teaching youth about the law in their lives

200 Pages·2006·1.51 MB·English

just law
teaching youth about the law in their lives
credits
Version 2.0 (2006)
This guide was produced by the Public Legal Education Association of Saskatchewan (PLEA).
The Youth Criminal Justice Act section was originally produced with funding from the Department
of Justice Canada - Youth Justice Policy.
PLEA is a non-profit, non-government organization funded by the Law Foundation of
Saskatchewan and the Department of Justice Canada. PLEA is supported by the Law Society of
Saskatchewan, Canadian Bar Association (Saskatchewan Branch), College of Law,
Saskatchewan Legal Aid Commission, Saskatoon Public Library, and public libraries and regional
colleges throughout the province.
Contents may not be commercially reproduced but any other reproduction is encouraged.
© 2005, 2006 Public Legal Education Association of Saskatchewan, Inc.
ISBN 1-896168-66-3
Cover photos Getty Images and Microsoft; table of contents and pages 1,9, 35, and 147 photo credit Getty
Images ; page 87, 99, 113, 127, 163 and 175 photocredit Microsoft; page 49 photo credit Design Pics.
table of contents
introduction 1
about this resource 1
sources of legal information 4
law-making and the courts 9
introduction & motivational set 10
it’s my life 10
activities 11
island simulation: do we need laws? 11
handout: island simulation 13
handout: rule of law 15
no vehicles in the park: interpreting laws 16
handout: no vehicles in the park 17
rules and rule-making 18
handout: recognizing a good rule 19
criminal and civil law 20
handout: civil or criminal law? 21
resolving disputes 22
handout: disputes 23
mediation: an alternative to court 24
handout: alternative dispute resolution 25
lawyer’s work: fact or fiction? 26
handout: about lawyers 27
law-related professionals: who’s who? 28
handout: sample interview questions 29
court visits 30
interpreting laws 30
handout: no person shall spit in the street 32
handout: city of saskatoon bylaw 33
youth criminal justice 35
introduction & motivational set 37
age of criminal responsibility 37
activities 38
accountability 38
handout: criminal reponsibility 39
extrajudicial measures 41
dealing with the police 42
sentences under the YCJA 43
handout: youth justice case studies 45
handout: youth justice cases - judges’ decisions 47
families 49
introduction & motivational set 50
being a family - rights and responsibilities 50
activities 51
forming relationships 51
handout: forming a relationship 54
legal rights and obligations of spouses 55
handout: being a spouse - what do you expect? 57
when a spousal relationship ends 58
custody - what is in the best interests of the child? 59
handout: custody cases 61
handout: custody cases - judges’ decisions 64
child support - how much should parents pay 65
handout: child support guidelines 66
child support - until what age? 67
handout: child support case studies 68
handout: child support - judges’ decisions 71
spousal support 73
handout: n.v. n. 74
handout: n.v. n. - the judge’s decision 75
dividing property 76
handout: h. v. h. 77
handout: h. v. h. - the judge’s decision 77
child protection 78
handout: re w. 80
handout: re w. - the judge’s decision 81
adoption 82
handout: adoption case studies 83
handout: adoption case studies - judges’ decisions 84
research topics 85
education 87
introduction & motivational set 88
the role of the school and goals of education 88
activities 89
how the school system works 89
rights and responsibilities 90
resolving issues of rights and repsonsibilities 92
handout: school law cases 93
handout: school law cases - judges’ decisions 96
health and sports 99
introduction & motivational set - health 100
what is basic medical care? 100
activities 101
health care and common sense 101
handout: medical treatment cases 104
handout: medical treatment cases - judges’ decisions 105
introduction & motivational set - sports 106
good sports for the good of all 106
activities 107
public viewpoint 107
sports case studies 107
handout: sports cases 108
handout: sports cases - judges’ decisions 109
hockey violence sentencing 110
handout: summary of facts 111
driving 113
introduction & motivational set 114
there’s more to driving than having wheels 114
handout: driving laws 115
activities 116
the rules of the road 116
sarah’s story 116
handout: sarah’s story 118
are you insured? 119
handout: driving losses 121
webbing activity 122
handout: webbing activity - concept cards 123
how carefully do you drive? 124
handout: r. v. d. 125
cellphones and driving 126
buying and selling 127
introduction & motivational set 128
when a deal is a contract 128
activities 130
young people and contracts 130
handout: young people and contracts 131
handout: young people and contracts - answers 133
warranties: a closer look at “satisfaction guaranteed” 135
handout: certificate of limited warranty 137
knowing your rights as a consumer and making a complaint 138
handout: consumer cases 140
handout: consumer cases - judges’ decisions 143
shopping online 145
handout: safe shopping online 146
torts 147
introduction & motivational set 148
the tort - a “wrong” against persons or their property 148
handout: tort or not? 151
handout:tort or not? - answers 153
activities 155
young people and tort actions 155
handout: tort questions 156
being a kid or being negligent? 157
handout: tort cases 158
handout: tort cases - judges’ decisions 160
on the job 163
introduction & motivational set 164
the world of work - the bigger picture 164
activities: the world of work 166
youth employment then and now 166
getting, keeping and leaving a job 166
human rights on the job 167
sexual harrassment 168
handout: between c.d. and the canadian human rights
commission and s.m. 170
handout: between c.d. and the canadian human rights
commission and s.m. - tribunal’s decision 171
what does the law say? 172
renting an apartment 175
introduction & motivational set 176
renting an apartment is more than just paying the rent 176
activities 177
renting involves a contract and more 177
handout: can the landlord do it? 180
you and your landlord: the real world 181
handout: angela v. landlord 182
handout: jerry v. landlord 183
handout: fran v. landlord 184
handout: john v. landlord 185
handout: andros enterprises ltd. v. matity 186
handout: landlord cases - judges’ decisions 187
j u s t l aw
introduction
about this resource
Just Law: Teaching Youth about the Law in Their Lives is a series of instructional units intended to
assist teachers of students in grades nine through twelve in various curriculum areas, particularly
the social sciences. Just Law: Teaching Youth about the Law in Their Lives contains approaches
that emphasize the role that law plays in our society. The primary goal is to provide teachers with
assistance as they encourage students to think about the basic concepts of the law, and the
app lic at ion of those concepts and principles in their daily living. Students are enc oura ged to examine
law from the perspective of citizens who have a vested interest in the effectiveness of law. At a basic
level, law is an expression of our society’s most closely held beliefs. Through the law we are able
to establish such programs as health care and education as well as accomplish the more traditional
goals of social order and prot ect ion of people and property.
