During the second trimester, the students in Extended Studies in French have worked on the theme of a literary mock trial.
This inter-disciplinary project including Literature, French language, Civic Education and Ethics in Science aimed to accuse Dr. Viktor Frankenstein of murder, judging that he was in fact responsible of his creature’s actions as he created him.
After studying the French legal system and understanding its differences with the American one, students assigned their roles in the court room to themselves : general attorney, defence attorney, judges, witnesses, experts and the accused person. For each of their interventions, they had to study the book by Mary Shelley and master the art of rhetorics and argumentation. After 2 months of preparation, the trial took place in the auditorium in front of an audience composed of the 7th graders who debated passionately about its issue.
The end was dire for the Doctor who was judged guilty and condemned to 25 years in reclusion for murder, profanation of tombs, disregard to the ethics of science and failure to provide assistance leading to death.
(Marion Addo, French and Literature Teacher, Middle School)
