Mock Trial Lesson Plan and Editable Class Preparation for ANY TEXT

This resource allows you to engage your students by conducting a mock trial while practicing close reading, citing strong and thorough textual evidence, analyzing evidence, persuasion/argumentation/debate, writing, and speaking/listening.

This resource can be used with ANY TEXT, or if used in a Social Studies course, can be used to help students breakdown important trials held throughout history.

This resource allows the activity to be broken up anywhere between 2-4 days, between student work days, and the actual mock trial itself.

This bundle includes:

-Thorough teacher instructions

-Prosecution team outline (including how to begin and end their statements)

-Defense team outline (including how to begin and end their statements)

-Jury team assignment

-Jury individual assignment (arguments for an against)

-Witness(es) assignment

-Mock trial structure

-Rubric

-Judge/Jury/Defense/Prosecution signs

Other texts you could use this with include, but are not limited to: The Crucible, Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, Frankenstein, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Outsiders.

*I have used this with Frankenstein, by putting Dr. Frankenstein on trial, as well as for To Kill a Mockingbird