The topic of terrorism can be overwhelming for an adult, let alone a child. America's children may be overlooked when dealing with something as serious as terrorism. All young people face the same thoughts and fears of being attacked by terrorist activities.

Through Theories and Practice of Democracy, students will get an overview of the criminal justice system and the new challenges it face in the "war on terror." This unit was devised so students could learn more about these challenges as it relates to law enforcement and the courts, including counterterrorism, the USA Patriot Act, high court decisions and more.

Students will produce a video against terrorism, participate in a mock trial, develop a PowerPoint presentation from research obtained on a terrorist organization that will be incorporated into a classroom informative book on terrorist organizations, and write a journal on hate crimes. Each activity is related to the topic of terrorism with the emphasis of learning more about this topic to diminish fears.

(Developed for Legal Administrative Assistant and Introduction to Criminal Justice, grade 10; recommended for Social Studies, grades 10-12, and Legal Administrative Assistant and Criminal Justice, grades 10-11)