Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Introduction/Minds On
(10 minutes)

Assess your knowledge:

• Have students sit in groups of four to six.
• Place an envelope with all six “Did you know?” cards (Appendix 1: Did You Know Cards) in the centre of each table.
• Taking turns, each student picks up a card to read aloud.
• Invite group members to reflect on what was read and discuss whether the information on these cards will have an impact on their attitudes and behaviour when riding ATVs.

Debrief:

• Ask students if this information has changed their attitudes towards ATV safety.
• Ask students if they think what they learned will affect their behaviour in the future.

Development/Action
(55 minutes)

Application of the Law: Innocent Until Proven Guilty
(20 minutes)

• Distribute copies of Appendix 2: Plus Minus Interesting Template.
• Model the Plus Minus Interesting Strategy Appendix 3: Plus Minus Interesting Strategy and Appendix 4: Plus Minus Interesting Retell.
• Distribute copies of Appendix 5: Teen Found Not Guilty.
• Have students independently read the article and then complete the Plus Minus Interesting Template.

Triangle Debate Strategy/Shared Practice
(35 minutes)

• Use Appendix 6: Triangle Debating to conduct small group debates.

Consolidation/Debrief (10 minutes)

• Call out and have students respond orally to the prompts below and record answers on Plus Minus Interesting chart paper.
• Prompts:
  • Ask students to review the points under each column.
  • Ask students to suggest which details in each column are the strongest.
  • Ask students if they were surprised by the way the law was applied to this case.

Teacher Assessment

• Collect students’ Plus Minus Interesting Templates and use Appendix 7: Plus Minus Interesting Rubric to assess students.

Follow-up Activities

• Consider asking students to complete a piece of writing based on their Plus Minus Interesting Templates taking one, or both, sides of the issue.
• Consider asking students to consider the impact on the environment and trails as a result of ATV use.