Steps for Starting a Law Elective

STEP 2: COURSE STRUCTURE

One of the biggest advantages of teaching a law elective is its flexibility. You can design your course to reflect your students’ interests, your teaching style, and your school’s goals. At the same time, a well-structured course ensures complex legal concepts are accessible and meaningful. This step explores tried-and-true approaches to structuring a course for a smooth, effective learning experience.

One-Semester Course

Many schools offer law as a one-semester elective, often organized into 4–5 topical units. You can adapt the course to best meet the needs of your school community—just remember to limit your selection to no more than five units to maintain the right level of depth and engagement.

Common and successful units:

• Introduction to Law and the Legal System: Defining law, lawmaking, advocacy, dispute resolution, courts, and lawyers.
• Criminal Law and Juvenile Justice: Crime, defenses, trials, sentencing, corrections, and juvenile justice.
• Torts: Civil wrongs, negligence, intentional torts, strict liability, and public policy implications.
• Consumer and Housing Law: Contracts, warranties, credit, deceptive sales, cars, and housing rights.
• Family Law: Marriage, parenting, foster care, adoption, divorce, custody, and government support.
• Constitutional Law/Individual Rights and Liberties: Constitutional rights—speech, press, religion, due process, privacy, workplace rights, and immigration.
• Contemporary Issues in Law: Current events, public policy, technology and the law.
• Careers in Law and Public Policy: Legal and policy-related careers; educational pathways to careers in the legal sector

Note: These units generally follow the unit structure of the Street Law textbook.

Two-Semester Course

If you offer a two-semester course, you have even more flexibility. You can:

• Prioritize breadth: Cover 4–5 units per semester (8 total).
• Prioritize depth: Choose fewer topics but explore them in greater detail, often using democratic simulations to put that knowledge into practice.

Example structures:

• Semester 1: Introduction to Law and the Legal System, Criminal Law, and Constitutional Law.
• Semester 2: Family Law, Consumer and Housing Law, Torts, and Contemporary Issues.

A two-semester course allows for flexible scheduling, the option to set prerequisites, and the ability for each semester to stand alone.

Sample Syllabi

Coming soon

STEP 3: COURSE CONTENT

The heart of any law elective is its content: engaging topics, accurate information, and materials that connect to students’ lives. Thoughtful content selection helps students build a solid foundation of legal knowledge while exploring timely, real-world issues. This step guides you in designing a curriculum that is meaningful, rigorous, and responsive to the evolving legal landscape.

Once you’ve established your course structure and identified broad themes, it’s time to refine your content. Focus on three key questions as you make decisions:

• What specific legal topics should students master?
• Which skills—critical thinking, argumentation, analysis—should students develop?
• Which materials, activities, and instructional strategies will best help students achieve these goals?

Keep your students’ needs, interests, and learning outcomes at the center of these choices to create a course that is both relevant and transformative.

Selecting Legal Topics

Ask yourself: Which issues are most relevant to my students’ lives and communities?

For example, immigration law may resonate in schools with many first- or second-generation American students. Intellectual property could engage students in performing arts or entrepreneurship programs. Patent law might be well suited to a magnet school for science and technology. Learning about credit and financial services could be important if those topics aren’t covered elsewhere in the school’s curriculum.

Ask Yourself: Which topics spark meaningful discussion while supporting balanced, critical thinking?

Contested issues can be powerful learning tools. Structured discussions help students explore multiple perspectives, build knowledge of current public policy, and develop essential civic skills for engaging respectfully with people with differing views.

Ask Yourself: Which topics will students relate to most?

Prioritize relatable topics such as student speech, voting rights, contracts, or juvenile justice. For others, highlight how these topics affect students’ futures and communities.

Identifying Skills to Develop

Ask yourself: What do I want my students to do, not just know, by the end of the course? Which skills are critical for success in school, work, and civic life?

Key skills include: questioning, reasoning, communicating effectively, evaluating and analyzing information, making evidence-based claims, deliberating thoughtfully, collaborating with others, problem-solving, persuading, taking informed action, considering multiple perspectives, forming well-supported opinions, and public speaking.

Use interactive learning experiences such as mock trials, moot courts, case studies, legislative simulations, and deliberations. These approaches align with Common Core skills like analyzing documents, citing evidence, developing arguments, and assessing multiple perspectives.

Identifying Resources and Teaching Strategies

Ask yourself: Will I use the Street Law textbook and Teacher Manual, create my own materials, or use other curricular resources? Which resources will best support the topics and skills I’ve chosen?

Learn more about Street Law, Inc. curricular resources that can support your law elective.

