Resources

Overview

This page contains teacher resources from The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE) and around the web promote civic education and make our programs more accessible. 

The "Lesson Plans" tab has general civic education lessons in addition to C3 and inquiry driven lessons. The "Sponsor & Partner Links" page contains resources from OCLRE sponsors and community partners. Program specific resources are available on the remaining tabs to help anyone with an existing program or those looking to get started. 

For questions regarding these resources, or suggestions for additional resources, please contact Danielle Wilmot (dwilmot@oclre.org). 

General Lesson Plans

Chief Justice Moyer Legacy Fund Civility Project

 
Chief Justice Moyer Legacy Fund - Middle School Civility Project

These lessons and activities are designed to help students to gain knowledge and skills to start a Service Learning Project in their school or community. Students will document research, guest speaker notes, and field trip notes. Students/classes that use these lessons are strongly encouraged to utilize OCLRE's  Youth For Justice Program to showcase the work they have done to benefit the community. Support resources are included where appropriate and further references are also given as well.

 

Click Here to Download

 
Civility in Elections: A Three Lesson Plan Series

This publication was funded by the Ohio Civility Consortium and Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer Legacy Committee in preparation for the March 2016 "Text, Talk, Civility Matters." The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the Civility Consortium, and no endorsement of these views should be inferred.

The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education is sponsored by the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Office of the Attorney General, the Ohio State Bar Association, and the ACLU of Ohio Foundation. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the sponsors, and no endorsement of these views should be inferred.

For questions regarding these lesson plans, please contact Ryan Suskey at rsuskey@oclre.org

 

Click Here to Download

 

Government in Action

Government in Action: A Content Manual for Teachers with Classroom Applications by Dr. David Naylor and Dr. Bruce Smith of the University of Cincinnati. Content of the manual includes the nature of government, our federal System, Ohio’s history and Constitution, the three branches of Ohio government, and more.

 

iCivics Ohio

The Capitol Square Foundation leads this joint effort with The Ohio State University John Glenn College of Public Affairs and iCivics to create an innovative resource for Ohio teachers and students. This partnership was established to create a web-based, interactive citizenship curriculum that focuses on Ohio civics education.

 

"Who the h*** is Diane Nash?"

A direct quote from Attorney General Robert Kennedy about this important civil rights leader is the springboard to an unit for students about the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the Freedom Rides through to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The inquiry is split into two "tracks" to accommodate the differences in American Government and American History standards.

 

C3 Lesson Plans

The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework is an exciting approach to authentic education in Social Studies. OCLRE is proud to support the expansion of the framework here in Ohio and has created resources to help teachers implement the framework in their classrooms. For questions about the resources below, or to inquire about training around the C3 Framework, contact Ryan Suskey at rsuskey@oclre.org.

 

Topic/Compelling Question:

 

None at this time.

Sponsor & Partner Links

Constitution Classroom

Provided by the Ohio State Bar Foundation, Constitution Classroom provides teachers with useful tools to teach the U.S. Constitution, including updated case law, lesson plans, power points, and lawyer assistance. In addition, lawyers are available as resource speakers in the classroom!

 

Ohio State Bar Foundation - O.P.E.N. Court

The OSBF has put together videos and resource materials which will help to prepare youth when they become involved with the legal system, engage caregivers and facilitators in best practices and protect the rights and responsibilities of all during their “day in court.”

 

VIDEOS:

 

RESOURCE GUIDE:

 

OSBA “Going to Court” Video

The Ohio State Bar Association produced the following video, which follows an animated character who explores the third branch of government and some of the differences between the state and federal court systems. The video is also available on the OSBA YouTube channel and is an appropriate teaching resource for secondary students.

 

American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio

The mission of the ACLU of Ohio is to aid in maintaining and extending constitutional and other fundamental rights, liberties, privileges, and immunities, and to take all legitimate action in furtherance of that object without political partisanship. It engages in education and litigation, grassroots organizing and lobbying activities to promote civil liberties.

 

Ohio High School Government Videos

Introducing a free new educational tool for Ohio government classes – a series of five new videos on topics including state public policy and citizen engagement. The videos were produced by the Attorney General's office with the help of current and former state officeholders. The topics for the videos were identified by a panel of Ohio high school teachers and align with state standards.

 

Court News Ohio

Court News Ohio is a service of the Office of Public Information of the Supreme Court of Ohio - an exclusive source for legal news and case information in Ohio, it is the news bureau of the Ohio Judicial Branch. Watch and download archived Supreme Court Cases, previews of upcoming cases, features on court programs, profiles of judges and court officials, and other news and information.

