EGP 335: Unit Plan Lesson Plan

Author: Allie Broomall

Unit: US Government
Lesson: Judicial Branch: All About the Courts: Field Trip- Lesson 8

Lesson Preparation
I. Learning Objectives
a. Students will be able to identify the Judicial Branch of Government and its
function.
b. Students will be able to identify and describe court procedures performed within a
local court room.
c. Students will be able to identify and describe characteristics of the local court
room.
II. Standards by Discipline and Content Themes
a. Social Studies
i. Standard - 5.1.3.C - Define the principles and ideals shaping local
government.
1. Liberty / Freedom
2. Democracy
3. Justice
4. Equality
ii. Standard - 5.3.3.C
1. Identify services performed by the local governments
iii. Standard - ELP.1. W.1-3.3
1. Participate in a shared writing activity about a common experience
(such as: a field trip or guest speaker).
b. NCSS Theme:
i. X Civic Ideals & Practices programs should include experiences that
provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship
in a democratic republic, so that the learner can:
1. Identify key ideals of the United States democratic republican
form of government, such as individual human dignity, liberty,
justice, equality, and the rule of law, and discuss their application
in specific situations;
ii. VI Power, Authority, & Governance programs should include
experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change
structures of power, authority, and governance, so that the learner can:
 1. Recognize and give examples of the tensions between the wants
and needs of individuals and groups, and concepts such as fairness,
equity and justice.
iii. III People, Places & Environments programs should include
experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments,
so that the learner can:
1. Interpret, use, and distinguish various representations of the earth,
such as maps, globes, and photographs;

III. Academic Language

a. The Judicial Branch is the branch that reviews and interprets the laws. The
Judicial Branch is made up of federal and state courts.
b. The job of the courts is to interpret the laws of the Congress.
c. A court room is the place or room in which a court of law meets.
d. A criminal case is a case in which one is accused of committing a crime
e. A civil case is a case in which two parties have a disagreement about a certain
topic or event.
f. A jury is a group of people who decide the verdict of a court case. There are grand
juries, criminal petit juries, and civil juries.

IV. Technology, Materials, Resources

a. Worksheets for each student to complete during the tour of the court room
b. Field trip permission slip
c. Map of downtown West Chester
d. SMARTBoard
e. PowerPoint presentation of Judicial Branch
f. KWL chart
g. Student social studies journals

Instructional Delivery
V. Anticipatory Set
a. The students will be taking a field trip to the local courthouse, the Chester County
Courthouse, in downtown West Chester (also known as the County Court of
Common Pleas) to learn about the judiciary system.
b. Before departing for the trip, the teacher will introduce the Judicial Branch with
the use of a YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRycO4w9lg8
i. This video explains the various characteristics of the Judicial Branch
(judges, court room, types of cases) with the use of kid friendly language.
VI. Instructional Activities
a. To begin, the teacher will create a KWL chart on the board and ask students what
they know about the Judicial Branch of Government
b. As the Know section of the chart is completed, the teacher will ask students
what they hope to know about the Judicial Branch of Government and the court
system, and will write this in the Want to know section.
c. After the Want to know section is completed, the teacher will provide an
overview of the Judicial Branch, as well as review what was seen in the video.
d. The teacher will instruct the students on the Judicial Branch with the use of
vocabulary terms:
i. The Judicial Branch
ii. Job of the Courts
iii. Court Room
iv. Criminal Case
v. Civil Case
vi. Jury
vii. Important Historical Cases
e. These vocabulary terms will be displayed on the SMARTBoard with the use of a
PowerPoint presentation.
f. As the class prepares for their field trip, the teacher will provide basic information
about the courthouse so the students have background knowledge once they arrive.
g. The teacher will show a picture of the Chester County Courthouse (County Court
of Common Pleas) and provide facts regarding it.
i. The Chester County Court of Common Pleas is on Market Street in
downtown West Chester. It is a general jurisdiction court. Many court
cases take place each day.
h. With the use of the SMART Board, the teacher will show students a map that
displays downtown West Chester. The teacher will ask students if they can locate
the court house on the map. After about a 1-minute wait time, if no student
responds, the teacher will show students where the courthouse is located on the
map.
i. After preparing students for their field trip, and educating them on the Judicial
Branch, the teacher will provide each student with the worksheet they will be
using on their trip to the courthouse.
j. The class will take a bus to the courthouse in downtown West Chester.
k. Once the students have arrived, they will have a tour guide who will show them
the important elements within the courthouse. Students will be shown a court
room, will meet a judge, and will be provided more information about the court
procedures and characteristics.
l. After the tour, students will return to school after a total of a two-hour trip.

VII. Closure
a. To close the introductory lesson on the Judicial Branch, students will do a think-
pair-share with a partner to review their worksheet answers from the field trip.
 b. Students will then work to fill in the What I Learned section of the KWL chart
with the teacher after the lesson and field trip.
c. Students will reflect on the field trip experience in their social studies journal by
writing about one thing they learned on the trip and one question they still have.

Meeting All Learners

VIII. Differentiation
a. The think-pair-share strategy allows students to collaborate with classmates on
various learning levels.
b. Multiple intelligences will be met during this lesson:
i. The use of video and PowerPoint presentation will meet the needs of
visual-spatial learners.
ii. The use of think-pair-share in the closure of the lesson, as well as
permission to work with classmates on completing the worksheet, meets
the needs of interpersonal learners.
IX. Accommodations
a. Student who has an IEP/504 will be paired with a note taker who will aid the
student as they complete the worksheet that is to be completed during the field
trip.
b. Student with an IEP/504 stating they need accommodations with written
assignments will be asked to verbally explain their favorite part of the field trip,
as well as one question they still have, rather than writing these responses in their
journal.
X. Modifications
a. Student with an IEP/504 stating they need modifications to writing assignments
will be given the task to complete three questions on the worksheet rather than six.

Meeting Objectives
XI. Assessments
a. The Lets Go to the Court House worksheet student answers will be used as a
formative assessment to check for student understanding (objective b and c).
b. The writing in students social studies journals will serve as a formative
assessments and will allow the teacher to check for understanding of the topic
(objective a).
Name: ________ Date: _________
Lets Go to the Court House!

Welcome to the West Chester Court House in downtown West Chester! As we tour
the West Chester Court House today, we will have a tour guide. Pay close attention
to our tour guide in order to fill out this worksheet. You may work together with
classmates, but make sure to fill in each question. Good luck and have fun!

1. What kind of court did you visit today?

2. What is the name of the person who showed you the Court? What is that persons
job?

3. What is the name of the judge you met today?

4. What is the name of the wooden object the judge holds in his or her hand to help
maintain order?

5. What is the name of the process that the jury uses to make its decision?

6. Describe something that you learned on your trip to the court that you did not know
before.

West Chester Area School District

Field Trip Permission Form
 Map of downtown West Chester:

Name of Student: ______________

Trip Date: November 8, 2018

Location: Chester County Courthouse

Teacher: Ms. Broomall

Departs: 9:30 am

Returns: 11:30 am

Mode of Transportation: Bus provided by the school

I, parent/guardian, grant permission for my child to participate in the field trip activity named above.

_______________________ ____________
Parent/Guardian Signature Date

_______________________
Relationship to Child

Emergency Contact:

______________________ _______________________
Emergency Contact Name Emergency Contact Number
K-W-L Chart