DOCUMENT RESUME ED 458 148 SO 031 449 AUTHOR Degelman, Charles; Hayes, Bill TITLE People v. Winston: Sports and the Law. INSTITUTION Constitutional Rights Foundation, Los Angeles, CA. PUB DATE 1996-00-00 NOTE 23p.; For related lesson plans, see SO 031 448-452. AVAILABLE FROM Constitutional Rights Foundation, 601 South Kingsley Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90005 ($3.95). Tel: 213-487-5590; Fax: 213-386-0459; Web site: http://www.crf-usa.org/. PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Teacher (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Athletic Coaches; *Athletics; Citizenship Education; Conflict Resolution; *Court Litigation; Intermediate Grades; Law Related Education; Role Playing; Secondary Education; *Social Responsibility; Social Studies; *Thinking Skills IDENTIFIERS Assaults; Constitutional Rights Foundation; *Mock Trials ABSTRACT This lesson plan uses students' interest in sports to teach good citizenship. With its focus on rules, responsibility, conflict resolution, and teamwork, the unit emphasizes the development of critical thinking, decision-making, and citizenship skills in young people. This lesson plan is part of a series of fully prepared, interactive classroom lesson plans offered by the Sports and the Law program of the Constitutional Rights Foundation. Each lesson includes detailed teacher instructions, ---background information, and student handouts. This lesson presents a mock trial case of a coach accused of assaulting a referee. Students roleplay attorneys, witnesses, jury members, and court personnel.(BT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) "This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating It 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality latif Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy ft PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONALRESOURCES / INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) ST COPY AVAILABLE PEOPLE v. WINSTON Todd Clark Executive Director Marshall Croddy Director of Programs and Materials Development Charles Degelman and Bill Hayes Writers and Editors Andy Schwich Curriculum Designer Director,Sports & the Law Andrew Costly Production Manager CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS FOUNDATION 601 South Kingsley Drive Los Angeles, CA 90005 (213) 487-5590 (213) 386-0459 FAX ©1996, Constitutional Rights Foundation 3 Introduction Overview Constitutional Rights Foundation's Sports People v. Winston is a mock trial case of a and the Law program uses students' interest coach accused of assaulting a referee with a in sports to teach good citizenship. By learn- deadly weapon. Students role play attor- ing how ruleson and off the playing neys, witnesses, jury members, and court fieldrelate to society, students acquire personnel. By using the backdrop of sports knowledge necessary to become responsible as motivation, People v. Winston offers stu- citizens and effective participants in Our dents an exciting introduction to the crimi- democracy. CRF believes that good sports- nal justice system. manship is good citizenship. With a focus on In Lesson One, students are first introduced rules, responsibility, conflict resolution, and to the case. Then they read about and dis- teamwork, Sports and the Law emphasizes cuss reasonable doubt. Next, they are the development of cri6cal thinking, deci- assigned roles and they prepare for the sion-making, and citizenship skills in young mock trial. people. In Lesson Two, students conduct the mock This mini-unit is part a series of fully pre- trial and take part in debriefing the activity. pared, interactive classroom lesson plans offered by the Sports and the Law program. You might find it helpful to invite a trial Each mini-unit illustrates important aspects attorney to your classroom. The attorney of law and society and promotes an under- can coach students, run the trial asthe standing of law-related concepts by linking judge, and take part in debriefing the the excitement of sports to broader social activity. issues. Objectives Students will: 1. Analyze and present evidence in a hypo- thetical case. 2.Based on evidence presented, decide the guilt or innocence of a defendant in a hypothetical case. 3.Develop an understanding of a criminal trial and the concept of reasonable doubt. 43 that only the guilty get pun- Lesson One ished.) 