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Civics Lesson Plan

Title: You be the Judge: Diving into the Judicial System
Ricki Batterbee
Characteristics of Learners:
My classroom is very diverse. There are 16 students total. 11 of them are boys and 5 of them are
girls. 1 of my students is Pacific Islander, 6 are African American, 1 is Hispanic, and 8 are
Caucasian. So the students originate from a multitude of areas. There are 2 ESOL students in my
class. They are both males and one is from Colombia and one is from Puerto Rico. Their
socioeconomic status ranges from low to middle class. A lot of the students live in the
neighborhood behind the school and it consists of a lot of duplexes. 11 of my students are on free
and reduced lunch. We had one gifted student but she transferred out to a different class. For this
lesson I will make sure that all of the students are assigned appropriate roles when considering
their background information.
Prior Knowledge:
Students have in depth knowledge about legislative and Executive Branch of Government
because we previously studied them prior to this lesson.
Students will be prompted to think about what they know about the Judiciary Branch of the
Government, and the people who are in charge of the Judiciary branch.
Students should be able to read, write, and understand what a trial is. For this lesson we will be
working in groups and as an entire class, therefore students need to be able to work with others.
The students probably do not have much knowledge about the content but we will learn about it
in the lesson before we do our activity. All accommodations will be written in a different section
of this document, labeled accommodations.
Rationale:
This lesson is for the students to not only learn about The judiciary branch and the Supreme
Court and all that it entails, but to also experience a mock trial within our own classroom.
Without a good foundation of the Judiciary branch of Government, students will not be able to
understand the trials that go through the Supreme Court in the future. They will also struggle in
their History classes to come, especially American History. It is important for students to know
how major decisions are made within our Government. This will be taught in a 2-day format in
order to allow for enough time to learn all of the information. Students will comprehend text and
learning new vocabulary in order to learn about the Judiciary system successfully and be able to
recreate it during a classroom mock trial. They will also be looking into primary resources so that
they are better able to understand the importance of the judiciary branch throughout American
History.

Next Generation Sunshine State Standards/LAFS standards

SS.5.C.3.1- Describe the organizational structure (legislative, executive, judicial branches) and
powers of the federal government as defined in Articles I, II, and III of the U.S. Constitution.
LAFS.5.L.3.4- Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and
phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
a. Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of
a word or phrase.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a
word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).
c. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to
find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
LAFS.5.RI.3.9- Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or
speak about the subject knowledgeably.
LAFS.5.SL.1.3-Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported
by reasons and evidence.
Objectives
Being read a book about the Judiciary System students will be able to summarize with 100
percent accuracy about what the Judiciary system is.
Given a list of words that are common and appear in Article III of the Constitution, and in the
text that I read to them, students will be able to use context clues to determine the definition or
look them up using a dictionary with no mistakes.
After learning about the Judiciary system students will be given role cards in order to perform a
mock trial and they will be able to speak about the subject knowledgeably.
Given an abundance of information; text, books, websites, videos, and mock trials about the
Judiciary branch, students will be able to take a test on the judiciary system receiving 80% or
above.
Essential Understanding
Students will be able to understand the text that I read to them and be able to perform a Mock
trial that allows them to experience what the Supreme Court does on a daily basis.

Materials/ Resources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bf3CwYCxXw (Introduction Video)
http://www.congressforkids.net/Judicialbranch_index.htm (Website for the Computer station)
Note cards (for the role cards I create)
Book- Our Constitution Rocks! By: Juliette Turner (Class Set)
List of Vocabulary Terms (for students to fill out)
graphic organizer (for primary resources)
Desks
Gavel
Pencils
Paper
4 Dictionaries
4 laptops
primary resources

Preparations:
Since this will be a two-day lesson the room will need to be prepared in two different ways. For
the first day we will be doing stations. There are four different stations so we will need four
groups with four desks at each group. One of the stations will need four laptops, one for each
student.
The second day I will need to set the classroom up like a courtroom. I will arrange the desks to
have a plaintiff and defendant side, A judge, a stand, and a place for the witnesses to sit. There
will also be a Jury section.
Below I have provided layouts of what the classroom will look like each day.
Other preparations that I will need to do are make 16 copies of the vocabulary terms for the
students to fill out, make sure that I have enough dictionaries available (4). I will also have to
make copies of the graphic organizer for the primary resources station.
Text complexity sheet filled out the best I could, it is attached at the bottom of the assignment.
Day 1

Day 2

Rubric
Summary/re-read

Students were 100

percent focused on
the task at hand and
re-read and
summarized the text
to its full potential.
10 pts

Students were 50
percent focused on
the task at hand and
re-read and somewhat
summarized the text
that was read.

The students were 30

percent focused on
the task at hand and
put little effort into
their summary.
3pts

5 pts
Defining Key Terms

The student defined

ALL of the key terms
with detailed
explanations.

