Our Federal System of Government
Session 30: Civil and Criminal Cases

Materials

• Handout: “Civil and Criminal Cases” (Attachment R)
• Textbook

Instructional Activities

1. Distribute the handout, “Civil and Criminal Cases” (Attachment R). Ask students to read the first section on civil cases. Ask them to write a one-sentence summary that they think describes the most important points about civil cases.
   
   
2. Pair students and ask each pair to select one of their summary sentences or combine them to form a sentence they both decide covers the material. One member of each pair will write the sentences on the board. (These sentences will be used later.)
   
   
3. Ask students to work individually while they read and write a summary sentence for criminal cases. Then, pair students and repeat the process above.
   
   
4. Once all of the sentences are on the board, the teacher should lead a class discussion regarding civil and criminal cases. Students will select one sentence from each section to copy into their notebook for further study.