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John MarlowLesson:Washington Criminal Law: Seattle Crime Mystery GameSource: Original Lesson Plan; Power Point; Game Sheets; Boss Cards; Neighborhood Cards; Crime Cards Time:50 min.GOALSUnderstand the elements of various criminal laws, with a focus on WA StateGain insight into key concepts and vocab in criminal law such as degrees of crimes, burden of proof, elements, actus reus, mens rea. OBJECTIVESKnowledge objectivesEach state has its own criminal laws that define elements, degrees, defenses, etc.Criminal laws general contain an actus reus and mens rea component.Assault, arson, murder, manslaughter, burglary, and conspiracy are examples of the criminal laws.The prosecution must prove all the elements of a crime in order to convict.Skills objectivesIdentify vocab that is distinct to criminal law and cases. Become more comfortable standing up and speaking in front of small groups.Describe the difference between actus reus and mens rea.Attitude objectivesCriminal laws reflect values within each state. There are serious policy concerns and justifications for defining criminal laws in the way we do, e.g. conspiracy laws.CLASSROOM METHODSCLASSROOM PREPARATION (done before class starts)Print out enough game worksheets for each student (part 1 & 2 stapled), print out AND CUT OUT game cards (bosses, neighborhoods, and crimes), arrange room so that groups of 4-5 can be situated around the center of the class, evenly spaced. Students can either sit with whoever they chose as they arrive or in assigned spots.Take (randomly) ONE boss card, ONE neighborhood card, and 2 crime cards (Must have the actus reus and mens rea of a SINGLE crime. Shuffle the rest). Place the selected cards in a secret folder in the middle of the room or with the moderators/instructors.Keep the remaining cards ready and shuffled to distribute during the game (aka not all the cards will be either distributed right away or part of the solution set). Place game sheets at or near the group tables.LECTURE (15 min)Explain that today the class will be playing a game that is much like the old board game CLUE. If they haven’t ever played it, instructions will be provided.Explain that the more they participate and help to move the first part of class along, the more time they will have for the game at the end.Quickly walk through the first two slides after the title slide (elements of criminal law & some more key points).Once you arrive at the actual CRIME SLIDES, begin picking students to stand and read the ELEMENTS section of each slide, while the instructor reads the “NOTES” section of each slide.First Degree ArsonFirst Degree AssaultFirst Degree BurglaryCrimes of HomicideExplain that this is a broad category of crimesIf a student asks about the other 3 classifications of homicide, you can explain that they are based on situations that include special circumstances such as self-defense: this might be justifiable homicide, for example. Today the class is not focusing on defenses or special circumstancesFirst Degree MurderFirst Degree ManslaughterConspiracyReiterate that Conspiracy to commit an underlying crime is a separate crime in and of itself. Highlight the NOTES section on this slide.Students may have comments about fairness which you can address but should not get stuck on.SEATTLE CRIMINAL LAW MYSTERY GAME – INSTRUCTIONS (5min)Moderator/instructor should read the Scenario and Instructions slides aloud, being as emotive as possible.These instructions may take a few minutes to get through. Reiterate that you need the class to PAY ATTENTION and raise their hands if they have questions. This will allow MUCH more time for the game.SEATTLE CRIMINAL LAW MYSTERY GAME – ROUNDS (25-30min)Refer to powerpoint for game scenario and general rules.Start the first round and circulate the room answering questions and making sure that students aren’t accidentally sharing their game sheets or giving away too much info. Once everyone has returned to their group, start the next round, etc.Be thinking of an easy trivia question related to a past Streetlaw lessons that you can ask as soon as the first rounds are finished (i.e. once each group has sent an “informant” to all the other groups). The first group to answer the question gets to draw a secret card which should help them narrow down answers, but then it also becomes sharable information with other informants. IF time is running out because the class is delayed or the students are not getting close to an answer, you can ask additional bonus trivia questions or go around the room allowing each team to draw bonus cards, which then also become sharable informant information. EVALUATIONTrivia questions for reviewHow well did the student participate in the gameCheck to make sure they were crossing out sections of their game sheetsASSIGNMENTNo homework today. ................
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