Lesson Name What is a Law? Discussion Activity Date Taught 2/24/2015 Time Allotted for

Lesson 45 min.

Goals HS.27 Students will examine functions and processes of the U.S. government.

Literacy Goals Goal 5 (CCSSELA-Literacy.CCRA.R7) Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

Objectives After small group and whole-class discussion, students will be able to explain what a law is and analyze the characteristics of what makes a legitimate law, as measured by their participation in the discussion and completion of their worksheet. Students will evaluate the information presented in the reading and in the podcast to help them write their opinion on a discussion question, as measured by their responses on their worksheet.

Pre-Requisite Knowledge and Skills

How to discuss with peers How to summarize a peers opinion

Materials, Equipment, Supplies, Technology, Preparation

Materials/Supplies: News articles handout Student activity worksheet Equipment/Technology: Computer with speakers NPR broadcast podcast Class roster to identify who speaks Preparation: Thorough knowledge of the articles/issues Teacher-prepared questions to help drive discussion if necessary

Multiple Intelligences and Entry Points Intelligence Entry Point(s) Intelligence Entry Point(s) Visual X Interpersonal Students must

talk to one another.

X Verbal Students must talk to both partners and the group as a whole

X Intrapersonal Students must decide what their own opinions are.

X Logical Students must make a decision about their opinion

Naturalistic

X Kinesthetic Moving from one side of the room to another

Musical

Accommodations Accommodation for students needing additional support will be provided during class, by helping students decode the

articles that provide the necessary background information. The worksheet will help students form more complex opinions and share their own opinions in smaller doses before they are asked to share with the class. Modeling the procedure for discussion will help students know more confidently how to participate in the activity.

Modifications Students who require additional structure for discussion could be assigned a discussion partner who could help them through the discussion.

Procedure Anticipatory Set, Motivation, or Hook

Students should be directed to copy the worksheet template into their notebook as they enter the classroom. The teacher will use several silly laws as a humorous hook, getting the students interested in the subject of laws. Use this as a way to frame the question of why do we have laws possible reasons silly laws might actually make sense.

Teaching Students should have the worksheet template copied into their notebooks. The teacher will begin the lesson by briefly discussing silly laws, transitioning the students into thinking about how laws are made and the reasoning that goes into the creation of new laws. Students are divided into groups of three. If desired, students could receive differentiated instruction in this way, by pairing students together deliberately depending on instructor goals. The teacher will read the first article, pausing for brief reflection-based questions to guide student thinking and clarifying any unusual vocabulary. Write the first question on the board. Prompt students to copy it into the appropriate spot on their worksheet. Have them take 30 seconds just to think about what their answer might be. Give them time to write once their thinking time is up (approx.. 2 minutes). Next, the teacher will model how the discussion will happen and how they should switch between partners. Use other adults in the room or students as available or appropriate for energy level. Briefly, the teacher will help the students brainstorm what appropriate responses among partners might look like. The first student will be directed to share their opinion. The other two students will paraphrase that student in their first partner response box. Students should check with the speaker to ensure that they have the correct information written down. The teacher times them through this (Approx.

2-3 minutes). Students will then fill in their final box based on their final opinion, now that they have heard what others think. They should make an effort to make their response more complex, giving a fuller picture of their thoughts that is more reasoned. Repeat until students have all shared and all boxes are filled in. Discuss with students how whole-group discussion will go. (In this case, I had students new to discussion, so I provided them with a list of helper phrases on the board in case they didnt know where to start, and we talked about the expectations given how new they were to the process.) Draw student names from a hat or cup, asking students to share their responses and reply to classmates. Summarize student opinions, help guide discussion, but try to let the students play a dominant role. If necessary, provide additional thoughts or questions to get them thinking. Repeat process with second issue.

Independent Application Students must decide their reactions to the questions independently and defend their opinions on their own on their worksheets.

Group Application The majority of the class revolves around group interaction, both in the form of partner interactions and whole-class discussion.

Closure Teacher will summarize take-away ideas for the day. Assessment

Formative Assessment Teachers notes on student participation during the discussion and student completion of their worksheet act as the formative assessment.

Summative Assessment There is no summative assessment for this lesson. Resource Links: Can Body Cameras Civilize Police Encounters?, NPR, found at: http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/09/05/345784091/can-body-cameras-civilize-police-encounters Police Departments Issuing Body Cameras Discover Drawbacks, NPR, found at: http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2015/01/22/379095338/how-police-body-camera-videos-are-perceived-can-be-complicated Walking While Looking Down at a Cellphone: Bad Idea, Newsela, found at: https://newsela.com/articles/distracted-walkers/id/6440/

Can Body Cameras Civilize Police Encounters? (NPR 1) - Some researchers say that using body cameras can change police behavior. - Dr. White: Rialto study says: Officers who wore cameras experienced changes in a few ways -- Drop in complaints against officers wearing cameras. (88-90%) -- Officer use of force drops. Not as large of a drop, but still large.

* Suggestion is that wearing cameras changes dynamics of interaction with civilians. * Has a civilizing effect officers are less likely to engage in rude or inappropriate behavior, and citizens are less likely to be aggressive/resistant

- Downsides: -- Privacy: citizens have expectation of privacy that might be violated.

-- Some situations are possibly not OK to record. (Interviews with children, sexual assault survivors.) -- Some people might not want to talk to officers openly on camera (informants, assault victims). This can end up as a public document. -- Police privacy. When are cameras on/off? When can supervisors view footage? Where will you store footage?

- As many as 5,000 departments have adopted the cameras, so technology is expanding.

-- Some reports suggest that these departments are only using the cameras sometimes. * Cameras have to work consistently, etc.

Police Departments Issuing Body Cameras Discover Drawbacks (NPR 2)

- Benefits of body cameras are not totally guaranteed, so departments that rushed to buy are facing consequences. - Rialto study may be flawed (Alex Sutherland): -- One study, may be flawed.

* Was a small department, police chief very involved. If you didnt have these things, would the result have been the same?

-- May have been influenced by: * Police received verbal warnings about being recorded. Were they more careful? * Cameras are new, interesting, easily noticed. Once the newness wore off, would things go back to normal?

-- Need more studies in more places. Public money = need to know more. - May influence police morale/attitudes.

-- Should cops worry that people arent going to trust them? Or do cops who have done nothing wrong have nothing to worry about?

- Cops have different perspectives. -- Different experiences mean that cops can perceive incidents differently. -- Difference in the way police see the world unconscious behavior, etc.

Texting While Walking is Becoming More Dangerous WASHINGTON Every year, thousands of people are injured as they walk in the city. Many of these pedestrian injuries are caused by people who are distracted by their cellphones, studies show. Walkers using their cellphones stroll into traffic. They crash into trees. They fall off bridges and curbs. They even walk into wet cement.

Many cities want to make their neighborhoods more walkable. Neighborhoods good for walking can attract young people who may not have a car. At the same time, cities are trying to make the streets safer for pedestrians. They are giving tickets to distracted walkers and are making cars slow down. More People Are Hurt Every Year

The number of pedestrian injuries caused by cellphone use is rising. It is up 35 percent since 2010, according to information from hospital emergency rooms. Cities and states share the same goal of reducing injuries and deaths for walkers. Yet they have very different plans to fix the problem.

In Utah and New Jersey, people can get tickets for texting while walking. New York City now has lower speed limits, partly to make traffic less dangerous for distracted walkers.

We have to design streets for the way people actually behave, and behavior is changing, said Noah Budnick of Transportation Alternatives. If youre looking at a phone when youre walking around, that shouldnt mean death. So we have to design forgiving streets.

In New York City, the new speed limits are 20 miles per hour (mph) in Central Park and 25 mph in the rest of the city unless it says otherwise. The city has also blocked off more streets for pedestrian plazas, where cars are not allowed.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx has given $1.6 million to Louisville, Kentucky; New York City and Philadelphia for walker-safety programs.

Weve got to encourage people to have an awareness that this problem is a real problem, Foxx said last year. Special Sidewalk Lanes

In 2012, 78,000 pedestrians were injured, the highest number since 2001. Walking deaths have been rising since 2009. In 2012, 4,700 walkers were killed.

Some states are focusing on stopping distracted walkers. Walkers who text in Utah can face a $50 fine. Police in New Jersey gave tickets to people using phones while walking into traffic. Philadelphia had a different plan. They made a joke of it. On April Fools Day in 2012, the city painted e-lanes on sidewalks. These lanes were reserved for people staring at their phones.

Some people interviewed by the city thought the lanes were serious, and a good idea. "Itll keep most of those bozos out of my way, one cellphone user said. San Francisco has promised to spend $50 million for its Walk First program. The city will

examine high injury areas to determine why they are so dangerous for walkers. The Dangers Of Texting While Walking

Drivers using cellphones also add to the danger, researchers say. A distracted driver and a distracted walker can be a dangerous combination. In a survey, half of walkers admitted to talking on the phone while crossing the street. One out of 4 said they text or email while crossing the street, even though they know it is dangerous.

Dr. Dietrich Jehle of the University of Buffalo started studying walking injuries while he was an emergency room doctor. He estimates that 1 in 10 pedestrian injuries is now related to distracted walking. Jehle has also found that distracted walking causes more injuries than distracted driving.

Texting is the most dangerous thing for a walker to do, Jehle found. Texting is more dangerous than listening to music or talking on the phone, he says. While talking on the phone is a distraction, texting is much more dangerous because you cant see the path in front of you, Jehle said.

Question 1: ______________________________________________________________________

Question 2: ______________________________________________________________________

I think.

Partner #1 thinks.

Partner #2 thinks.

My final opinion.

I think.

Partner #1 thinks.

Partner #2 thinks.

My final opinion.

1 2 3 4 - Student did not fill in all boxes. - Student does not answer questions. - Student does not attempt to re-explain their reasoning in the second personal opinion box.

- All boxes are filled in with complete opinions. - Student answers question, but response shows little complexity or reasoning.

- All boxes are filled in with complete opinions. - Student answers questions, and displays reasoning. - Second opinion shows evidence of attempt to increase complexity of reasoning.

- All boxes are filled in with complete opinion. - Student answers questions, provides reasoning. - Second opinion shows an evolution of reasoning and an inclusion of additional information/provides reasoning if a change of opinion.

3/9/15&

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