9th
Grade ELA
Mr.
Leddy’s Webquest
Email: MrLeddyENG@aol.com
INTRODUCTION
Long
ago, from the top of
By the power of a new technological god,
Internetius, and his trusty sidekick, CompuLegal, we will bring the Olympian gods to the 21st
Century to answer for their crimes against mortals. Internetius
will guide us through the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Judiciary system, with
the aid of CompuLegal, so we can learn how many laws the gods have
broken and bring them to justice under our laws. The power of Zeus’ thunderbolts will be
useless against the Supreme Court. Now
we can have power of the gods.
TASK
You
will determine if a god is guilty or innocent, but first you need to know about
the law. As an appointed lawyer you will
need to have knowledge of Due Process Laws, Constitutional
Amendments involved in Due Process, Search and Seizure laws, and Right to
Counsel/Self Incrimination laws. Once
you have obtained an understanding of these rights you will be assigned a case
to work on and will create the following document:
Each
student will hand in a 2 – 3 page paper.
Each paper must include the following:
1. An introduction that provides the reader with an
understanding of Due Process, Search and Seizure, and Right Counsel/Self
Incrimination laws.
2. The
background of the Greek gods they are prosecuting or defending.
3. A
summary of the Amendment being used.
4. A
summary of the court cases being used.
5. The
application of the current laws to the Greek god they are prosecuting or
defending. You must support your claims
of guilt or innocence from the facts gained from the CompuLegal
website.
6. A final summary by you. Did you feel your client was guilty or
innocent, despite the outcome? How do
you feel about these laws?
7. A presentation of your papers in class.
PROCESS
Students
will be divided into 4 teams: 2 teams of prosecutors and 2 teams of defenders.
Students
will go to the CompuLegal site and use the links
provided in the Resource section for their individual projects.
Prosecution
Team #1: Apollo vs. Hermes/The
Fourteenth Amendment and Search and Seizure Cases
Using
information from the Greek myth, “The Birth of Hermes,” students will collect
the evidence against Hermes. Students will apply the Fourth Amendment and
Search and Seizure cases to support their arguments against Hermes.
1. What crime does Apollo allege Hermes
committed?
2. How was taking Hermes to
3. Review Search and Seizure procedures
4. Review the 14th Amendment
5. Discuss how Due Process is implemented in
this story.
Prosecution
Team #2: Zeus vs. Prometheus/The Eighth
Amendment and Right to Counsel/Self-Incrimination Cases
Using
information from the Greek myth, “The Creatures of Prometheus,” students will
collect evidence against Zeus. Students
will apply the Eighth Amendment and Right to Counsel/Self-Incrimination cases
to support their arguments against Prometheus.
1. What crime does Zeus allege Prometheus
committed?
2. Review
the 8th Amendment
3. Review
Right to Counsel/Self-Incrimination Cases
4. Discuss
how Due Process is implemented in this story.
Defense
Team #1: Apollo vs. Hermes/The
Fourteenth Amendment and Search and Seizure cases
Using information
from the Greek myth, “The Birth of Hermes,” students will collect evidence to
refute Apollo’s claims. Students will
apply Due Process Rights and Search and Seizure cases to defend Hermes.
1. Review
the 14th Amendment
2. Review
Search and Seizure cases
3. Did
Apollo violate Hermes’ rights under the
4. Discuss
what Hermes’ rights were and explain the proper procedures that should have
been taken.
Defense
Team #2: Zeus vs. Prometheus/The Fourth and Eight Amendments
Using information
from the Greek myth, “The Creatures of Prometheus,” students will collect
evidence to refute Zeus’ punishment. Students will apply the Fourth and Eighth
Amendment to defend Prometheus.
1. Review
the 4th and 8th Amendments
2. Review
Due Process
3. Did Zeus
violate Hermes’ rights under the
4. Discuss
what Apollo’s rights were and explain the proper procedures that should have
been taken.
RESOURCES
If you need
to refresh your memory:
Go to Mythweb or Greek Myths
What rights
have been violated? Locate the U.S. Constitutional rights at CompuLegal
Hermes and
Apollo
Constitutional
Amendments involved in Due Process
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/bostick.html
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/riley.html
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/quarles.html
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/tlo.html
Prometheus
and Zeus
Constitutional
Amendments involved in Due Process
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/miranda.html
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/esco.html
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/goss.html
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/colorado.html
Evaluation
Click here
for Rubric
A score of
4 = 90-95
A score of
3 = 80-85
A score of
2 = 70-75
A score of
1 = 60 or lower
Five points
will be awarded for the in-class presentation. Presentations will require the
student to briefly describe the verdict they arrived at and which case from CompuLegal helped them reach their decision.
ELA
Standards
1. Students
will read and write for information and understanding.
2. Students
will read and write for literary response and expression.
3. Students
will read and write for critical analysis and evaluation.
4.Students will speak and listen for social interaction
Social
Studies Standards
5. Students
will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of
the ... the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American
constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of
citizenship, including avenues of participation.
CONCLUSION
The Greek gods have long since
disappeared from
