Grade Level & Subject: Middle School History
Lesson: Michigan Judicial System Conclusion
[divider style=”hr-solid”]
State Standards and Benchmarks
Social Studies. Strand 3 Civic Perspective. Standard 3.1 Purpose of Government. Students will identify the purpose of national, state, and local governments in the United States, describe how citizens organize governments to accomplish their purposes, and assess their effectiveness. Standard 3.2 Ideals of American Democracy. Students will explain the meaning and origin of the ideas, including core democratic values, expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and other foundational documents of the United States. Standard 3.4 American Government and Politics. Students will explain how American governmental institutions at the local, state, and federal levels, provide for the limitation and sharing of power and how the nation’s political system provides for the exercise of power.
Lesson Objectives
Students will be able to:
• Identify the courts that make up Michigan’s judicial system
• State the responsibilities of each court
• Diagram a flow chart for how a case moves to the Michigan Supreme Court
• Compare the courts based on common characteristics
Rationale/Purpose for Lesson
This lesson is to help students pull the information from the past 2 days together. Students must, as citizens of Michigan, have a clear understanding of the state’s judicial system, especially the Michigan Supreme Court.
Resources/Materials Needed
• Student homework “Court Comparison Chart”
• Judicial Branch: Organizational Chart (Student Copy)
• Judicial Branch: Organizational Chart (Teacher Copy)
• Quiz on the Judicial System of Michigan
Introduction
Let students know they will be working to clarify any misunderstandings from the past couple of days. Explain the importance of this knowledge as informed, intelligent citizens of Michigan.
Procedures
1. Have students share their completed “Court Comparison Charts” as you make a master on the overhead or board.
2. Complete the “Judicial Branch: Organizational Chart” as a class. Students are to fill in their charts at the same time.
3. Quiz over the current judicial system of Michigan
Closure
Let students know the knowledge they have gained so far will help them understand the material they will be reading in the next couple of days.
[/two_thirds]
[one_third]
Documents for this Lesson
[/one_third]