Career Connections at SAVY, Week 3, Evidence on Trial (7th-8th)
Dear persuasive people and their families,
What a fantastic last class where students were able to experience a true mock trial and apply what they’ve been learning the last couple of weeks! We began our morning by reviewing the persuasive rhetorical devices introduced by Aristotle that make up the foundation of persuasive practices. We revisited pathos, logos, and ethos and learned a little psychology as we discussed human motivation, background, and personality. We also learned how these things impact the sorts of strategies that persuade individuals towards a cause or to believe in an argument. This would be important later because after our intense and well-prepared mock trial of Ms. Petunia Pig V. Mr. B.B. Wolf, we would be introduced to the process of Voir Dire in Jury selection. Unfortunately, one of our prosecuting attorneys couldn’t attend, so our wonderful Classroom Assistant stepped in and joined the prosecutorial team!
We then traveled to the “courtroom” – we would be joined by our 5th and 6th grade jury members who were helping us out so that we could get the full courtroom experience, from voir dire to verdict. Our class got to teach them a bit about what they had learned about persuasion in the courtroom, and why persuasive arguments and public speaking skills are often as important as the presentation of good, solid evidence. It was time for our Fairy Tale trial to come to life! Our prosecutors were fierce, direct, and well spoken. Our defense attorneys did an excellent job of presenting character witnesses and circumstantial evidence that helped paint a sympathetic perspective of Mr. Wolf’s situation and why he should NOT be held liable for his allergies, ehem, actions. Our witnesses brought drama and innovation to the scene, and in the end, after meticulous notes and a long deliberation with our other SAVY friends on the jury, the verdict came in and they found Mr. Wolf – NOT GUILTY of destruction of property and murder! Gasp! Can you believe it? Ask your student about the role they played and what rhetorical strategies and speaking skills they used to help sway the jury!
After lunch we remained with our class of jury members and prepared for voir dire and a second trial in which Hermoine Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter were facing charges brought by the ministry of magic for breaking and entering into Gringotts and being responsible for the untimely death of Bogrod the goblin!
Our jury members prepared character profiles and noted the ways their characters’ backgrounds and psyche would play a role in how they were likely to vote, and our prosecutors and defendants tried to root out any hidden biases or relationships that might make someone a helpful or hurtful jury member. Alas! I fear we may have ended up with a slightly biased jury. Even with this in mind, our prosecutors bravely laid out the case and called many witnesses that could attest to the golden trio’s penchant for mischief, mayhem, and breaking the law. Did they succeed in convincing a jury of the golden trio’s peers that they were guilty? Ask your student what role they played in this particular drama and if their team was successful or not!
I hope my students learned a lot and had a great time! Perhaps some of them will consider learning more about persuasion in professional and public settings in the future!
See you in the summer!
Ms. Rho