POV
object(WP_Query)#7032 (51) { ["query"]=> array(3) { ["name"]=> string(11) "lesson-plan" ["pov_film"]=> string(21) "disturbingtheuniverse" ["amp"]=> int(1) } ["query_vars"]=> array(66) { ["name"]=> string(11) "lesson-plan" ["pov_film"]=> string(21) "disturbingtheuniverse" ["amp"]=> int(1) ["error"]=> string(0) "" ["m"]=> string(0) "" ["p"]=> int(0) ["post_parent"]=> string(0) "" ["subpost"]=> string(0) "" ["subpost_id"]=> string(0) "" ["attachment"]=> string(0) "" ["attachment_id"]=> int(0) ["static"]=> string(0) "" ["pagename"]=> string(0) "" ["page_id"]=> int(0) ["second"]=> string(0) "" ["minute"]=> string(0) "" ["hour"]=> string(0) "" ["day"]=> int(0) ["monthnum"]=> int(0) ["year"]=> int(0) ["w"]=> int(0) ["category_name"]=> string(0) "" ["tag"]=> string(0) "" ["cat"]=> string(0) "" ["tag_id"]=> string(0) "" ["author"]=> string(0) "" ["author_name"]=> string(0) "" ["feed"]=> string(0) "" ["tb"]=> string(0) "" ["paged"]=> int(0) ["meta_key"]=> string(0) "" ["meta_value"]=> string(0) "" ["preview"]=> string(0) "" ["s"]=> string(0) "" ["sentence"]=> string(0) "" ["title"]=> string(0) "" ["fields"]=> string(0) "" ["menu_order"]=> string(0) "" ["embed"]=> string(0) "" ["category__in"]=> array(0) { } ["category__not_in"]=> array(0) { } ["category__and"]=> array(0) { } ["post__in"]=> array(0) { } ["post__not_in"]=> array(0) { } ["post_name__in"]=> array(0) { } ["tag__in"]=> array(0) { } ["tag__not_in"]=> array(0) { } ["tag__and"]=> array(0) { } ["tag_slug__in"]=> array(0) { } ["tag_slug__and"]=> array(0) { } ["post_parent__in"]=> array(0) { } ["post_parent__not_in"]=> array(0) { } ["author__in"]=> array(0) { } ["author__not_in"]=> array(0) { } ["ignore_sticky_posts"]=> bool(false) ["suppress_filters"]=> bool(false) ["cache_results"]=> bool(true) ["update_post_term_cache"]=> bool(true) ["lazy_load_term_meta"]=> bool(true) ["update_post_meta_cache"]=> bool(true) ["post_type"]=> string(0) "" ["posts_per_page"]=> int(10) ["nopaging"]=> bool(false) ["comments_per_page"]=> string(2) "50" ["no_found_rows"]=> bool(false) ["order"]=> string(4) "DESC" } ["tax_query"]=> NULL ["meta_query"]=> object(WP_Meta_Query)#7136 (9) { ["queries"]=> array(0) { } ["relation"]=> NULL ["meta_table"]=> NULL ["meta_id_column"]=> NULL ["primary_table"]=> NULL ["primary_id_column"]=> NULL ["table_aliases":protected]=> array(0) { } ["clauses":protected]=> array(0) { } ["has_or_relation":protected]=> bool(false) } ["date_query"]=> bool(false) ["queried_object"]=> object(WP_Post)#7138 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(3170) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "1" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2010-01-02 03:39:00" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2010-01-02 08:39:00" ["post_content"]=> string(16356) "