 

Ohio Council for the Social Studies

The Ohio Council for the Social Studies advocates for the vital role of social studies and assists educators through professional development for the delivery of effective and innovative instruction. The website offers advocacy and membership details in addition to publications, legislative updates, teacher resources, free Ebooks, online professional development, and more. 

 

Ohio Government

The State of Ohio's website offers portals to employment information, tax forms, voter information, state agencies and online government services, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the state education system, the Ohio State budget, Constitution, laws and legislature, State, city and county government sites, and much more, plus Ohio facts and history, sites for kids, and activity and coloring books.

 

Ohio Supreme Court Visitor Education Center

Built in 1933, the Thomas J. Moyer Judicial Center was restored to its original glory and dedicated as the new home of the Supreme Court of Ohio in 2004. A Visitor Education Center features interactive exhibits, graphics and video clips, and murals, plaques, inscriptions and symbols throughout the Judicial Center tell the story of the people who built Ohio. Staff and volunteer guides engage students, leading activities and answering questions. Pre- and post-tour activities: the Educator's Briefcase and Extra Credit Classroom study of a Supreme court of Ohio Case enhance the visit's impact.

 

The Law & You: A Legal Handbook for Ohio Consumers and Journalists

The Law & You was prepared by the Ohio State Bar Association and funded by the Ohio State Bar Foundation as part of their ongoing joint program to improve public understanding of the law and the legal system. Available as eBook, PDF and hard copy, the book is a survey of law for the non-lawyer; it explains what the law is and how it got that way. Subjects covered include the sources of law, organization and operation of the courts, legal procedure, criminal law, school law, online law and more.

 

The Ohio Channel

The Ohio Channel provides unedited, commentary-free coverage of Ohio Statehouse and Supreme Court of Ohio activities to give students an unbiased perspective on government activities. Students can watch live streams of floor sessions in the Ohio House and Senate and oral arguments in the Supreme Court. The most helpful links for law and government teachers from The Ohio Channel are the searchable video library and the live feed.

 

Mock Trial Resources

Mock Trial Evidence Maze

This resource, with special thanks to Clermont County Common Pleas Court Mediator & Senior Magistrate Harold Paddock for developing and sharing, is perfect if you are getting lost trying to navigate the Mock trial evidence "maze".

 

Putting On Mock Trials ABA Guide

The American Bar Association has created a guide to putting on Mock Trials. It has helpful information about the components of a trial, advise for students and sample trials.

 

Make Your Case presented by Scholastic American Justice

Make Your Case is a court­room trial sim­u­la­tion in which stu­dents con­trol the ac­tion as they ex­pe­ri­ence a real court­room set­ting. Make Your Case was de­vel­oped by Scholas­tic in con­junc­tion with the Amer­i­can Board of Trial Ad­vo­cates. The Amer­i­can Jus­tice webpages also con­tain ad­di­tional civic ed­u­ca­tion re­sources, including lesson plans, printables and more.

 

Mock Trial Practicum

This publication en­hances the Mock Trial ex­pe­ri­ence for stu­dents, teach­ers, coaches and judges by pro­vid­ing an in­ter­ac­tive area that will help stu­dents bet­ter un­der­stand the trial process and learn­ing tools for new and ex­pe­ri­enced ad­vi­sors. Ac­cess to the site is avail­able for $100 per team (up to 8 stu­dents) and $10 for each ad­di­tional stu­dent, re­new­able each year.

 

Useful Legal Terms - National Paralegal College

 

 

Introducing Case Files

Click Here to check out these five easy steps which explain how to introduce a case to your students so they get the most out of it. This can be used as a starting point to introduce the Mock Trial case file to your students to help them understand the basic elements.

 

Mentor Hangouts

OCLRE talked to two of our experienced advisors to find out how they get the Mock Trial year started. This video will give high school advisors and teachers insight on how to approach and prepare for the Mock Trial competition. The advisors share tips, lesson plans, and past experiences.

 

Mock Trial Student Tips Videos

The Foundation of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), has a YouTube channel with short videos offering mock trial tips for students. The videos include helpful suggestions for conducting direct and cross-examination, opening statements and closing arguments.

 

High School Mock Trial Tutorial

OCLRE created this video to help students and teachers learn the basics of a mock trial presentation. It details what each part of the trial is about and how the students should approach each section. The video uses examples from a state championship round so you can see each part of the trial in action.

