U.S. Civics & Government - High School- Unit 2 - Law & Criminal Justice
Unit 2 of this semester-long course takes an interactive approach to law and criminal justice. Tweens will sit on a mock criminal jury, get sued by a celebrity, learn about the US prison system and mass incarceration, and much more!
Erica Gardner (Army, Masters in Law)
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(87)
What's included
8 live meetings
8 in-class hoursHomework
Homework will be assigned on specific weeks, after the first day of instruction that week. Homework may consist of a worksheet, online activity, or research assignment. All homework is designed to reinforce the concepts, to solidify understanding, and to allow students the opportunity to apply these concepts to real life situations. Students will be expected to complete the assignments individually, by Day 2 of that week. We will then review the assignment as a class during Day 2. Some homework assignments may also be submitted via GoogleDrive to be reviewed by the instructor and returned with comments.Assessment
I will provide an informal assessment of your student upon completion of this course. If a student completes all four units, a formal letter grade can also be provided.Grading
includedClass Experience
US Grade 9 - 12
**WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT? Civics is the study of the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens, and of the government's function and role in our lives. In this course, we'll marry classic civics with contemporary concepts to more accurately explore the modern state of our government. In addition, civics is best understood when students understand HOW we got here. Immersed in this civics curriculum are countless bits of forgotten US history that show the full story! **HOW WILL CLASS BE STRUCTED? This is a semester-long course that's broken up into four individual units. Each unit is 4-weeks long, and each week we'll meet twice. Each unit is independent of the others, which means that students can take just one, a few, or all of them. However, I do recommend taking all of the units, and in chronological order, in order to get the most out of the material. Each week, we'll cover a different topic. Day one will include instruction using videos, lectures, PowerPoint presentations, Nearpod activities, and more. Day two will vary week-by-week, but the aim will be to complete the instruction, discuss the concepts, and review homework assignments (if applicable). Some weeks will include a short homework assignment or quiz, but not all. **UNIT 2 - TOPICS BY WEEK Week 1 - The Legal System Civil v. Criminal Justice Week 2 - The Legal System, Part II The Prison System & Mass Incarceration Week 3 - The Legal System, Part III What REALLY Happens When You Get Sued Week 4 - The Legal System, Part VI Landmark Supreme Court Cases A basic knowledge of the U.S. government will be helpful for this course, but is not required. It will also be helpful to have taken Unit 1 of this course, but is also not required. All instruction will be thorough and fact-based. My goal is to make civics as interactive and exciting as possible, so I ask lots of questions and do my best to keep students engaged! **For those seeking to take more than one unit, the remaining units include the following topics: Unit 3: Economics, Part I - IV Unit 4: Politics and Current Events
Learning Goals
The purpose of this course is truly to gain a more realistic understanding of how the government is structured today, the role it has in our daily lives, and how to be a more knowledgeable, responsible citizen. In this unit, students will explore the legal system in detail. They'll be able to explain the difference between civil and criminal law, understand the court system, learn about our prison system, and learn about key Supreme Court decisions that affect our lives today.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
During our week long discussion about the prison system, we will briefly explore the difference between punishment and rehabilitation. Some details about the U.S. prison system may be mildly disturbing for some students.
Language of Instruction
English
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined May, 2021
5.0
87reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Master's Degree from Kaplan University
Bachelor's Degree from Kaplan University
A veteran of the U.S. Army Military Police Corps, I hold both bachelor and masters degrees in Legal Studies and spent the last two decades working with various government agencies, attorney's, victims rights advocates, judges, and law enforcement officers.
I'm also a homeschool mom of two and I run a small business offering live civics courses to teens and tweens in the local community. Reviews
Live Group Class
$85
for 8 classes2x per week, 4 weeks
60 min
Completed by 42 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-17
3-8 learners per class