STEP 4: COURSE APPROVAL

Gaining approval for a new law course requires clear planning, alignment, and effective communication with school and district leaders. A strong proposal demonstrates the course’s value, showing how it supports curriculum goals, meets student needs, and promotes college- and career-readiness. This step guides you in crafting a compelling course pitch to secure administrative support.

Approval processes vary, so plan to submit your proposal at least one semester before your intended launch. Administrators generally look for clear evidence that the course is valuable, feasible, and aligned with school goals and standards.

Here’s an outline of what administrators typically expect in a proposal or course pitch:

1. Course Overview

Provide a concise summary that answers:

• What the course is about
• Who it’s for (grade levels, prerequisites)
• What makes it unique or needed (e.g., fills a gap, builds essential skills)

Example: “Introduction to Law is a one-semester elective that introduces students to the U.S. legal system, focusing on rights, responsibilities, and real-world legal issues.”

2. Rationale / Justification

Explain why the course matters. Effective rationales include:

• Relevance to civic engagement and college/career readiness
• Alignment with state or district social studies standards
• Connection to broader school goals (e.g., critical thinking, real-world learning, student voice)
• Evidence of student interest or community support

Tip: Include data or anecdotes, e.g., “Students expressed interest in learning about the law during government class” or “Local legal professionals have offered to serve as classroom resources.”

See Benefits of a Law Elective

3. Course Logistics

Include:

• Semester or year-long format
• Credit value
• Graduation requirement or elective status
• Prerequisites (if any)

4. Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Define clear, measurable outcomes showing what students will gain.

• Content knowledge (e.g., U.S. legal system structure)
• Skills (e.g., argumentation, public speaking, analysis, critical thinking)
• Civic competencies (e.g., understanding rights and responsibilities)

Tip: Use action verbs from Bloom’s Taxonomy such as analyze, evaluate, apply, and create.

5. Course Outline / Scope and Sequence

Provide a brief outline of major units or topics, such as:

• Introduction to Law and the Legal System
• Criminal Law and Juvenile Justice
• Torts
• Consumer Law
• Family Law
• Individual Rights and Liberties
• Contemporary Issues in Law

6. Instructional Methods and Activities

Highlight student-centered approaches, such as:

• Simulations, case studies, and discussions of contested issues
• Project-based learning or community engagement
• Cross-curricular connections (e.g., English, civics, history)

7. Assessment Plan

Explain how student learning will be measured:

• Authentic assessments (e.g., mock trials, simulations, case analyses)
• Written reflections or case briefs
• Presentations
• Participation and collaboration

8. Resources Needed

Identify what resources you will need and how they will be provided:

• Curriculum materials or textbooks, such as Street Law: A Course in Practical Law
• Technology
• Professional development for the teacher

Tip: Administrators appreciate low-cost, ready-to-use options—see Street Law’s free Resource Library.

9. Community or Partnership Opportunities

Highlight potential partnerships with:

• Local law firms, judges, or civic organizations
• Legal experts as guest speakers
• Field trips to law-related locations (e.g., courthouse, city hall)

10. Plan for Evaluation and Long-term Sustainability

Show that you’ve planned for follow-up:

• How course success will be measured (enrollment, student feedback)
• How it could grow or evolve (e.g., into a legal studies pathway)

STEP 5: STUDENT RECRUITMENT

A vibrant law course starts with students who are curious, motivated, and eager to engage with legal concepts. Effective recruitment builds awareness, generates excitement, and helps students see themselves as capable legal thinkers and civic participants. This step explores strategies to promote your course, dispel misconceptions, and encourage enrollment.

Recruitment Strategies

Begin by promoting your course in government or civics classes and sharing your vision with guidance and counseling staff.

Clear communication helps dispel misconceptions about who belongs in a law class and highlights the unique opportunities your course offers. Law classes thrive they include a mix of students—different backgrounds, abilities, and lived experiences. Students learn from one another and gain a richer understanding of how the law shapes everyday life.

Even the best course won’t take off without enough students enrolled. To generate excitement and ensure your course gets noticed, consider:

• Highlighting engaging opportunities like field trips, guest experts, and hands-on experiences like mock trials or moot courts.
• Visiting required government or history classes to give a quick, energetic “pitch.”
• Recruiting enthusiastic students to help spread the word.
• Promoting through social media, announcements, posters, and elective fairs.
• Sharing information with parents and other teachers so they can encourage participation.
• Beginning recruitment 1-2 months before students make their course selections so counselors can include your elective in scheduling conversations.  

STEP 6: ENSURING INSTRUCTIONAL EXCELLENCE

Strong teaching is at the heart of every successful law elective. Ongoing professional development, reflective practice, and research-based instructional strategies help you deliver engaging, relevant, and accurate instruction. This step focuses on developing your expertise, expanding your teaching toolkit, and grounding your course in best practices to engage students effectively.