 

Objection Activity

This activity is specific to Middle School Mock Trial and should be used in conjunction with the Sherlock Holmes case file that is available as a free download here. This activity helps students learn when to use and when not to use an objection during a mock trial. It also allows students to practice these objections by acting out parts of the Sherlock Holmes case.

We the People Resources

OCLRE is pleased to offer a curated list of resources to help with We the People (WTP) classes, as well as general government and history classes.  Use these resources as written or adapt to what best suits your needs.

Content Resources

  • American Governance - A collection of scholarly articles to explore key government and We the People concepts, such as federalism, separation of powers, judicial review, Congress, the Bill of Rights, citizenship, and many others. 
  • 60-Second-Civics Podcast - A daily podcast that provides a quick and convenient way for listeners to learn about our nation’s government, the Constitution, and our history.
  • Civics 101 Podcast - A production of New Hampshire Public Radio, a podcast refresher course on the basics of how our democracy works.
  • We the People Open Course - From the Center for Civic Education, this online course features videos noted scholars covering topics from the philosophical foundations of the U.S. Constitution through the modern interpretation and application of its ideals.
  • Primary Source Documents for Middle School We the People - This document, crafted by The Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) links to primary source documents to each lesson of the Middle School We the People curriculum.
  • Primary Source Documents for High School We the People - This document, crafted by The Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) links to primary source documents to each lesson of the High School We the People curriculum.
  • Evolution of 14th Amendment - PowerPoint presentation by Prof. Chris Bryant, University of Cincinnati College of Law, at the OCLRE Constitution Camp, October 2016. 

Textbook and We the People Hearing Question Resources

AP Government & WTP correlations

Literacy Guides 

  • Middle School Literacy Guide - This guide helps middle school students with literacy skills, like vocabulary, deriving main ideas, word mapping, etc through text and graphic resources.   
  • High School Literacy Guide - This guide helps high school students with literacy skills, like vocabulary, deriving main ideas, word mapping, etc through text and graphic resources.   

Past High School We the People State Questions and Suggested Follow Ups

Lesson Plans and Graphic Organizers

Videos

We the People Best Teaching Practices (9:04) - This video was recorded as part of the James Madison Legacy Project summer institutes in 2016 with new and experienced We the People teachers giving their best practices for classroom instruction.

 

Introduction to We the People (25:18) - P.J. Babb from West Carrollton High School (West Carrollton, OH) and her students introduce We the People and how to answer a hearing question.

Moot Court Resources

Exploring Controversies Through Supreme Court Cases: Appealing to Reason

Teachers can use Supreme Court decisions to help bring controversial issues into their classroom in an educational, organized way.  Cathy Ruffing and Lee Arbetman, from Street Law Inc., suggest ways for educators to use court cases in the classroom. Teachers can also find teaching strategies in the article on how to read, understand, and use court opinions.

 

Canons of Interpretation 

What does it mean to interpret the law? Judges must read and understand the Constitution and statutes to know their meaning. From there, they apply that to the case before them. Statutory interpretation is the process by which courts interpret and apply legislation. Some amount of interpretation is often necessary when a case involves a statute. In many cases, there is some ambiguity or vagueness in the words of the statute that must be resolved by the judge. To find the meaning of statutes, judges use various tools and methods of statutory interpretation, including traditional canons of interpretations, legislative history, and purpose. 

Canons of interpretation have evolved over time through tradition and case law. As noted, they give judges guidance in how to interpret vague statutes. To help moot court students understand how law can be interpreted, students may read and use excerpts from Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts by Antonin Scalia & Bryan A. Garner. 


The following lessons will help introduce moot court concepts and brief writing to your students. Please feel free to use and adapt these lessons to match your needs.

 

To assist students in writing their brief, this Model Brief Template can be used. Students should adhere closely to the model and should refer to the descriptions of each section in determining where to place information.

Documents

2015 MC Competition Score Sheet
CREXAC Lesson Plan - Handout 1
CREXAC Lesson Plan - Handout 2
High School Moot Court Correlations to State Standards - English Language Arts Summary
High School Moot Court Correlations to State Standards - Social Studies Summary
Intro to Appellate Process and Moot Court - Lesson Plan - PS
Intro to Appellate Process and Moot Court - PowerPoint - PS
Intro to Appellate Process and Moot Court - Student Guided Notes - PS
Model Brief Template v 1.0
Moot Court - CREXAC Legal Writing - Lesson Plan - PS
Moot Court - CREXAC Legal Writing - Lesson Plan - PS
Classroom Moot Supreme Court Cases