Download the Lesson Plan

Jump to:  
OVERVIEW: In this lesson, students will work in groups to review five legal cases in which attorney William Kunstler played a prominent role and consider the power and limitations of the legal system to bring about positive social change. The clips used in this lesson are from the film William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, a documentary on the life and legal cases of attorney William Kunstler. For more information on Kunstler and the cases featured in the film, see POV's Background page. POV documentaries can be recorded off-the-air and used for educational purposes for up to one year from their initial broadcasts. In addition, POV offers a lending library of DVDs and VHS tapes that you can borrow any time during the school year — FOR FREE! Get started by joining our Community Network. Please visit our Film Library to find other films suitable for classroom use or to make this film a part of your school's permanent collection. OBJECTIVES By the end of this lesson, students will: GRADE LEVELS: 9-12 SUBJECT AREAS: Civics, U.S. History, Language Arts MATERIALS   ESTIMATED TIME NEEDED: One to two 50-minute class periods FILM CLIPS Clip 1: "The Aura of Legality" (length 2:03) The clip begins at 1:17:53 with Kunstler saying, "And that's the terrible myth..." It ends at 1:19:56 with the phrase "...without that pretense." Clip 2: "Attica" (length 7:49) The clip begins at 37:25 when the narrator says, "The national mood of political unrest..." and ends with the image of a newspaper headline as the narrator says "...was killed by state gunfire." Top of Page
ACTIVITY
  1. Ask students to write a reaction to this Kunstler quote: "Every person's life has a moment when you are thinking of doing something that will jeopardize yourself, and if you don't do it, no one will be the wiser that you even thought of it." When Kunstler said these words, he was speaking about the decision to stand up against injustice.
  2. Invite a few students to share what they've written. Ask if other students agree or disagree with the views of those speaking and why they feel that way. Encourage students to share stories about times when they have stood up to injustice or when they have chosen not to, or discuss whether or not they feel this is actually a choice that everyone has to make.
  3. Show the class video footage from the "Freedom Riders" section of the interactive timeline on the POV website. Tell the class about William Kunstler and explain that he was an attorney who represented black civil rights activists known as "Freedom Riders" because they would ride buses into segregated areas to challenge local laws and customs that enforced segregation. Play the clip from the beginning until 1:36. Tell the class that black travelers risked arrest and mob violence by using bus station waiting rooms, lunch counters, restrooms and other areas reserved for white customers. Kunstler was inspired by the courage of his clients and said that they taught him that all the talking in the world meant nothing — it was a person's actions that had meaning.
  4. Explain that as an attorney, Kunstler was often drawn to clients who were trying to stand up to injustice. Kunstler believed that using the legal system was an important way to try to bring about social change, though he recognized that the system had limitations. Show Clip 1: "The Aura of Legality," which is an excerpt of a speech given by Kunstler. Then ask students to restate his main point in their own words.
  5. Ask the students if they agree or disagree with the statement about the difference between law and justice and how sometimes things are lawful (or done under the guise or justification of lawfulness) yet are actually wrong.
  6. Divide the class into five groups and assign each group to one of the following Kunstler cases:
  7. Ask each group to read the lesson handout(s) that relate to its assigned case, research the case's historical background and write a brief summary of: a) what each client was trying to accomplish; b) what happened.
  8. Invite a representative of each group to share that group's summary with the class. Use follow-up questions like the ones below to prompt further analysis by group members:
  ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS Students can be assessed on: Top of Page
EXTENSIONS AND ADAPTATIONS         Top of Page
RESOURCES Biography of William Kunstler POV provides information about Kunstler's family and his professional career. "Word for Word/William M. Kunstler; May It Displease the Court: Quotations of a Radical Lawyer" This September 1995 article from The New York Times includes quotes from Kunstler that illustrate the distinctive style and views that have made him a legendary legal figure. Top of Page
STANDARDS These standards are drawn from "Content Knowledge," a compilation of content standards and benchmarks for K-12 curriculum by McRel (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning). Behavioral Studies
Standard 4: Understands conflict, cooperation and interdependence among individuals, groups and institutions.
Civics
Standard 13: Understands the character of American political and social conflict and factors that tend to prevent or lower its intensity.
Standard 26: Understands issues regarding the proper scope and limit of rights, and the relationships among personal, political and economic rights.
Language Arts
Standard 1: Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.
Standard 7: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.
Standard 9: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.
United States History
Standard 29: Understands the struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties.
Standard 31: Understands economic, social and cultural developments in the contemporary United States.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cari Ladd, M.Ed., is an educational writer with a background in secondary education and media development. Previously, she served as PBS Interactive's director of education, overseeing the development of curricular resources tied to PBS programs, the PBS TeacherSource website (now PBS Teachers) and online teacher professional development services. She has also taught in Maryland and northern Virginia.

