SAMPLE PROGRAM
Based on the new Commerce Course for New South Wales
Option Topic 8: Law in action
Using page references and examples from
New Concepts in Commerce
S. Chapman, M. Freak
Prepared by S. Chapman
Option 8 Law in action / Timing: 15-25 indicative hours
Focus: Students examine the rights and responsibilities of individuals in a range of situations in which they may come in contact with the law.
Syllabus outcomesA student:
5.3 examines the role of law in society
5.4 analyses key factors affecting commercial and legal decisions
5.5 evaluates options for solving commercial and legal problems and issues
5.6 monitors and modifies the implementation of plans designed to solve commercial and legal problems and issues
5.7 researches and assesses commercial and legal information using a variety of sources
5.8 explains commercial and legal information using a variety of forms
5.9 works independently and collaboratively to meet individual and collective goals within specified timelines.
Resources: New Concepts in Commerce, Chapman & Freak: John Wiley
Option Topic 8 Law in action
Students learn about: / Students learn to: / Teaching/Learning ActivitiesContact with the law
· the nature of legal capacity
(Spread 12.1) / · identify the ages when various rights and responsibilities are granted by the law
· research areas of law that affect young people / - Explain the meaning of ‘legal; capacity’. Distinguish between a ‘minor’ and an ‘adult’.
- List the age a person may legally:
(a) leave school
(b) rent a flat
(c) leave home
(d) get a full-time job
(e) drink alcohol
(f) purchase cigarettes
(g) get married
- Discuss why society makes a distinction between these different activities.
- (a) Read Case Study ‘Bicycles and the law’ on page 254.
(b) Examine the illustration on page 254 and list all the laws that are being
broken.
- (a) Read Case Study ‘Pets and the law’ on page 255.
(b) Prioritise the responsibilities of pet ownership.
(c) Discuss the importance of accepting these responsibilities
- Debate the topic ‘The legal age for admission to a licensed club should be lowered to 16 years’. Share roles so that those not debating are involved either in assisting with research or in running the debate and keeping notes on the arguments on both sides.
- Internet activity. Go to www.jaconline.com.au/commerce and access the Lawstuff website. Outline the legal conditions regarding young people getting tattoos.
- Complete worksheet 12.1 ‘Law in action puzzle’.
Option Topic 8 Law in action
Students learn about: / Students learn to: / Teaching/Learning ActivitiesContact with the law (cont.)
· contact with the criminal law
· elements needed to be proven for a person to be convicted of a crime
(Spread 12.2) / · identify when a young person is considered to be an adult in different criminal situations
· use a range of cases to examine the levels of responsibility that apply to young people as
- accused
- witness
- victim
· identify the elements which must be proven for someone to be convicted of a crime / - Explain the meaning of criminal law by examining the illustrations on page 256. Complete activity 1.
- Have students list the different types of crimes they are familiar with. Provide a brief outline of each one.
- Examine the age at which a person can be charged with a criminal offence.
- Discuss the defence commonly used for people aged 10 to 14 who have been charged with a criminal offence.
- (a) Role play a witness being sworn in.
(b) Outline the role of a witness.
(c) Discuss under what circumstances children can be called as witnesses.
(d) Discuss the importance of an oath.
(e) Outline contempt of court.
- Outline the two elements which must be proven for an accused to be found guilty of a crime:
(a) Guilty act (actus reus) – committed an act including the features of:
(i) act, or omission, actually occurred
(ii) done by the accused
(iii) voluntarily committed, not under force
(b) Guilty mind (actus rea) – intention to commit the act
- Read Case Study ‘McConnell versus R 1977 NSWLR 714’ on page 257. Complete activity 8.
- Group work. Examine a range of situations to decide if a crime has been committed.
- Complete worksheet 12.2 ‘Crime statistics activity’.
Option Topic 8 Law in action
Students learn about: / Students learn to: / Teaching/Learning ActivitiesContact with the law (cont.)
· punishment for a crime
(Spread 12.3) / · discuss appropriate punishments for a range of crimes / - Examine why punishment is part of the legal process.
- Discuss the saying: ‘The punishment must fit the crime’.
- Outline the forms of punishment by examining the illustration on page 258.
