“Who Should Pay?” Lesson Plan & Resources
The “Dancing & Damages: Who Should Pay?” lesson plan is an interactive resource focused on question formulation and the legal concept of liability. The lesson begins with a creative “Mad Libs” activity where students generate details for a humorous yet complex tort case involving a high school dancer injured by a faulty “Boogie Booster” jump device. Students then engage in a role-play simulation, acting as either the “investigative team” or key characters—including the coach, the manufacturer, the dancer, the principal, and a magazine publisher—to determine how responsibility for the injury should be shared. By generating targeted questions and evaluating hidden evidence, students practice assigning percentages of liability while developing critical skills in persuasive writing, evidentiary analysis, and critical thinking essential for mock trial or moot court.