" ["post_title"]=> string(85) "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe: Lesson Plan: Standing Up Against Injustice" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(397) "For this lesson plan, students will work in groups to review five legal cases in which attorney William Kunstler played a prominent role and consider the power and limitations of the legal system to bring about positive social change. The clips used in this lesson are from the film William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, a documentary on the life and legal cases of attorney William Kunstler." ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(11) "lesson-plan" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2016-07-06 17:53:41" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2016-07-06 21:53:41" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(56) "http://www.pbs.org/pov/index.php/2010/06/22/lesson-plan/" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } ["queried_object_id"]=> int(3170) ["request"]=> string(486) "SELECT wp_posts.* FROM wp_posts JOIN wp_term_relationships ON wp_posts.ID = wp_term_relationships.object_id JOIN wp_term_taxonomy ON wp_term_relationships.term_taxonomy_id = wp_term_taxonomy.term_taxonomy_id AND wp_term_taxonomy.taxonomy = 'pov_film' JOIN wp_terms ON wp_term_taxonomy.term_id = wp_terms.term_id WHERE 1=1 AND wp_posts.post_name = 'lesson-plan' AND wp_posts.post_type = 'post' AND wp_terms.slug = 'disturbingtheuniverse' ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC " ["posts"]=> &array(1) { [0]=> object(WP_Post)#7138 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(3170) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "1" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2010-01-02 03:39:00" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2010-01-02 08:39:00" ["post_content"]=> string(16356) "