- (a) Read ‘The Ronald Ryan case’ on page 258. Explore the issues involved with capital punishment.
- Research and list the countries that practice capital punishment.
- (a) In pairs, debate the following topic: ‘Capital punishment should be reintroduced for those convicted of murder’. One person presents the affirmative case and the other person the negative case. Each person writes the key points for their case.
(b) Divide the class into two groups, those who presented the affirmative
case and those who presented the negative case. Each group is to refine
their arguments before a spokesperson presents the group’s comments to
the rest of the class.
- Complete Skill Booster ‘Interpret a table: common penalties for crimes’ on page 259.
- Discuss the factors a magistrate or judge will take into account when sentencing a person.
- Group work. Examine a number of crimes and determine the appropriate punishment. Compare each group’s responses.
- Complete worksheet 12.3 ‘Punishments – clueless crossword’.
Option Topic 8 Law in action
Students learn about: / Students learn to: / Teaching/Learning ActivitiesContact with the law (cont.)
· punishment for a crime (cont.)
(Spread 12.4) / - Outline the role of police in our society.
- Examine the 6 stages involved when being arrested as detailed on pages 260-26.
(a) Arrested
(b) Personal search
(c) Phone call
(d) The formal interview
(e) Fingerprinted
(f) Charged
- Outline under what circumstances a person can be arrested.
- Create a mind map to summarise the series of events that may occur if a person is arrested. Also record a person’s rights and obligations.
- Arrange for a police officer to speak to your class. Prepare either a two-page written or five-minute oral report. You may wish to develop your report under the following headings:
(a) the duties of a police officer
(b) powers of arrest
(c) events of an average day.
- Internet activity. Go to www.jaconline.com.au/commerce and read about current issues relating to the law in action.
Option Topic 8 Law in action
Students learn about: / Students learn to: / Teaching/Learning ActivitiesContact with the law (cont.)
· contact with the civil law
- contracts
- negligence
(Spread 12.5) / · investigate how the same incident may give rise to both criminal and civil action
· identify situations where the civil law can hold young people responsible for their actions
· use legal cases to discuss situations where businesses can be found to be negligent in a legal sense
· examine remedies for negligence / - Revise the concept of criminal law.
- Distinguish between criminal and civil law by using relevant cases.
- Use examples to explain how a criminal act could lead to a civil action.
- Role play situations where a criminal act could lead to a civil action.
- Identify the types of contracts into which people under the age of 18 can enter.
- Read ‘Lachlan’s mobile mistake’ on page 262. Complete activity 5.
- In pairs, use the library and the Internet to prepare a half-page report on the importance of the Donoghue v Stevenson in the development of negligence law.
- Students to collect and paste into their notebook a series of newspaper articles that deal with negligence.
(a) Discuss the meaning of negligence
(b) Explain in what ways the party/ies acted negligently.
(c) Select two articles and discuss the influence this reporting may have
upon the community.
(d) Outline the remedies for the negligence.
- Examine situations of negligence in the workplace as shown in the illustrations on page 263.
- (a) Examine the reasons for the increase in cases of negligence being brought to court.
(b) Discuss: ‘As a society we are becoming too litigious’.
Option Topic 8 Law in action
Students learn about: / Students learn to: / Teaching/Learning ActivitiesRights and responsibilities
· individual rights and responsibilities in different situations
- commercial, family, work
- offender, victim, witness, defendant, plaintiff
· protection provided by the law
(Spread 12.6) / · investigate and outline the rights and responsibilities of individuals in a range of situations
· examine the ways in which children are protected under the Convention of the Rights of the Child
· use cases to examine how the law provides protection for individuals in a particular situation – family, commercial, work / - As a class discuss the topic: ‘Teenagers are aware of their rights but often seem to neglect their responsibilities’.
- Explain how in Australia we rely on specific statutes and also the common law to guarantee our rights.
- Explain the only rights that are guaranteed by the constitution are the rights to:
(a) vote
(b) freedom of religion
(c) freedom of movement
(d) own property
(e) trial by jury
(f) a fair trial.
- Examine the New Zealand Charter of Rights and the USA Bill of Rights.
- Group work. In small groups, use the library and the Internet to research the advantages and disadvantages of Australia adopting a bill of rights.
