Pre-visitation Activities
These six activities represent ideas for preparing students for the lawyer’s visit. Each activity is aligned to the SOLs and provides latitude for the teacher to adapt the lesson idea to meet the needs and ability level of his/her class. Furthermore, each idea might be extended to become the springboard for the visitation day’s lesson. Please, discuss these and other ideas with your guest lawyer well in advance of the visit. This project is, after all, a team effort. Click here for the Word doc of Pre-visitation Activities.
- GENERATED QUESTIONS: Students bring in 3-5 questions that they want to ask the visiting lawyer/judge, each question written on a 3 x 5 index card. Working in groups of three or four, students select five “quality” questions. They then write their questions on the board or chart paper to share with their classmates. As a class they select 7-10 questions to ask their guest on the day of his/her visit.
SOLs:
CE. 2a – The student will (TSW) demonstrate knowledge of the foundation of American constitutional government by explaining the fundamental principles… of the rule of law….
CE. 1g – TSW develop the social studies skills citizenship requires, including the ability to select and defend a position in writing, discussion and debate. - ARTISTIC REPRESENTATION OF THE “RULE OF LAW”: Write the “RULE OF LAW” on the board before students come to class. Also have colored construction paper, tape, scissors, white drawing paper, crayons, colored pencils, etc. on desks in preparation for activity. Have students work individually or in pairs to create a visual representation of the “rule of law.” They may use construction paper to make a three-dimensional representation, or they may draw and/or color a pictorial representation. Allow 20 minutes for this part of the activity. When all students have completed their projects, have them explain the connection(s) between their creation and the concept of the RULE OF LAW. Follow-up: Select several projects to use as springboard for discussion on the day the lawyer/judge visits your class.
SOLs:
CE. 2a – TSW … demonstrate knowledge of the foundation of American constitutional government by explaining the fundamental principles of … the rule of law… - EXPLORER: Depending on the length of the selection, this activity works well with students working in pairs or triplets. Select a short prose passage (To Kill a Mockingbird works well as a fictional source and King’s “I Have a Dream” speech works well as a document-based source) or a poem for students to read. Ask two or three students to read the selection aloud to develop a “feel” for the piece. After the final student reading, you read the selection aloud. When you finish, ask the students to explore the selection by responding to the following: a. Identify what you know from the passage/poem about justice, good and evil, or the law. b. What do you think you know? c. What additional information do you need to know?
SOLs:
CE. 1a – TSW develop the social studies skills citizenship requires, including the ability to examine and interpret primary and secondary source documents.
CE. 2a – TSW … demonstrate knowledge of the foundation of American constitutional government by explaining the fundamental principles of…the rule of law…. - COLOR CLUES: Best completed as an individual assignment. Place several colored pencils or crayons on students’ desks before they arrive. Copy and distribute an excerpt from a novel, short story, speech, or nonfiction article, or a short poem to the students. Read the selection several times, each time asking students to use a specific color to highlight one of the suggested elements below: a. Recurring image(s) and/or symbols (Images of time in “The Gettysburg Address”) b. Repetition of key words or phrases (See Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.) c. Identify thematic idea (See Langston Hughes’s poem “Dream Deferred.”) d. Identify tone-setting words (Consider excerpts from To Kill a Mockingbird or The Ox-Bow Incident) e. Point out contrasts (See Dudley Randall’s poem “The Ballad of Birmingham.”) Upon completion of the highlighting phase of the activity, ask students to explain how these elements contribute to the reader’s understanding of the rule of law.
SOLs:
CE. 1a, g – TSW develop the social studies skills citizenship requires, including the ability to (a) examine and interpret primary and secondary source document; (g)develop the social studies skills citizenship requires, including the ability to select and defend a position in writing, discussion and debate.
CE. 2a – TSW … demonstrate knowledge of the foundation of American constitutional government by explaining the fundamental principles of… the rule of law…. - “CONCEPT CONNECTIONS” GAME: Using a 4 x 4 grid consisting of 16 squares (the grid may be enlarged for whole-class use), the teacher fills each square with a word or phrase, all of which are linked by a common over-arching theme, idea, or concept (e.g., the rule of law, justice, liberty, freedom, etc.) a. Option 1: The game can be played in pairs, small groups, or as a class. Player one links any two words and gives a reason. Player one then marks "captured" on those squares. Player two must link the last square with a new one. To win, a player must be the one to make the final capture to complete any line, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. If a player gets stuck, he or she may pass. Alternative: The winner is the student who simply captures the most squares. b. Option 2: Students receive the grid and work as teams or in small groups to identify the theme, idea, or concept that links the words. Students must defend their conclusion by explaining all the linkages. Note: See Lesson Plan #6 for an example.
SOLs:
CE. 1g – TSW develop the social studies skills citizenship requires, including the ability to select and defend a position in writing, discussion and debate.
CE. 2a – TSW … demonstrate knowledge of the foundation of American constitutional government by explaining the fundamental principles of… the rule of law… - RULE OF LAW CASE STUDY: This activity connects directly to the classroom video that the students will view on the day of the visit. During the video, Chief Justice Hassell recalls a case in which a female public school teacher accidentally brought a gun to school. She was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to prison for possession of a firearm on school property, a felony. Several days before the visitation, prepare students with the following activity: a. Day 1 – When students arrive, select one female student to be the defendant; select a team of students to be the defense team; select a team of students to serve as the prosecution; and elect one to three students to serve as judges (you may also want to appoint a court stenographer and a bailiff). The rest of the class will serve as the jury. The rest of the day should be spent making sure the students understand the charges against the defendant and allowing students time to research and review their respective responsibilities. This part may require library/online research. b. Day 2- Time should be allotted for the defense and prosecution to prepare their cases. The judge(s) and jury should consider the options their roles entail given the different findings that are possible. You may want to have your guest lawyer “consult” with them on this day. Depending on the length of your class, you may want to proceed to the trial, being sure to create a courtroom setting to add to the reality of the situation. If the period is short, you may want to schedule the trial for the next day. c. Day 3 – The trial begins, continues, ends. The jurors consider the evidence and render their verdict. The judge(s) declares the sentence. Students and teacher debrief the results and use this as a springboard for the visitation. d. Note – This activity requires students to write opening and closing remarks to the jury, to study proper courtroom protocol, to speak clearly and correctly, and to develop logical arguments in support of their position.
SOLS:
CE. 1a, d, e, g – TSW develop the social studies skills citizenship requires, including the ability to (a) examine and interpret primary and secondary source documents; (d) distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information;(e) review information for accuracy, separating fact from opinion; (g) select and defend a position in writing, discussion and debate.
CE. 2a – TSW … demonstrate knowledge of the foundation of American constitutional government by explaining the fundamental principles of… the rule of law….
