My school runs a 10 Legal Studies elective designed to give students a taste of Senior Legal Studies. This is a Unit Plan for a unit designed to give students foundational knowledge about Australian law and government. It contains: • Subject description • Unit description • Assessment details (formative and summative) • Suggested resources (textbooks, websites, videos etc.) • Teaching and learning cycle • Learning intention & success criteria • Reflection questions for teachers at the end of the unit

My school runs a 10 Legal Studies elective designed to give students a taste of Senior Legal Studies. This is a scope and sequence for a unit designed to give students foundational knowledge about Australian law and government. There are 2 lessons a week. Some of these lessons are also available for sale at my store. A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.

A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review. It is a jeopardy game (template freely available from slides carnival websites). It provides definitions and students have to know the term. (I have placed the answers in the notes section of the PPT slides). Information about the rules of jeopardy can be found via Google or on Wikipedia.

A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review. A PowerPoint designed for use in the lead up to the exam to teach students about quotas and referendums. After defining each of these terms, an explanation is provided of the double majority requirement for passing a referendum and the reason for this. It also goes through the steps for a referendum to occur using the 2023 ‘Voice to Parliament’ debate as an example. I include the draft question and the final question, screen shots from social media in the lead up to the vote, screen shots from the yes/no pamphlet produced by the government as well as screen shots I took on the night of the vote calculation showing the progressive count. This is followed by some multiple-choice questions to check for understanding. Then just for interest there is an infographic about the other unsuccessful referendums in Australia’s history. Following this there is some specific information about Part B of the exam (extended response) as students will be given their seen sources during this lesson (a week prior to the actual exam). Their exam topic is on the representativeness of parliament. The slides contain an example response for a criminal law topic: drug possession so that students can see the skills in practice but with a different context. NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.

A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review. It is a practice exam for 10 Legal Studies containing 1 extended response question and specific scaffolding (graphic organisers) for students to use in their exam planning time. The topic for this one was voter apathy. I have also included the 8 sources which were provided to students a week before the exam (and a fresh copy in the exam). I have also included an exemplar for a different question.

A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review. It is a practice exam containing 6 short response questions around things like: • The role of the upper and lower house • The independence of the judiciary • How statute laws are created I have also included a sheet that contains sample answers which I made to unpack with students after the practice and the PowerPoint that goes with it. NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.

A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review. It is designed to help students revise content for their short response exam. It includes terms to revise and some practice questions. NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.

Warm up worksheet – labelling cognitive verbs {Infer, Discuss, Interpret, Decide, Recommend, Apply, Select, Define}. Handout – a series of sources about a break in to a business (Jb Hi Fi) – newspaper article, crime scene photograph, extract from Criminal Code Act 1989, a criminal history, victim impact statement, interview transcript & textbook excerpt. It includes a retrieval chart for planning a response to an extended response exam question. A PowerPoint which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review. It begins with a discussion of the criteria being assessed in their exam and what it means to ‘analyse’ and ‘evaluate’ in legal studies. Students are taught what to look for to determine the ‘nature’ and ‘scope’ of a legal issues. They are shown what a source might look like in their exam. As a class we go through the sources and complete the graphic organiser. Following this the structure for an extended response is explained. Students must write their response and if it is not completed in the lesson, it becomes homework. NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.

A PowerPoint which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review. A warm up question for students to answer in paragraph form about the importance of impartiality and fairness in legal trials. This lesson begins by defining criminal law and its purpose. It introduces the main source of laws in QLD – the Criminal Code of 1899. The categories of criminal law are explained – offences against the person; offences against property; drug crime and motor vehicle offences. The different reasons for punishment are explained – retribution; deterrence; rehabilitation; denunciation; community protection. Then students learn how to navigate legal documents and how to read the subsections. This is modelled for students using ‘Wilful Damage’ in the QLD criminal code. Students have to write a summary of what they learn (teaching synthesis skill). Following this, public order offences are explained. A list of illegal activities from the Summary Offences Act (2005) are shown in dot point form. Students then have to look up ‘public nuisance’ and write a summary of what it involves and what the punishment is. The meaning of the term penalty unit is explained. Finally, there is a viewing activity about public nuisance. NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.