Download the Lesson Plan

Jump to:  
OVERVIEW: In this lesson, students will work in groups to review five legal cases in which attorney William Kunstler played a prominent role and consider the power and limitations of the legal system to bring about positive social change. The clips used in this lesson are from the film William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, a documentary on the life and legal cases of attorney William Kunstler. For more information on Kunstler and the cases featured in the film, see POV's Background page. POV documentaries can be recorded off-the-air and used for educational purposes for up to one year from their initial broadcasts. In addition, POV offers a lending library of DVDs and VHS tapes that you can borrow any time during the school year — FOR FREE! Get started by joining our Community Network. Please visit our Film Library to find other films suitable for classroom use or to make this film a part of your school's permanent collection. OBJECTIVES By the end of this lesson, students will: GRADE LEVELS: 9-12 SUBJECT AREAS: Civics, U.S. History, Language Arts MATERIALS   ESTIMATED TIME NEEDED: One to two 50-minute class periods FILM CLIPS Clip 1: "The Aura of Legality" (length 2:03) The clip begins at 1:17:53 with Kunstler saying, "And that's the terrible myth..." It ends at 1:19:56 with the phrase "...without that pretense." Clip 2: "Attica" (length 7:49) The clip begins at 37:25 when the narrator says, "The national mood of political unrest..." and ends with the image of a newspaper headline as the narrator says "...was killed by state gunfire." Top of Page
ACTIVITY
  1. Ask students to write a reaction to this Kunstler quote: "Every person's life has a moment when you are thinking of doing something that will jeopardize yourself, and if you don't do it, no one will be the wiser that you even thought of it." When Kunstler said these words, he was speaking about the decision to stand up against injustice.
  2. Invite a few students to share what they've written. Ask if other students agree or disagree with the views of those speaking and why they feel that way. Encourage students to share stories about times when they have stood up to injustice or when they have chosen not to, or discuss whether or not they feel this is actually a choice that everyone has to make.
  3. Show the class video footage from the "Freedom Riders" section of the interactive timeline on the POV website. Tell the class about William Kunstler and explain that he was an attorney who represented black civil rights activists known as "Freedom Riders" because they would ride buses into segregated areas to challenge local laws and customs that enforced segregation. Play the clip from the beginning until 1:36. Tell the class that black travelers risked arrest and mob violence by using bus station waiting rooms, lunch counters, restrooms and other areas reserved for white customers. Kunstler was inspired by the courage of his clients and said that they taught him that all the talking in the world meant nothing — it was a person's actions that had meaning.
  4. Explain that as an attorney, Kunstler was often drawn to clients who were trying to stand up to injustice. Kunstler believed that using the legal system was an important way to try to bring about social change, though he recognized that the system had limitations. Show Clip 1: "The Aura of Legality," which is an excerpt of a speech given by Kunstler. Then ask students to restate his main point in their own words.
  5. Ask the students if they agree or disagree with the statement about the difference between law and justice and how sometimes things are lawful (or done under the guise or justification of lawfulness) yet are actually wrong.
  6. Divide the class into five groups and assign each group to one of the following Kunstler cases:
  7. Ask each group to read the lesson handout(s) that relate to its assigned case, research the case's historical background and write a brief summary of: a) what each client was trying to accomplish; b) what happened.
  8. Invite a representative of each group to share that group's summary with the class. Use follow-up questions like the ones below to prompt further analysis by group members:
  ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS Students can be assessed on: Top of Page
EXTENSIONS AND ADAPTATIONS         Top of Page
RESOURCES Biography of William Kunstler POV provides information about Kunstler's family and his professional career. "Word for Word/William M. Kunstler; May It Displease the Court: Quotations of a Radical Lawyer" This September 1995 article from The New York Times includes quotes from Kunstler that illustrate the distinctive style and views that have made him a legendary legal figure. Top of Page
STANDARDS These standards are drawn from "Content Knowledge," a compilation of content standards and benchmarks for K-12 curriculum by McRel (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning). Behavioral Studies
Standard 4: Understands conflict, cooperation and interdependence among individuals, groups and institutions.
Civics
Standard 13: Understands the character of American political and social conflict and factors that tend to prevent or lower its intensity.
Standard 26: Understands issues regarding the proper scope and limit of rights, and the relationships among personal, political and economic rights.
Language Arts
Standard 1: Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.
Standard 7: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.
Standard 9: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.
United States History
Standard 29: Understands the struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties.
Standard 31: Understands economic, social and cultural developments in the contemporary United States.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cari Ladd, M.Ed., is an educational writer with a background in secondary education and media development. Previously, she served as PBS Interactive's director of education, overseeing the development of curricular resources tied to PBS programs, the PBS TeacherSource website (now PBS Teachers) and online teacher professional development services. She has also taught in Maryland and northern Virginia.

" ["post_title"]=> string(85) "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe: Lesson Plan: Standing Up Against Injustice" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(397) "For this lesson plan, students will work in groups to review five legal cases in which attorney William Kunstler played a prominent role and consider the power and limitations of the legal system to bring about positive social change. The clips used in this lesson are from the film William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, a documentary on the life and legal cases of attorney William Kunstler." ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(11) "lesson-plan" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2016-07-06 17:53:41" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2016-07-06 21:53:41" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(56) "http://www.pbs.org/pov/index.php/2010/06/22/lesson-plan/" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } } ["post_count"]=> int(1) ["current_post"]=> int(-1) ["in_the_loop"]=> bool(false) ["post"]=> object(WP_Post)#7138 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(3170) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "1" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2010-01-02 03:39:00" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2010-01-02 08:39:00" ["post_content"]=> string(16356) "

