For Schools
Lessons
Grades: K-3 | 4-6 | 7-9 | High School | Extras
Lawyers, judges, and other representatives of the legal profession often give school presentations on or around Law Day. By volunteering their time, they give students a memorable opportunity to learn about the law in action. Not only can they share with them their personal experiences, but they can convey how law and the legal system protect our freedoms.
The lessons and strategies in this section include lively activities designed to reach students in all grade levels. Keep in mind that these grade levels are only general guides. When you talk with the teacher before the presentation, you’ll learn what the students have been studying, and will be able to select a strategy that’s right for them.
The lesson topics range from how the law furthers America’s quest for equality to the role of citizens and the role of the law in protecting rights and making democracy possible. Please note that some lessons include handouts that are .pdfs; you may need to download Adobe's free Acrobat Reader in order to view them.
2007 Lessons
- 4-6: Taking a Stand Highlights the importance of taking a stand on issues.
- 7-9: What Do People Think? A lesson on poll taking.
- 10-12: Teen Curfew Examines citizens' role in policy debate.
- Contracts
- Dispute Resolution
- Due Process: People Who Make Courts Work (judicial independence)
Due Process: Seeking Facts to Solve Mysteries, K-3 - Equal Treatment: A Famous Kansas Child
Equal Treatment: A Girl Named Linda - Fairness (see also: Equal Treatment)
- Juries: Choosing an Impartial Jury
- Responsibility and Community Service
- Contracts
- Due Process: Yertle the Turtle Mock Trial
Due Process: Does the Constitution Protect Your Right to Free Play?
Due Process: Dramatization of Salem Witch Trial
Due Process: Seeking Facts to Solve Mysteries, 4-6 - Equal Protection: Lesson and Activity Guide
Equal Protection: A Famous Kansas Child - First Amendment
- Judicial Branch
- Juries: Choosing an Impartial Jury
- Mediation and the Adversary Process
- Public Policy
- Separation of Powers: Connecting the Separate Powers
- Drug Testing in Schools
- Due Process: Battle for Truth/It's Your Witness
- Due Process: Voir Dire Simulation
- Equal Protection: What Does It Mean to Have Equal Protection of the Laws?
Equal Protection: Different Treatment for Different Folks?
Equal Protection: Background for Teaching about Fairness/Equality under the Law
Equality under Law - First Amendment
First Amendment: Residential Property Signs - Judicial Independence/Judicial Accountability (See also: What Is Judicial Independence?)
- What Juries Should Hear and See
- Juvenile Justice
- Right to Counsel
- Separation of Powers: Understanding Checks & Balances
- Voting: How the Law Regulates Who May Vote
Voting: Expansion of Voting Rights
- Drug Testing in Schools
- Due Process: Teaching about Due Process
Due Process: Conversations with Leaders in the Law
Human Rights: Teaching about Human Rights and Legal Rights
Human Rights: Life in a New Country: What Rights Would You Choose? - Equal Protection: Dialogue on Brown v. Board of Education (.pdf)
Equal Protection: Additional discussion topics on Brown v. Board of Education (.pdf)
Equal Protection: Can a Legal Decision Bring About Rapid Social Change?
Equal Protection: Color Conscious Or Colorblind: A Factor in Political Representation
Equal Protection: Does a Curfew Discriminate against Young People?
Equal Protection: Defining Equal Education Opportunity for Women
Equal Protection: Background for Teaching about Fairness/Equality under the Law - Ex Post Facto and Double Jeopardy
- Federalism, School Safety, and Congress
- First Amendment: Residential Property Signs
- Freedom of Speech on the Internet
- Judicial Independence/Judicial Accountability (See also: What Is Judicial Independence?)
- The Jury: Juries: Cornerstone of Democracy
The Jury: Trial by Jury - Separation of Powers: Understanding Separation of Powers
- Voting: Expansion of Voting Rights