A match the definitions warm up activity where students have to identify the correct meanings of various cognitive verbs. A PowerPoint which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review. I usually get students to copy the underlined text. The lesson then focuses on how the adversarial court system works in comparison to an inquisitorial system. There is an explanation of which section of the constitution provide for the creation of federal courts. There is an explanation of the various types of courts in Australia. The following roles are explained: magistrate, judge, jury, Prosecution, defence, solicitor, barrister, bailiff, interpreter, media, clerk, defendant and witness. Information about specialist courts and tribunals is also provided e.g. the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.

A PowerPoint which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review. A PowerPoint which begins by showing the rule of law pyramid and explains it. Requirements for laws are explained. Some elements of the pyramid are further explained including ‘presumption of innocence.’ Subsequently the 3 levels of government and their responsibilities are explained. As are the three pillars of the rule of law (judicial, legislative & executive). Information is provided about who enforces the law and the court system. There are some graphs of crime trends in Queensland. This is followed by an explanation of ‘statutory interpretation.’ The terms ‘onus of proof’ and ‘standard of proof’ are explained. Information is provided about the difference between criminal and civil cases. NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.

A PowerPoint which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review. This is the first lesson in a unit designed to introduce student to legal concepts and terms. It begins with an explanation of laws and how they differ from rules and customs. Information about who has authority to make laws in Australia is provided. Students are introduced to an acronym for writing short response questions (as students will sit an exam at the end of the unit). They apply this structure to answer a checking for understanding question. Following this there is information about the two main sources of law in Australia: Statute Law and Common Law. Within this section, students learn terms including: constitution, Bill, amendment, House of Representatives, Senate, fair and reasonable. Also included: two copies of the learning intentions and success criteria for the unit (poster and handout style). NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.

A draft feedback which is used for achieving feedback consistency across classes. You can either highlight the feedback that applies to the student or delete out the comments that don’t apply. Feedback is organised under specific sub headings. Some of them are related to specific cognitive verbs being assessed.

Several resources for scaffolding the assessment An A standard exemplar speech which can be deconstructed with the class to discuss the positive attributes Sentence starters for QCIA students on a modified program (organised for each section of the speech) A PowerPoint template with pre populated headings for students to use as a guide for creating their own An exemplar PowerPoint presentation (A standard)

‘I can’ statements which break down the criteria into simple terms for students to understand (also assists teachers to mark the assessment with ease) An inquiry booklet which students complete in the early phase of the unit. They then use what they find to write their speech. This booklet includes key terms to be defined, a place to reflect on and record what they know about the reasons for laws and other important information which they will need for their speech. It also a space to record their analysis of the stimulus provided to them (a legal case which forms the basis of the evidence for their speech). It also includes a graphic organiser for collecting information about the relevant laws which are applicable in this case and scaffolding for what should be included in the speech and PowerPoint presentation. A reflection to be completed at the end of the assessment including a SWOT analysis evaluating their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. An exemplar A standard inquiry booklet which can be used to assist with the marking process / to model key sections to the students.

A copy of the task sheet for the unit. This task is an extended response to stimulus task. This technique assesses the interpretation, analysis/examination and/or evaluation of ideas and information in provided stimulus materials. While students may undertake some research in the writing of the extended response, it is not the focus of this technique. According to the syllabus, “In Social and Community Studies, an extended response requires reasoned responses to specific questions. It allows students to demonstrate their ability to use investigative and thinking skills and to formulate ideas, make judgments and reach conclusions, which are part of the process of social investigation.” The task sheet includes suggested content for the speech students are required to write A stimulus (source) booklet with a fictional legal case which students are to use as their case study for their speech. A PowerPoint used in the assessment handout lesson. It includes the context statement, task description and information about the specific role students are playing in their speech (a police prosecutor). Regular checkpoints (mini deadlines) are established. This is followed by some more information about drink driving (the type of crime in the stimulus case). Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a multimodal presentation. I pride myself on the quality of the materials I produce, I don’t charge high prices because I don’t agree with paying £10 for a word search. If you need to check before you buy, have a look at some of the free resources in my shop for a sample of the quality and depth.’