Download the Lesson Plan

Jump to:  
OVERVIEW: In this lesson, students will work in groups to review five legal cases in which attorney William Kunstler played a prominent role and consider the power and limitations of the legal system to bring about positive social change. The clips used in this lesson are from the film William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, a documentary on the life and legal cases of attorney William Kunstler. For more information on Kunstler and the cases featured in the film, see POV's Background page. POV documentaries can be recorded off-the-air and used for educational purposes for up to one year from their initial broadcasts. In addition, POV offers a lending library of DVDs and VHS tapes that you can borrow any time during the school year — FOR FREE! Get started by joining our Community Network. Please visit our Film Library to find other films suitable for classroom use or to make this film a part of your school's permanent collection. OBJECTIVES By the end of this lesson, students will: GRADE LEVELS: 9-12 SUBJECT AREAS: Civics, U.S. History, Language Arts MATERIALS   ESTIMATED TIME NEEDED: One to two 50-minute class periods FILM CLIPS Clip 1: "The Aura of Legality" (length 2:03) The clip begins at 1:17:53 with Kunstler saying, "And that's the terrible myth..." It ends at 1:19:56 with the phrase "...without that pretense." Clip 2: "Attica" (length 7:49) The clip begins at 37:25 when the narrator says, "The national mood of political unrest..." and ends with the image of a newspaper headline as the narrator says "...was killed by state gunfire." Top of Page
ACTIVITY
  1. Ask students to write a reaction to this Kunstler quote: "Every person's life has a moment when you are thinking of doing something that will jeopardize yourself, and if you don't do it, no one will be the wiser that you even thought of it." When Kunstler said these words, he was speaking about the decision to stand up against injustice.
  2. Invite a few students to share what they've written. Ask if other students agree or disagree with the views of those speaking and why they feel that way. Encourage students to share stories about times when they have stood up to injustice or when they have chosen not to, or discuss whether or not they feel this is actually a choice that everyone has to make.
  3. Show the class video footage from the "Freedom Riders" section of the interactive timeline on the POV website. Tell the class about William Kunstler and explain that he was an attorney who represented black civil rights activists known as "Freedom Riders" because they would ride buses into segregated areas to challenge local laws and customs that enforced segregation. Play the clip from the beginning until 1:36. Tell the class that black travelers risked arrest and mob violence by using bus station waiting rooms, lunch counters, restrooms and other areas reserved for white customers. Kunstler was inspired by the courage of his clients and said that they taught him that all the talking in the world meant nothing — it was a person's actions that had meaning.
  4. Explain that as an attorney, Kunstler was often drawn to clients who were trying to stand up to injustice. Kunstler believed that using the legal system was an important way to try to bring about social change, though he recognized that the system had limitations. Show Clip 1: "The Aura of Legality," which is an excerpt of a speech given by Kunstler. Then ask students to restate his main point in their own words.
  5. Ask the students if they agree or disagree with the statement about the difference between law and justice and how sometimes things are lawful (or done under the guise or justification of lawfulness) yet are actually wrong.
  6. Divide the class into five groups and assign each group to one of the following Kunstler cases:
  7. Ask each group to read the lesson handout(s) that relate to its assigned case, research the case's historical background and write a brief summary of: a) what each client was trying to accomplish; b) what happened.
  8. Invite a representative of each group to share that group's summary with the class. Use follow-up questions like the ones below to prompt further analysis by group members:
  ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS Students can be assessed on: Top of Page
EXTENSIONS AND ADAPTATIONS         Top of Page
RESOURCES Biography of William Kunstler POV provides information about Kunstler's family and his professional career. "Word for Word/William M. Kunstler; May It Displease the Court: Quotations of a Radical Lawyer" This September 1995 article from The New York Times includes quotes from Kunstler that illustrate the distinctive style and views that have made him a legendary legal figure. Top of Page
STANDARDS These standards are drawn from "Content Knowledge," a compilation of content standards and benchmarks for K-12 curriculum by McRel (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning). Behavioral Studies
Standard 4: Understands conflict, cooperation and interdependence among individuals, groups and institutions.
Civics
Standard 13: Understands the character of American political and social conflict and factors that tend to prevent or lower its intensity.
Standard 26: Understands issues regarding the proper scope and limit of rights, and the relationships among personal, political and economic rights.
Language Arts
Standard 1: Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.
Standard 7: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.
Standard 9: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.
United States History
Standard 29: Understands the struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties.
Standard 31: Understands economic, social and cultural developments in the contemporary United States.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cari Ladd, M.Ed., is an educational writer with a background in secondary education and media development. Previously, she served as PBS Interactive's director of education, overseeing the development of curricular resources tied to PBS programs, the PBS TeacherSource website (now PBS Teachers) and online teacher professional development services. She has also taught in Maryland and northern Virginia.