role of the teacher
Teachers sometimes hesitate to introduce law into their courses. Some feel unable to teach law
because they lack formal legal training. Certainly the practice of law by its nature is technical and
complex. However, teachers equipped with the skills of knowi ng how to get legal information are well
qualified to teach about law. The key is to set out appropriate goals for students, those that reflect
learning about law rather than learning the law.
Teaching about the law, which includes studies of the basic concepts and principles of law, is
certainly within the scope of teachers of the social sciences, consumer education, health education,
and other subject areas. Many excellent resources (pamphlets, books, cds) that contain general
legal information are available to teachers. These res ource s provide sufficient background, even
though teachers do not have the specialized training of legal practitioners. Teachers do not need
specialized training to teach the basic concepts and principles of law if they have good sources of
general information. This resource, Just Law: Understanding Law in Your Life (Student Edition), and
suggested references are such resources.
The goals of educating about law are learning how the law works, how to access sources of inf orm a -
tion, how to ask thought-provoking questions about the effectiveness of our law, along with acquiring
some general knowledge about the law. An appropriate role for the teacher is to provide for learning
about the law rather than learning precisely what law exists in a given situation. If teachers were to
concentrate only on teachi ng many specifics about a topic, for example youth justice, students could
become overw helmed by the vast quantity and complexity of information. It is far better for youth to
ask questions about how young people in trouble with the law should be treated, to learn general
information about the youth justice system, to understand generally how criminal law works, and to
know how and where to get relevant information. This general inf orm at ion and these learning skills
will be more useful to students in the future than specific legal information.
introduction 1
j u s t l aw
how to use this resource
This resource is divided into units corresponding to the sections of Just Law: Understanding Law in
Your Life (Student Edition) . We suggest that while using this resource you have students read the
Student Edition for relevant background inf orm at ion. The Student Edition also has test your
knowledge quizzes for each section that students can use to see how well they have absorbed the
information they have read. Just Law: Understanding Law in Your Life (Student Edition) is available
at www.plea.org. Students can review the material online and use the interactive quizzes.
Alternatively copies of the Student Edition, or the relevant sections, could be printed and distributed
to the class.
Just Law: Teaching Youth about the Law in Their Lives covers a wide field that could easily make
up a full-time course of study. You are encouraged to use those parts of the resource that suit your
curriculum, the needs of your students, and the time available. Each unit may be used
independently of the others. Whether you concentrate on family law, consumer law, or other
sections, we recommend the first section, “Law-Making and Courts”, as an introduction. This unit
introduces ideas about law and legal processes that apply to all other sections.
teacher background and resources
Background information for students is included in Just Law: Understanding Law in Your Life
(Student Edition) as well as in some of the handouts for the activities. Teachers who would like more
information may refer to the teacher background information included with certain activities or
consult the resources listed. The resource sections include resources that may be used by students
who need or want more information on the topic. PLEA resources are included in the resource
sections, however since PLEA regularly develops new resources as well as revising existing
resources it may be helpful to visit the PLEA website at www.plea.org to see what is currently
available. Resources can be used online, printed, downloaded and ordered from this website.
introduction and motivational set
Each unit contains an introductory activity that sets the tone and defines issues related to that unit.
These lessons link the topic to the student’s ordinary experience. In the unit “Buying and Selling”, for
example, students are invited to describe “deals” they have made with their friends. This exercise
illustrates how making contracts is a part of students’ day-to-day lives.
activities
The activities section contains exercises that explore different aspects of the theme. Teachers may use
one, two, or all the activities, depending on the needs of stud ents and requirements of the curriculum.
additional resources and exercises
Teachers who wish to continue further with a topic or assign individual resource topics will find
additional resources and exercises at the end of certain units. Learning about law lends itself well to
resource-based learning. Students who work on individual research topics will find newspapers and
the internet ready sources of information.
2 introduction