Fairy Tale Courtroom

Based upon the Mock Trial presented at http://www.abc.net.au/mocktrial/default.htm

Adapted by M. Churchwell for use in our 6^th grade Language Arts Classroom

Intro/Task/Process/Evaluation/Conclusion/Resources

Introduction:

You have been requested to serve as a participant in the trial of State of Fable vs. Jack Jones.

If you accept this request you must be ready to prepare and present information pertinent to your role as a member of the prosecution, defense or judge/jury in the Fairy Tale Courtroom. You will be expected to help determine the guilt or innocence of Jack Jones with regard to offenses against Arthur Giant and his property. Innocence is assumed; guilt must be proven without a doubt.

Task:

Jack Jones has been arrested by Inspector Morse of the Storyville Police Station and charged with Murder and Burglary/Robbery. It has been previously determined and agreed to by the defense that Mr. A. Giant died as a result of head injuries from a fall while descending from a beanstalk on April 1. As a result, it will not be necessary to call any medical evidence in order to prove the cause of death. Murder is the primary charge.

The prosecution must prove without a doubt Mr. Jones’ guilt with regard to the murder charge. The defense will be responsible for discounting this charge through evidence to the contrary. The Judge and Jury will decide the final verdict.

You must complete both Group/Team and Individual Activities.

Group Responsibilities:

Work with your group in order to develop an understanding of courtroom procedures including terminology and facts surrounding the trial.

Individual Responsibilities:

Prepare for the Courtroom Trial by exploring the information determined through Group Investigations. Share information and findings with the class during the Courtroom Trial and through the presentation of a specified product.

Process:

Stage One ~ Group Responsibilities:

In order to prepare for the Courtroom Trial, you will need to work with your team to complete the activities indicated below:

Judge & Jury:	Witnesses:	Lawyers:
Become familiar with: annotated text of Jack & the Beanstalk “Short Facts” statement “Background Information” Create a timeline of significant text events Create a Web diagram of pertinent information (Inspiration) Define Courtroom Terminology (handout) Develop questions you may have for both the defense & prosecution teams (handout)	Become familiar with: annotated text of Jack & the Beanstalk “Witness” statements relative to your perspective only Create a timeline of significant text events to your perspective Create a Web diagram of pertinent information to your perspective (Inspiration) Define Courtroom Terminology (handout) Develop questions you may be asked at the trial and appropriate responses (handout)	Become familiar with: annotated text of Jack & the Beanstalk “Witness” statements for both the defense & prosecution teams Create a timeline of significant events with regard to the opposing perspective Create a Web diagram of significant events to both the defense & prosecution (Inspiration) Define Courtroom Terminology & identify those related to your position (handout) Develop questions you may ask the opposing team at the trial (handout)

Stage Two ~ Individual Responsibilities:

It’s time to get ready for the trial! Using the knowledge and understandings you have gathered, you need to start devising your strategy by:

Judge & Jury:	Witnesses:	Lawyers:
Attending the Courtroom Trial Completing a KWL chart including what you know about the text events, what questions you want the witnesses to answer and what you learn from their responses Creating one of the following products by the due date: poster newspaper article persuasive letter to the judgethat depicts your observations and personal decision based upon the information learned from the courtroom proceedings	Participating in the Courtroom trial Providing appropriate responses to lawyer questions (notecards) Creating one of the following products by the due date: poster newspaper article persuasive letter to the judge depicting your observations and/or verdict of the trial and your agreement/disagreement based upon information learned from the courtroom proceedings	Participating in the Courtroom trial Presenting your: Opening Statements Witness Questions Closing Statements (notecards) to those attending the Fairy Tale Courtroom Trial Creating one of the following products by the due date: poster newspaper article persuasive letter to the judge depicting your biased agreement/disagreement with the verdict and reasons for your choice

Evaluation:

On the day(s) of the trial, come prepared to present your findings in Fairy Tale Court!

Your work will be evaluated using the Scoring Checklist(s) provided.

Conclusion:

Newspaper Headline: A Verdict is Reached! The Sunday edition of Once Upon a Time Times reports that the jury in the trial of the State of Fable vs. Jack Jones has reached a verdict and justice has been served. Both legal teams have been commended for their careful preparation and delivery of evidence that has led to this swift deliberation and decision.

Resources:

State of Fable vs. Jack Jones – Resources

Category	Title	Description
Fairy Tale	"Jack and the Beanstalk"	Read this annotated version of the fairy tale to help you to make connections between it and the trial information.
Courtroom Procedures	Courtroom Vocabulary (TeacherVision) Glossary of Legal Terms Hangman - Courtroom Terminology Matching - Courtroom Roles Unscramble - Courtroom Procedures	Use these resources to develop definitions and an understanding of the legal system and courtroom procedures.
Defense	Short Facts - Storyville, State of Fable Witness Statement - Mr. Jack Jones Witness Statement - Mrs. Nora Jones	Read a summary of the arrest of Jack Jones as reported by the arresting officer, Inspector Morse. What does Jack have to say about his role in Arthur Giant’s untimely death? Read his statement to find out. Jack’s mother has plenty to say about her son’s arrest. Read her statement here.
Judge/Jury	Short Facts - Storyville, State of Fable Witness Statement - Mr. Jack Jones Witness Statement - Mrs. Nora Jones Witness Statement - Mrs. Martha Giant Witness Statement - Inspector Albert Morse	Read a summary of the arrest of Jack Jones as reported by the arresting officer, Inspector Morse What does Jack have to say about his role in Arthur Giant’s untimely death? Read his statement to find out. Jack’s mother has plenty to say about her son’s arrest. Read her statement here. Martha Giant has lost the love of her life. Here is what she told Inspector Morse. Inspector Morse is expected to provide an objective report of the crime in his report. Does he have more to add? Read this!
Prosecution	Short Facts - Storyville, State of Fable Witness Statement - Mrs. Martha Giant Witness Statement - Inspector Albert Morse	Read a summary of the arrest of Jack Jones as reported by the arresting officer, Inspector Morse Martha Giant has lost the love of her life. Here is what she told Inspector Morse. Inspector Morse is expected to provide an objective report of the crime in his report. Does he have more to add? Read this!