Law and Moot Court Debate Club
Students will learn about how to become a lawyer! We will learn about Landmark Supreme Court Cases, public speaking, cross examination, Socratic Method, legal history, legal current events, famous lawyers, legal vocabulary and more!
Erik, Professor, J.D, MS, BS
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4.9
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What's included
4 live meetings
4 in-class hoursHomework
2-4 hours per week. 1. Legal Reading Assignment. Each week students will focus on a different legal case and reading on that case. 2. Public Speaking Assignment. Students should record a 30 second - 1 minute law related speech on our weekly Moot Court TopicAssessment
1. Socratic Method. We will use the same method as many law schools. Students will be questioned on the various legal cases, laws, decisions, arguments, lawyers and judges that we study. 2. Online Trivia Games. Every class we use fun online trivia games to assess learning and readings.Class Experience
US Grade 5 - 8
Intermediate Level
Learn to be a Lawyer! Develop Legal Skills! Half of the class is devoted to Legal Debate Skills and Moot Court. The other half of the class is devoted to legal studies. This class is excellent for upper middle school and high school students interested in pursuing careers or study in law, government, or politics. This class is also excellent for any students interested in learning or advancing their skills in public speaking, discussion, reading, writing and questioning - through the study of historical Supreme Court cases. Finally, this class is excellent for students interested in learning about all kinds of different Social Studies topics relating to law - philosophy, political science, current events, history, education, immigration, crime and punishment, civil rights, women rights, environmental issues, and nearly every other social science topic out there! Students will learn about landmark Supreme Court cases each class. Our class will then use the case to develop legal skills - questioning, discussion, writing, public speaking, discussion, and advocacy. Students will also learn an incredible diversity of subjects based on those legal cases - constitutional law, criminal law, history, civil rights, famous lawyers, famous judges, geography, political science, legal current events, and more! Every class features a debate and interactive lecture (games, slides, video clips, discussions and speeches). NEW TO OUTSCHOOL COUPON CODE: If this is your first class on Outschool, you can use this code on checkout "ERIK2020" for a $20 discount. Feel free to share with others too if it is their first time signing up on Outschool! PREREQUISITES: Since half of the class is public speaking and moot court debate, students should be comfortable with public speaking, uploading speeches, debating and able to jump right into the discussion. If new to debate and public speaking, I would recommend the Speech/Debate Camp Introduction Class first: https://outschool.com/classes/middle-school-speech-and-debate-camp-edkFYUzZ?usid=j2iJky1O&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link. ANNUAL CURRICULUM https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_73IutlK1QObpRSUl00f4pEOcnSOnuak3m1Oyi4y-E4/edit?usp=sharing DECEMBER Moot Court Debate Case Korematsu v. United States (December) Other December Legal Cases Supreme Court v. Donald Trump Boynton v. Virginia (December, 1960) Privacy v. Dallas School District No.2 (Bathroom/Gender Cases) Texas v Pennsylvania (2020) (Trump Election Lawsuits) Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. US (1964) (Commerce Clause and Civil Rights Cases) Katzenbach v. McClung (1964) (Commerce Clause and Civil Rights Cases) Trump v. Hawaii (Travel Ban) Christmas Holiday Cases December Christmas Special - Freedom of Religion Cases December Christmas Special - Landmark Case #1: Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) December Christmas Special: Landmark Case #2: Lynch v Donnelly (1984) December Christmas Special:Landmark Case #3: Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union (1989) JANUARY Moot Court Debate Case New Jersey v. TLO (January 15th) Landmark Cases Environmental Lawsuits Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire (1942) (Fighting Words) Street v. New York(Flag Burning) Cohen v. California (1971) Collin v. Smith (1978) Trump Impeachment Hearings Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) Brown v. Board of Education, Part 1 Brown v. Board of Education, Part 2 Brown v. Board of Education, Part 3 Prince Edward County, Virginia (1959-1964) Griffin v. County School Board (1964) Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) FEBRUARY Moot Court Debate Case Roe v. Wade (January 22, 1973) Landmark Cases Abortion Landmark Cases Planned Parenthood v. Casey. (1992) Marbury v. Madison Lange v. California (February 2021) Tinker v. DesMoines (February 24th, 1969) West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnett (1943) MARCH Moot Court Debate Case Tinker v. DesMoines (February 24th, 1969) Landmark Cases Dred Scott v. Sandford (March 6, 1857) McCulloch v. Maryland (March 6, 1819) Schenck v. United States Buck v. Bell (1927) Gibbons v. Ogden State v. Chauvin (Trial Date March 2021) Amistad APRIL Moot Court Debate Case Schenck v. United States Landmark Cases Trial of Trial of Derek Chauvin Katy Perry Lawsuits (Intellectual Property) Marvin Gaye Lawsuits (Intellectual Property) Dan White Trial (Assassination of Harvey Milk) Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.