Engaging Learning Scenario: MOCK TRIAL

Engaging Learning Experiences Summary

Has something or someone ever seemed dangerous or untrustworthy to you?  The feeling you had was suspicion.  While suspicion might come from a misunderstanding, it can also be a warning that something is very wrong.  In this story, we will met a man whose suspicions are his downfall.   After reading a classic work of fiction (The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe), students will use what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text in a mock trial.  The main character of the story will be put on trial in the classroom for the murder of an old man.  Students will be divided into a prosecution and defense team.  The legal teams will analyze the development of the characters, setting, and plot to determine whether the narrator should be charged guilty of murder, or be found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Unwrapped Priority Standards

RL.8.1. CITE the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. RL.8.2. DETERMINE a theme or central idea of a text and ANALYZE its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; PROVIDE an objective summary of the text.

 

Essential SCRAP Element	How is the essential element addressed in this ELE?
Situation	Students will participate in an engaging and interactive mock trial, intended to give students some practice using evidence from the text (as well as inferences drawn from the text) while analyzing a classic short story.
Challenge	Students will be divided into a prosecution and defense team.  The legal teams will analyze the development of the characters, setting, and plot to determine whether the narrator should be charged guilty of murder, or be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Role	Students will play the roles of: defense attorney, lead prosecutor, legal aides, witnesses, and assistant attorneys.
Audience	The audience will be all members of the classroom - members of the both legal teams and the judge (teacher and/or teaching assistants).
Product/Performance	The summative performance of this ELE will be a mock trial.

Why are we doing this?

Many times when students are writing or speaking argumentatively or analytically, they fail to use actual evidence to prove their points.  This engaging and interactive mini-trial lesson is intended to give students some practice doing just that while analyzing a classic short story.  In this lesson, students will: Support a claim with logical reasoning and relevant evidence Write in response to literary and/or informational sources, drawing evidence from the text to support analysis and reflection Use specific evidence from a story to support analysis of a character Analyze how particular passages of text, characters, setting, and plot contribute to the development of a theme or central idea of a text Correctly cite relevant evidence from the text that most strongly supports an argument/claim Present information, evidence, and reasoning in a clear and well-structured way appropriate to task, purpose, and audience

Day One:  Introduce and Read the Story As students enter the room, have all of the lights turned off, the sound of a heartbeat playing, and keep a serious face/tone in the classroom to help establish mood.  Ask students what sort of atmosphere/mood has been set in the classroom today.  Explain that Edgar Allan Poe creates a similar atmosphere/mood in his story, The Tell-Tale Heart. Writers often “hook” readers by creating a sense of excitement, tension, dread, or fear about what will happen next.  This feeling is called suspense.  Techniques used by Edgar Allan Poe to develop suspense include: describing a character’s anxiety or fear relating vivid description of dramatic sights and sounds repeating words, phrases, or character’s actions Have you ever suspected someone was not telling the truth?  Just as you can’t trust every person you meet, you can’t believe all narrators, or characters who tell a story.  To evaluate a narrator’s reliability, or trustworthiness, pay attention to his or her actions, attitudes, and statements.  Do any raise your suspicions?  As we read this short story, pay attention to any clues that reveal the narrator’s reliability or mental state. Read the story by Edgar Allan Poe together.  It can be found in the McDougal Littell textbook on pages 78-83.  There is also an audio recording of the text available through www.classzone.com if your class would prefer to listen to the text as they follow along.

