Over the course of 3 years, the Political Science and Biology Programs at a regional HBCU have built a curricular learning community centered on a mock trial competition, where a microbiology course was paired with an introductory legal studies course. Over the course of a semester, students enrolled in both courses studied a real appellate case…

This article describes various iterations of a Supreme Court simulation that we developed for undergraduate political science classes. We address when simulations should be used to introduce a topic to students, and when simulations should be used to develop students' understanding of a topic after introducing it. In the simulations, we played the…

This article is drawn from the authors' book, "Judging for Themselves: Using Mock Trials to Bring Social Studies and English to Life," which discusses the effectiveness of mock trials as tools for learning and assessments. Mock trials are effective because they are challenging, authentic projects in which students create and then do…

This study investigates the Jewish history engagement for middle school students "playing" in the Jewish Court of All Time (JCAT), an online simulation of a current events court case with historical roots (http://jcat.icsmich.org). Through an online platform across several schools, students research and play historical and current…

In this article, we focus on the contributions that a simulated jury-based activity might have for pre-service teachers, especially for their active participation and learning in teacher education. We observed a teacher educator using a series of simulated juries as teaching resources to help pre-service teachers develop their pedagogical…

The purpose of this article is to empower those interested in teaching students powerful and engaging social studies. Through the lens of Supreme Court simulations, this article provides educators with a viable, classroom-tested lesson plan to bring Problem-Based Learning into their classrooms. The specific aim of the lesson is to provide students…

What if you could challenge your 12th graders to understand car crashes in the context of physical forces, manufacturing challenges, government safety standards, and individual rights? With this volume in the "STEM Road Map Curriculum Series," you can! "Car Crashes" outlines a journey that will steer your students toward…

In this article, we describe the multiple phases of a project that was constructed around the real case of a young Muslim student who wished to be exempted from coeducational physical education on religious grounds. When the school refused her initial request, she decided to take legal measures which ended up in the German Federal Administrative…

The document provides background readings on the Missouri small-claims-court process and a sample case for a mock trial. Background materials explain what a small claims court is, who can sue in small claims court, and monetary limitations (generally up to $500). Readers are advised of the seriousness of going to court and the need to try to…

The documentary is an excellent vehicle for providing to students an inclass experience of a trial and can be used effectively for the purpose of simulating the problems and challenges of trial reporting. (HOD)

A "Civil Litigation Exercise" (a litigation simulation) conducted during the second semester of a first year procedure course at the New England School of Law is described. The purpose of the exercise is to simulate the real world of adversary pleading and practice. The Civil Procedure Litigation exercises are appended. (MLW)

A mock trial offers a situation for students to learn about the Federal Trade Commission, about deceptive advertising practices, and about identification of misleading advertisements. (Author/KM)

A simulation/game examining the issue of academic freedom through a mock trial of the Parducci v. Rutland case is provided. (DE)

Describes, giving examples, the use of a Socratic game in which a law class is assigned a case to read and in class one student is asked to make argument for the plaintiff, a second to explain the defendent's position, a third to give a judicial ruling with reasons. (JT)

Describes a semester long simulation of Supreme Court procedures. Recommends this activity for generating an understanding of the decision making process and the impact of the Justices' personal values and attitudes upon Supreme Court decisions. Notes that the course engages students in the learning process while encouraging the acquisition of…