The student defined 8

of the 12 vocabulary
words with detailed
explanation.
5 pts

The student defined 4

or less on the 12
vocabulary words
with detailed
explanation.

10 pts
3pts
Participation on
Congress for Kids
website

Students were
engaged in the
congress for kids and
were focused on
exploring it for the
entirety of the 15
minutes.
10 pts

Students stayed on
the congress for kids
website for the
entirety of the 15
minutes but were only
somewhat engaged
and distracted.
5pts

Students were using

the computer for
things other than the
website I told them to
use, and they were
not engaged.
3pts

Analyzing Primary
sources station

Participation during
Mock trial

The students
completed the entire
graphic organizer
with detailed
explanations.
10 pts

The students only

completed 3 of the
primary sources in the
graphic organizer.

The students
completed 2 or less of
primary sources in the
graphic organizer.

5 pts

3 pts

Students were
prepared for their role
in the mock trial and
were paying attention
the entire time of the
trial, even when it
was not their turn.

Students were
prepared for their role
in the mock trial but
were not paying
attention during the
roles of their peers.

Students were not

ready for their role in
the mock trial and
were not paying
attention during the
roles of their peers.

5 pts

3 pts

10 pts

Teaching Methods:
The teacher will begin by activating students background knowledge by describing the three
branches of Government and how they are connected. I will read the Our Constitution Rocks to
the students and give them clear instructions for what will be done at each station. I will then tell
them what station they will start at and begin. My method during the stations is to walk through
and keep an eye on the students and guide them wherever necessary, and also to answer
questions that they might have. For the mock trial a lot of previous work has been done to
prepare the students, so they will have role cards and know what they are supposed to be doing.
Instructions will be explicit. Then we will have a discussion at the end with guiding questions
lead by me to promote student involvement.

Introduction:
Hook: We have been learning about our Government and we have been discussing the branches
of Government, what branches have we already learned about? What branch of Government do
you think we have left? We are going to watch a video about how the three branches connect to
one another. While you are watching write down key points about the judicial system.

When the video is done we can talk about what they wrote down and what they think the Judicial
Branch is about and that will lead us into our read aloud of Our Constitution Rocks pgs. (149161). This section is titled Here Comes the Judge! The Judicial Power.
Vocabulary: Judge, Plaintiff, Defendant, Prosecution, Appellate Court, Supreme Court, Original
Jurisdiction, Appellate Jurisdiction, Appeal, Judicial Review, Statutes
Big Idea: The big idea is to become informed about the judicial branch of Government and then
be able to work together as a class and perform a classroom mock trial in order to experience and
understand what happens in an appellate court room.
Instructions:
When the students come in the classroom the stations will already be set up and prepared. On the
board there will be a list of their names and it will tell them what station to sit at in the room. We
will then do the hook and do the read aloud. Then I will use these instructions:
Script: So today we are going to stations so that you better understand the judicial branch of
Government. There are four stations already set up, as you can see. at station 1you will re-read
and summarize what we read aloud. At station 2 there will be a list of vocabulary terms that you
will need to define using the dictionaries provided. At station 3 you will be using the laptops and
you will log onto the congress for kids website and complete the judicial branch section, and
explore the website. At station 4 there are primary resources provided, you will look at them and
determine what you think is going on in the picture, and then you will fill out the graphic
organizer provided at the station. You will have 15 minutes at each station so make sure you are
efficient and are using your time wisely.

1.
2.
3.

4.
5.
6.

1.
2.

Procedures:
Day 1:
Begin with the hook and explain what you will be doing in class today.
Have the discussion about what the students wrote down while they were watching the video.
Lead them into the read aloud of Our Constitution Rocks, pgs 149-161. There are guiding
questions in the text that I will point out and have the students focus on to ensure that they are
engaged and listening.
Then I will give them the instructions listed above in the introduction section and the students
will begin the stations.
They will have 15 minutes at each station; I will use my phone as a timer and put it under the
document camera so that they can all see the time.
When the stations are completed I will bring the class back together and engage in discussion
about what the judicial branch of Government is and we will pull out the most important parts
and I will write them on chart paper.
Day 2:
To start off day 2 we are going to go over what we wrote down on the chart paper to refresh their
memory from the previous day.
Then I will explain to them that we are going to have a mock trial in the classroom. I will explain
to them what a mock trial is.

