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=Welcome to Heroes or Villains: The Law and Famous Trials=

Day 1: Join us as we begin to learn about the American judicial system. We will be focusing on vocabulary, trial proceedings and the roles of the different parties involved in a trial.

Day 2: Today we travel back to the days of ancient Greece to understand the beliefs of its people and why Socrates was put on trial for trying to get people to reexamine their beliefs.

Day 3: Today we examine our due process rights as they are guaranteed to us through the 5th and 14th amendments. The 4th and 6th amendments will complete the picture of trial "fairness" and set a standard from which we will judge all of our court cases going forward...

Day 4: Today we explore the Middle Ages in Europe. Feudalism, chivalry, the Black Death, and witchcraft will be examined to help us understand the life and death of Joan of Arc as well as the unfair circumstances in which she was tried. And by the end of the day, we will be the lords of our own castles!

Day 5: Because students became so engaged in their castle creations yesterday, they were given all of the time they needed to complete their learning. As a result, today's schedule had to be revised for a little catch up. So in the morning we will revisit medieval times and explore the trial of Joan of Arc. But in the afternoon, it's off to the Age of Exploration and Christopher Columbus. During this time, Christopher Columbus set sail to discover the new world. But did he discover anything new? What type of a person was he when he arrived? A villain? A hero? Students will become experts about the life and travels of Columbus, and then hold a Lincoln-Douglas debate to decide: Should Columbus Day remain a holiday or be wiped off of the calendar forever?

Day 6: Well after an unexpected 5 day weekend, students came back to class to explore the Renaissance and Galileo's new ideas. Ask your student to explain a geocentric vs. a heliocentric philosophy. We conducted some of Galileo's experiments in class, as well as constructing telescopes with our own constellations in them.

Day 7: The Industrial Revolution was a blessing for some and a burden for others. Students will engage in hands on activities that allows them to experience and reflect on the importance of the assembly line, the unfair working conditions of the sweatshops, and the fight of the newly expanding populations of the big cities. Understanding the celebrations and concerns of the time sets the scene for our play about the HayMarket Riot and trial that took place right here in Chicago. It will also establish the necessary background material for students to write their first DBQ paper.

Day 8: Should prayer be allowed in public schools? Should a student be required to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? Can the concept of evolution be taught in school while the creation story of the Bible is not? Students will take a look at the biggest trial of of recent day while looking at their own viewpoints. The Scopes Trial will be explored through both film and historical documents allowing students to see that this trail was so much more that just a question of religion. It put on trial racism, religion, small towns v. big city life, the rights of teachers, intellectual freedom, and do much more!

Day 9: Today students will hold a debate that has been held countless times in the court of public opinion, but never in a court of law. Should Harry S. Truman have been put on trial for war crimes as a result of his decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan? Students will research, construct, and carry out their own debate. Was Truman's decision justified?