Intern Name: Hunter Waltz

Lesson Title (Subject/Topic): Deciding by Group - Due Process

Grade: 8th
Length of Lesson: 30
Date Taught: 1/20/22
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE
In this lesson…
Students are given a short reading describing the facts of a museum robbery.
Overview They are then asked to answer questions independently to prepare for
philosophical chairs, where students will decide if the suspect is guilty or
innocent.
Standards of
Learning
- What rights are presented under due process?
Essential Questions - How does Due Process protect citizens being accused of a crime?

Students will be able to…

- Read through and find the important information of a criminal case
- Make inferences about the suspects status
Objectives - Engage in a professional philosophical chairs and persuade others
- Identify when due process rights are being violated

I will be able to identify what stages of the criminal case utilize due process
Learning Target I will be able to identify when due process is being violated
Necessary Prior - The Due Process Clause in the 5th and 14th amendment
- What rights are guaranteed to criminals/suspected criminals
Knowledge
Materials
Today, this class will be deciding the fate of a suspected thief. It is your task as a
Introduction/Hook class to break down the evidence and sentence this suspect, either guilty or
innocent.
- Hand out article/individual questions
- Present class with prompt/topic of article
- Release class to read material and form an opinion
Instructional - Begin Philosophical chairs and label one side of the class guilty and the
Activities & other not guilty
- Promote and assist educational discussion defending each view point
Strategies - Come to a final conclusion as a class
- Release facts about what actually resulted in the court case
- Open Achieve 3000 activity and assign to class.
Due Process - Rights guaranteed to criminals during the hearing/convicting
Key Vocabulary or stages
Concepts Miranda rights - Rights that must be read to anyone being taken into legal
custody
Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
Assessments Achieve 3000 questions
Closure Activity Achieve 3000 - 8 questions related to the lesson
Student will answer independent questions
Accommodations Student will then read additional Achieve 3000 article
Student will complete Achieve 3000 activity independently
Resources *

Reflection on a Lesson Plan Taught

Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow
Intern Name: Hunter Waltz
Lesson Title (Subject/Topic): Deciding by Group - Due process
Date of Lesson Taught: 1/20/22
Cooperating Teacher & School Taylor Lovejoy - Great Neck Middle School
Grade: 8th
Time of Day: 1:20-1:50

1. What steps did you go through to create this lesson? With whom did you talk, discuss, or edit your lesson?
Mr. Lovjoy and I discussed what type of lesson we wanted to have. A reading with questions, group work, a
project, ect. We decided to create a very social lesson where the class would have to communicate with one
another to represent their side. Mr. Lovejoy provided the reading and individual questions which were used at
the beginning of the lesson.

2. How did the SOLs and Objectives help focus your instruction?
I was certainly trying to hint at and aim for the objectives while the discussion was occurring. I would hear an
excellent point and allow a few more people to build off of that thought. Then would interject to present how
what the students were talking about related to the objective, even if they didn’t realize.

3. What parts of the instructional plan worked as you anticipated?

The philosophical chairs were just how I envisioned plus some. The kids were all actively engaged in the
conversation and were trying really hard to outsmart and debate with their peers.

4. What, if any, adjustments needed to be made once you began?

I wish there was a smoother transition from answering the independent questions to breaking out into the
philosophical chairs.

5. How well did you anticipate the materials needed?

We were well suited on articles and individual questions for the class, and the class was instructed to bring their
chrome book.

6. To what degree do you feel that this lesson was a success? What evidence do you have for the success of
the lesson? (Hint: Student learning is the key to a lesson’s success!)
Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
I didn’t see the scores first hand, but according to Mr. Lovejoy, the Achieve 3000 scores were great and the
students enjoyed this Achieve more than others they have received in the past

7. How did the time spent preparing for your lesson contribute to it’s success?
By preparing for the lesson, I was able to prompt certain ideas into the philosophical debate that sparked
different aspects/points that allowed the conversation to never come to a halt.

8. If you could do this lesson again with the same students, would you do anything differently? If so, what?
I would allow more time for the philosophical chairs. The students were still having very constructive
conversation and seemed to enjoy performing this part of the lesson.

9. Any last comments/reflections about your lesson?

No :)

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)