(1994) (2 Live Crew Lawsuits) Skyywalker v. Navarro (S.D. Fla. 1990) (2 Live Crew Lawsuits) State of Tennessee v. Scopes (Scopes Monkey Trial) Epperson v. Arkansas 393 U.S. 97 (1968) MAY Moot Court Debate Case Miranda v. Arizona Landmark Cases Romer v. Evans Lawrence v. Texas (2003) Bowers v Hardwick United States v. Windsor (2013) Defense of Marriage Act Obergefell v. Hodges (June 26, 2015) Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County (1964) Brown v. Board of Education Death Penalty Cases Epic Games v. Apple United States Government v. Google Insular Cases Ghostbusters and Ray Parker JUNE Moot Court Debate Case Texas v. Lawrence (Flag Burning) Landmark Cases Loving v. Virginia Miranda v. Arizona Mapp v. Ohio Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (June 17th, 2001) West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (June 14th, 1943) Olmstead v. LC (June 22, 1999) (Disability Rights) Buck v. Bell (forced sterilization) Mahanoy Area School District v. Brandi Levy Bowers v. Hardwick (1986) Romer v. Evans (May 20th, 1996) Lawrence v. Texas (2003) Obergefell v. Hodges (June 26, 2015) Muhammad Ali v. The United States Government Regents v. Bakke (decided June 28th) Engel v. Vitale (June 25th) JULY Moot Court Debate Case Regents of the University of California v. Bakke Landmark Cases Furman v. Georgia (June 28th, 1972) Gregg v. Georgia (four years later on July 2nd, 1976) National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston (June 2021) Buck v. Bell Judge Rotenburg Center v. Food and Drug Administration (July 2021) Olmstead v. LC (June 22, 1999) United States v. Nixon AUGUST Moot Court Debate Case United States v. Nixon Landmark Cases Reed v. Reed (1971) (RBJ) Frontiero v. Richardson (1973) (RBJ) Duren v. Missouri (1979) (RBJ) Olmstead v. L.C. (1999) (RBJ) Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) (RBG) United States v. Virginia (1996) (RBG) Minor v. Happersett (1875) New York Times v. Sullivan Robert Murray v. John Oliver Gavin Grimm (G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board August 26th 2020 decided) Bostock v. Clayton County (Decided June 15, 2020) SEPTEMBER Moot Court Debate Case Engel v. Vitale Landmark Cases Vaccine and School Mask Lawsuits Trial of the Chicago Seven OCTOBER Moot Court Debate Case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988) Landmark Cases Texas v. Johnson Nazis v. Village of Skokie (1977) Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. Citizens United (2010) Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) Bethel School District v. Fraser (1986) Morse v. Frederick (2007) Hardwick v. Heyward (2013) Dariano v. Morgan Hill School District (2014) Mahanoy Area School District v. Brandi Levy (2021) Halloween Cases The Case of the Haunted House The Case of the Taunting Tombstone The Case of Friday the 13th The Case of Michael Myers The Case of the Halloween Prank Gone Wrong The Case of Don’t Answer the Door on Halloween The Case of the Amityville Haunted House The Case of the Mark Twain Lawsuit The Case of Dracula The Salem Trials NOVEMBER Moot Court Debate Case Mapp v. Ohio Landmark Cases Bush v. Gore (2000) US v. Miller (2nd Amendment) District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) (2nd Amendment) United States v. Cruikshank (1876) Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831) Worcester v. Georgia (1832) Elk v. Wilkins (1884), Ahmaud Arbery Murder Trial MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSES: Speech and Debate Camp Level I (Beginners) https://outschool.com/classes/middle-school-speech-and-debate-camp-edkFYUzZ?usid=j2iJky1O&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link Speech and Debate Camp Level II (Debate Skills) https://outschool.com/classes/middle-school-speech-and-debate-camp-level-ii-TeSFoFwy?usid=j2iJky1O&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link Debate and Public Speaking Camp Level III: Congressional Debate & Civics This is an Intermediate/Advanced Debate class that focuses on the popular debate event of Congressional Debate. Students will learn all aspects of Congressional Debate from writing Resolutions, Bills, Amendments and Authorship Speeches to running for the Presiding Officer position. Even if not in the debate event of Congressional Debate, you will learn and practice advanced debating and writing skills, practice for the Advanced Placement US Government & Politics Exam, and learn about career opportunities in Congress, Legislation, and lawmaking. Class Link: https://outschool.com/classes/debate-and-public-speaking-camp-level-3-congressional-debate-3MkF7GLQ Speech and Debate Camp Level III: Speech Events, Speechwriting, and Rhetoric In this camp we will focus on the speech events and advanced public speaking skills. Highly recommended for debaters as well, since public speaking and audience adaptation is the #1 debate skill. 