" ["post_title"]=> string(85) "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe: Lesson Plan: Standing Up Against Injustice" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(397) "For this lesson plan, students will work in groups to review five legal cases in which attorney William Kunstler played a prominent role and consider the power and limitations of the legal system to bring about positive social change. The clips used in this lesson are from the film William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, a documentary on the life and legal cases of attorney William Kunstler." ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(11) "lesson-plan" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2016-07-06 17:53:41" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2016-07-06 21:53:41" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(56) "http://www.pbs.org/pov/index.php/2010/06/22/lesson-plan/" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } ["comment_count"]=> int(0) ["current_comment"]=> int(-1) ["found_posts"]=> int(1) ["max_num_pages"]=> int(0) ["max_num_comment_pages"]=> int(0) ["is_single"]=> bool(true) ["is_preview"]=> bool(false) ["is_page"]=> bool(false) ["is_archive"]=> bool(false) ["is_date"]=> bool(false) ["is_year"]=> bool(false) ["is_month"]=> bool(false) ["is_day"]=> bool(false) ["is_time"]=> bool(false) ["is_author"]=> bool(false) ["is_category"]=> bool(false) ["is_tag"]=> bool(false) ["is_tax"]=> bool(false) ["is_search"]=> bool(false) ["is_feed"]=> bool(false) ["is_comment_feed"]=> bool(false) ["is_trackback"]=> bool(false) ["is_home"]=> bool(false) ["is_404"]=> bool(false) ["is_embed"]=> bool(false) ["is_paged"]=> bool(false) ["is_admin"]=> bool(false) ["is_attachment"]=> bool(false) ["is_singular"]=> bool(true) ["is_robots"]=> bool(false) ["is_posts_page"]=> bool(false) ["is_post_type_archive"]=> bool(false) ["query_vars_hash":"WP_Query":private]=> string(32) "dc9f4e7b2c4fb692bcd2c5e48d17cca0" ["query_vars_changed":"WP_Query":private]=> bool(false) ["thumbnails_cached"]=> bool(false) ["stopwords":"WP_Query":private]=> NULL ["compat_fields":"WP_Query":private]=> array(2) { [0]=> string(15) "query_vars_hash" [1]=> string(18) "query_vars_changed" } ["compat_methods":"WP_Query":private]=> array(2) { [0]=> string(16) "init_query_flags" [1]=> string(15) "parse_tax_query" } }

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe: Lesson Plan: Standing Up Against Injustice

POV

Download the Lesson Plan

Jump to:

 

OVERVIEW: In this lesson, students will work in groups to review five legal cases in which attorney William Kunstler played a prominent role and consider the power and limitations of the legal system to bring about positive social change.

The clips used in this lesson are from the film William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, a documentary on the life and legal cases of attorney William Kunstler. For more information on Kunstler and the cases featured in the film, see POV's Background page.

POV documentaries can be recorded off-the-air and used for educational purposes for up to one year from their initial broadcasts. In addition, POV offers a lending library of DVDs and VHS tapes that you can borrow any time during the school year -- FOR FREE! Get started by joining our Community Network.

Please visit our Film Library to find other films suitable for classroom use or to make this film a part of your school's permanent collection.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this lesson, students will:

GRADE LEVELS: 9-12

SUBJECT AREAS: Civics, U.S. History, Language Arts

MATERIALS

 

ESTIMATED TIME NEEDED: One to two 50-minute class periods

FILM CLIPS

Clip 1: "The Aura of Legality" (length 2:03)
The clip begins at 1:17:53 with Kunstler saying, "And that's the terrible myth..." It ends at 1:19:56 with the phrase "...without that pretense."

