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No Vehicles in the Park 

Overview: 

In this lesson, students will apply a general law – “no vehicles in the park” – to specific circumstances in considering the language of the law and its intended objective. The task will require that they interpret the law to allow for certain circumstances – an ambulance carrying a dying patient, for example. The lesson ends with students rewriting the law to more clearly reflect the intent of the lawmakers.   

Time Needed: 1 class period 

Materials:

No Vehicles in the Park Handout >>

Procedure:

  1. Tell students that some questions have arisen regarding how a new law should be interpreted and they need to help inter­pret the law. Pass each student a copy of “No Vehicles in the Park” 
  2. Review the dictionary definition of a vehi­cle: Something on wheels that carries people or things.
  3. Divide the class into groups of approxi­mately six students. Ask each group to look at each of the situations described and decide if the law has been broken. When interpreting the law, students should consider:
    1. What does the law say? (No vehicles in the park)
    2. What is it designed to do? (Keep vehi­cles out of the park)
    3. What is the intent of this law?

(To keep the park clean, safe, etc .. . )

  1. After the groups have had time to apply these questions to each case, have them report their decisions on each case.
  2. Have the class as a group discuss their decisions, the reasoning behind their deci­sions, and the problems they encountered in making their decisions. In reaching a decision, did students use the letter of the law, what they thought was the intent of the lawmakers, and/or their own sense of values? Discuss how this relates to law in our lives, and the processes that judges and lawyers use to interpret the law.
  3. Finally, ask students in pairs to write an improved “No Vehicles in the Park” law and revise the signs to be posted at the park entrances.

National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, National Council for the Social Studies

Theme 6: Power, Authority, and Governance

Theme 10: Civic Ideals and Practices