8 Classes! 8 Speech Events! 8 Mini Tournaments! 8 Games! 8 Prizes! 80 Great Public Speakers! ... and ... 80 Public Speaking Skills! https://outschool.com/classes/middle-school-speech-and-debate-camp-level-ii-the-speech-events-8AJXuexH?usid=j2iJky1O&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link Debate and Speech Club Intermediate (Monthly). In this Class, each month we explore different debate topics and debate formats. No lecture, just practice debates everyday! You should take Debate Camp Level I and Level II first! https://outschool.com/classes/middle-school-debate-and-speech-club-Qiz9wkVR?usid=j2iJky1O&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link Current Events Club (Weekly, Ongoing). “Ongoing” - This means you can try one class, and if it is not the right fit, you can drop out of the class after one session or take it as many times as you want! https://outschool.com/classes/current-events-club-debate-speech-advocate-change-the-world-2QgX0MtZ?usid=j2iJky1O&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link Model United Nations Club & International Current Events (Monthly) https://outschool.com/classes/model-united-nations-club-and-conference-6J6E8cjx?usid=j2iJky1O&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link Law School Club & Legal Current Events (Monthly) https://outschool.com/classes/law-school-club-yUxEwpCT?usid=j2iJky1O&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link US History Club (Weekly, Ongoing) https://outschool.com/classes/history-club-lH2VzJzC?usid=j2iJky1O&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link Follow my Outschool Profile for any new classes & updates! https://outschool.com/teachers/eriktheteacher ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSES: Elementary School Current Events Club (Weekly, Ongoing) https://outschool.com/classes/elementary-current-events-club-speech-debate-advocate-change-the-world-13QOWr7k?usid=j2iJky1O&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link Elementary School Speech and Debate Camp https://outschool.com/classes/elementary-school-debate-and-speech-camp-P7wgsJoY?usid=j2iJky1O&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link Follow my Outschool Profile for any new classes & updates! https://outschool.com/teachers/eriktheteacher Follow my Outschool Profile for any new classes & updates! https://outschool.com/teachers/eriktheteacher
Learning Goals
1. Students will learn different Landmark Cases and develop legal skills based on our study of that case (public speaking, writing, questioning, case law, philosophy, government, law).
2. Students will improve their understanding and practice of public speaking skills and specifically the skills of passion, ethos, logos, hand gestures, eye contact and body movement.
3. Students will improve their understanding and practice of speechwriting skills - introductions, conclusions, persuasive writing and research.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
We will be addressing a wide variety of sensitive and mature criminal and civil legal topics since this is a Law Class. The Cases we will read and discuss each week are the actual Legal Cases and the Supreme Court decisions. Topics will address felonies such as homicide and other serious crimes as well as discrimination (sexism, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, anthroprocentrism).
We will be discussing legal topics in history and current events. Students are also encouraged to share a legal current event at the beginning of each class. (This is optional). Students can use any news source for this.
External Resources Statement: We will be using a variety of classroom tools, readings, links and other external resources. Please review the Materials section before signing up for this class. These resources are optional. No accounts have to be created. All these resources are free. All these resources have been vetted and used widely by students, schools, teachers, and the legal community.
Comedy! If not comfortable with Comedy Shows this is not the class for you! We will be using lots of mature comedy content from such shows as Saturday Night Live and other late night and daytime comedy shows! My goal is to engage students in current issues and build a lifetime commitment to current events by making it fun, humorous and to share good laugh. Smiling and laughing while learning is my goal!
