Theatre of Law

Today in literacy we practised our script in preparation of our trip after half term! The last 2 weeks have been great. We have investigated what a court room is like and had a go at writing witness statements,  closing statements and scripts. Now we can't wait to perform in a real court room. How will Nathaniel be found? Guilty or not guilty.

Theatre of Law - Detective Investigation

Firstly we discussed the different films and news reports we had see on TV where a court scence was shown. Working with our partners we discussed who we thought were the main people who worked in a court might be.

We completed a clue finding activity and hid job clue cards in the year 6 classrooms. Each job had four clue cards which described a role in the court room. Year 6 were divided into teams,each team was given the role of a legal professional, either: a legal advisor, solicitor, judge, magistrate or an usher. Each team had to work together to complete the Detective Investigation sheet.

Theatre of Law - What makes a good question in court?

During a trial, the prosecution and defence barristers ask the witnesses questions. Our task today was to think about what makes a good question in court? We started by looking at our questioning openers, thinking of different words which could have used to start an open question.

Next we looked at the statement from a real police officer who arrested a young person called Kelly on suspicion of robbery of a mobile phone. Robbery is theft with force or a threat of force. We looked at each section of Kelly's statement and had to think of the questions which could have been asked. 

Using our witness statements we had to think of the questions the barristers would ask and the answers that each witness would give.

Theatre of Law

In class we discussed who is responsible for enforcing the law in the country. We started to think about   what role the police and courts play in keeping people from breaking the law. Working in teams, we looked at the story of Daniel, a young person charged with robbery. We found out what happens to a person when they break the law and the process of someonebeingcharged with a crime and then going to court.

Afterwards we researched the different types of courts. Using the webpage, You Be the Judge,we explored a vandalism case and became a judge. We were able to see what a trial looks like and watch the defence and prosecution solicitors examine their witnesses.