(story and picture courtesy of Findlay City Schools)

Miss Emma Miller’s 8th grade class at Donnell Middle School is currently reading Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe.

This historical fiction book is about the tragedy of Emmett Till.

Before they read the chapters pertaining to the trial, students completed a mock trial.

The People v Jack Beanstalk “trial” walked students through the process of a court case, the different people involved and their roles.

Judge Joel was a fair and patient judge.

Bailiff Easton walked witnesses to the stand and escorted the jury to deliberations.

Our witness Georgina Giant (played by Aiden) had some compelling facts against Jack Beanstalk.

The defense attorneys (left) and the prosecuting attorneys (right) both provided great evidence in support of their argument.

The jury ultimately found Jack to be guilty on two counts of stealing from the Giant.

By the end of the mock trial, students could explain how a trial worked and were ready to apply what they learned into Mississippi Trial, 1955.