Offers a lesson plan for teaching grade six about the Supreme Court. The lesson includes several situations in which students decide if laws have been broken. (BSR)

Presents two lesson plans for grades 5-9 which are meant to increase student's legal literacy. The first lesson covers contracts and includes a comic strip which illustrates contract law. The second deals with warranties and why they are important. Included are examples of product warranties. (GEA)

This resource guide, for teachers and students in the upper elementary and middle school grades, has been developed in response to the nationwide interest in asking schools to play an active role in preparing students to become informed and responsible citizens. The guide is divided into seven sections, one for each character trait: Caring, Civic…

Outlines an activity which introduces students in grades 4-6 to individuals involved in law-related professions. Calls upon students to interview guests during class periods throughout the year. Includes sample questions to guide the interviews. (GEA)

Presents an activity which uses hypothetical situations to explore the proper boundaries of freedom of expression and the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in interpreting its limits. Appropriate for grades 4-12, the lesson includes such topics as the "clear and present danger" clause, student expression, obscenity, and defamation. (GEA)

Outlines an upper elementary lesson in which students examine the judicial branch and the power of judicial review. Uses an actual case, "Torcaso v. Watkins," to demonstrate how the U.S. Supreme Court used its power of judicial review to strike down an unconstitutional state law. Provides discussion questions and optional activities. (LS)

A compilation of more than 50 lesson plans on law related education, these materials were written by middle school and high school teachers from around the United States. The lessons cover a broad range of topics including "DNA Fingerprints and the Constitutional Right to Privacy"; "Censorship and Book Banning in Public Schools"; "The Death…

Presents a lesson for grades 4-12 which examines the attorney's role in court. Provides presentation guidelines for a visiting attorney and includes a classroom role play which can help students understand a lawyer's role in a trial and the way in which questions are used to prove a case. (GEA)

This lesson offers strategies for teaching fourth- and fifth-grade students the duties of legislators, police officers, and judges. The lesson is based on ideas taken from the Utah law-related education guide "Elementary Lesson Plan Book." (JDH)

In this interdisciplinary curriculum unit, students explore and debate the school uniform issue, considering legal and policy questions. Students are provided with background information, detailed instructions, on-line resources, and reflection questions. The teacher's notes describe the unit's purpose, its correlation to history/social science…

Designed for teachers, this simulation of a criminal trial addresses the workings of the trial system by using the children's story, "The Three Little Pigs." The Big Bad Wolf is put on trial for destroying the pigs' houses. By having students assume roles and use the non-scripted character profiles, the simulation allows information to…

This collection of four short articles describes initiatives of the American Bar Association that bring the skills of mediation to the classroom. Suzanne Miller discusses a program that trains students to become mediators equipped to resolve disputes in their school peacefully. The program turns problem students into positive role models, teaches…

Presents a lesson which can provide elementary students with an opportunity to compare fair and unfair trials. Stating that the lesson works best if an attorney is used as a resource person, the plan includes a short play about a Salem, Massachusetts witch trial and follow-up questions to stimulate student discussion. (GEA)

This lesson introduces students to the executive branch of government and its powers. The lesson was taken from "A Salute to Our Constitution and the Bill of Rights: 200 Years of American Freedom." (JDH)

Presents a lesson plan for grades 4-6 which illustrates the concepts of privacy, property, and search and seizure. Calls upon students to recognize that individual property and society's need for security may conflict. Uses seven cases to help students learn and identify legal search and seizure procedures. (GEA)