Students will gain an understanding of law relating to rights and freedoms in Canada; our legal system; and family, contract, employment, tort, and criminal law. Students will develop legal reasoning skills and will apply the concepts of legal thinking and the legal studies inquiry process when investigating a range of legal issues and formulating and communicating informed opinions about them. For each unit, there will be one mock trial where students will get to participate in legal debating using the learnings from the previous unit.

‍Overall Curriculum Expectations

Heritage:

In this introductory unit, students develop an understanding of what law is and why societies have laws. An examination of the historical roots of Canadian Law assists students to develop an understanding of the Canadian legal system. Students examine the role of government, its agencies, and the courts in making, changing, or interpreting the law. Throughout the unit, students incorporate many of the methods of legal inquiry. With the culminating activity, students are asked to create a constitution for the new colony on Mars. After an examination of a number of constitutions, students are asked to create a new constitution and to present their work to their classmates, and individually submit a written report.

Rights and Freedoms:

This unit explores the sources of Canadian rights and freedoms. Students examine how rights and freedoms may differ and conflict. An examination of historical and contemporary barriers to the equal enjoyment of human rights in Canada helps students evaluate the impact of these barriers. Finally, as a result of their study of the rights and freedoms enshrined in Canadian Law, students develop an understanding of how these rights and freedoms are interpreted, limited, and enforced in Canada and Ontario.

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Student Expectations

Students will:

• Put forth good effort in classroom discussions, independent and group work;
• Be respectful of all students and adults in all classrooms;
• Be responsible for recording homework, mock trials and assignments;
• Be responsible for their own supplies;
• Must source all researched information using MLA format;
• Complete all assigned homework in the allotted time;
• Exhibit a high level of academic honesty.

Teacher Expectations

As your teacher, I will:

• Follow the Ontario Curriculum to the best of my knowledge;
• Provide a variety of opportunities for you to demonstrate your knowledge;
• Provide acceptable amounts of time to complete assigned work;
• Give acceptable notice of due dates;
• Be respectful of all students and adults in the school;
• Uphold the school rules and policies to the best of my ability.