I understand that law, debate and current events can be controversial. I have been teaching debate for about twenty years, I was a debater for another ten years, and I have founded and directed the largest debate league in the nation! So I have substantial experience in speaking and debating on issues of controversy. My rule of thumb and one of the first things I say in class and our number one rule: RESPECT - we respect all viewpoints, politics and perspectives. As a teacher I am not focused on what the politics of students are but focused on HOW students express their opinions - public speaking skills, writing skills, reading skills, presentation skills, debate skills and social skills of respect towards all others. Additionally, for any issues of controversy we always discuss other viewpoints and arguments so that students learn and respect different perspectives.
Supply List
Every lecture uses Kahoot.com (Free) and so I would recommend to have another mobile device (smartphone, tablet, or another computer) if you would like to use Kahoot.com during lectures. Or you can simply split your screen as well.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
- Kahoot (Free)
- Quizlet
- Flipgrid
- Blooket
- Google Docs
- Google Drive
- Wikipedia
- Smore
- Oyez
- Landmark Cases
- ProCon
- Smithsonian Magazine
- History.com
- The Free Speech Center
- Constitution Center
- United States Courts
- Tarlton Law Library
- Constitution Rights Foundation
- Foundation for Individual Rights & Expression
- Ballotpedia
- Brennan Center
- American Civil Liberties Union
- Constitutional Accountability Center
- Intelligence Squared USA
- CNN
- Find Law
- Bill of Rights Institute
- American Progress
- NPR
- Vox
- Huffington Post
- Council on Foreign Relations
- Document Cloud
- Equal Rights Amendment
- USA Today
- HealthCare.Gov
- First Liberty
- Fox News
- Nonhuman Rights
- Cato Institute
- Georgetown Law
- The Supreme Court
- NewsCurrents
- Institute of Justice
- Gimkit
- Open to Debate
Joined September, 2020
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Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in History from University of California, Berkeley
I have been studying law, politics and government all my life. I attended law school in California and then taught legal courses in middle school and high schools for ten years. I was accepted into the Supreme Court Summer Institute for teachers, and taught moot court and mock trial teams.
I have been involved in speech and debate as a student and educator my entire life. I learned more in my Speech and Debate Club than all my high school, college and law school classes combined. I joined the Speech and Debate Team at my middle school because I was very shy of public speaking. I have been hooked in speech and debate since!
I received my B.A. from U.C Berkeley, Jurist Doctorate from Hastings College of Law, and Masters Degree in Education at Pace University. In 2002 I was accepted to Teach for America and I have been teaching since. I have been a public school teacher for ten years with the New York City Department of Education and taught speech and debate classes for about ten years with thousands of NYC students. My debaters have gone on to win city, state and national champion titles. I currently serve as Professor at Baruch College in the Communications Studies Department. I teach Debate and Argumentation classes as well as Political Rhetoric.
As a teacher I helped to co-found the Big Apple Debate League which is now the NY Debate League. In 2011, I founded our city's Debate League with the mission that every middle school and high school should have a debate team. I served as Founder and Executive Director from 2011-2019 building the league into the largest citywide debate league in the nation, serving thousands of students every year. In 2020, I left the nonprofit world, and I returned to my passion as a full time teacher!
I have received numerous awards in education including the United States Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers Fellowship, Fund for Teachers Fellowship, Plank Foundation Fellowship, and Teach for America Innovation Award Finalist.
I love teaching. My grandparents, parents and my brother are all educators. There is nothing more fun than sharing your passion with others.
My philosophy of teaching is learning should be fun and challenging. I always begin my classes with current events trivia. My lectures are interactive with movie clips, songs, puzzles and other engaging tools. We always practice our public speaking and debate skills. All my classes end with a fun and competitive speech and debate practice or tournament. My mission is all students should have access to speech and debate.
Press. Below are some news articles about me and my debaters! I owe everything to my own debate teacher and coach and so everyday my mission is to support future debaters!
1. First Lady Michelle Obama Honors Erik and the Great Debaters
https://tinyurl.com/29u2cfpw
2. Bronx debate team one of 12 school groups nationally to get visit with Michelle Obama
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/skilled-young-orators-heading-white-house-article-1.1203407
3. New York City Teacher Creates After School Debate League Lauded by the White House
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/11/prweb10156172.htmReviews
Live Group Class
$80
for 4 classes1x per week, 4 weeks
60 min
Completed by 354 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 10-15
8-15 learners per class
