Essential Questions 

• What are the differences between civil and criminal legal systems in the United States?

• What do individuals need to know before signing a legal contract?

• What are torts and how does the justice system resolve torts?

WY: Social Studies (2014)

WY: Grades 9-12

Citizenship, Government, and Democracy

Students will:

SS12.1.1 Analyze unique freedoms, rights, and responsibilities of living in a democratic society and explain their interrelationships.

SS12.1.4 Demonstrate an understanding of the United States civil and criminal legal systems and distinguish differences between those systems.

CCSS: Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, & Technical Subjects 6-12

CCSS: Grades 9-10

Reading: History/Social Studies

Key Ideas and Details 

1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

RH.9-10.1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

RH.9-10.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

RH.9-10.3. Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.

Craft and Structure

4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

RH.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.

6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

RH.9-10.6. Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity 

10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

RH.9-10.10. By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.