Criminal and Constitutional Law

Criminal and Constitutional Law (CCL) Course

This optional advanced course for several pathways provides an overview of constitutional and criminal law. Students will learn fundamental concepts and skills relevant to understanding the interaction between constitutional and criminal law, as well important concepts in our criminal justice system. Topics include the bill of rights, sources of law, legal research and writing, substantive criminal law, the US court system, mock trials, and more.

Below is our new suggested course and support material.

Instructional Plans & Resources

LAPSEN Unit Plans

LAPSEN has a complete course (120-150 hours) of CCL unit lesson plans available to all educators due to a generous grant from the Georgia Bar Foundation – Click Here to access these

Other Lesson Plan Sources

California Educators Together– The great state of California has an insane amount of resources and lessons. Be sure to search with different key words. You do have to have an account – but they give them to all teachers: Click Here

Texas CTE Lesson Plans – They have some materials for Law & Public Safety: Click Here

Courts and Trials – Instructional support page from LAPSEN: Click Here

MicroCredentials (MC) for this Course

All MicroCredentials are being developed and should be ready in soon.

Criminal & Constitutional Law (CCL) Course Standards

Click Here to open the CCL standards document.

Section 1: Exploring Law in America

Objective 1: Describe the various careers available in the legal field

Objective 2: Demonstrate job interview skills and interview preparation steps

Objective 3: Demonstrate an understanding of ethical responsibilities in the legal field

Section 2: Sources of law

Objective 1: Describe sources of legal authority in the United States

Objective 2: Analyze sources of legal authority in the United States

Section 3: The Court System

Objective 1: Differentiate federal courts vs state courts

Objective 2: Describe the role and jurisdiction of state courts

Objective 3: Describe the role and jurisdiction of federal courts

Objective 4: Explain how case law is created and describe examples of important case law

Section 4: Introduction to the Bill of Rights

Objective 1: Describe important constitutional rights that apply to legal cases

Objective 2: Explain how constitutional rights apply in a trial setting

Objective 3: Describe constitutional rights that apply in criminal cases

Section 5: Constitutional Law and Criminal Justice

Objective 1: Explain how Fourth Amendment rules govern searches of property and persons

Objective 2: Describe how Fourth Amendment rules govern arrests and stops

Objective 3: Explain interrogation standards that are based on the Fifth Amendment

Objective 4: Apply constitutional law to law enforcement scenarios to determine whether government conduct is lawful

Section 6: Crimes and Crime Elements

Objective 1: Describe how crimes are classified and differentiated

Objective 2: Explain what crime elements are and identify them in statutes

Objective 3: Describe the elements required to prove common criminal charges and defenses

Objective 4: Apply criminal law statutes to fact patterns to determine if a crime has been committed

Section 7: Mock trials to enhance legal analysis, writing, and communication

Objective 1: Describe the mock trial process and legal documents contained in a mock trial case

Objective 2: Analyze case materials to determine what information is relevant to proving a case, including a differentiation of helpful and harmful information

Objective 3: Draft witness examination questions and answers using professional language and grammar

Objective 4: Demonstrate substantive trial skills in an organized and professional manner

Objective 5: Analyze and interpret legal documents and laws to develop legal arguments and conclusions

Objective 6: Convey relevant legal information in an organized and cohesive opening statement or closing argument

Objective 7: Present a well organized trial presentation that utilizes professional language and focuses on satisfying all applicable legal standards

Section 8: New and emerging areas of the law

Objective 1: Explain the law surrounding emerging issues in constitutional and criminal law.