badges: Editable Google Slides | Printable jury packet | Grades 9-12
This Black Friday mock trial for high school puts students on the jury in The People v. Black Friday.
They hear from four expert witnesses, weigh real, sourced evidence, and answer one juicy question: Who’s to blame for mass consumerism, the sellers or the buyers?
It comes as editable Google Slides and a printable jury packet. This inquiry-based activity works for US History, Government, Civics, Economics, Personal Finance and Psychology in grades 9-12.
Every November your students get hit with countdown timers, doorbusters and “only 3 left” pop-ups. This time they get to put Black Friday on trial. Kids who walk in blaming greedy stores usually walk out arguing about their own carts. And the ones who blame shoppers? They haven’t met the Fortnite case yet.
Editable Google Slides deck with the case intro, vocab, Gut Check, all four witnesses, the verdict and a class discussion closer
12 sourced testimony cards (3 per witness), each ending with a “Think about it” question
Printable 7-page jury packet with the Case File, Gut Check, vocab, a notes page for every witness and the Verdict page
3-page teacher guide for running it digitally or with pen and paper
Dr. Priya Raman, Psychology: fake urgency, anchor prices and retail therapy
Prof. Marcus Bell, History: who really named Black Friday, the 2008 doorbuster tragedy and the “in the black” myth
Investigator Dana Whitfield, Civics + Law: the Amazon Prime and Fortnite cases, plus where the law stops
Dr. Elena Ortiz, Personal Finance: supply and demand, Buy Nothing Day and who “pay in 4” hurts most
Warm-up (5 min): open the case, go over the vocab and do the Gut Check.
Testimony (about 40 min): students rotate through four stations or work through the slides, reading the evidence and taking jury notes.
Verdict (10 min): students deliver a final ruling backed by evidence, then the jury deliberates out loud.
Weigh evidence from psychology, history, law and personal finance
Figure out where persuasion ends and manipulation begins
Change their minds, or defend why they didn’t, with specific evidence
Write a verdict that names two witnesses and answers the other side’s best point
You want a Black Friday lesson that goes deeper than “don’t overspend”
You teach US History, Government, Economics, Personal Finance, Psych or ELA
You need something for the week before Thanksgiving break that kids will actually show up for
You want students arguing with evidence, not regurgitating it
The testimony cards are your time dial. Require 1 card per witness and you’re done in 45 minutes. Need it to stretch 2 class periods to hold you over until break? Assign all 3. We see you.
badges: Editable Google Slides | Printable jury packet | Grades 9-12
This Black Friday mock trial for high school puts students on the jury in The People v. Black Friday.
They hear from four expert witnesses, weigh real, sourced evidence, and answer one juicy question: Who’s to blame for mass consumerism, the sellers or the buyers?
It comes as editable Google Slides and a printable jury packet. This inquiry-based activity works for US History, Government, Civics, Economics, Personal Finance and Psychology in grades 9-12.
Every November your students get hit with countdown timers, doorbusters and “only 3 left” pop-ups. This time they get to put Black Friday on trial. Kids who walk in blaming greedy stores usually walk out arguing about their own carts. And the ones who blame shoppers? They haven’t met the Fortnite case yet.
Editable Google Slides deck with the case intro, vocab, Gut Check, all four witnesses, the verdict and a class discussion closer
12 sourced testimony cards (3 per witness), each ending with a “Think about it” question
Printable 7-page jury packet with the Case File, Gut Check, vocab, a notes page for every witness and the Verdict page
3-page teacher guide for running it digitally or with pen and paper
Dr. Priya Raman, Psychology: fake urgency, anchor prices and retail therapy
Prof. Marcus Bell, History: who really named Black Friday, the 2008 doorbuster tragedy and the “in the black” myth
Investigator Dana Whitfield, Civics + Law: the Amazon Prime and Fortnite cases, plus where the law stops
Dr. Elena Ortiz, Personal Finance: supply and demand, Buy Nothing Day and who “pay in 4” hurts most
Warm-up (5 min): open the case, go over the vocab and do the Gut Check.
Testimony (about 40 min): students rotate through four stations or work through the slides, reading the evidence and taking jury notes.
Verdict (10 min): students deliver a final ruling backed by evidence, then the jury deliberates out loud.
Weigh evidence from psychology, history, law and personal finance
Figure out where persuasion ends and manipulation begins
Change their minds, or defend why they didn’t, with specific evidence
Write a verdict that names two witnesses and answers the other side’s best point
You want a Black Friday lesson that goes deeper than “don’t overspend”
You teach US History, Government, Economics, Personal Finance, Psych or ELA
You need something for the week before Thanksgiving break that kids will actually show up for
You want students arguing with evidence, not regurgitating it
The testimony cards are your time dial. Require 1 card per witness and you’re done in 45 minutes. Need it to stretch 2 class periods to hold you over until break? Assign all 3. We see you.