{I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew}
Over the past several weeks, my high schoolers have had a chance to use a mock court trial curriculum called Homeschool Court, which includes the Homeschool Court Student Worktext, a Teacher Manual, High School Supplement, and three Case Summaries.
What is Homeschool Court?
I’m glad you asked! A mock trial provides opportunity for students to gain first-hand experience with our American Judicial system, use critical thinking skills to form and express their opinions and gain confidence in what they believe. Designed by a homeschooling mom who happens to be an attorney, Homeschool Court is geared for grades 4-8, but can easily be adapted for high school level with the supplements.
As students progress through the worktext, the parent/teacher will assign a case summary (there are currently 3 different summaries available) and give a role to each student, the end goal being to hold a mock trial with judge, jury, attorneys, etc. to determine the outcome of the case. Students will learn how a courtroom works and will improve their research and debate skills along with their critical thinking.
The resources included are downloadable pdf files, easy to print. Parents can print a copy of the student worktext for each their children, and can either use the teacher manual and summaries on device of their choice or as a printed copy.
The Student Worktext 100+ pages and includes chapters on:
- The Basics
- Biblical Foundation and Application
- Who’s Who in the Court System?
- Our Judicial System
- Types of Cases
- Steps in a Trial or an Appellate Case
- Persuasive Arguments
- Preparing for the Mock Trial
- The Mock Trial
The Teacher Manual is over 150 pages long. This thorough guide is essential. Parental (or teacher) involvement is very important with this program. The teaching tips and helpful tools make it a user friendly program, even for parents like me who have no background or experience with our court system.
Students work through the first 7 chapters, and then prepare and hold a mock trial with the help of the last 2 chapters. It is encouraged to set up a courtroom. A real one would be great but a living room can be transformed into one with chairs and tables. Kids are encouraged to dress professionally – a white shirt and tie, a dress skirt, a suit if possible. A graduation gown is perfect for the judge. It is encouraged to make the mock trial and courtroom as realistic as possible to help the kids really get into their roles. This can be a fun way to wrap up this course.
In order to hold court, you need to have a case. Homeschool Court uses real court cases for their case summaries. Each of the cases give you plenty of evidence, testimonies, and supporting documents and such for everyone involved to experience the mock trial in as realistic setting as possible. Three cases were included for us to read and use:
- Contested Will – the validity of a signature on a will is contested. This case includes things like witness statements, jury instructions, evidence, vocabulary terms.
- School Prayer – this is a Supreme Court case about the constitutionality of school prayer. It includes a summary of facts, decisions from lower courts, and more.
- Dog Bite at the Dog Show – this is a civil trial where the plaintiff is suing for injuries received from a dog bite. You’ll find an evidence summary chart, ideas for presenting evidence plus and notes on the actual case.
How are we using Homeschool Court?
To begin, I skimmed through the teacher manual and printed out the student worktext. I also took time to get familiar with the high school supplement. Looking over the material helped me determine our goals and schedule.
We decided we would read through the chapters together and go through the worktext as a group, answering the questions orally. My family is on the quiet, shy side so the thought of recreating a courtroom and holding real court in real life was a bit intimidating and not at all appealing. But that’s okay! With the information, activities and resources, we are able to have discussion broaden our knowledge together.
As far as the case summaries, we will begin with the dog bite case. My two high school students will be writing an essay in place of the mock trial, to show what they have learned about the judicial process and present their defense. The Dig Deeper questions at the end of each chapter are terrific for helping them with the essay writing.
Our thoughts:
We are finding Homeschool Court to be, challenging, but fun and interesting. It seems best suited for a larger family or a co-op group, but can be adapted easily for a single student. The student worktext and teacher manual are well-written, clear and easy to use. I am happy to see the text directed to the reader, making it easy for students to work independently if desired.
My preference would be to set up the mock trial experience in a group setting with other families or a homeschooling co-op. Including a debate at the end of the course would be a great way for our young people to get experience with public speaking and get opportunity to express their opinions in a clear and concise manner.
I appreciate that this curriculum is a Bible-based curriculum. The author, Deborah Morris Burton has done a fine job in Looking at the history of how our laws and court system was originally structured. She gives us a truthful and balanced view.
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If you are looking for a resource that will introduce your student to the legal system in our country, this mock court trial curriculum from Homeschool Court is a great place to start! See how other families are using it – just click the banner below to visit reviews from the Review Crew:
Thank you for your review! I especially appreciate your comment that the parts of the curriculum that look at the history of how our laws and court system were originally structured provide a truthful and balanced view. While I certainly have my own views, I do strive to be fair and honest, and want students to be prepared with views they will not hear in many sources.