2.Inform students that they will take Materials and Preparation part in a mock trial of Coach Jerry Handout A: Case Facts-1 per student Winston, a high school basketball coach accused of hitting a referee Handout B: Reasonable Doubt-1 per with a chair. Advise them that they student will role play the attorneys and wit- Handout C: Attorney and Witness nesses in this case. Tell them to lis- Materials-1 per student role playing ten carefully to the facts of the case. attorneys, witnesses, or judge Distribute Handout A: Case Facts to each student. Read it aloud to the Handout D: Jury Duty-1 per student class. Answer any questions students serving on the jury or role playing the may have. clerk/bailiff B.Reasonable DoubtReading and Handout E: Juror Quiz-1 per student Discussion serving on the jury or role playing the clerk/bailiff 1. Tell students that for someone to be convicted of a crime, that person Procedure must be proven guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt." Distribute A. Focus ActivityIntroducing the Case Handout B: Reasonable Doubt to each student. Ask them to read the 1. Ask students: handout and find out what "guilty What would happen if, during a beyond a reasonable doubt" means. basketball game, a coach pushed 2. When they finish, ask the following a referee? (The referee might questions: call a technical foul or might throw the coach out of the What does "guilty beyond a rea- game.) sonable doubt" mean? (Jurors must believe that there is no rea- What would happen if the coach sonable explanation other than hit the referee with a chair? that the person is guilty. Make (Police would arrest the coach.) sure students understand that it Who would be involved in the does not mean beyond all possi- trial of the coach? (Judge, jury, ble doubt.) prosecutor, defense attorney, Why do you think a jury must witnesses.) find a defendant guilty beyond a Why do we have trials? (Aside reasonable doubt? (Make sure from determining a person's they understand that the system guilt or innocence, make sure is designed to prevent innocent students understand that trials persons from going to jail. Some also have procedures to protect students may have heard the old the innocent and help ensure saying that "it's better 10 guilty 4 people go free than one innocent rest of the period to prepare. Tell go to jail.") them the mock trial will begin at the next class meeting. We recommend C. Preparation for Mock Trial that you place time constraints on 1.Assign students the following roles the role play. Inform students of in the mock trial: your time limits. Below are suggest- ed time limits: Defense team-2-6 students Preparation-30 minutes (the Prosecution team-2-6 students rest of the period) Witnesses-6 students Opening statement-2 minutes Jury-6-12 students each Defendant-1 student Closing statements-2 minutes each Clerk/Bailiff-1 student (This student will work with the jury Examine witness-3 minutes group until the role play begins.) each JudgePreferably this role Cross-examine witness min- should go to the teacher or an utes each attorney invited to class. Jury Deliberation-10 minutes (All students should have a role. If 5.After 10 minutes, give each member you have a particularly large class, of the jurors groupHandout E: Juror you can have more than one jury. Quiz.Tell students not to look at the Note: The names of all witnesses are Juror Materialswhen taking the gender-neutral so any student can quiz. Give them 10 minutes. (Spend play any role.) this time helping the attorneys and 2.Distribute the materials. Give witnesses prepare.) Handout C: Attorney and Witness 6.After 10 minutes, tell the jurors to Materialsto students role playing break into pairs and correct each attorneys, witnesses, and judge. Give other's quizzes using Handout D: the remainder of the classHandout Juror Materials. Give them until the D: Juror Materials. end of the period to correct the 3.Tell the jurors to read theJuror quizzes. (Spend this time helping Materials.Inform them that you will attorney and witnesses prepare.) give them a quiz on the materials in 7.At the end of the period, collect the 10 minutes. (This will give you time Juror MaterialsandJuror Quizfrom to help attorneys and witnesses pre- each juror. Remind all students that pare.) the mock trial take place at your 4.Review theAttorney and Witness next meeting. Tell them to bring Materialswith the attorneys, wit- their handouts to class. nesses, and judge. Give them the 2.Call the class to order and begin the Lesson Two role play. The judge should run the trial following the instructions for Materials & Preparation the judge. Handout F: Clerk/Bailiff-1to student B.Debriefing role playing clerk/bailiff Use the following questions to debrief the Set up the classroom as a courtroom. activity: Put a table in front for the judge's What did you find the most diffiCult bench, a table near the judge's bench to do in the mock trial? for the clerk, a chair beside the judge's bench for witness stand, chairs for Doyou agree with the verdict? Why jurors near the witness stand, and a or why not? defense table and a prosecution table What is reasonable doubt? Do you facing the judge's bench. think it's fair to a jury to find a Students should bring their handouts defendant not guilty if there is rea- from the previous lesson.