Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Criminal Law

Goals & Objectives

Have students identify how the 4
th
5
th
6
th
amendments apply to U.S criminal law. List and
describe the steps of how the U.S justice system treats a person accused of a crime. Discuss
the strength and weaknesses of U.S justice system.
California State Content Standards
12.3 Students evaluate and take and defend positions on what the fundamental values and
principles of civil society are (i.e., the autonomous sphere of voluntary personal, social, and
economic relations that are not part of government), their interdependence, and the
meaning and importance of those values and principles for a free society.

Common Core Literacy Standards
CCSS.ELA-HSS Literacy WHST 11-12. 9: Draw evidence from informational text to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-HSS Literacy RHST 11-12. 1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of
primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an
understanding of the text as a whole
Driving Historical Question
How the U.S Justice System has evolved to implement justice in U.S society?
Lesson Introduction (Anticipatory Set/Hook/Accessing Prior Knowledge) Time: 5-10
minutes
Term Arrangement Line: On the board the teacher will write a number of key terms for the
students. Next to the list the teacher will horizontally draw a line; on one end of the line
will be the phrase Person has committed a crime on the other side of the line the phrase
will be Prison. The students in a class discussion will attempt to arrange the key terms in
order.

Vocabulary (Content Language Development) Time:
Criminal Law Hung Jury
Criminal Justice System Sentence
Petty Offenses
Misdemeanors
Felonies
Arrest Warrant
Grand Jury

Indictment
Information
Plea Bargaining
Arraignment
Verdict

Content Delivery (Method of Instruction) Time: 20-30 minutes
Guided Reading Activity: Students will read a chapter from the textbook using a premade
K-W-L sheet to engage their pre-reading, reading and post-reading process. In the pre-
reading stage students will strategically be paired with another student and the pairs will
discuss what they know of the terms embedded in the K-W-L sheet in the Know (K) section.
The pairs will then briefly scan the chapter, and in the Want (W) section the students will
discuss what questions they wish to know and could be answered by reading the section.
The students will then begin to read, one student will read as the other takes notes based
on answering the questions written in the Want (W) section, then the students will switch
off. The student will write their notes in the Learned (L) section of the K-W-L Sheet. Once
the chapter has concluded the students will share their answers and discuss them.
Student Engagement (Critical Thinking & Student Activities) Time: 5-10 minutes
Paired writing activity: After the students have finished reading the chapter, the students
will be asked to do a written assignment in which the students will review and discuss their
notes to write three aspect of the U.S criminal justice system they would change in order to
bring about a more just and efficient system. For each aspect they list the students must
provide a reason for why it would improve the U.S criminal Justice system.
Lesson Closure Time: 5-8 minutes
Revisit term arrangement line: After the students turn in their paired written activity, the
class will look at the Term Arrangement Line and fix what errors they may have made in
placing the term through discussion. After the arrangement is fixed, the students will add
any terms they picked up in their reading to be placed on the line or their suggestions from
the paired writing activity.

Assessments (Formative & Summative)
Entry Level Formative Assessment: The Term Arrangement Line, Students will be able
to demonstrate their prior knowledge of the U.S criminal justice system by seeing if they
can arrange the terms from crime committed to prison.

Progress monitoring Formative Assessment: Paired Written Activity, demonstrates
which students have a strong critical understanding of the terms and aspects of the
criminal justice system.


Summative Assessment: Term Arrangement Line REVISTED, Shows if the lesson was
successful by having the students revisit their work as a class, their ability to correct their
own work will show if a strong understanding of their reading has been established.
Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs
The Term Arrangement Line allows for English Learners, Striving Readers, and Students
with Special Needs a clearer depiction of the relationship of the terms in the reading lesson.
The strategic pairing for the reading can allow for EL students, Striving readers and
Students with Special Needs to be paired with academically stronger students or students
which have shown they work well with to help their academic proficiency.

Resources (Books, Websites, Handouts, Materials)
Teacher-made K-W-L worksheet: Criminal Law.
McGraw-Hill United States Government: Democracy in Action.