3. This is what our mock trial will be about: Jody was sick and couldnt go on her paper route, so
she asked Tony to do it for her. She agreed to pay him $15. Tony delivered the papers but didnt
put plastic bags on them. It rained and the papers were ruined. Jody refused to pay Tony the $15.
4. I will already have role cards made for the students and it will be scripted so I will hand out the
role cards to the students and they will take their place in the room.
5. We will then begin the trial, everyone will participate and be apart of experiencing the mock trial
6. The mock trial that we will be doing is considered an Appellate court. So as a closure we are
going to talk about appellate court and how it gets to Supreme Court. (Further detail in closure
section.
7. Then the students will take a summative assessment about the judicial branch of government.
Closure:
The objective is for the students to be able to summarize text, define key terms, recreate a mock
trial, and take a test about the Judiciary branch of Government.
Through out the two days of the lesson the students will have completed a lot of stations that
allow them to further understand the role of the judicial system. The students will have also
completed an appellate mock trial.
For closing the lesson we are going to have a discussion on how we had an appellate trial, and
we are going to talk about how that case can get to the supreme court and the steps that have to
be taken in order for that to happen. I think this is important for students to understand how the
system runs. Also, we will discuss that the Supreme Court does not have time to do even half of
the court cases that are sent to the Supreme Court.
Then I will have some guided questions that will help students participate in discussion.
Closing question: Do you think this is the most effective way for the judicial branch to be run?
Would you do anything different if you could make changes? If yes, or no, explain your
reasoning.
I think that this is a good way to end the lesson; we will then take a test on the Judiciary branch
of Government.
Assessment:
For assessment there will be multiple forms of formative assessment. The summary that is
collected, and the key terms, and the participation in the mock trial will help me determine if the
students are where they should be with knowledge on the judicial system.
For summative assessment the students will be taking a test specifically on the Judicial system
and it will include multiple choice questions, short answer, and fill in the blank, and one essay
question to ensure that the students know everything that they need to know about the judicial
system.
The rubric will be part of the assessment ensuring that each student has met all standards.
Actual assessment attached at the bottom of the document.

Extensions, modifications, and accommodations

There are some students that may need extensions during the stations because they work a little
slower than the other students. The only two students who should need that are my two ESOL
students S.C and T.P. Modifications and accommodations that I would need to do for those same
students is providing the key terms and definitions, and then just have them draw pictures for
what they think the definitions mean. This will help them with time and determining meaning.
There will not be any necessary accommodations and modifications because the mock trial is
scripted and I have allotted for any other troubles they may run into.
As a class, if I notice students need extra help or time for anything I will take that into
consideration as a class.

References
Benzine, Craig. (2015). Separation of powers and checks and balances: crash course government
and politics. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=0bf3CwYCxXw
Dirksen. (2008). Introduction to the judicial branch. Congress for Kids. Retrieved from
http://www.congressforkids.net/Judicialbranch_index.htm

Keppler, J. (1838). Our overworked supreme court. The Library of Congress. retrieved from
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011661363/
Milhillon, Dillon. (1906). Supreme court, Exterior. The Library of Congress. Retrieved from
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/89710888/

n.a. (1953). U.S Supreme Court Justices. The Library of Congress. Retrieved from
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/95505490/

n.a (1906). The united states supreme court. The Library of Congress. Retrieved from
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/92501260/
Pinkcard, Gill. (2002). Putting on mock trials. Defending Liberty Pursuing Justice. Pg 35-36.
Retrieved from http://www.classbrain.com/artteensm/uploads/mocktrialguide.pdf

Turner, Juliette. (2012). Our Constitution Rocks. Zondervan

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Judicial branch Assessment

1.
The three main branches of government are
.

a.
b.
c.
d.

2.
Which of the following does Congress not do?
regulate trade and currency
appoint judges
make laws
declare war

a.
b.
c.
d.

3.
Which branch of the government makes sure the laws are constitutional?
Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
Judicial Branch
All of the above

a.
b.
c.
d.

4.
Our government is made up of how many branches?
One
Two
Three
Four

, and

5.
the highest federal court in the United States

a.
b.
c.
d.

6.
What branch of government interprets laws to ensure they are Constitutional?
Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
Judicial Branch
Congress

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a.
b.
c.

7.
Which branch of government enforces laws?
Legislative Branch
Judicial Branch
Executive Branch

a.
b.
c.
d.

8.
What does the Judicial Branch of the government do?
makes the laws
makes sure the laws get followed
makes sure the laws are fair
none of the above

9.
The Judicial branch is lead by the

10. (extra credit)

How does an Appellate trial get to the Supreme Court? Name steps that have to be taken.
11. How many Supreme Court Justices are there?
a. 7
b. 9
c. 11
d. 13

Key Terms- Vocabulary station

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Judge-

Plaintiff-

Defendant-

Prosecution-

Appellate court-

Supreme Court-

Original Jurisdiction-

Appellate Jurisdiction-

Appeal-

Judicial ReviewStatutesNumber of Justices in supreme courtPrimary Sources

Explanation of what you think the photos

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Are representing.

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Peer Reviews: Caisee Reno, Madison Oliver

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