As part of their Thinking Like a Lawyer unit, GT students visited and learned from the state champion team at the CTE Center, later trying their own case.

ifth graders in Frisco ISD are making the case for mock trial, developing their critical thinking skills as part of a yearlong unit in GT.

Students in the Gifted and Talented program have worked since fall on their Thinking Like a Lawyer lesson, culminating in a court-like experience in late April. They learned legal terms and studied case law before applying their knowledge in “court.” Participating elementary schools were Purefoy, Boals, Shawnee Trail, Riddle, Smith, Rogers, Vaughn and Tadlock.

To help them prepare, GT teacher Tanna Vaughan arranged a visit to see the Career and Technical Education Center’s mock trial team practice for competition in January.

Younger students enjoyed seeing high schoolers’ impressive persuasive skills, as well as a real courtroom setup. They sat in the jury box, banged the gavel and watched the older students show them how it’s done.

Mark Bryant, CTEC mock trial teacher, praised the collaboration, now in its second year. “We provide an excellent example to model a mock trial for these elementary students,” he said of his team, which went on to win state this spring.

After their visit to the CTE Center, GT students started working on a guided mock trial of their own.

“You guys are ready to jump into this now,” Vaughan said, giving directions during one February class at Boals. Students broke into plaintiff and defendant teams, learning how to write effective opening and closing statements, developing direct and cross examination questions, effectively introducing evidence, and delivering witness testimony.

After the guided mock trial, the students were prepared to develop and compete in an entirely student-led final mock trial.

On the day of Boals students’ case in late April, Vaughan welcomed an audience of parents to the courtroom, the school’s library. Boals staff served as jurors, and the plaintiff and defendant tables sat just in front of a witness table.

“This might be our future Frisco ISD mock trial team — they may be our future lawyers,” Vaughan told parents. “I definitely see a lot of potential in these kids. They’ve really taken an interest in it and worked really hard to prepare for today.”

The case before the jury was simple: Were homeowners responsible for a neighbor child’s injuries when she used their backyard trampoline without supervision, when they weren’t at home?

After arguing their sides — complete with opening and closing statements, neighborhood witnesses, pictures of the dilapidated trampoline and testimony from the “injured” girl herself — the jury came back in favor of the defendant, finding no negligence.

Both teams did a wonderful job presenting their cases — and with another jury, it might have turned out another way, Vaughan said. That’s part of the unit, learning how to ask the right questions, work together and understand a problem.

Will these students end up as lawyers and judges? Maybe, maybe not — but they’ll take the critical thinking skills they learned in this lesson anywhere they go.

“Hopefully this experience excites students about the possibilities available to them for high school and their future careers,” Vaughan said.