Common Planner
K–12 Standards

Pre-Law I

Other Tennessee CTE sets

Career Planning and Compliance

  • 1

    Investigate occupations that make up legal services. Demonstrate an understanding of each occupation by accurately articulating the following: 1

    1. a

      Job description1.a

    2. b

      Roles and responsibilities of the position1.b

    3. c

      Essential knowledge and skills needed for the career1.c

    4. d

      Comparison of similar careers available in state, federal, and military legal systems1.d

    5. e

      Educational, training, and certification requirements1.e

    6. f

      Licensure and credentialing requirements1.f

Foundations of the Legal System

  • 2

    Articulate important historical events and milestones (such as European influences) impacting the evolution of the current legal system in the United States. Include a description of the evolution of the modern legal system to address common law, terrorism, cybercrimes, and hate crimes.2

  • 3

    Compare and contrast requirements and duties for the executive and legislative branches including the legislative process, and examine the function of the judicial system as it relates to both branches. Include an explanation of the function of the system of checks and balances.3

  • 4

    Differentiate the roles of the courts at the local, county, state, and federal levels including an explanation of procedural law at each level.4

  • 5

    Differentiate between the various agencies in the law and public safety sector at the local, state, and national levels including law enforcement organizations, legal service providers, corrections agencies, and security agencies describing their jurisdiction, roles and responsibilities, and governing bodies. Identify conflicts in jurisdiction that may arise when multiple agencies work together.5

  • 6

    Summarize the six types of laws (criminal, civil, administrative, statutory, common, constitutional), and discuss the purpose of each. For each type of law:6

    1. a

      develop connections among sample laws,6.a

    2. b

      compare relevant legal concepts such as burden of proof, and6.b

    3. c

      evaluate applicable defenses and punishments.6.c

Basic Constitutional Protections

  • 7

    Explore the history of the first amendment and the five basic freedoms it covers: religion, speech, press, assembly, and petitions. Research current issues related to each freedom and the protections guaranteed to citizens. Create a scenario or campaign that applies the protections to students in a school setting for one of the freedoms. Review case law that applies to the scenario or campaign and write a case brief summarizing the issues, the rule of law, the action, and the holding. 7

  • 8

    Interpret the Bill of Rights as it applies to the defendant. Summarize each amendment and give an example of its application including the potential to ensure a fair trial.  8

  • 9

    Outline the individual protections provided by the Fourth Amendment and illustrate in an informative narrative what can be considered a “reasonable expectation of privacy.” Explore landmark cases such as New Jersey v. T.L.O. and Katz v. U.S., and discuss in groups the expectations by students of privacy on school property with respect to search and seizure.9

  • 10

    Summarize the Exclusionary Rule and explain in an oral argument or written narrative how it applies to the Fourth Amendment (Mapp v. Ohio) and the Fifth Amendment (Miranda v. Arizona). Describe the relationship of the fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine to the exclusionary rule (Silverthorne Lumber Co. v. United States).10

Ethics

  • 11

    Collect codes of ethics from professional organizations in legal services including Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct, Tennessee Code of Judicial Conduct, and Federal Code of Conduct to examine areas of commonality. Synthesize principles from the codes of ethics to create a personal code of ethics.11

  • 12

    Examine real-world situations that involve ethical dilemmas and the application of correct professional conduct as highlighted in recent news articles. Use information from the articles to defend the importance of ethics and professional standards for persons working in legal services.12

  • 13

    Analyze how the influence of diverse cultures and customs impacts the field of legal services. Describe the importance of cultural differences when making decisions within the context of criminal, civil, and immigration law.  13

Criminal Law and Criminology

  • 14

    Define criminal law and criminology. Research the major behavioral science theories such as Rational Choice Theory, Biological and Biosocial Theories, and Social Learning Theory describing criminal behavior. Identify theorists and elaborate on their major contributions to the field; include emerging theories sourced from contemporary scholarship. Apply a specific theory to explain a notable crime. 14

  • 15

    Examine the differences and similarities between the concepts of crime, victimization, and criminal behavior. Distinguish between the two major sources of crime statistics: the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting Program (known as UCR/NIBRS) and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). Explain how modern criminal justice agencies are utilizing statistics from both sources to report crime, victimization and criminal behavior.15

Civil and Tort Law

  • 16

    Compare and contrast civil and criminal law. Summarize the specific areas of civil law such as contracts, torts, property and family law and include a short description of each area along with an example of a typical case. Explain the purpose of tort law including a discussion of intentional tort, negligence, and strict liability.16

  • 17

    Differentiate Tennessee Rules of Evidence and Federal Rules of Evidence. Choose a high profile case and create a case brief to summarize the issues, the rule of law, the action, and the holding. Provide a legal memo with a student opinion of the case.17

Immigration Law

  • 18

    Analyze the history of immigration law including the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1953 and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Research and explain the doctrine of preemption as it relates to state immigration laws, and debate the constitutionality of Tennessee immigration laws as they relate to federal immigration laws.18

  • 19

    Survey and explain the relationship of immigration court to the other court systems; include a discussion of the immigration court system’s unique characteristics. Research immigration law and describe three main categories: (1) family-based immigration, (2) employment-based immigration, and (3) humanitarian immigration. Explain the relationship of federal and state immigration law.19

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?
Grade 9
Where can I read the official document?
Pre-Law I

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