Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
My school runs a 10 Legal Studies elective designed to give students a taste of Senior Legal Studies. This is a scope and sequence for a unit designed to give students foundational knowledge about contract law with a focus on real estate (rentals). There are 2 lessons a week. Some of these lessons are also available for sale at my store.
Scope and Sequence – laws out the topics taught in each lesson across the 10 week term (minus two weeks for the exam block).
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria Handout – included on learning wall and printed in A5 for students to glue into their books and refer to throughout the unit.
Unit Plan - for a unit designed to give students foundational knowledge about rental contracts.
It contains:
• Unit description
• Assessment details (formative and summative)
• Suggested resources (textbooks, websites, videos etc.)
• Teaching and learning cycle
• Learning intention & success criteria
• Reflection questions for teachers at the end of the unit
A resource which I think Legal Studies teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
A PPT designed to introduce students to renting and to see what they already know. It begins with a warm up – 6 questions to answer. Checking to see if they are familiar with terms like landlord, tenant, right, responsibility etc.
There is some census data about how many people rent in Australia {so students understand the nature and scope}. This is followed by a viewing activity of a news story from A Current Affair [6 minutes] about a dodgy landlord. Students have to pick out the various viewpoints of stakeholders and take dot points of what they learn. This is followed by a second news clip from the same program about a landlord whose property was destroyed by the tenants. Students complete the same table.
This is followed by information about the rewards and risks of buying a rental property. This is followed by brief information about the upcoming assessment and the criteria they will be assessed against {comprehending, selecting, analysing, evaluating and creating}.
Subsequently, students are introduced to the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (Qld) and the key terms within it e.g. lessor, tenant, fixed term agreement, periodic agreement. They are also introduced to The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) and its function. They learn about bond money through watching a video from the RTA and a video from ABC Australia about how to get bond back. There is also information about filling in an entry condition report. A screenshot of the form and a link to where it can be found is included. There is also information about paying rent and how much should be paid in advance + the rules around rent increases.
There is also information about the minimum housing standards introduced in QLD law in 2023. This is followed by a viewing activity (a segment from The Project which aired in 2023) showing that other states are not this lucky. It shows some mould issues in Victorian rentals.
This is followed by information about the legal rights and obligations for lessors and tenants and some checking for understanding questions.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
It is a practice exam containing 6 short response questions around things like:
• The role of the upper and lower house
• The independence of the judiciary
• How statute laws are created
I have also included a sheet that contains sample answers which I made to unpack with students after the practice and the PowerPoint that goes with it.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
It is a practice exam for 10 Legal Studies containing 1 extended response question and specific scaffolding (graphic organisers) for students to use in their exam planning time.
The topic for this one was voter apathy. I have also included the 8 sources which were provided to students a week before the exam (and a fresh copy in the exam).
I have also included an exemplar for a different question.
A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
A PowerPoint designed for use in the lead up to the exam to teach students about quotas and referendums. After defining each of these terms, an explanation is provided of the double majority requirement for passing a referendum and the reason for this. It also goes through the steps for a referendum to occur using the 2023 ‘Voice to Parliament’ debate as an example. I include the draft question and the final question, screen shots from social media in the lead up to the vote, screen shots from the yes/no pamphlet produced by the government as well as screen shots I took on the night of the vote calculation showing the progressive count. This is followed by some multiple-choice questions to check for understanding. Then just for interest there is an infographic about the other unsuccessful referendums in Australia’s history.
Following this there is some specific information about Part B of the exam (extended response) as students will be given their seen sources during this lesson (a week prior to the actual exam). Their exam topic is on the representativeness of parliament.
The slides contain an example response for a criminal law topic: drug possession so that students can see the skills in practice but with a different context.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
My school runs a 10 Legal Studies elective designed to give students a taste of Senior Legal Studies. This is a Unit Plan for a unit designed to give students foundational knowledge about Australian law and government.
It contains:
• Subject description
• Unit description
• Assessment details (formative and summative)
• Suggested resources (textbooks, websites, videos etc.)
• Teaching and learning cycle
• Learning intention & success criteria
• Reflection questions for teachers at the end of the unit
A PowerPoint designed to elaborate on the differences between criminal and civil law. I have underlined key points which the students write down in their notebooks. The main content is a definition of criminal law, some examples of criminal laws (divided into 4 categories – traffic/road laws, property, public order and people.) An explanation of where serious crimes are heard and where less serious crimes are heard and the multiple aims of punishments handed down by the courts. Civil law is then defined along with examples including negligence and defamation. This is followed by a clip from The Weekly which includes an example crime and students must determine whether this is a civil or criminal case. After this students watch a video explaining our legal rights and responsibilities (what we must do if we are questioned by police and what would be a violation of our rights). Students are to take dot point notes for discussion. Afterwards information is provided about Legal Aid (a QLD service which provides free legal advice to people unable to afford legal representation). This is followed by information about what happens when you are charged with an offence and how the Magistrates court operates. Students watch a video about how to behave in court. They also learn about jurors and how they are selected.
Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a multimodal presentation.
I pride myself on the quality of the materials I produce, I don’t charge high prices because I don’t agree with paying £10 for a word search. If you need to check before you buy, have a look at some of the free resources in my shop for a sample of the quality and depth.’
A lesson designed to teach students how to read legislation and explain it in written form. It begins with a warm up quiz to test students retention of information from earlier in the unit (e.g. define key terms, + some multiple choice - why we have laws, what happens when laws are broken, police officers duties etc.) Then it includes an overview of some driving laws which exist to protect us followed by some print and video public service announcements showing the risks of actions like speeding, drink driving etc.) to prompt discussion. Some other laws including smoking, alcohol and violence related laws are also included. Students are then introduced to the Criminal Code Act 1899 (QLD) as this is a document students will engage with during their assessment. They are shown the table of contents and how to use it to find the specific crime they are looking for (screenshots are included in the PPT). Using Wilful Damage as an example we read the definition and the elaboration provided in the sub sections. We then look at the punishment and some information from a law firm about when wilful damage is defendable. Students are shown a table (graphic organiser) which they are to use to write a summary of that law in their own words. We then looked at the specific instances when a higher penalty would be given for this crime, how to report wilful damage and what to do if you have been accused of committing this crime (and the differences in penalty for someone over 18 vs a minor). Students then engaging with the Summary Offences Act of 2005 and have to complete the same graphic organiser for the crime ‘public nuisance.’ This is followed by an explanation of what a penalty unit is and what the current QLD penalty unit is worth (as of 1 July 2020). The lesson concludes with a viewing activity where a lawyer discusses public nuisance in QLD.
To be successful at the end of the lesson, students should know:
• How to navigate the legal documents and how to reference them appropriately (the section and the relevant sub sections.)
• What are penalty units?
• How much are penalty units worth?
• Why repeat offenders have heavier penalties.
Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a multimodal presentation.
I pride myself on the quality of the materials I produce, I don’t charge high prices because I don’t agree with paying £10 for a word search. If you need to check before you buy, have a look at some of the free resources in my shop for a sample of the quality and depth.’
A lesson which zooms into the focus for our assessment – traffic crimes. It begins with an amusing video (a car insurance commercial) to engage the students. This is followed by a discussion question (brainstorming activity). Info is provided about a law students may not be familiar with (about the usage of mobile phones while driving). Afterwards students are shown a visual stimulus (data) in a QLD Road crash weekly report. We practice extracting information (statistics) from this and explaining them as students may like to use this kind of information as a hook in the introduction of their multimodal speech. Another data set (Fatalities by characteristic from Jan 2015-Dec 2020) is shown. Following this, students copy notes about drink driving and how alcohol affects the body. They are shown the QLD law which is used to convict people driving with alcohol or drugs in their system. They are also shown a news article which shows the consequences of drink driving. Students have to practice identifying viewpoints in stimulus texts so they can discuss the various perspectives voiced in the article. If time permits, students may watch an episode of RBT or this can be saved until another lesson.
Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a multimodal presentation.
I pride myself on the quality of the materials I produce, I don’t charge high prices because I don’t agree with paying £10 for a word search. If you need to check before you buy, have a look at some of the free resources in my shop for a sample of the quality and depth.’
A 10 Legal Studies assessment (essay) which is modelled off the Senior Legal studies criteria from the QCAA.
Task sheet – explaining task conditions, the criteria and the checkpoints (deadlines). The task was to compile an argumentative essay to present a well-considered solution to a current legal issue which was included in the Baden-Clay case e.g. coercive control / trial by media.
PowerPoint – taking students through the assessment requirements and criteria, the scaffolding materials and an example essay {for a human rights law topic}.
Referencing guide.
A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
A resource which I think Legal Studies teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
Task sheet – explaining task conditions, the criteria and the checkpoints (deadlines). The task was to compile a report to present a well-considered solution to a current legal issue involving rental contracts in Queensland (or Australia as a whole) but also required students to keep an inquiry booklet to demonstrate their research skills.
PowerPoint – taking students through the assessment requirements and criteria, the scaffolding materials and an example report {for a criminal law topic}.
Exemplar - a word document version of the exemplar which was shown in the PowerPoint. It is an exemplar of a legal report for a different topic {Drug Possession Queensland}.
Several resources for scaffolding the assessment
An A standard exemplar speech which can be deconstructed with the class to discuss the positive attributes
Sentence starters for QCIA students on a modified program (organised for each section of the speech)
A PowerPoint template with pre populated headings for students to use as a guide for creating their own
An exemplar PowerPoint presentation (A standard)
Sources about the Baden-Clay case – 18 pages. A document with sources for various topics including coercive control and trial by media. It includes: a transcript of the Victim Impact Statement from Allison Baden-Clay’s mother, a UQ law journal article about the case, various news articles and an extract from the Cambridge Senior Legal Studies Textbook.
