Criminology Teacher Resources

Whodunnit? That’s the question young forensic scientists are here to answer—and we’ve got an array of criminology resources that are up to the task!

Brief students on the science of DNA evidence before visiting a virtual crime scene. Learners can get out their magnifying glasses to check out footprint patterns that they may come across in their sleuthing.

Want to elevate the lesson? A unit on deductive reasoning uses the setting of a crime scene investigation to put observational analysis to the test. Additionally, an online resource brings criminology to life with a series of evidence-based activities.

Learn what happens after you catch the bad guy with an interactive unit on participants in a criminal trial. It’s perfect for transitioning into the legal implications of criminology or a lesson on the legal system itself.

Whether you’ve got a class full of crime solvers or budding lawyers, Lesson Planet has what you need to enhance a science-based approach to criminology!

Showing 39 resources
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5 Items in Topic
Lesson Planet Curated

Judicial Learning Center: Organization of the Federal Courts

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Six lessons cover the Organization of the Federal Courts. Lesson one helps those studying criminologies distinguish between the role of federal courts and state courts. The second explores the structure of the lower levels of the federal...
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5 Items in Topic
Lesson Planet Curated

Judicial Learning Center: The Role of the Federal Courts

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Informational, interesting, and easy-to-understand, the five resources in the Role of the Federal Courts collection provide an overview of the historical context, important principles, and content of the US Constitution regarding the...
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3 Items in Topic
Lesson Planet Curated

How the Federal Courts Work

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Walk students step-by-step through the judicial process with a three-lesson collection that examines how the federal courts interpret and apply the laws of the United States. Young legal scholars examine case studies, engage in...
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6 Items in Topic
Lesson Planet Curated

Judicial Learning Center: How Courts Work

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Six informational and easy-to-understand resources detail how the United States’ courts work. The collection provides young legal scholars with a detailed overview of the differences between civil and criminal trials, outlines the role...
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Lesson Plan
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Judicial Learning Center

Your Day in Court: Criminal Justice

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
When a person goes on trial for a crime, what options does a court have to render justice? Who are the key players in the legal system? Interested legal scholars answer the inquiries and more using an Internet-based activity, chart, and...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

Types of Court Cases

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
How can one court acquit someone of a crime, while another convicts the person of the same one? It's all because of the differences between civil and criminal trials. An informative resource provides scholars in the field of criminology...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

Civil Rights and Equal Protection

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Almost every American is familiar with the Supreme Court case of Brown vs. Board of Education. Far fewer understand the constitutional reasoning or the wide-ranging consequences of the ruling in the field of criminology. The interesting...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

Your 1st Amendment Rights

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Why should classes care about the First Amendment? An engaging lesson serves as a powerful tool for answering just that. As all four cases in the lesson relate directly to freedom of expression in schools, young scholars explore the...
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Judicial Learning Center

Why Study Landmark Cases?

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Why study landmark Supreme court cases? A helpful lesson offers a brief but valuable argument for the importance of these cases in the field of criminology. It introduces scholars to some key terms necessary for studying court cases and...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

Getting Ready for Trial

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
A courtroom can be a scary place for the uninitiated. Get familiar with the process using a helpful overview of the activities that take place prior to both civil and criminal cases.  The lesson explains the differences between civil and...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

Your Day in Court

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Whether out of choice or necessity, people want to know what will happen on a typical day in court. A helpful lesson walks scholars in the field of criminology through the trial process from opening statements to the final verdict. 
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

The Appeal Process

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Why doesn't the Supreme Court hear testimony from witnesses? How do they complete an entire proceeding in less than two hours? A helpful lesson guides scholars of criminology through these and other questions by explaining how appeals...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

The Players in the Courtroom

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Courtrooms are complicated. In addition to the many rules, there are a number of people whose jobs are not very clear to the casual courtroom observer. With the resource, individuals identify some of these roles and review more...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

The Judge and the Jury

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Unless you are a lawyer, you might not understand just how unrealistic Law and Order and other legal dramas actually are. Here's a great resource to help scholars of criminology gain a more realistic perspective. The lesson outlines the...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

Judicial Independence

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Most people support the idea of an independent judiciary in theory until they hear about a court case that violates their principles. An informative resource explains why the concept is important. It also provides scholars of criminology...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

About Federal Judges

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Not just anybody can do the job of a federal judge, but according to the United States Constitution just about anybody can be appointed. The lesson outlines the process and requirements for becoming a federal judge, focusing on the...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

The U.S. Supreme Court

For Students 6th - 12th
How do Supreme Court justices determine which cases to consider? What happens when the Supreme Court decides not to take a case?  The lesson explores important questions and others in the field of criminology. It focuses on the appeals...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

Levels of the Federal Courts

For Students 6th - 12th
The Supreme Court gets all the glory, but very few federal cases make it to the highest court. An interesting lesson explores the structure of the lower levels of the federal court system. In addition to outlining the organization of...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

State Courts vs. Federal Courts

For Students 6th - 12th
Popular culture often portrays the Feds as the most fearsome of law enforcement agencies. Yet, someone charged with a crime is considerably more likely to end up in a state court. The lesson, one of six covering the Organization of the...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

The Constitution

For Students 6th - 12th
Supreme Court justices debate the meaning of the US Constitution, but we expect teachers to explain it to scholars with far less training and experience. A daunting task for sure, but it's not insurmountable with resources that simplify...
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Judicial Learning Center

Article III and the Courts

For Students 6th - 12th
What's the best way to make sense of the Constitution?  A helpful lesson contains both the text of Article III and annotation of each of its sections, breaking it down into easy-to-understand parts. It also includes links to a glossary...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

The Constitution and Rights

For Students 6th - 12th
What's the right way to teach young historians about the Bill of Rights? Many an instructor has asked this question when pondering lesson plans over the US Constitution. The Constitution and Rights is a nifty resource that provides a...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

Law and the Rule of Law

For Students 6th - 12th
We hear a lot about the importance of the rule of law, but most people do not really know what those words mean. The lesson is a webpage that defines the rule of law, explains why it is important in a democratic society and provides...
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Unit Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Criminal Justice in America

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The allure of true crime television shows often leads to intrigue of the criminal justice system. Using a six-unit curriculum, learners explore criminology and the justice system in the United States. Topics include the police, trial...

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