Clip 2: "Attica" (length 7:49)
The clip begins at 37:25 when the narrator says, "The national mood of political unrest..." and ends with the image of a newspaper headline as the narrator says "...was killed by state gunfire."

Top of Page

ACTIVITY

  1. Ask students to write a reaction to this Kunstler quote: "Every person's life has a moment when you are thinking of doing something that will jeopardize yourself, and if you don't do it, no one will be the wiser that you even thought of it." When Kunstler said these words, he was speaking about the decision to stand up against injustice.
  2. Invite a few students to share what they've written. Ask if other students agree or disagree with the views of those speaking and why they feel that way. Encourage students to share stories about times when they have stood up to injustice or when they have chosen not to, or discuss whether or not they feel this is actually a choice that everyone has to make.
  3. Show the class video footage from the "Freedom Riders" section of the interactive timeline on the POV website. Tell the class about William Kunstler and explain that he was an attorney who represented black civil rights activists known as "Freedom Riders" because they would ride buses into segregated areas to challenge local laws and customs that enforced segregation. Play the clip from the beginning until 1:36. Tell the class that black travelers risked arrest and mob violence by using bus station waiting rooms, lunch counters, restrooms and other areas reserved for white customers. Kunstler was inspired by the courage of his clients and said that they taught him that all the talking in the world meant nothing -- it was a person's actions that had meaning.
  4. Explain that as an attorney, Kunstler was often drawn to clients who were trying to stand up to injustice. Kunstler believed that using the legal system was an important way to try to bring about social change, though he recognized that the system had limitations. Show Clip 1: "The Aura of Legality," which is an excerpt of a speech given by Kunstler. Then ask students to restate his main point in their own words.
  5. Ask the students if they agree or disagree with the statement about the difference between law and justice and how sometimes things are lawful (or done under the guise or justification of lawfulness) yet are actually wrong.
  6. Divide the class into five groups and assign each group to one of the following Kunstler cases:
    • Redd housing case
    • Catonsville Nine
    • Attica
    • Chicago Eight
    • Wounded Knee
  7. Ask each group to read the lesson handout(s) that relate to its assigned case, research the case's historical background and write a brief summary of:
    a) what each client was trying to accomplish;
    b) what happened.
  8. Invite a representative of each group to share that group's summary with the class. Use follow-up questions like the ones below to prompt further analysis by group members:

 

ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS

Students can be assessed on:

Top of Page

EXTENSIONS AND ADAPTATIONS

 

 

 

 

Top of Page

RESOURCES

Biography of William Kunstler
POV provides information about Kunstler's family and his professional career.

"Word for Word/William M. Kunstler; May It Displease the Court: Quotations of a Radical Lawyer"
This September 1995 article from The New York Times includes quotes from Kunstler that illustrate the distinctive style and views that have made him a legendary legal figure.

Top of Page

STANDARDS

These standards are drawn from "Content Knowledge," a compilation of content standards and benchmarks for K-12 curriculum by McRel (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning).

Behavioral Studies

Standard 4: Understands conflict, cooperation and interdependence among individuals, groups and institutions.

Civics

Standard 13: Understands the character of American political and social conflict and factors that tend to prevent or lower its intensity.

Standard 26: Understands issues regarding the proper scope and limit of rights, and the relationships among personal, political and economic rights.

Language Arts

Standard 1: Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.

Standard 7: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.

Standard 9: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.

United States History

Standard 29: Understands the struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties.

Standard 31: Understands economic, social and cultural developments in the contemporary United States.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cari Ladd, M.Ed., is an educational writer with a background in secondary education and media development. Previously, she served as PBS Interactive's director of education, overseeing the development of curricular resources tied to PBS programs, the PBS TeacherSource website (now PBS Teachers) and online teacher professional development services. She has also taught in Maryland and northern Virginia.