I love planning our book club events; I mean, I really love it. They are some of my very favorite lessons to plan and to hold. Still, the boys surprised me when they asked to hold a trial in connection with one of our books a few years ago, but I dug in and created a whole mock trial plan. We put the Third Little Pig on trial that day for his attack on the Wolf, and the boys couldn’t have been more excited! I loved seeing their faces and how engaged they became in the lesson.
That kind of engaging, interactive lesson is what I shoot for – and this pandemic-quarantine had me stumped for a while: how could we turn this kind of creative thinking loose in a digital way? How could we still put the Third Little Pig on trial?
So I’ve created a digital version of the trial that is compatible with Google Apps. It has a landscape layout to maximize ease of reading and is full of color. The lesson still asks you to discuss bias and point of view with your students, but this version also includes that throughout the lesson. Going forward, it still teaches about the people involved in a criminal trial and what their responsibilities are – but it’s fully interactive. Most slides have textboxes where students can respond to the information presented. When the trial begins, students can type in what they think each lawyer, witness, or person might say. This gives them the opportunity to consider the bias of each speaker, to think critically and creatively, and to see how one character might respond to another. There are also slides for students to consider the evidence impartially, as a jury should, and to write their verdict.
I’m really excited about this new digital version because it can be used by anyone, anywhere! Did you know that I’ve heard from many people about how this resource is being used – everywhere from elementary school to pre-law students and even with scouts studying citizenship? It will still work beautifully for your book club or co-op, but it’s also perfect for cooperative learning, whole class events, or even classes working in a paperless or 1:1 format. It’s exciting to see how this project has grown!
That made me want to spruce up the print version – so I’ve worked on that, too. The new, updated print version has almost twice as many pages. It has all the same components, but many are included in different versions so as to be accessible for students of different ages and abilities. Additionally, they have all been reformatted for a cleaner look.
I’m going to work on updating the mock trial product for Goldilocks and the Three Bears next, so if these mock trials are something you can use, stay tuned!
I’m almost finished choosing books and planning book club events for this year, too. That means making lots of plans since I don’t know which events will be in person and which might have to be digital, but I’m so excited to read and dig into these new books with the kids! If you’re looking for creative ways to have fun with literature or to encourage reluctant readers, stay tuned for this year’s plan – and find more about our past adventures here.