A Unit plan designed for taking up 7 weeks out of a 10 week term (students begin learning for new topic in remaining weeks due to year 12’s having a short term 4). It includes syllabus objectives, a description of the unit, assessment task details, information from the syllabus about Inquiry based learning + the extended response genre and a list of recommended resources. A Scope and Sequence suggesting topics to be covered throughout the term is provided within this document. A Learning Intention and Success Criteria handout for students to glue into the front of their work books

A lesson which zooms into the focus for our assessment – traffic crimes. It begins with an amusing video (a car insurance commercial) to engage the students. This is followed by a discussion question (brainstorming activity). Info is provided about a law students may not be familiar with (about the usage of mobile phones while driving). Afterwards students are shown a visual stimulus (data) in a QLD Road crash weekly report. We practice extracting information (statistics) from this and explaining them as students may like to use this kind of information as a hook in the introduction of their multimodal speech. Another data set (Fatalities by characteristic from Jan 2015-Dec 2020) is shown. Following this, students copy notes about drink driving and how alcohol affects the body. They are shown the QLD law which is used to convict people driving with alcohol or drugs in their system. They are also shown a news article which shows the consequences of drink driving. Students have to practice identifying viewpoints in stimulus texts so they can discuss the various perspectives voiced in the article. If time permits, students may watch an episode of RBT or this can be saved until another lesson. Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a multimodal presentation. I pride myself on the quality of the materials I produce, I don’t charge high prices because I don’t agree with paying £10 for a word search. If you need to check before you buy, have a look at some of the free resources in my shop for a sample of the quality and depth.’

A lesson designed to teach students how to read legislation and explain it in written form. It begins with a warm up quiz to test students retention of information from earlier in the unit (e.g. define key terms, + some multiple choice - why we have laws, what happens when laws are broken, police officers duties etc.) Then it includes an overview of some driving laws which exist to protect us followed by some print and video public service announcements showing the risks of actions like speeding, drink driving etc.) to prompt discussion. Some other laws including smoking, alcohol and violence related laws are also included. Students are then introduced to the Criminal Code Act 1899 (QLD) as this is a document students will engage with during their assessment. They are shown the table of contents and how to use it to find the specific crime they are looking for (screenshots are included in the PPT). Using Wilful Damage as an example we read the definition and the elaboration provided in the sub sections. We then look at the punishment and some information from a law firm about when wilful damage is defendable. Students are shown a table (graphic organiser) which they are to use to write a summary of that law in their own words. We then looked at the specific instances when a higher penalty would be given for this crime, how to report wilful damage and what to do if you have been accused of committing this crime (and the differences in penalty for someone over 18 vs a minor). Students then engaging with the Summary Offences Act of 2005 and have to complete the same graphic organiser for the crime ‘public nuisance.’ This is followed by an explanation of what a penalty unit is and what the current QLD penalty unit is worth (as of 1 July 2020). The lesson concludes with a viewing activity where a lawyer discusses public nuisance in QLD. To be successful at the end of the lesson, students should know: • How to navigate the legal documents and how to reference them appropriately (the section and the relevant sub sections.) • What are penalty units? • How much are penalty units worth? • Why repeat offenders have heavier penalties. Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a multimodal presentation. I pride myself on the quality of the materials I produce, I don’t charge high prices because I don’t agree with paying £10 for a word search. If you need to check before you buy, have a look at some of the free resources in my shop for a sample of the quality and depth.’

A PowerPoint designed to elaborate on the differences between criminal and civil law. I have underlined key points which the students write down in their notebooks. The main content is a definition of criminal law, some examples of criminal laws (divided into 4 categories – traffic/road laws, property, public order and people.) An explanation of where serious crimes are heard and where less serious crimes are heard and the multiple aims of punishments handed down by the courts. Civil law is then defined along with examples including negligence and defamation. This is followed by a clip from The Weekly which includes an example crime and students must determine whether this is a civil or criminal case. After this students watch a video explaining our legal rights and responsibilities (what we must do if we are questioned by police and what would be a violation of our rights). Students are to take dot point notes for discussion. Afterwards information is provided about Legal Aid (a QLD service which provides free legal advice to people unable to afford legal representation). This is followed by information about what happens when you are charged with an offence and how the Magistrates court operates. Students watch a video about how to behave in court. They also learn about jurors and how they are selected. Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a multimodal presentation. I pride myself on the quality of the materials I produce, I don’t charge high prices because I don’t agree with paying £10 for a word search. If you need to check before you buy, have a look at some of the free resources in my shop for a sample of the quality and depth.’