Mock Trial Camp: Debate About the Law & Learn Public Speaking (Level 1 )

Does your child love debating, acting, or problem-solving? In this fun and interactive mock trial class, students will step into a realistic courtroom simulation, role-play as attorneys and witnesses, and develop public speaking, critical thinking, and persuasive argumentation skills!


What will be taught in this course?
This course will teach the basics of mock trial, which is a competitive academic extracurricular that many students enjoy participating in more seriously and it's also a fun format for teaching about laws and the legal system, public speaking, critical thinking, and teamwork. 



What topics will we cover?
In this 10-week course, we will cover some key legal concepts, including presumption of innocence, prosecution’s burden of proof, elements of the crime, and what it means for evidence to be "relevant." We will also cover some important skills: how to comprehend and critically analyze a witness' affidavit; delivering opening statements and closing arguments; how to effectively direct examine a witness, and how to effectively cross-examine witnesses, including asking good follow-up questions.



How is this class structured?
The class will proceed in 10 weekly lessons,  with each lesson divided between short lectures to introduce new content and activities for students to practice applying their knowledge. The emphasis of each lesson will be on creating “hands-on” learning, with students engaged in activities to apply and deepen their learning, rather than being lectured to. Check out the course syllabus to see what we'll cover in each class meeting.



How will I teach and how will learners interact with me and each other?
Each class is purposefully designed to create many different opportunities for the student to be actively engaged in their own learning and to interact with me and their classmates; this ensures multiple checks-for-understanding are embedded in the lesson and that each learner is receiving feedback from me and their teammates:

During the brief lectures, students will be called upon to ask me questions and/or to answer questions that I pose to them. Most of the class, however, is not lecture-based. Instead, students will participate in several activities that allow them to actively engage in their learning and that allow me to assess their progress and to provide impactful feedback/redirection. 

For example, within a single class meeting students might start by playing games on Gimkit to review concepts. Then they might collaborate in small groups to try applying their new knowledge and receive feedback/help from me as needed. Finally, they put that practice into action by performing the skill in the context of some part of a mock trial: questioning witnesses, making and responding to objections, or in the  opening statement and coloring argument. To celebrate their successes and  to help each learner continue growing, they’ll receive feedback on their mock trial performances from me and their classmates.

Note: The last two class sessions are dedicated to students participating in a mock trial, either as a lawyer, witness, or juror. I will provide verbal feedback to each group - Prosecution, Defense, and the jury - at the end of each trial.



What is my teaching style?
1. I love to mix in a lot of humor and excitement when I teach; I often make jokes about myself and teach with a lot of joy and even a bit of silliness.
2. I love asking questions to learners, both to make sure learners understand before we move on and because Socratic-style teaching can be very effective at driving students to deeply learn complex information and to master critical thinking.
3. I love learning, and that includes learning from my students.