Sticks and Stones part 2

This video wraps up a two-part miniseries that probes issues of immigration, discrimination, and the law. A young white man from a wealthy family is put on trial after a local Polish store owner accuses him of aggravated assault. The presentation follows the dramatized storyline, emphasizing the role and importance of the American judicial system in determining guilt and assigning appropriate punishment. The program concludes with a profile of the history of America's jury system, looking first at the colonies, the influence of King George, and the mention of courts in the Constitution, then tracing the role of the people and justice in ancient Athens, Greece, to America's modern day democracy.

Due Process in action!

This video analyzes issues concerning immigration, discrimination, and the criminal justice system through a powerful mini-drama about calculated assault and the rights of the accused.  Watch to see if you can recognize anything protected by the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments to the Constitution.

  

Due Process

Today you will begin a courtroom simulation.  Doing so will help you to understand jury trials and due process of law.  You will need a partner for the activity- and one computer.  Click on the title of today's blog to begin the simulation.

Before you begin, read the information below:

Register: Players register individually or in teams as counsel representing either the plaintiff (bicyclist) or the defendant (driver).

Opening Statements: Following registration, the attorneys select evidence for their opening statements. Players receive feedback and earn points by selecting items from their notes that will contribute to an effective case.

Scoring: As the trial proceeds, students will continue to receive points for making good decisions on behalf of their client. The point totals for each side are displayed on screen throughout the game. These scores reflect the proficiency of the attorneys, not the merits of their respective cases.
Questioning: After opening statements, two witnesses for the plaintiff (the bicyclist and the police officer) and two for the defendant (the driver and the eyewitness) are questioned. Players select the questions they will ask. If players are uncertain of which question to ask, they may review the case file before deciding. The case file contains summaries of the witness’ depositions as well as a diagram of the accident, a police report, and a tip sheet titled “When Do I Object?”

Objections: A player may object to an attorney’s question or a witness’ answer by clicking the objection button. Players may then replay the last question, check the case file, or choose what rule of evidence is at issue (relevance, speculation, or hearsay). The judge rules on all objections. If the objection is sustained, or accepted, the player earns points. If it is overruled, or rejected, the player loses points.

Closing Arguments: Once all four witnesses have testified, the judge instructs the jury on how to apply the law in the case. The trial then ends with closing arguments. Players choose what to emphasize in their closing statements. Each closing argument will only mention items that were introduced as evidence during the trial. Hence, the players who introduced stronger evidence in support of their case will have stronger closing arguments and will earn more points.

Jury Deliberation: Following closing arguments, the jury deliberates the following questions:

•To what degree, if any, did the defendant cause the plaintiff to suffer damages in the accident?

•Depending on the defendant’s responsibility, how much should he pay the plaintiff? (This amount is calculated by multiplying the defendant’s percentage responsibility by the amount of damages suffered by the plaintiff.

The Verdict: Finally, the jury returns its verdict, which is based on how an average jury would be likely to respond to the evidence presented.

Juror Interviews: After the verdict is delivered,  interview three of the jurors for feedback on the trial. The jurors’ responses will depend upon the evidence presented during the trial.

Learning the Bill of Rights

This week we continue with the Bill of Rights. 

Complete the following activities:

1.  Read the Bill of rights (copy and paste URL)  http://www.ratical.org/co-globalize/BillOfRights.html

2.  Play this game  (copy and paste URL)  http://constitutioncenter.org/BillOfRightsGame/Final.swf

3.  Bill of Rights Flash Cards (copy and paste URL)           http://www.quia.com/jfc/1845606.html

4.  Bill of Rights Matching Game (copy and paste URL)      http://www.quia.com/mc/1845606.html

5.  Bill of Rights Quiz (copy and paste URL)   http://www.quia.com/quiz/126681.html

6.  Freedom of Religion Quiz (copy and paste URL)    http://www.pbs.org/now/quiz/quiz2.html

If you finish today's assignments, please watch the On Common Ground film below:

Supreme Court Cases

Finish watching the "On Common Ground" film from yesterday.