Day Two:  Introduction to the Trial In a criminal trial, the word “insanity” means something more specific than when we use it in everyday speech. You can’t say that someone on trial is “insane” just because he did something that most of us would consider “crazy” (like killing someone, chopping up the body, and hiding the pieces under the floorboards.) That’s because, in a trial, when we say someone is insane, we’re saying that the person didn’t fully understand what he or she was doing and therefore shouldn’t be held responsible for his or her actions. As a class, read through the “Legal Definition of Insanity” using the SMART board:   Insanity is a mental illness of such a severe nature that a person cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot manage his/her own affairs, or is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior. In criminal cases, a plea of "not guilty by reason of insanity" will require a trial on the issue of the defendant's insanity (or sanity) at the time the crime was committed. In this context, "not guilty" does not mean the person did not commit the criminal act for which he or she is charged. It means that when the person committed the crime, he or she could not tell right from wrong or could not control his or her behavior because of severe mental defect or illness. Such a person, the law holds, should not be held criminally responsible for his or her behavior. (INTERNET SOURCE: www.USLegal.com) Spend a few minutes on a short class discussion about the following questions: Do you think the killer in this story is insane? What evidence in the story could prove that he’s insane? What evidence might help prove that he’s NOT insane? If this man were on trial, do you think he should be held criminally responsible for his actions? Divide the class into two heterogeneous groups.  One side of the room will be the prosecution team, trying to prove that the narrator is guilty of murder in the first degree.  The other side of the room will be the defense team, which will try to prove that the narrator is not guilty, by reason of insanity.   The most important part of the assignment is to use a line from the story as evidence to prove a point, so make sure the students focus on that. Sample first piece of evidence for the PROSECUTION:  First of all, the killer remembers everything about the crime and can talk about it calmly. In his confession, the killer says, “Hearken! and observe how healthily, how calmly, I can tell you the whole story” (pg 1). A person who is legally insane cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, so he probably wouldn’t have such an accurate memory of everything that happened. If he remembers all the facts about what he did, this proves that he was aware of reality and was not insane. Sample first piece of evidence for the DEFENSE:  First of all, the man was hearing things that weren’t really there. In his confession, the man claimed that he had a very acute sense of hearing. He says, “I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell” (1). It sounds as if this man can’t tell the difference between things he’s actually hearing and things that he’s just imagining—you can’t actually hear sounds coming from heaven or hell. If a person who is legally insane has a hard time distinguishing between fantasy and reality, this man is clearly insane.

Day 3:  Legal Team Roles and Goals Review key roles in a legal team with the class.  There will be legal aides, who search through the evidence (text) trying to find the best passages of text that most strongly support their side of the argument.  There will be assistant prosecutors and defenders who will consult with the legal aides about the evidence and strategy, and then relay their findings and suggestions to the lead attorney for each side.  The teams should also prepare a list of witnesses they’d like to call to the stand, and a list of questions for those witnesses.  The legal teams on both sides are responsible for crafting an opening statement and closing argument.  Although MEL-Con format is recommended for crafting an effective closing argument, it is not required.   Students should collaborate and communicate in order to assign roles to all members of their legal teams.  Students should share their individual strengths and weaknesses in order to create meaningful roles and goals to challenge each member of the groups.   Once group roles are determined, group goals should be set and students should begin working on preparation for the trial. As a point of reference: Quotes That Could Help the DEFENSE: I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture—a pale blue eye with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me my blood ran cold, and so by degrees, very gradually, I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever. …but I found the eye always closed, and so it was impossible to do the work, for it was not the old man who vexed me but his Evil Eye. He was still sitting up in the bed, listening; just as I have done night after night hearkening to the death watches in the wall. …at length a single dim ray like the thread of the spider shot out from the crevice and fell upon the vulture eye. It was open, wide, wide open, and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me -- the sound would be heard by a neighbour! I foamed—I raved—I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards. "Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed!—tear up the planks!—here, here!—it is the beating of his hideous heart!" Quotes That Could Help the PROSECUTION: Hearken! and observe how healthily, how calmly, I can tell you the whole story. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution—with what foresight, with what dissimulation, I went to work! What you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the senses If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. There was nothing to wash out—no stain of any kind—no blood-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. I bade the gentlemen welcome. The shriek, I said, was my own in a dream. The old man, I mentioned, was absent in the country. I led them, at length, to his chamber. I showed them his treasures, secure, undisturbed.

Day Four:  Legal Team Work Day Students can use chrome books or a computer lab to research information to support their case and continue their trial prep work.  Students can work on practicing their interrogation of witnesses, drafting opening and closing statements, determining the evidence that most strongly supports their claim, and otherwise preparing for the trial(which will be held the following day in class).  The teacher should be facilitating discussion, monitoring student progress and needs, pushing students to higher levels of thinking and questioning, and supporting struggling students.  All students should be engaged in meaningful and challenging work throughout the class period, and usually natural leader(s) will usually emerge through this activity. Tell-Tale Heart Research Resource List http://www.shmoop.com/tell-tale-heart/ <-Shmoop's resources on Tell-Tale Heart http://www.enotes.com/tell-tale-heart/discuss/story-tell-tale-heart... <- E-Notes for Trial http://cvms.canfield.k12.oh.us/web/canf_mxc/PDF/Tell_Tale_Heart.pdf <- Copy of the Text with Answer Key at Back http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/poestories/section6.rhtml <- SparkNotes Analysis of Tell-Tale Heart http://mirasenglisha1-09-11.wikispaces.com/file/view/The_TellTale_H... <- PDF Notes on Story Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity Resources http://people.howstuffworks.com/question509.htm http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/not+guilty+by+reason+... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insanity_defense Guilty of Murder Resources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_burden_of_proof

September 18, 2012

Today's Learning Targets

By the end of today's lesson I can:

1. Create a cohesive paragraph using multiple vocabulary terms

2. Recognize 5 key elements of plot in a short story

Morning Activities

Rev It Up

Finish Conflict/Plot PowerPoint

Add notes

Afternoon Activities

"The Elevator"

The above short story can be found in our online literature text. 

