The Connecticut Judicial Branch, in collaboration with the Justice Education Center, Inc. and the Connecticut Judges’ Association, has developed Connecticut Courts: An Interactive Curriculum in Three Segments for High School Students, which provides high school students with a thorough understanding of the rule of law, the role of the courts and the structure and function of the Judicial Branch.
The goal of the curriculum was to provide teachers with a resource to assist them in educating high school students about the role and function of the Judicial Branch and how it interrelates with the other two branches of government. The curriculum was developed to be easily incorporated into high school government or United States history classes in seven, 40-minute segments or three 90-minute blocks, with the option of unlimited expansion or exploration. The curriculum fulfills critical components of the Connecticut State Social Studies Curriculum framework.
Connecticut Courts was not designed to deliver traditional lectures and elicit simple responses to traditional questions; special care was taken to ensure that the work would be intellectually stimulating, but also engaging for students. The curriculum includes a variety of innovative classroom activities and provides two videos for classroom use.