Academy Curricular Exchange
Columbia Education Center
Social Studies

TITLE:     JACK - CRIMINAL OR VICTIM?
             or HAPPILY EVER AFTER...

AUTHOR:   Linda Dickerson; Redmond School District, OR

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:     6-A   Language Arts, Social Studies

OVERVIEW:
The media in our country presents a controversy. 
The rights of the accused - the rights of the victim.

Length of Lesson:    1 hour to 1 week, depending on interest and your
time constraints.

PURPOSE:    This lesson encourages students to use all levels of
Bloom to look at the case of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' through the
eyes of our present legal
system.

OBJECTIVES:
1.  TLW work in small and large groups to solve a problem.
2.  TLW analyze the story to determine if Jack was a criminal or a
    victim.  What rights does he have?
3.  TLW determine which crimes, if any, may have been committed
    based on present day laws.  Whose rights were violated?

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:  A common version of 'Jack and the Beanstalk'
for all students.

ACTIVITIES:
1.  Read 'Jack and the Beanstalk'.
2.  In small groups, examine Jack's behavior and the behavior of
other characters to answer questions such as:
  "Why did Jack climb the beanstalk the third time."
3.  In large group, discuss possible crimes in this case and list
the suspects.
4.  In large group, act as a Grand Jury.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
The class acts as the Grand Jury to determine if a crime has been
committed.


Extension:  If Jack is bound over for trial - proceed with the
trial.  One half the class be the defense, one half be the prosecution.
1.  Use local resources to build both cases: 
    police, attorneys, judges, social service workers, juvenile
    workers, etc.
2.  Have a simulation of the trial.
3.  Video tape the trial.

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