Custom Teacher Professional Development:

The best law courses start with strong teacher preparation. And Street Law can help.

We work directly with state departments of education, school districts, and schools to design custom teacher professional development focused on law, government, current and contested issues, and interactive teaching strategies. Our professional development builds teacher capacity with both pedagogy and content.

See Custom Teacher Professional Development

Current Street Law Offerings:

• Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers: Since 1995, we’ve partnered with the Supreme Court Historical Society to offer this annual professional development institute to secondary school social studies teachers. Over six days, participants explore recent cases, hear from leading experts, and strengthen their instruction about the Court.
• Subscribe to Street Law emails to stay informed about upcoming professional development offerings.

Other Professional Development Opportunities:

You can also explore civic education professional development opportunities through the member organizations of the Civic Renewal Network. This consortium of nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations is committed to improving civic education nationwide. Street Law, Inc. is a proud member of the Civic Renewal Network.

Use Best Practices in Law-Related Education

Effective law classes combine real-world content with interactive teaching. Keep these best practices in mind as you plan:

• Focus on essential knowledge and skills.
• Choose materials that show multiple perspectives.
• Allow time for deep exploration and skill practice.
• Use student-centered strategies.
• Involve visitors from the legal community.
• Collaborate with administrators and colleagues to strengthen your program.

Revisit these practices regularly to reflect on your progress and celebrate what’s working well.

STEP 7: LEGAL COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Connecting your classroom to the broader legal community enriches learning and brings the law to life. Guest speakers, field experiences, and extracurricular opportunities help students understand the legal system in practice. This step highlights ways to build meaningful relationships with legal professionals, create real-world experiences, and broaden students’ exposure to legal careers and civic engagement.

Bring the Legal Community Into Your Classroom

Inviting guest experts—what we call community resource people—from the legal field can make lessons come alive for students and help you teach complex and evolving topics with confidence.

Community resource people can:

• Share real-world experiences and insights
• Answer students’ questions (without providing legal advice)
• Support simulations like mock trials, moot courts, or legislative hearings
• Serve as inspiring role models

Consider inviting:

• Lawyers, judges, paralegals, and other legal professionals
• Lawmakers and elected officials
• Law students involved in Street Law or other community education programs
• Other law-related professionals, such as probation or parole officers, school resource officers, jury consultants, federal law enforcement officers, consumer advocates, social workers, housing inspectors, journalists, or government representatives

Tip: Always select guests with your students’ needs and community context in mind.

Research shows that community resource people are most impactful when they co-teach interactive, student-centered lessons rather than simply giving a guest lecture.

To ensure a successful visit:

• Share your goals for the lesson
• Explain students’ prior knowledge and experiences
• Encourage interactive storytelling rather than lectures
• Provide a lesson plan or co-create one with the guest
• Plan how you will co-teach the lesson for maximum engagement
• Debrief afterward to help students connect the experience to the curriculum
• Communicate logistical details including the date, time, and location of the visit and your school’s procedures for outside visitors, including parking instructions

Bring Students Into The Legal Community

Taking students out into the community helps them see the law and legal system in action.

Ideas include:

• Field trips – Visit courts, police departments, or government meetings.
• Job shadows or internships – Partner with law firms, government offices, or advocacy organizations.
• Service-learning or civic action projects – Encourage students to address community issues connected to law.

Field Trip Best Practices

Planning for Success:

• Check school and district policies for transportation, forms, parental permissions, chaperone requirements, funding, and scheduling.
• Request approvals well in advance to comply with all requirements.
• Prepare students with an overview of what they will see and learn, expectations for behavior, and any necessary background information.

During the Field Trip:

• Encourage students to observe actively, ask questions, and record reactions.
• Focus on connecting what they see to classroom lessons and real-world applications.

After the Field Trip:

• Debrief with students to reflect on what they learned, link experiences to course content, and discuss any remaining questions.
• Reinforce connections between the classroom and the broader legal community to maximize learning.

Enhance Learning Beyond the Classroom

Extend your course’s impact with extracurricular and schoolwide opportunities.

Consider adding:

• Law clubs – Give students a forum to explore legal topics, discuss current cases, plan field trips, or meet legal professionals.
• Mock trial or moot court teams – Build legal knowledge as well as confidence and advocacy skills. Check with your state bar association, the National High School Mock Trial Championship, or the National Association of Moot Court for competition details. Street Law also offers several free mock trial and moot court resources.
• Law Day celebration – Held annually on May 1, Law Day is a great opportunity to highlight the rule of law and engage your school community. Each year, the American Bar Association announces a new Law Day theme.