Today you will look at some Supreme Court cases dealing with first amendment rights.

Case 1: Texas vs Johnson (1989)

Gregory Lee Johnson burned an American flag outside of the convention center where the 1984 Republican National Convention was being held in Dallas, Texas. Johnson burned the flag to protest the policies of President Ronald Reagan. He was arrested and charged with violating a Texas statute that prevented the desecration of a venerated object, including the American flag, if such action were likely to incite anger in others. A Texas court tried and convicted Johnson. He appealed, arguing that his actions were "symbolic speech" protected by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court agreed to hear his case. What do you think the Court decided?

Discuss the case with your group, come to a decision for or against Johnson. Explain your answer on the Google document. If there is a dissenting opinion, include it as well. Click on the link below to read the decision made by the Supreme Court:

http://www.streetlaw.org///en/Page.Landmark.Johnson.diagram.aspx

on the Google document, include the decision made by the Supreme Court.

Case 2: Engle vs. Vitale (1962)

A New York State Law required public schools to open each day with the pledge of allegiance and a non-denominational prayer in which the students recognized their dependence upon God. The law allowed students to absent themselves from this activity if they found it objectionable. A parent sued on behalf of his child, arguing that the law violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.  Click on the following link for a quick explanation of the establishment clause:  http://www.nolo.com/dictionary/establishment-clause-term.html. What do you think the Court decided?

Discuss in your group and make a decision for or against Engle. Explain your decision on a Google document. If there is a dissenting opinion, include that as well.
Explain your answer. Click on the link below to read the decision made by the Supreme Court:
http://usinfo.org/docs/democracy/47.htm
On your Google document include the decision made by the Supreme Court


Case 3: Morse vs Frederick (2005):

Joseph Frederick, a senior at Juneau-Douglas High School, unfurled a banner saying "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" during the Olympic Torch Relay through Juneau, Alaska on January 24, 2002. Frederick's attendance at the event was part of a school-supervised activity. The school's principal, Deborah Morse, told Frederick to put away the banner, as she was concerned it could be interpreted as advocating illegal drug activity. After Frederick refused to comply, she took the banner from him. Frederick originally was suspended from school for 10 days for violating school policy, which forbids advocating the use of illegal drugs.

What do you think the Court decided? Discuss with your group, and come to a decision for or against Frederick, explain your answer on a Google document. If there are dissenting votes, include in the document.

To find out the decision of the Supreme Court, click the following link:
http://www.oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2006/2006_06_278/
On your Google document include the decision made by the Supreme Court.

When finished with all of the cases, share with me.

The Bill of Rights

Last week, we studied separation of powers and how the Founding Fathers designed the Constitution to limit the power of the National Government.
This week, we will look at the Bill of Rights. The best place to start is the First Amendment.
Below, you can watch a dramatization of your First Amendment rights in action.

Separation of Powers

Today we will take a look at the three branches of government and separation of powers. The Harry S. Truman (My favorite President) Museum has an online exhibit.

You are about to enter a site that will have information as well as questions to answer. Some questions will be fill in the blank, others will be short answer. All questions should be pasted into a google document and shared with 1 to 2 other people. Share with me when the assignment is finished.
Title the google document Separation of Powers, include your name, your partner's name, class period, and the date.

The order of information on the site will be as follows:

Site Table of Contents:
3 Branches of Our Government (information)
3 Branches of Our Government (worksheet): Copy questions
Congress - Courts--Keeping the Balance (information and questions) : Copy the questions
Congress - President--Keeping the Balance (information and questions): Copy the questions
The Balance of Government (information)
The Balance of Government (worksheet): Copy the questions
How a Bill Becomes a Law (information and tasks) : Copy tasks

To move from one page to the next, you have to scroll down each site page to see the forward and backward buttons. Click on the forward button to see the next page.

Click on the title of today's blog to go to the Harry S. Truman Museum page.

If you finish today in class, please complete the Preamble Scramble under formative assessments, then show to the substitute.