Unit Opener Inquiry Project

Supporting Literacy Through Social Studies

Civics Alive! has literacy instruction built into the Student Text, Interactive Student Notebook, and Activities. The following key points emphasize integration of literacy in social studies instruction.

Reading

Comprehending Informational Text

Text written at grade level invites all students to engage with rich, informative content. Online supports include the option to see the main ideas, leveled text online, and meaningful visuals, making the text accessible to all learners.

Vocabulary Development Civics Alive! scaffolds the learning of social studies and history vocabulary by presenting the words and phrases in context but offering succinct definitions in the margins and glossary. Students record information based on text structure and historical perspective in their Reading Notes.

Analysis of Primary and Secondary Sources

Analysis of both primary and secondary sources takes place throughout lessons, through both written and visual literacy skills.

Writing from Sources

Civics Alive! requires students to write for different purposes, including to develop claims that are supported with evidence. In inquiry activities, students are often asked to construct written arguments to persuade others to accept a conclusion or proposal. They construct their claims using precise language and social studies vocabulary.

Toolkits for Skill Building In addition to embedded opportunities to practice writing, skillsbased toolkits are offered online to further develop literacy skills.

Diverse Writing Opportunities Civics Alive! provides many writing opportunities, including to explain main ideas and justify reasoning. Guided writing exercises allow for writing practice in a variety of formats with clear rubrics and guidelines.

Speaking and Listening

Collaboration

Civil Discourse

Classroom Activities provide opportunities for students to collaborate with clearly defined roles and tasks that allow all students to actively contribute to group projects.

Structured prompts and clear guidelines provide opportunities for active listening and participation in evidence-based discussions.

Considerate Text

Civics Alive! engages students and helps them read text that is more complex and at a higher level. That’s because our writers wrote it as “considerate text,” which is another way to say that it makes readers want to read it. Considerate text is well written and well organized. Here are some ways TCI’s student text is considerate of all levels of readers.

Short sections, each with an informative title, create an organized structure that helps readers understand and remember the main ideas.

Important new social studies words are in bold and blue type. These words are defined in the margin and in the glossary.

Thoughtfully selected large images illustrate the main ideas and support visual learners.

court order a judgment issued by a court, usually after a hearing

summary judgment a judgment issued by a court for one party over another without a trial

jury a body of people who swear an oath to provide a finding of fact on a question submitted by the court

1. The Many Players in a Court of Law

A typical courtroom is presided over by a judge who controls the courtroom and determines if evidence is admissible. The judge also instructs jurors on how the law should guide them in making a decision.

A judge can also issue a court order, which is a decision or judgment issued by a court. Similarly, if a judge decides a case lacks enough evidence to go to trial, the judge can issue a summary judgment. This is a judgment for one party over another without a trial.

In a criminal trial, the person accused of a crime is the defendant. The government lawyer bringing evidence against the defendant is the prosecutor. In a civil trial, the person bringing the lawsuit is the plaintiff. The person the suit has been brought against is the defendant. Usually plaintiffs and defendants are represented by attorneys who argue the case before a jury. Juries are not usually called for many types of civil cases, including divorce and custody. Defendants in criminal cases can waive their right to a jury trial and have their cases heard by only a judge. In civil cases, usually one party or the other has to request a jury trial. Additional officers of the court, such as the court clerk, the bailiff, and the court reporter help the courtroom function.

This diagram shows the key players in a criminal trial. In a civil trial, the plaintiff and the plaintiff’s attorney would replace the prosecutor.

Who’s Who in the Courtroom

The court clerk keeps the official court record, including documents and physical evidence.

The bailiff keeps order in the courtroom and takes charge of the jury when court is not in session. The judge oversees the trial and decides questions of law.

Witnesses provide information about the crime, related events, or the defendant.

The defense attorney presents evidence on behalf of the defendant.

The jury listens to witness testimony and arguments of attorneys to reach a verdict of guilty or innocent.

The defendant is the party accused of committing a crime. The court reporter records word for word everything that is said during a trial.

The prosecutor presents evidence of a crime on behalf of the people. Public spectators may observe a trial as long as they do not disrupt the proceedings.

220 Lesson 10

Single-column text makes the content easier to read. Paragraphs end at the bottom of the page instead of continuing onto the next page.

The Key Role of Jurors Trial by jury is one of the most important rights guaranteed under the Constitution. The framers wanted to make sure that the rights of the accused were protected. Because the people participate, jury trials limit government power and are an important part of checks and balances. Serving on a jury gives people a voice and provides the most direct way for them to participate in government. Most countries do not have jury trials.

The Sixth Amendment requires that juries be impartial and from the local community. This requirement mainly affects the way in which potential jurors are chosen. Possible jurors are usually selected from a master list compiled from various sources, such as the voter registration list and the driver’s license list. The idea is to draw from a pool of people who represent a cross section of the community. To serve as a juror, a person must be a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age, able to understand English, a resident within the court’s jurisdiction, and have no felony convictions. Names are then selected at random from the master list, and those selected receive a jury summons. However, reporting for jury duty when summoned does not guarantee that a person will serve on a jury. Nearly four out of five possible jurors are dismissed for a variety of reasons.

During a process known as voir dire, the lawyers and judge in a case question potential jurors to determine whether there is any reason to disqualify them. A lawyer may challenge a juror “for cause” by stating a specific objection. For example, a prosecutor might challenge a juror on a murder case if that person is opposed to the death penalty. If the judge approves the challenge, the juror is disqualified.

Lawyers may also exclude jurors based on a peremptory challenge. This is a challenge that is given without reason but that is usually based on a perceived bias in the jury candidate. Lawyers are generally granted a limited number of peremptory challenges in each case.

A jury’s decision can have great consequences for the involved parties in a trial. Here, the chosen 12 jurors pay close attention to a court case in order to make an informed decision. Citizens might also serve on a grand jury, which is called when the crime is serious. The grand jury decides if there is enough evidence to charge anyone. Grand juries are held in secrecy, however.

The Judicial Branch 221 Captions for photos, illustrations, tables, and graphs reinforce the main idea of the section and provide details that guide students’ interpretation of the graphics.

Academic vocabulary words are bolded in black and presented with a clear context.

The text is written in a clear and engaging way without figurative language.