This webquest is packed with language arts teaching strategies. There is a MR-TA at the beginning when the students read the part of The Outsiders they need to in order to complete this webquest. The entire process could be considered a literature circle because the students are working in groups, reading the same book, and sharing their information (mostly written in journals) with the rest of their group. The webquest will also help students to expand their vocabulary because each role must define a set of words that will help them understand their case. Students are to keep journals through the entire process as well as write a final paper.

This webquest is intended for students primarily in the 7th or 8th grade. The entire webquest will probably take about 3-4 class periods to complete thoroughly. You may also want to give the students a very brief explanation of the jury process so they have can reach their verdicts effectively. I would take 15 minutes to talk to the class about what a jury is, what their job entails, and how they reach the verdicts they do. Here are some websites that may help you with this process:

http://www.udayton.edu/~grandjur/faq/faq3.htm
This website explains the duty of the Grand Jury. It is detailed and will give you a lot of information on the process the jury goes through to reach a verdict.

http://www.chesco.org/cybercourt/jury.html#what
This website gives you a much more brief description of how you get on a jury and what you do once you are on the jury. It is a good website for a short explanation.

http://www.co.travis.tx.us/district_clerk/jury/jury_duty.asp
This is a question and answer website on jury duty. It includes the questions people ask most frequently about jury duty. It is a good website to use to find out information you may not already know about jury duty.

 

The Outsiders Lesson Plan