Students Conduct Mock Trial In Sag Harbor

SAG HARBOR, NY — History came alive in a Sag Harbor classroom recently as students staged a mock trial.

Dressed for the part in Colonial garb, teacher Jeff Reed’s fourth-grade class at Sag Harbor Elementary School held the trial to determine the fate of three famous leaders of New York’s earliest colony, New Netherland of the Dutch Republic.

As part of the re-enactment, three student attorneys defended their “clients” against a prosecutor who levied a series of charges, while their peers served as the jury, complete with a foreman, the district said.

Leading up to the trial, the students independently researched primary documents for arguments supporting their clients and prepared a defense for the many historical accusations that remained debatable; they also wrote case summaries and closing arguments, the district said.

The lesson brought life to the fourth-grade social studies curriculum on early American history.

Photo courtesy of the Sag Harbor School District.