Scaffolding booklet which includes a section for students to define key terms, a place for them to store any additional sources they gathered, sections for them to plan how to address different criteria e.g. nature and scope, viewpoints,
PowerPoint to get students started on the planning booklet
Sentence Starters written to assist students with writing the various sections of their essay.
NB: In my PPTs I typically underline the information that I want students to write. The rest I use as talking points / visual aids.
A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
My school runs a 10 Legal Studies elective designed to give students a taste of Senior Legal Studies.
This is for a unit designed to give students foundational knowledge about criminal law with a focus on an intimate partner homicide case from Brisbane, Queensland.
What is included:
Scope and Sequence – lays out the topics taught in each lesson across the 10-week term. There are 2 lessons a week. Some of these lessons are also available for sale at my store.
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria Handout – included on learning wall and printed in A5 for students to glue into their books and refer to throughout the unit.
Unit Plan – which contains:
• Unit description
• Assessment details (formative and summative)
• Suggested resources (textbooks, websites, videos etc.)
• Teaching and learning cycle
• Reflection questions for teachers at the end of the unit
A resource which I think Legal Studies teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
A resource which I think Legal Studies teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
Scaffolding – a booklet which defines each of the cognitive verbs students need to use in the assessment (identify, define, search, collect, select, analyse, evaluate, organise, synthesise, communicate). There is a table of contents to take you to the specific section you need. The first section goes through what makes a good definition and some thinking prompts. The search section discusses BOOLEAN Search and how to determine if a source is reliable (CARS acronym). Select introduces students to the retrieval chart in their Inquiry booklet and what should go in each column. There are thinking prompts for analysing, evaluating and synthesising. There is a legal studies report structure. There is also a referencing guide for how to cite legal sources.
Inquiry Booklet – the e journal that students filled in during their research process. It includes retrieval charts for nature and scope, viewpoints and for gathering and evaluating sources.
Posters which I displayed on the word wall in my classroom
This resource includes:
An exemplar written by a student who wrote their essay about ‘coercive control’ to an A standard
An exemplar written by a student who focused on ‘trial by media’ and got 24/25
A series of PowerPoints which were used in lessons to scaffold this task (as students are in year 10 and have only done legal studies in year 9 and this year)
NB: In my PPTs I typically underline the information that I want students to write. The rest I use as talking points / visual aids.
A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
A copy of the task sheet for the unit. This task is an extended response to stimulus task. This technique assesses the interpretation, analysis/examination and/or evaluation of ideas and information in provided stimulus materials. While students may undertake some research in the writing of the extended response, it is not the focus of this technique. According to the syllabus, “In Social and Community Studies, an extended response requires reasoned responses to specific questions. It allows students to demonstrate their ability to use investigative and thinking skills and to formulate ideas, make judgments and reach conclusions, which are part of the process of social investigation.” The task sheet includes suggested content for the speech students are required to write
A stimulus (source) booklet with a fictional legal case which students are to use as their case study for their speech.
A PowerPoint used in the assessment handout lesson. It includes the context statement, task description and information about the specific role students are playing in their speech (a police prosecutor). Regular checkpoints (mini deadlines) are established. This is followed by some more information about drink driving (the type of crime in the stimulus case).
Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a multimodal presentation.
I pride myself on the quality of the materials I produce, I don’t charge high prices because I don’t agree with paying £10 for a word search. If you need to check before you buy, have a look at some of the free resources in my shop for a sample of the quality and depth.’
A Unit plan designed for taking up 7 weeks out of a 10 week term (students begin learning for new topic in remaining weeks due to year 12’s having a short term 4). It includes syllabus objectives, a description of the unit, assessment task details, information from the syllabus about Inquiry based learning + the extended response genre and a list of recommended resources. A Scope and Sequence suggesting topics to be covered throughout the term is provided within this document.
A Learning Intention and Success Criteria handout for students to glue into the front of their work books
‘I can’ statements which break down the criteria into simple terms for students to understand (also assists teachers to mark the assessment with ease)
An inquiry booklet which students complete in the early phase of the unit. They then use what they find to write their speech. This booklet includes key terms to be defined, a place to reflect on and record what they know about the reasons for laws and other important information which they will need for their speech. It also a space to record their analysis of the stimulus provided to them (a legal case which forms the basis of the evidence for their speech). It also includes a graphic organiser for collecting information about the relevant laws which are applicable in this case and scaffolding for what should be included in the speech and PowerPoint presentation. A reflection to be completed at the end of the assessment including a SWOT analysis evaluating their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
An exemplar A standard inquiry booklet which can be used to assist with the marking process / to model key sections to the students.