Students will enter the mock trial through a courtroom role reveal, examine a teaser case file, and generate first questions and claims about fairness, evidence, and trial procedure that will guide their portfolio work in later phases.

Students will sort early case evidence, learn how courtroom roles and procedures shape fairness, choose an initial position on guilt and reasonable doubt, and complete the first annotated trial-prep portfolio entry with preliminary claims, evidence notes, and role-specific reasoning.

Students will strengthen trial arguments by tightening warrants, testing counterclaims against the strongest opposing evidence, revising portfolio entries through peer and expert feedback, and rehearsing role-based responses before the final mock trial.

Students will present their live mock trial for an authentic audience, participate in a whole-class case conference about how their reasoning changed, and submit a final trial-prep portfolio showing annotated evidence, revised role notes, and reflection.