Merion Mercy Academy Back to School Night Tuesday, 9/20/11 Introduction to Law Mr. Paul Clementi Code 8 Welcome to …..

5 Questions in 7 Minutes 1. Who is this guy? 2. What’s the content? 3. How does he teach it? 4. How does he grade? 5. Does he see my child?

My Background Personal  Personal  Married, 3 children  Parishioner, St. Thomas of Villanova  Education  B.S. Economics, Villanova University  J.D., Seton Hall Law School  PA Teacher Cert., Eastern Univ.  Previous Career with ExxonMobil

Teaching Experience  Little League Coach (2002 to present)  Stay at home dad (2004 to 2006)  Merion Mercy (2008 to present) Other Courses: US History, US Government, Introduction to Law and Psychology  Other Courses: US History, US Government, Introduction to Law and Psychology  Mock Trial Program Coordinator  Adjunct Professor (2005 to present)  Power, Politics and Ethics of Oil, Eastern, Villanova and West Chester Univ.  Criminal Justice, Eastern Univ.

Course Content  Introduction: The Purpose, Values and Kinds of Law  Introduction: Settling Disputes and the Court System  Criminal Law  Tort Law  Contractual Law  Consumer and Housing Law  Intellectual Property  Family Law  Legal Writing and Application

How does he teach? tudent – Centered Learning  S tudent – Centered Learning by Dr. Carl Rogers  Understanding by Design by Wiggins and McTighe  Mercy Core Values

Course Goals Every student will…  possess a basic understanding of the fundamental substantive and procedural principles of criminal, tort, and contract law.  understand how the principles of federalism applies to the American judicial system.  evaluate and critique the goals and values implicit within the American legal system from the context of MMA’s mission of living mercy and seeking justice.  understand and contemplate the variety professional roles within the American legal system within the context of her individual skills and interests.

Assessments  Class Participation 10% of grade  Homework and In Class Assignments 10% of grade  Quizzes, Tests and Projects 60% of grade  Final Exam 20% of grade

Class Participation From the syllabus “…. [T]o achieve our academic goals active participation of the students in class is vital. The development of interpersonal and communication skills is an important part of any social studies class. This grade is a good faith effort grade; students will not be scored on the correctness of your answers, but the on the quality of your commitment to the learning process…”

Homework and In Class Assignments  Key Points on Homework…. 1. On average 30 minutes every night; purposeful in either reinforcing the day’s learning or preparing for tomorrow. 2. Periodically checked and graded for accuracy and/or good faith. 3. Student binders are subject to review at any point during the semester for grading purposes. 4. Any student carrying below an 80% cumulative grade may be asked to submit homework on a daily basis for review.  Key Points on Class Work…. 1. These assignments may be individually, pair or team based. 2. Periodically checked and graded for accuracy and/or good faith effort.

Quizzes, Tests and Projects  Key Points …. 1. “Nothing should be a surprise.” 2. Quizzes may be given on any day and may be announced or unannounced. However, unannounced quizzes if homework / class work is collectively unsatisfactory. 3. Test and projects will be announced ahead of schedule and given/due only on the assigned testing dates (day 2 and 5). 4. On particularly longer units, a comprehensive test may be given that draws on information prior to the previous test.

But the big question… Does he see my child?