INTERLINK Curriculum Guide
Course Details CS5
The primary goal of this level is for students to refine their formal and informal communication skills to the point that they can function independently and deal with everyday situations without difficulty. Students also prepare for academic survival and success by working on study and time management skills, becoming more familiar with American college classroom culture, improving their socialization abilities, and learning how to learn. Focus on specific academic skills such as note-taking and giving presentations is a fundamental part of this class. Upon completing this level, the student should be ready for academic work at an American university and should be confident about living and working in an English-speaking environment.
Benchmarks of Completion of Level 5:
Demonstrate ability
to:
a. satisfactorily comprehend
academic lectures
b. speak fluently
and make satisfactory college-level presentations
Core
Projects for CS 5
Project Summary: Mock trials are now a common feature of American classrooms from elementary school through law school and provide an excellent opportunity for students to explore subjects in depth though extensive independent research, collaborate with classmates in developing an effective case, and use all of their language and academic skills in executing formal presentations. Because developing argumentation and persuasion skills is at the core of this project (and persuasion is the purpose of virtually all language use), it is a fitting follow-up to the debate project of the preceding level and uses the skills developed in writing critical essays and research papers. The mock trial is not about studying jurisprudence (although students may learn about this subject as well) but about using skills effectively. For the project, students may select a topic pertinent to their field of study (engineering students might choose a case involving a faulty bridge while business students might choose one dealing with corporate espionage, product liability or copyright infringement) or one of particular interest to the students, such as an international topic, a felony or a case in the news. It is easy for students and teacher to get absorbed in the topical content and production of the mock trial itself, but as in all Core Projects, it is the process and skill-building activities that are most important.
Activity Ideas: Viewing movies with an extended courtroom scene or involving legal matters; guest speakers involved in law enforcement or the justice system; field trips to a courthouse, police station or jail; research; role-plays, simulations and rehearsals; surveys and interviews; and small group and full-class discussions are some of the activities that can be a part of this project.
Language Use: The many activities associated with this project provide extensive practice in the four skill areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Cultural Elements: Comparing different legal systems and considering concepts of right and wrong and the ways justice is meted out in different countries are a few ways this project can address the cultural dimension. In addition, it would be useful to consider how the art of persuasion might vary in different cultures and how arguments and ways of arguing that might be deemed effective in one culture would not work in another.
Academic Elements: Research, synthesizing ideas, working effectively with classmates, organizing ideas, time management, presentation skills, computer use equipment, note-taking are some of the academic abilities used in this project. In addition, the project fosters critical thinking, anticipating and rebutting counter-arguments and "thinking on one's feet" in response to the opposing team's strategies.
Materials:
Websites: <http://www.collegemocktrial.org/welcome/welcome.php>, <http://www.streetlaw.org/content.asp?ContentId=181>, <http://www.classbrain.com/artteensm/publish/article_8.shtml>, <http://www.19thcircuitcourt.state.il.us/bkshelf/resource/mt_conduct.htm>, <http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=799>
Movies: To Kill a Mockingbird, 12 Angry Men, Witness for the Prosecution, Inherit The Wind, Anatomy of a Murder, The Verdict, I Want To Live!, A Cry in the Dark, A Few Good Men, Primal Fear, Legally Blonde, The Firm
TV Programs: Law & Order, Judge Judy, Boston Legal, LA Law, Night Court, Perry Mason, The Defenders, Matlock, Ally McBeal, Arrested Development, Barnaby Jones
Books: Anything
by Scott Turow, Lisa Scottoline, John Grisham, Jay Brandon, J.P. Hailey (Parnell
Hall), Stephen Greenleaf, and Steve Martini, Erle Stanley Gardner, Ellery Queen
CS 5 Presentation Project: Vocation Exploration
Project Summary: This project allows students to learn more about their own fields of study or perhaps gain insights into other vocational areas. For example, an economics student might interview several professors in the economics department about their personal journeys to their present position or perhaps about a specific topic such as current economic problems or the role of the IMF. Another student might take a tour of a newspaper office and interview people to develop a picture of how news is gathered and how a newspaper is produced. Another student may choose to interview a variety of people about their work (in the manner of Studs Terkel) and focus on such areas as job satisfaction or skill requirements. Regardless of the kind of vocational exploration the student engages in, the end result will be a class presentation that skillfully integrates the information collected and effectively communicates it to the class.
CS 5 Independent Listening Project
The specific activities and materials
for this project are determined by teacher and students, but the description
of the parameters and goals of the project should be carefully reviewed.
