Unit Six: Bill of Rights & the U.S. Legal System
Statement of Inquiry: Students will understand their constitutional rights and the strengths and weaknesses of the American legal system through an inquiry into constitutional law, criminal and civil procedure, law enforcement statistics, and landmark Supreme Court cases.
Statement of Inquiry: Students will understand their constitutional rights and the strengths and weaknesses of the American legal system through an inquiry into constitutional law, criminal and civil procedure, law enforcement statistics, and landmark Supreme Court cases.
Factual Question
What individual rights does the constitution guarantee? |
Conceptual Question
Why does the government have a responsibility to ensure the due process rights of individuals accused of a crime? |
Debatable Question
What (if any) limits can be constitutionally placed on freedom of speech, gun ownership, and a woman’s right to choose an abortion? |
Required Work this Unit:
|
Unit 6 Quick Links
|
Unit Overview Below
(with some videos below that)
Lesson 1: Principles of the American Legal System & Types of Law
Lesson Essential Question: What basic values shape the American Legal System?
Click here to download today's notes. Handouts from today: |
|
Day 2: Jurisdiciton & The Tiered Federal Court System: District, Appellate, & Supreme
Click here to download today's notes. Our focus today is on the structure of the Federal judiciary.
The mini-lecture covers the distinction between state and federal jurisdiction. The second mini-lecture distinguishes between original and appellate jurisdiction, and gives an overview of the appellate process in both North Carolina and the Federal court systems. Handouts: |
|
Day 3: Criminal Investigations
Lesson Essential Question: What are the jurisdictions of various law enforcement agencies and how do they conduct criminal investigations?
LESSON NOTES - Click here to download.
LESSON NOTES - Click here to download.
Click here to download today's notes.
Today's focus is on major principles in our legal system, as well as the distinctions between different categories of law. |
Days 4-6: Landmark Cases: The Supreme Court
/uploads/2/1/3/1/21313848/due_process_cases_-_miranda_mapp__gideon.pdfClick here to download today's notes.
Here is another link to the project description. Videos at right and below cover key issues in the interpretation of: the 1st Amendment the Due Process amendments (4th, 5th, and 6th) The Equal Protection Clause (14th amendment) Case Summaries (Click each link below): Student Rights Packet Due Process Packet Free Speech & Free Press Cases: 14th Amendment Cases: Civil Rights & Equal Protection Right to Privacy
Separation of Church and State: |
|
Days 3-5: Landmark Cases: Supreme Court Precedent Project
Click here to download today's notes.
We will continue yesterday's work on the Supreme Court children's book. See yesterday's post for links to case summaries. |
Days 3-5: Landmark Cases: Supreme Court Precedent Project
Click here to download today's notes.
We will continue yesterday's work on the Supreme Court children's book. See yesterday's post for links to case summaries. |
Days 7-9: Criminal Law & Procedures
Click here to download today's notes.
this is a large amount of material for today as we learn about how trials work in criminal cases. Students will need to learn criminal procedures well enough to conduct a mock trial project. Details on the mock trial project are here. |
|
Days 7: Criminal Procedure & Mock Trial
Click here to download today's notes.
Today is about the sentencing phase of criminal cases. |
|
Day 10: Civil Procedure & Mock Trial
Click here to download today's notes.
Today we take a look at Civil procedure to help us understand what happens when one private party sues another. |
Day 11: Evaluating the Criminal Justice System: Restorative Justice, Mediation, & Juvenile Courts
Click here to download today's notes.
How effective is our justice system? What works and what doesn't? Here we look at the school to prison pipeline, restorative justice, and the juvenile justice system. |