The Law: It’s Not Like in the Movies!

Description

By staging a mock criminal trial, students discover the roles of various players in the Quebec justice system, the different steps in a trial and basic criminal law concepts.

Educational objectives

• To increase students’ knowledge of the Canadian legal system
• To clear up certain misconceptions about the Canadian legal system
• To learn more about different legal careers

Subjects and subject-specific competencies

Culture and Citizenship in Québec

Secondary IV

Cultural realities and compulsory main concepts: Justice and the law - Justice and Legal and judicial institutions.

Compulsory specific concepts, and related topics and examples: Principes of justice, Types of justice, Courts and legal recourse, Criminal and civil law, Process of a court case.

• Competency 1: Studies cultural realities:
  • Establishes the scope of the object of study:
    • Draws up preliminary questions and responses.
    • Calls on relevant concepts.
    • Collects information.

Broad areas of learning

• Citizenship and Community Life:
  • Promotion of the rules of social conduct and democratic institutions.
  • Adoption of a culture of peace
• Career Planning and Entrepreneurship:
  • Familiarity with the world of work, social roles and occupations and trades

Cross-curicular competencies

• Using information:
  • Gathering information and putting it to use
• Solving problems:
  • Analyzing the components of a problem
  • Testing possible solutions
• Exercising critical judgment:
  • Forming his/her opinion and comparing it to other opinions
• Communicating appropriately:
  • Managing his/her communication process
• Using the appropriate mode of communication

Related content

• Éducaloi’s short video on the differences between civil and criminal trials.
• A section on Éducaloi’s main website about justice and the courts
• Éducaloi’s ready-to-use teaching guide Criminal Trials: Actors and Steps, which explains the roles of the key players in a criminal trial, and the different steps of the process.

Note

Requires 30 minutes preparation by students.