Embedded Files
Grade Level: Grades 5–8
Grade Level: Grades 5–8
Time: One class period (approximately 50 minutes)
Time: One class period (approximately 50 minutes)
A girl fell sick in 1692. Her convulsions, contortions, and outbursts of gibberish baffled everyone. Then other girls had the same symptoms. The village doctor could suggest just one cause: Witchcraft. The mass hysteria led to the hanging of nineteen innocent people in Salem.
A girl fell sick in 1692. Her convulsions, contortions, and outbursts of gibberish baffled everyone. Then other girls had the same symptoms. The village doctor could suggest just one cause: Witchcraft. The mass hysteria led to the hanging of nineteen innocent people in Salem.
In this lesson, students learn about the delivery of justice in 1692. Through a reenactment, they learn about fair and equal access and the role of a jury.
Pictured: Judge Jesus Rodriguez leads a class at Hooker Oak Elementary School in Butte County. For the Salem Witch Trials, the lesson asks students to reenact the trial. With enough planning in advance, students assigned a role often like to dress up for the visit. Read article
Source: Salem Witch Trial Mock Trial program, developed by San Diego County Superior Court Judge Joan Weber’s Salem Witch Trial Mock Trial program.
Objectives:
1. Students will identify and explain the three branches of government, with a focus on the judicial branch.
2. Students will compare and contrast a historic court case with and without the Bill of Rights.
3. Students will apply and analyze the Bill of Rights, with a focus on Amendments 6 and 7.
Summary:
Summary:
This classroom activity is designed to teach students about the American legal system through the lens of the Salem Witch Trials. By comparing the historical prosecution of Sarah Good to a modern-day scenario, the curriculum highlights how the Bill of Rights protects individuals accused of crimes. Students participate in a mock trial exercise to observe the essential role of a jury and the specific legal safeguards provided by the Sixth and Seventh Amendments. Additionally, the lesson clarifies the structure of the three branches of government and the hierarchical levels of the judicial system, including the process for appeals. Ultimately, the material demonstrates how constitutional protections fundamentally transformed the way justice is administered in the courtroom.
Presentation & Handouts:
Presentation & Handouts:
Presentation with speaker notes
Scripts:
Tip: share with the teacher in advance so they may assign "acting" roles. Also available in Spanish
Additional Information:
Additional Information:
The teacher may prepare the class about this case prior to your visit, or wish to discuss the case further post-visit. These additional materials may be shared with the teacher:
Young Learners (Grade 5–7)
Young Learners (Grade 5–7)
Upper Class (Grade 8–12)
Upper Class (Grade 8–12)
These sources provide context around the trials, including details about life during colonial times, historian perspective, and details about those accused and brought to trial:
Primary Sources: Library of Congress
Reading Assignment(s) Prior to the Visit (Optional):
History of the Salem Witch Trials (Source: History of Massachusetts WIKI)
A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials (Source: Smithsonian)
The Witchcraft Trials in Salem: An Account (Source: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law)
After the visit, be sure to collect Feedback forms!
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse