Among the language arts, the national Common Core State Standards place great emphasis on deconstruction of texts and use of formal argument founded on evidence. Nowhere are these two skills more put to use in the courtroom, which makes a moot court such a rich source of practice and application of these standards. What follows is a brief annotation of some of the standards covered and how.
Reading Informational Text
Various data tables, laws, prior cases, and the Constitution itself are sources of evidence students must navigate, close read, annotate, and use as evidence to either defend or attack claims put forth in a court of law.
RI.8.1 Cite textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI8.4 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
Writing
Students will be writing shorter formal legal briefs outlining their claims and evidence, as well as engaging in a longer essay or "opinion paper" after the moot court case is complete.
W.8.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
Speaking and Listening
Much of the bulk of a moot court is oral argument. Lawyers not only have to verbally present prepared statements, but must cogently answer any judges question at any time, while Judges must listen carefully to ask pertinent questions and make reasoned decisions.
SL8.3 Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
SL8.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.