Log in instructions are in your learning log.

September 17, 2012

LEARNING TARGETS

By the end of today's lesson, I can:

1. Define and provide exampes of metaphorical thinking

2. Review what I've learned about Rev It Up Week 2

3. Explain the importance of re-reading

MORNING CLASSES

Review Rev It Up Vocab

Continue "Love" Deeper Reading - metaphorical thinking exercises

AFTERNOON LEARNING TARGETS
1.  Explain the difference between internal and external conflict
2.  Identify and define the elements of plot structure

AFTERNOON CLASSES

10 Minutes of MIR

Watch the video for "Five Things" Short Story Rap 

                  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6I24S72Jps)

SMARTBOARD notes on Plot and Conflict - take notes in learning log

ASSIGNMENTS

Respond to the following prompt in the discussion forum on Ning:

The boys' love for Miss Brown is like __________________ because _________________________________________,

ATTACHMENTS

A copy of the text (Love by William Maxwell) is posted on September 12th's lesson page on our class ning.  You'll also find copies of the smartboard slides we went over in class.

September 14, 2012

LEARNING TARGETS

By the end of today's lesson, I can:

1. Form a classroom community (partners and families)

2. Review what I've learned about MEL-Con using ABC Graffiti

3. Explain the importance of pre-reading and re-reading

MORNING CLASSES

Review Rev It Up Vocab

Review MEL-Con (ABC Graffiti)

Begin the "Love" Activity

AFTERNOON CLASSES

10 Minutes of MIR

Text-marking of "Love" for foreshadowing of Miss Brown's death

Re-reading and analyzing the author's craft

ASSIGNMENTS

None

ATTACHMENTS (CAN BE FOUND ON THE CLASS NING)

Copy of the text and handouts we used in class

Format for ABC Graffiti Activity

September 13, 2012

LEARNING TARGETS

By the end of today's lesson, I can answer the following questions:

1. What is the difference between fiction and nonfiction genres?

2. How can I identify books according to literary genre?

MORNING CLASSES

Use Chromebooks to review Rev It Up on quizlet.com

Notes on Literary Genres in my learning log

AFTERNOON CLASSES

10 Minutes of MIR

Genre Sorting Activity in the LRC

ASSIGNMENTS

None

ATTACHMENTS

None

September 12, 2012

LEARNING TARGETS

By the end of today's lesson, I should:

1. Be comfortable with vocab words from Rev It Up lesson

2. Be familiar with different literacy genres

3. Progress in understanding of MEL-Con format

MORNING CLASSES

Rev It Up Vocab

Literary Genres Introduction using powerpoint (attached)

Notes and Discussion of Literary Genres

AFTERNOON CLASSES

Handouts into MELCON tab of binder:  Transitions Checklist, MEL-Con Rubric, MEL-Con notes

Handouts into AoW tab of binder:  Text Marking Sample (Do Cell Phones Cause Cancer?)

Continue building our class Mel-Con... using gradual release (M & First EL modeled by Mrs. Ander, Second EL created together as a class, Third EL on your own using the notes and examples)

ASSIGNMENTS

Finish the third EL and the CONcluding statement for Riding the Tiger MEL-Con using GoogleDocs ("Share" with Mrs. Ander when ready for review)

September 11, 2012

LEARNING TARGETS

By the end of today's lesson, I can:

1. Increase my understanding of Rev It Up words for Lesson 2
2. Identify the six purposes of writing, and apply them to break down a bigger topic
3. Apply the MEL-Con strategies taught in class to my graphic organizer on Riding the Tiger

MORNING CLASSES

• Rev It Up
• Check in Writing Territories
• Tape Writing Purposes handouts into pages 4 and 5 of your Writer's Notebook
• Choose a topic, and turn 1 topic into 18 writing topics

AFTERNOON CLASSES

10 Minutes of Independent Reading

Add our inference equation to the glossary in the back of your learning log:  

      What I already know + What I learned = An inference

Update Table of Contents in your learning log to include notes pages on MEL-Con format, supportive evidence, transitional devices, support/elaboration tools, accountability talk, conversational moves, etc.

Begin working on your own MEL-Con draft, using your graphic organizer, textual evidence, and your chrome book to answer the purpose question.

• The purpose question for your reading was:  What does the tiger symbolize in Riding the Tiger?

ASSIGNMENTS

Finish filling in the graphic organizer on page 5 of your writer's notebook on Writing Purposes