This spring after learning about the Constitution and the three branches of government, we turned our attention to the Bill of Rights. Next we focused on the 1969 Supreme Court ruling on the Tinker versus Des Moines School District case. At issue was whether freedom of speech includes nonverbal communication and therefore whether the Tinker children had the right to go to school wearing black arm bands. Our students were immediately fascinated by the case and the idea of holding their own mock trial. After assigning roles to all the students, they independently set out to research the facts and arguments. The timing of our field trip to Syracuse’s judicial branch was very productive.. We also welcomed Lucy’s father, Ryan who is a trial lawyer as a mystery guest. He proceeded to engage the children, helping them further develop their arguments. The trial is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20.
