!
TEACHER DIRECTIONS

Here’s an easy version of Bingo with nothing that only requires pencil and paper:

1) Give each student a Judicial Branch Bingo grid.

2) There are 16 squares in the grid and 18 vocabulary words at the bottom of the Bingo page. Students should
choose 16 words and write the words in random order in the grid. Emphasize to students that they mush choose
their own order for the words or everyone’s grid will be the same.

3) Tell students you will be reading definitions out loud. When they hear a definition, they should look for the correct
vocabulary word on their grid. If it’s there, they should make a small mark in that square.

4) Read definitions out loud at random and keep track of which ones you’ve read.

5) When a student gets four words in a row either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, they should call “Bingo!”

6) When a student calls “Bingo,” pause the game and ask the student to read the four words back to you. As they
read, confirm that you really did read the definitions for those words.

7) Assign the student an appropriate reward (for example, an extra credit point).

8) Continue this round of Bingo until you are satisfied with the number of students who have won. Normally, it works
to allow students to get Bingo more than once during a round.

9) When you’re ready, stop the round and start over. For the second round, tell students to use a different shaped
mark in the grid to distinguish from the first round. On a grid this size, two rounds is usually plenty.

Keep
Vocab Word Definition
Track
Supreme Court Court that only reviews some cases, usually about the Constitution
Court of Appeals Reviews cases to see if the trial court made a mistake
District Court The trial court in the Federal system
Federal Courts Courts that hear disputes about laws that apply to the entire United States
State Courts Courts that hear disputes about the laws of one state
Trial court Court that hears a case for the first time
Evidence Objects or information used in court to prove what really happened
Criminal Case A case involving someone who is accused of committing a crime
Civil Case A case involving the rights of citizens
Jury Trial A trial where a group of people listens to the evidence and decides the case
Bench Trial A trial where only the judge hears the evidence and decides the case
Verdict The decision at the end of a case
Appellate Courts Courts above the trial court
Appeal Asking a higher court to review a case
Affirm When an appellate court decides no mistake was made
Reverse When an appellate court overturns the trial court’s verdict
Remand When an appellate court sends a case back to the trial court
Judicial Review The power of the Supreme Court to decide what the Constitution really says
 JUDICIAL BRANCH BINGO!
Choose 16 vocabulary words from the list at the bottom of the page and write them in random order inside the squares.
When your teacher reads a definition, look to see whether you have that word in your grid. If so, make a small mark in the
box. When you get four words in a row (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal), call out “Bingo!” Then read the four words back
to your teacher to make sure they match definitions that were read. Keep playing until your teacher starts over with a new
round of Bingo. For the new round, make a different shaped mark in the squares (for example, X the first time, O the
second time).

Supreme Court Federal Courts State Courts

Trial court Evidence Criminal Case
Civil Case Jury Trial Bench Trial
Verdict Appellate Courts Appeal
Affirm Reverse Remand
Judicial Review Court of Appeals District Court
 ACTIVE PARTICIPATION INFORMAL ASSESSMENT #1
JUDICIAL BRANCH TRUE/FALSE

Procedure

Tell students you are going to read a series of true/false questions. Tell them that when you
have finished reading each statement (sometimes you may need to repeat the statement), you
will ask them to tell you whether the statement is true or false. There are several ways you can
have students respond:
• Ask them to give you a “thumbs up” if the answer is true and a “thumbs down” if it’s false.
• Have students call out “true” or “false” in a chorus.
• Make a quick set of T/F cards using index cards. On each card, write a large T on one
side and F on the other. Give each student a card and ask them to answer by showing
you the T side or the F side.
Either way, ask students to wait until you have finished reading the statement to respond.

Example

Teacher: There are two levels of courts. True or false?

Class: (showing thumbs down)
Teacher: Great! Everyone is showing me that’s wrong. How many are there?
(This is a good opportunity to reinforce the material with students)

1. The Supreme Court of the United States was created by Congress. (F)

2. There is only one judge in a trial court. (T)

3. If Congress passes an unconstitutional law, the Supreme Court can strike it down. (T)

4. When you first begin a trial, you will be in an appellate court. (F)

5. A jury decides the case in a bench trial. (F)

6. The Supreme Court must take every case that gets appealed to it. (F)

7. If you break a state law, your case will probably be in a state court system. (T)

8. When the Supreme Court looks at whether something is constitutional, the court is exercising
judicial review. (T)

9. It would be easy to prove a case without evidence. (F)

10. If the Court of Appeals remands a case, that means the court says the verdict was right. (F)

11. The federal court system was created by Congress. (T)

12. State court systems were created by the Constitution of the United States. (F)

13. When you ask a higher court to review your case, you are making an appeal. (T)

14. When the Court of Appeals affirms a case, it sends the case back to the trial court. (F)

15. The Supreme Court gets the last word about what the Constitution really says. (T)
 ACTIVE PARTICIPATION INFORMAL ASSESSMENT #2
JUDICIAL BRANCH A/B

Procedure

Tell students you are going to read a series of statements that are not complete. Tell them that
when you have finished reading each statement (sometimes you may need to repeat the
statement), you will give them two possible answers—an “A” answer and a “B” answer. There
are several ways you can have students respond:
• Ask them to give you a “thumbs up” if the answer is A and a “thumbs down” if the answer
is B.
• Have students call out “A” or “B” in a chorus.
• Make a quick set of A/B cards using index cards. On each card, write a large A on one
side and B on the other. Give each student a card and ask them to answer by showing
you the A side or the B side.
In addition to reading the answer options, you can also make an overhead with an A column
and a B column so the students can see the answers as you go along. Either way, ask students
to wait until you have finished reading the statement to answer.

Example

Teacher: There are 9 justices on the _____. Is it A: Court of Appeals, or B: Supreme Court?
Class: (saying or showing B)
Teacher: Great! Everyone is saying it’s the Supreme Court. How many judges usually
hear a case at the Court of Appeals? (This is a good opportunity to verbally
reinforce the material with students)

QUESTION A B
When someone is accused of a crime, the type of
civil criminal
case is
If you appeal a case, you are going to appellate court trial court
The court that gets to decide what is constitutional
Supreme Court Court of Appeals
and what isn’t is the
If the appellate court thinks a decision was wrong, affirm the reverse the
it will decision decision
If a group of people gives the verdict after a trial,
jury trial bench trial
that trial was a
A word that means “relating to the rights of citizens” criminal civil
The Supreme Court has three justices nine justices
If an appellate court sends a case back to the trial remanded the
affirmed the case
court, it has case
If you go to the Court of Appeals, you will see three judges one judge
If the Supreme Court strikes down a law, that law
unconstitutional constitutional
was
The decision in a case is called the evidence verdict
If you break a law of the United States, your case
federal court state court
will probably be in a
At trial, lawyers try to prove their case using an appeal evidence
the case is all there is still the
If the Court of Appeals reverses a decision, then
over Supreme Court
the US state
State courts were created by
Constitution constitutions