A webquest by Christine MacMurray (cmacmurray@nyc.rr.com)

Adlai Stevenson High School

A Lesson Before Dying

By Ernest Gaines

Introduction

You and your friends are leaving a party. On the way home, one of the boys wants to stop in a liquor store and try to buy a bottle. You don’t want to go. You know it means trouble, but you don’t want to be the odd man out. So you go along.

Once in the liquor store, everything goes wrong. The owner is suspicious. He asks for ID, but of course no one has it because no one is 21. David has false ID and he whips it out. The owner doesn’t like the look of it, and he says no. David gets angry. David has a short fuse.

You tell them let’s get out of here before something happens. John agrees, but David is reaching for something in his coat. He pulls out a gun. You can’t believe what you are seeing. The owner sees the gun and grabs his own piece from under the counter. You hear shots, and the next thing you know, David is on the floor, and liquor store owner is on the floor, and John has run out the door. The police arrive in a few seconds. They must have been right outside.

You are taken to jail and charged with murder. You are only 17 but you are tried as an adult. You are granted bail but are given house arrest while you wait for your trial, which takes forever. Your lawyer is appointed by the court, since your family cannot afford to hire a lawyer. You wait for months for your trial, which finally comes.

Even though you committed no crime other than being at the scene, a white man is dead and the only witness has never been located. You are convicted of murdering the liquor store owner. Your prints aren’t even on the gun, but somehow the gun got mysteriously wiped clean of prints during the course of the investigation, so that doesn’t save you. The system needs a scape goat, and you are it. You are sentenced to jail for 20 years.

Since there is no hard evidence convicting you, your lawyer recommends that you appeal the case. While waiting for the appeal, your friend John finally comes back to the Bronx. He is arrested. During your appeal trial, John testifies that you never touched the gun or fired a shot, that it was David who had the gun and did the shooting. This time the jury finds you not guilty of the crime.

You return to high school and start your senior year. You don’t know if you can adjust to being in school after being in prison and being falsely convicted of murder. You feel that you have aged 10 years, and have nothing in common with your classmates.

However, in your English class, you are reading A Lesson Before Dying and, ironically, the teacher wants the class to do a project on false conviction for murder in the United States.

What is the prevalence of false conviction for murder in this country? In A Lesson Before Dying, the main character gets falsely convicted of murder and is sent to the electric chair. That was 1940s Louisiana.

What is the situation regarding false conviction for murder in The United States now, in 2005? Your class is about to find out.

The Task

You will work in pairs.
You will compile information, case reports, and statistics on the prevalence of false conviction for murder in The United States.
After compiling the information, you will write a five-page typed report. You will present your findings to the class in an oral report and also submit the typed report.
You will complete the Public Policy Analyst worksheets provided.
You will be graded, as a team, on your worksheets and on both the oral and written versions of your report.

The Process

1. You and your partner will research the internet to find information, case reports, and statistics on false conviction for murder in The United States.

2. You and your partner will investigate the websites listed in the Resources section and also the links provided in those websites to find information relevant to your task.

3. You and your partner will first pick a section of the country according to the map provided. You will determine the number of known convictions in these states using the websites provided.

4. You and your partner will find case reports and other information on wrongful conviction in these states using the websites provided.

5. You and your partner will complete the Public Policy Analyst worksheets:
a. Defining the Social Problem

b. Gathering Evidence of the Problem

c . Identifying Causes of the Problem

d. Evaluating Existing Public Policies

e. Developing Your Own Solutions

f. Choosing the Best Solution

6. You and your partner will write a five-page typed paper presenting your findings. Include at least one case report in your written report. You will also include in your paper the names of the websites you have used.

7. You and your partner will present your findings to the class in an oral report.

Resources

TIPS Website

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips/resres.html

Search Engines

https://www.google.com

http://www.altavista.com

http://questia.com

http://www.ask.com/

Information

http://search.aclu.org

http://www.schr.org/

www.law.umich.edu/newsandinfo/exonerations-in-us.pdf

http://www.law.northwestern.edu/depts/clinic/wrongful/exonerations/

http://www.innocenceproject.org

http://www.truthinjustice.org/imprisoned.htm

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/

http://www.law.duke.edu/innocencecenter/

http://ccjr.policy.net/cjreform/

http://www.constitutionproject.org/dpi/

http://www.aclu.org/DeathPenalty/DeathPenaltyMain.cfm

Evaluation

You will be evaluated in all areas as a team. You and your partner will both be responsible for the work sheets, the written report, and the oral presentation.

The work sheets will be completed and handed in with your written report. You will receive up to 20 points for the completed worksheets.
The written report will be no less than five typed pages (double-spaced, font size of 12 or less). The report will be written using standard English and according to a set standard of style for reports that will be provided by the teacher (i.e., MLA Style Sheet). You will receive up to 40 points for the written report.
The oral presentation will be no less than 15 minutes, will be engaging, well presented, and your ideas for dealing with the problem of false conviction for murder will be clearly delineated. You will receive up to 40 points for the oral report.

Your work will be evaluated according to the following rubric:

GRADE:	1	2	3	4
Oral Presentation	Oral presentation is not well done nor does it clearly explain the policy created to deal with teenage suicide in New York City.	Oral presentation is adequately done and explains the proposed new policy for dealing with teenage suicide in New York City fairly well.	Oral presentation is well done but it either does not capture the audience or clearly explain the proposed policy for dealing with teenage suicide in New York City.	Oral presentation is well done, interesting, and clearly explains of the policy created to deal with teenage suicide in New York City.
Research	Resources provided are inappropriate and incomplete.	Resources are appropriate but incomplete.	Resources are appropriate and complete but insufficient.	Resources are appropriate, complete, and sufficient.
Report & Worksheets	Written report does not use the conventions of standard written English.	Written report shows weak usage of the conventions of standard Written English.	Written report shows acceptable usage of the conventions of standard written English.	Written repose shows superior use of the conventions of standard written English

New York State Learning Standards:

English Language Arts

Standard 1 - Language for Information and Understanding

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding - As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 2 - Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary expression - Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances, relate texts and performances to their own lives, and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3 - Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation - As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Standard 4 - Language for Social Interaction

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction - Students will use oral and written language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.

Math, Science, Technology

Standard 1 - Analysis, Inquiry, and Design

Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.

Standard 2 - Information Systems

Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Conclusion

By completing this project, you will have gained an understanding of the seriousness of the problem of false conviction for murder in The United States. You may find out what you can do as a citizen to support the nationwide effort to reduce the number of people who are falsely convicted.