S.O.S. for Information Literacy

Doing It by the Book – How to Shepardize a Case Without Using a Computer

Description:

This lesson is designed for first year law students in their second semester of school. It is the second task of a semester-long project culminating in the writing of a “Memo to Partner”. The lesson will take place during one Legal Writing class period, which is 90 minutes long. However, due to the difficulty of the subject matter, and in an effort to provide more individualized attention to the students to increase their motivation, the class will be split in half, so there will be two classes teaching the same lesson. The class will take place in one of the law school’s library. Each student will be required to use a laptop computer during the task. Students will work their way through the buILder, which contains a tutorial on how to Shepardize a case. Students will complete an accompanying worksheet, which will measure their ability to evaluate a case for validity and persuasiveness. Students will improve their reading comprehension skills as they compare the cases, they will have to compare the rulings of different courts and judges. At the end of the lesson, students will turn their worksheets into the Reference Librarian who will review the answers with the class.

Goals & Objectives:

Instructional Goals

§ Students will learn to Shepardize a case using books rather than an on-line service.

§ Students will learn to evaluate whether or not a decision is still good law (validity).

§ Students will learn to evaluate how their case has been treated by other courts in their jurisdiction (persuasiveness).

§ Students will improve their legal reading comprehension skills by comparing case law

Learning Objectives

First Year Law Students will:

· Successfully Shepardize their assigned case

· Successfully evaluate the validity of their assigned case

· Successfully evaluate the persuasiveness of their assigned case

Motivational Goals

§ Generate interest in the research process

§ Generate interest in doing research using books rather than an on-line service

§ Build confidence in evaluating case law for validity and persuasiveness

§ Promote satisfaction in search accomplishments

Materials & Sources:

BuILder

Worksheet

PowerPoint presentation

Laptop computer

Shepard's citation manuals

Procedures:

Introduction
Content	Technique
Students are introduced to the daily class plan by the Reference Librarian.	Lecture
To combat low student motivation for the task, Professor discusses with students the kinds of tasks that junior associates receive and how this assignment is similar.	Power Point presentation, discussion and questioning; ARCS theories – attention, relevance and confidence

Body
Content	Technique
Students will work on the buILder associated with this lesson with assistance from the Reference Librarian.	BuILder http://www.informationliteracy.org/builder/view/1344
Students will complete the three tasks in the buILder while answering a worksheet, which tests their legal reading comprehension abilities.	Individual computer work, book work and worksheet Assistance from Reference Librarian as needed
Task 1 – Each student will be assigned a different United States Supreme Court Case and a different federal court jurisdiction. Students will Shepardize their assigned case using books. Students will answer questions on the worksheet.	Individual computer work, book work and worksheet Assistance from Reference Librarian as needed
Task 2 – Based on the citations found by the students, they will compare subsequently decided cases and evaluate their assigned case for validity. Students will answer questions on the worksheet.	Individual computer work, book work and worksheet Assistance from Reference Librarian as needed

Task 3 - Based on the citations found by the students, they will compare subsequently decided cases and evaluate their assigned case for persuasiveness in their jurisdiction. Students will answer questions on the worksheet.	Individual computer work, book work and worksheet Assistance from Reference Librarian as needed

Conclusion

Content

Technique

Students will complete their worksheets and turn them into the Reference Librarian. Reference Librarian will discuss the worksheet and the Shepardizing process with the students

Reference Librarian feedback, PowerPoint presentation, discussion and questioning;

ARCS theories – confidence and satisfaction

Assessment:

Learning Assessment Method(s):

? Reference Librarian will evaluate student’s ability to Shepardize by reviewing their completed BuILder worksheet
? Reference Librarian will evaluate student’s ability to evaluate a case for validity by reviewing their completed BuILder worksheet
? Reference Librarian will evaluate student’s ability to evaluate a case for persuasiveness by reviewing their completed BuILder worksheet
? Reference Librarian will evaluate student’s legal reading comprehension skills based on their results from the previous two assessments. If the student understands the case law, they can successfully compare it to other cases and answer all questions correctly.

Sources:

Print this Lesson Plan

Presented By: Jennifer Hinz

Subject Area(s)
- Higher Ed: Law
Grade Level
- Higher Education
Supporting Files
Content Standards