Brother: Guilty or Not Guilty?

“The Scarlet Ibis” Mock Trial

For this assignment, we will be putting the narrator of “The Scarlet Ibis” on trial
for the murder of Doodle. You will be assigned to represent the prosecution team,
the defense team, the judge, the jury, or the media. Work with your team to write
down ALL of the support evidence (quotes) relevant to your role. Choose the best
opening and closing statements to use for the trial.

* Judge (1 person):
* Prosecution: Find evidence that supports Brother’s guilt.
* 2 Witnesses, 1 Alternate
* 3 Attorneys (opening statement, direct examination, cross examination), 1
Alternate
* Defense: Find evidence that supports Brother’s innocence.
* 2 Witnesses (one needs to be Brother), 1 Alternate
* 3 Attorneys (opening statement, direct examination, cross examination), 1
Alternate
* Jury (10-12 people): Make a list of all the support you can find FOR or AGAINST
Brother’s guilt. Create a rubric that you will use to determine which side is doing
the best job.
* Media (7-8 people): Radio, television, print, etc.

On the day of the trial, each team needs to submit one running document that
compiles their opening statement, witness testimonies, direct examination
questions, and closing statement. Please use MLA format.

The judge will also need to submit their script for the trial (opening, orders, and
verdict).

Before the trial takes place, the jury will need to go into the story & anticipate
each team’s arguments. You may use a T-Chart to separate potential claims,
evidence, etc. Please also note BEFORE the trial how many people believe Brother is
Guilty and Not Guilty. The jury also needs to create a rubric that they will use to
evaluate the validity of each team’s argument, evidence, and questioning. This
rubric needs to be clear, direct, and structured to help the jury reach an unbiased
verdict. These items should be compiled on one Google Doc.

After the trial ends, the media needs to submit their recordings and reports on the
trial. Consider conducting interviews with lawyers, witnesses, etc. before and
after the trial. There should be a variety of media used and presented to document
the court case.

The trial will proceed in the following order:

1. Judge opens the trial (2 min)
2. Prosecution makes their opening statement. (3 min)
3. Defense makes their opening statement. (3 min)
4. Prosecution: Direct examination of Witness #1 (7 min)
5. Defense: Cross examination of Witness #1 (3 min)
5. Defense: Direct Examination of Witness #1 (7 min)
6. Prosecution: Cross Examination of Witness #1 (3 min)
7. Prosecution: Direct examination of Witness #2 (7 min)
8. Defense: Cross examination of Witness #2 (3 min)
9. Defense: Direct Examination of Witness #2 (7 min)
10. Prosecution: Cross Examination of Witness #2 (3 min)
11. Prosecution makes their closing statement and rebuttal (3 min)
12. Defense makes their closing statement and rebuttal (3 min)
13. Jury deliberates. Once a verdict has been reached, the Jury will deliver it to
the Judge.
14. The Judge will read the verdict and recommend a sentence if Brother is found
guilty (2 min)