Reading for Life Lessons
Minnesota ABE Supplemental Services, Linda Strand, 2004-2005
And the Minnesota Literacy Council
Focus: Interpreting a summons (Reading for Life, volume 2, unit 22: Legal)
Objectives: Learners will be able to discuss the purpose of small claims court and be able to interpret information on a court summons.
Key Vocabulary: court, summons, plaintiff, defendant, attorney, accused, to sue, to be sued, versus, civil court, small claims court, judge
Materials: video from Court TV or other court-based programming (optional)
Procedure:
Real-life application:
Ask students to give some situations in which a person might take another person to court (not criminal cases). Prompt them or give them an example of a situation if necessary. List the situations on the board. (Note: small claims court is called conciliation court in Minnesota). Explain to sue and to be sued and write definitions on the board.
Draw a court summons on the board. There is one on 22-10 in Reading for Life. If you change the information on it, you can still use the one in RFL as independent practice for your students. Ask questions about the summons: “Who is suing? What do we call that person? Who is being sued? What do we call that person? Who receives the summons? What does the summons tell that person?” Write some explanations of new vocabulary off to the side of the summons.
Have students find out some information about conciliation court in Minnesota. The address is www.mncourts.gov/selfhelp/?page=313 . The website has basic information about claims in conciliation court. There is also a 10-minute video on how to handle a court hearing.
There is also information on www.consumeraffairs.com/consumerism/small_claim_01.htm
Watch a TV program that has a small claims court case. Have students identify the plaintiff and defendant, what the case is about and who the judge ruled in favor of.
Have students find numbers for free legal assistance in the community service part of the white pages.
Progress to Reading for Life, v.1 competency worksheets: Applicable worksheets: RFL v.2, unit 22
Progress to multiple-choice format activities: Some to be created by MLC – coming soon
Extensions: Some to be created by MLC – coming soon | 
