Online Look into Law TY Programme 2022 – Teacher Resource Page

(Please note: this page should not be shared with any students.)

  1. General information for you as the teacher.  
  2. Student interactions online. 
  3. Each module’s extra resources and knowledge check answers. 
  4. How to run the programme with your student(s). 
  5. Suggested ways to check if students have completed the modules (if completed alone).

1. General information for you as the teacher: 

This page contains all you need to know as the teacher to run the online programme. This page should not be shared with any students.

There are five modules each containing a number of chapters. Each chapter includes approximately 30 minutes of pre-recorded video content. Most chapters also include knowledge checks, reflection pieces, and links to further information.  

In the information below, we will outline the content of each chapter and its approximate length, in order to allow you to plan the lesson and perhaps allocate some tasks for homework that evening or indeed allocate preparation work in advance.

In response to feedback from teachers from the 2021 online programme, we have broken down the modules into smaller chapters. You may like to complete the programme one chapter per week, one module per week, or all modules over one week, the choice is completely yours. We hope that by creating chapters we further increase the flexibility for you to tailor the programme to suit your school’s timetable.

Please encourage your students to interact on the Padlet page – see below.

Finally, you should note that the final two modules (Modules 4 and 5) are longer than the first three.

*If you’re not running the programme in class time, your students will need to be given the individual links for each chapter.*

2. Student interactions: 

Please use #LookIntoLaw2022 for any social media interactions on Twitter etc. If you are posting anything on behalf of students, please ensure that appropriate permissions have been sought.  

There is an interactive Padlet noticeboard here: click on this link to access padlet. Please give this link to all the students taking part. There will also be links to this page in each Module.  

All posts will be monitored, and only appropriate content will be published. We have also disabled likes and there is a profanity monitor enabled.  

3. Each module’s extra resources and knowledge check answers:

Module 1

Approx video length of each chapter:

  1. Chapter 1 – 26 minutes
  2. Chapter 2 – 26 minutes
  3. Chapter 3 – 26 minutes
  4. Chapter 4 – 17 minutes

Useful links and suggested exercises:

Answers to knowledge checks can be found here

Module 2

Approx video length of each chapter:

  1. Chapter 1 – 26 minutes
  2. Chapter 2 – 25 minutes
  3. Chapter 3 – 30 minutes
  4. Chapter 4 – 32 minutes

Useful links and suggested exercises:

Finally, why not watch a courtroom movie or read a fictional book set in the legal world? Do you know the differences between how a trial takes place in other countries compared to here? There are lots of differences between a trial in the USA compared to in Ireland. See if you can find out what they might be.

Answers to knowledge checks can be found here

Module 3

Approx video length of each chapter:

  1. Chapter 1 – 29 minutes
  2. Chapter 2 – 33 minutes
  3. Chapter 3 – 29 minutes
  4. Chapter 4 – 28 minutes

Useful links and suggested exercises:

The film clips are at the following links but should be noted *there is a strong language warning*:

The rights of children and young people

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Child Friendly Justice – Council of Europe

Children’s Rights Alliance ‘Know your rights guides’, including guides on the following 

Courts services website: Understanding the courts

The Constitution:

Answers to knowledge checks can be found here

Module 4

Approx video length of each chapter:

  1. Chapter 1 – 23 minutes
  2. Chapter 2 – 27 minutes
  3. Chapter 3 – 20 minutes
  4. Chapter 4 – 22 minutes
  5. Chapter 5 – 30 minutes

Please note that some of the video content contains sensitive subject matter so we have added the following short warnings before each video so that each student can decide for themselves to proceed.

“The following discussion touches upon the theme of bullying, social media and how the law plays a role in your welfare in relation to media. It is a mature discussion on themes that no doubt resonate for many. If you do not wish to watch it, proceed to the next session. You can come back to this video, should you wish, in the future.”

“The following interviews with journalists contain references to cases involving the reporting of a number of crimes, that viewers may find unsettling or upsetting. You may prefer not to watch, in which case please feel free to move to the next section of the module.”

Orla O’Donnell works for RTÉ – take a look at their website – www.rte.ie and don’t forget to look at some of her work on YouTube and follow her on Twitter.

Conor Gallagher works for the Irish Times – take a look at their website – www.irishtimes.com and don’t forget to find some of his newspaper articles and follow him on Twitter.

Interested in a career in the media and law – here are a few suggestions of courses available, but there are many more:

UL: BA in Journalism and Digital Communication

DCU Arts: Joint Honours (Media Studies)

TU Dublin: Journalism

Griffith College: BA in Communications and Media Production

King’s Inns: Advanced Diploma in Social Media and Media Law

Here are a few other suggestions of websites that might interest you: 

Answers to knowledge checks can be found here

Module 5

Approx video length of each chapter:

  1. Chapter 1 – 27 minutes
  2. Chapter 2 – 29 minutes
  3. Chapter 3 – 37 minutes
  4. Chapter 4 – 24 minutes
  5. Chapter 5 – 29 minutes
  6. Chapter 6 – 22 minutes

Here are a few interesting links we highlighted:

Who’s Who in the Courtroom

Roles of everyone in the Courtroom

Here is a link to a judgment from 2017 that you could ask the students to read in advance of chapter 2. This could be given as homework ahead of Module 5 Chapter 4.

Here is a link to the mock casefile. You should ask the students to prepare for the advocacy components of Module 5 chapter 2 by reading the mock casefile for homework.

If you are in a position to run the mock trial at some stage, here is a casefile and a template for how to run the mock trial.  If you cannot run a mock trial, you could share these documents with the students for their information.