- Have students draw up a bill of rights for the operation of their Commerce class.
- Discuss how the rights and responsibilities vary with the situation by examining the illustration on page 264.
- Read Case Study ‘Lyn and Chris’ on page 265. List the articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child that were broken in the story.
Option Topic 8 Law in action
Students learn about: / Students learn to: / Teaching/Learning ActivitiesRights and responsibilities (cont.)
(Spread 12.6 cont.) / - Prepare a one-minute radio commercial outlining the rights guaranteed by the Australian constitution.
- Go to www.jaconline.com.au/commerce and access the Lawstuff website. Find one example of how the law protects individuals in the following situations:
(a) family
(b) commercial
(c)work.
Option Topic 8 Law in action
Students learn about: / Students learn to: / Teaching/Learning ActivitiesResolving disputes
· methods of resolving disputes
- police
- courts
- community conferencing
- mediation
- conciliation
- tribunals
(Spread 12.7) / · identify the range of options for dispute resolution
· evaluate the effectiveness of different methods of resolving disputes / - (a) Students to identify the methods of resolving disputes in which they
- have participated.
(b) Assess the effectiveness of each method.
- Outline the four options police have when dealing with young people:
(a) warnings
(b) formal cautions
(c) community conferencing
(d) court.
- (a) Roleplay each of the four options available to police.
(b) Develop a dispute scenario, brief the people involved and then conduct the roleplay.
(c) Assess the effectiveness of each dispute resolution method.
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of resolving disputes without going to court.
- Demonstrate the difference between mediation and conciliation by conducting a roleplay.
- Discuss situations where it would be more appropriate to arbitrate than mediate.
- Roleplay a group conferencing session to resolve a dispute over a teenage boy who stole a handbag from an elderly woman. Video the roleplay and view and discuss it as a class.
Option Topic 8 Law in action
Students learn about: / Students learn to: / Teaching/Learning ActivitiesResolving disputes (cont.)
(Spread 12.7 cont.) / - Internet activity. Go to www.jaconline,com,au/commerce and access the Lawlink NSW website.
(a) Outline the role of Community Justice Centres
(b) Identify the types of disputes suitable for mediation through a Community Justice Centre.
- Complete worksheets 12.4 ‘Settling disputes – a cloze passage’
- Complete worksheet 12.5 ‘Topic test – the law in action’.
Option Topic 8 Law in action
STAGES 4 AND 5 COMMERCE REGISTER
OPTION TOPIC 8: LAW IN ACTION
AREAS OF STUDY: Contact with the law Rights and responsibilities Resolving disputes
Teacher’s Name ______Date commenced ______Date completed ______
Content examined: Outcomes achieved:Teaching/Learning activities used
Mind maps Discussion Locating information Accessing websites ICT applications
Point summary Individual research Group research Explanation Brainstorm
Cloze exercise Debate Roleplay Statistical analysis Graph interpretation
Cartoon interpretation Diagram Mathematical computation Video/DVD Oral presentation
Reading Comprehension Model construction Case study Media article
Note taking Text exercise Topic summary Pre/post tests Guest speaker
Excursion Problem solving Simulation exercise Graph construction CD-ROM
Analysing information Lecturette Commerce quiz Test item Survey
Evaluation of program:
Additional resources:
Some useful Internet sites
· www.fed.gov.au (go to consumer protection)
· www.consumer.gov.au (Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs)
· www.consumeronline.gov.au
· www.asic.gov.au (go to fido)
· www.scamwatch.gov.au
· www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au
· www.liac.sl.nsw.gov.au (Legal Information Access Centre)
· www.ombo.nsw.gov.au (Ombusman) / · www.industrialrelations.nsw.gov.au
· www.asx.com.au
· www.choice.com.au
· www.dollarsandsense.com.au
· www.infochoice.com.au
· www.fpa.asn.au
· www.wesleycreditline.org
· www.ethics.org.au
· www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
· www.accc.gov.au
Commerce is an interesting, exciting and highly relevant subject. I wish you well for the new course. Stephen Chapman
Sample Work Program: New Concepts in Commerce (Option Topics) Chapman & Freak: John Wiley (Jacaranda) Page 13