Answers to knowledge checks can be found here

4. How to run the programme with your students

Going through the module with students in a classroom setting:  

If you are going through the modules in a classroom setting, you can share your screen with your students and go through the content and modules together. Before each knowledge check a list of questions will appear, and you can ask students to take down the questions to answer them while they are watching the video. Then you can do the quiz together at the end. All answers to knowledge checks will be shared on the teachers’ resources page but the answers will also appear as you progress through the quiz.

Sending links to students to complete individually during class time:  

If you are unable to facilitate the modules in a classroom environment you can send students the link to each module and they can go through the content on their own during class time.  

Sending links to students to complete individually outside school hours:  

If you are unable to facilitate students completing the course during school hours you can send them the link to complete in their own time outside school hours. 

We recommend that, regardless of the way you run the programme, that you encourage and facilitate some sort of discussion and feedback amongst students.  

Suggested ways to check if students have completed the modules (if completed alone): 

We recognise that if students are completing each module on their own you are unable to individually verify that they are completing each module. However, we would encourage you to use some of the suggested methods below to assist you in determining if they are completing the programme to the best of your knowledge. 

You can verify that they have completed the modules by asking them questions about what they have learnt in each module and you can encourage them to interact on the Padlet noticeboard.  

Here are a few suggestions as to how you could check if your students have completed Module 1

Here are a few suggestions as to how you could check if your students have completed Module 2

Here are a few suggestions as to how you could check if your students have completed Module 3

  1. The three things they noted down following Maura McNally’s introduction.
  2. The three things they noted down following the Chief Justice’s introduction.
  3. Any words or terminology they didn’t know – and encourage them to look them up.
  4. From the faces of the bar: what stories meant something to them, what advice did they like, what surprised them.
  5. What did they learn about the District Court from its President.
  6. What did they learn about becoming a barrister and attending King’s Inns.
  7. Did they get all the answers correct in the quiz given by the first and second years.
  8. Did they follow the additional links. 
  1. Any words or terminology they didn’t know – and encourage them to look them up.
  2. From the faces of the bar: what stories meant something to them, what advice did they like, what surprised them.
  3. What did they learn about the Circuit Court from its President.
  4. What did they learn about being a defence solicitor?
  5. What did they learn about being a member of the Office of the DPP?
  6. What did they learn about being a member of An Garda Siochana?
  7. What did they learn about being a prison warden?
  8. Melissa interviewed two criminal barristers – what answers were the most interesting?
  9. Did they get all the answers correct in the knowledge checks?
  10. Did they follow the additional links.  What else did they learn?
  11. We suggested they watch a courtroom drama movie or read a courtroom drama book.
  1. Any words or terminology they didn’t know – and encourage them to look them up.
  2. From the faces of the bar: what stories meant something to them, what advice did they like, what surprised them.
  3. What did they learn about the High Court from its President.
  4. What did they learn about access to legal aid in Ireland?
  5. Ask them to describe the work of the Children’s Rights Alliance and the ICCL.
  6. Were they aware of mediation before and what did they find out about it?
  7. Which of the five specialised areas of laws was of most interest to them and why?
  8. Why is drafting so important?
  9. Did they get all the answers correct in the knowledge checks?
  10. Did they follow the additional links.  What else did they learn? 

Here are a few suggestions as to how you could check if your students have completed Module 4:   

In this module we have issued challenges to the students to take part in extra work:

We would like to challenge you now to do some work! We have a few fun tasks for you to try. If you’re feeling brave, share your attempts with your classmates and teacher.

  1. Why not have a go at reporting on a trial? You’ve seen examples of Orla carrying out this job and if you go to YouTube you will find other examples. Pick a trial, or make up your own, and record yourself, with your notes in your hand, delivering a short piece to camera. It’s not as easy as it looks!
  2. Now write a short article for a newspaper about this trial. Pick a trial, or make one up. Look at a few newspapers and see how crimes correspondents write about a trial. Look at the language they use and how they describe the proceedings.
  3. Finally, write a short tweet to drive traffic to your newspaper article. Remember you are limited to 280 characters in a tweet! Look at how newspaper or magazine journalists write their tweets that help to encourage their readers to go and read more.
  1. Any words or terminology they didn’t know – and encourage them to look them up.
  2. From the faces of the bar: what stories meant something to them, what advice did they like, what surprised them.
  3. What did they learn about the Court of Appeal from its President.
  4. What did they learn about the work that Orla O’Donnell does with RTÉ?
  5. What did they learn about the work that Conor Gallagher does with the Irish Times?
  6. Emer Woodfull conducted an interview with two other barristers – what did the students learn from this discussion?
  7. Did they get all the answers correct in the knowledge checks?
  8. Did they follow the additional links.  What else did they learn? 
  9. Did they complete any of the challenges and if yes, are they willing to share them with you!

Here are a few suggestions as to how you could check if your students have completed Module 5:

  1. Any words or terminology they didn’t know – and encourage them to look them up.
  2. From the faces of the bar: what stories meant something to them, what advice did they like, what surprised them.
  3. What did they learn about the Supreme Court from its President, the Chief Justice of Ireland.
  4. Did you get everything right when guessing who was who in the courtroom?
  5. What traditions and customs at the bar did you not know before?
  6. You took a look at a judgment – did you get the questions right afterwards and what new things did you learn?
  7. You heard about the importance of the types of questions you use in court – what did you learn about the kind of questions you need to ask?
  8. Can you tell me any examples of bad advocacy in examination-in-chief or cross-examination?
  9. What new terminology did you learn in the preparing for trial section?
  10. Did they follow the additional links.  What else did they learn? 

*NB Do not send these to us, but you could encourage your students to share any observations anonymously on Padlet (using first initial and county eg L from Dublin)*

Disclaimer: The Bar of Ireland is providing the below external links to sites that are relevant to this module and that students may find of interest for further research. The Bar of Ireland does not endorse these sites and their content.