EAST PENNSBORO AREA
SCHOOL DISTRICT
Unit:
COURSE: Business Law
Laws and Their Ethical Foundation
Days: 15
Subject(s): Business Law
Grade(s):
Key Learning(s):
Understand the importance of laws in a society and their process of
creation.
11-12
Instructional Tools:
Computers
Internet
PowerPoint
Graphic Organizers
Worksheets
Unit Essential Question(s):
What roles do laws play in the function of society?
Concept:
Purpose of law
Concept:
Sources of law
Concept:
Creating Laws
Lesson Essential Questions:
What is the purpose of a legal
system?
Lesson Essential Questions:
Identify the sources of law and how
conflicts between them are
resolved.
Lesson Essential Questions:
What role does ethical behavior play in
the creation of law?
Vocabulary:
Law, code, common law, positive
law, jurisdiction, equity
Vocabulary:
Constitution, statutes, ordinances,
case law, stare decisis,
administrative agencies, civil law,
criminal law, procedural law,
substantive law
Vocabulary:
Ethics, civil disobedience
Concept:
Legal Beginings
Concept:
Checks and balances
Concept:
Cyber laws
Lesson Essential Questions:
Identify the documents written in
the course of the nation’s founding.
Lesson Essential Questions:
Describe the system of checks and
balances in the U.S. government.
Lesson Essential Questions:
How does cyberlaw impact you?
Vocabulary:
Declaration of Independence,
Articles of Confederation, U.S.
Constitution, Bill of Rights,
Amendments, civil rights, due
process of law
Vocabulary:
System of checks and balances,
impeachment cases, political party,
democracy, republic, sovereignty,
interstate commerce, intrastate
commerce
Vocabulary:
Cyberlaw, browser, hypertext
Board Approval:
— 1—
Concept:
Avoiding court
Concept:
Sources of power
Concept:
Court systems
Lesson Essential Questions:
How are disputes settled without
going to court?
Lesson Essential Questions:
Identify the source of power of the
federal courts.
Lesson Essential Questions:
Compare and contrast the structure of
federal and state court systems.
Vocabulary:
Litigate, mediator, arbitrator, court,
trial court, verdict, original
jurisdiction, transcript, appellate
briefs, negotiation
Vocabulary:
General jurisdiction, specialized
jurisdiction, U.S. Supreme Court,
Federal agencies, District courts,
Court of Appeals, writ of certiorari
Vocabulary:
Court of record, associate circuit courts,
county courts, municipal courts, small
claims courts, juvenile courts, probate
courts
Board Approval:
— 2—
EAST PENNSBORO AREA
SCHOOL DISTRICT
Unit:
COURSE: Business Law
Civil and Criminal Offenses
Subject(s): Business Law
Days: 20
Grade(s):
11-12
Key Learning(s): Distinguish between various types of laws
Instructional Tools:
Computers
Internet
PowerPoint
Graphic Organizers
Worksheets
Unit Essential Question(s):
What are the key differences between civil and criminal law?
Concept:
Criminal acts
Concept:
Criminal proceedings
Concept:
Crimes vs. torts
Lesson Essential Questions:
What elements comprise a criminal
act?
Lesson Essential Questions:
Explain the rights/processes of a
criminal procedure.
Lesson Essential Questions:
Distinguish a crime from a tort by
identifying the elements.
Vocabulary:
Crime, duty, criminal intent,
vicarious criminal liability, felony,
misdemeanor, white-collar crime,
larceny, fence, false pretenses,
Bribery, extortion, conspiracy, arson
Vocabulary:
Probable cause, defense,
procedural defenses, substantive
defenses, self-defense, criminal
insanity, immunity, contempt of
court, punishment, bargain,
indictment, arraignment,
preliminary hearing, bail, arrest
warranty, grand jury, plea bargain,
subpoena, voir dire, verdict,
evidence, testimony, direct
examination, hearing, jury,
sentencing, probation, affirm,
overturn, remanded
Vocabulary:
Tort, damages, master-servant rule,
breach, injury, causation, negligence,
liable, respondeat superior, vicarious
liability
Concept:
Common torts
Concept:
Legal remedies
Concept:
Lesson Essential Questions:
Identify common intentional torts
and the elements of negligence.
Lesson Essential Questions:
State the legal remedies available
to a tort victim.
Lesson Essential Questions:
Board Approval:
— 3—
Vocabulary:
Intentional tort, assault, battery,
false imprisonment, defamation,
invasion of privacy, slander, libel,
emotional distress, trespass to land,
conversion, fraud, contributory
negligence, comparative
negligence, assumption of risk,
strict liability, statute of repose,
nonclaim statute
Vocabulary:
Injunction, compensatory damages,
punitive damages, contingency fee,
plaintiff, complaint, summons,
answer, pleading, expert witness,
subpoena, evidence, testimony,
verdict, judgment, preponderance
of the evidence, writ of execution
Vocabulary:
Board Approval:
— 4—
EAST PENNSBORO AREA
SCHOOL DISTRICT
Unit:
COURSE: Business Law
Contractual Law
Subject(s): Business Law
Days: 25
Grade(s):
11-12
Key Learning(s): What constitutes a legally binding contract
Instructional Tools:
Computers
Internet
PowerPoint
Graphic Organizers
Worksheets
Unit Essential Question(s):
Describe a situation where you have entered into a contract and what
made that contract valid.
Concept:
Contract elements
Concept:
Valid offer
Concept:
Legal acceptance
Lesson Essential Questions:
Describe the required elements of a
contract.
Lesson Essential Questions:
How can you terminate an offer?
Lesson Essential Questions:
Discuss the requirements of an effective
acceptance.
Vocabulary:
Contracts, offer, offeror, offeree,
genuine assent, legality,
consideration, capacity, proper
form, executed contract, executory
contract, express contract, impliedin-fact contract, quasi or implied-atlaw contract, unilateral contract,
bilateral contract, offer, jest,
preliminary negotiations, social
agreements
Vocabulary:
Revocation, rejection, counteroffer,
insanity, option, firm offer,
merchants
Vocabulary:
Acceptance, mirror image rule, Uniform
Commercial Code, postmarked
Concept:
Genuine assent
Concept:
Contractual mistakes
Concept:
Legal consideration
Lesson Essential Questions:
Recognize when genuine assent is
not present.
Lesson Essential Questions:
Recognize the types of mistakes
that can make a contract voidable
or void.
Lesson Essential Questions:
Identify the three requirements of
consideration.
Board Approval:
— 5—
Vocabulary:
Valid, Genuine assent, voidable,
rescission, ratification, duress,
undue influence
Vocabulary:
Unilateral mistakes, bilateral
mistake, mutual mistake, material
facts, void, innocent
misrepresentation, fraudulent
misrepresentation, active
concealment, materiality, fraud,
rescission, damages
Vocabulary:
Consideration, gift, donor, done,
forbearance, promisor, promise, legal
value, nominal consideration,
unconscionable
Concept:
Binding contracts
Concept:
Consideration not needed
Concept:
Contractual capacity
Lesson Essential Questions:
Recognize when binding
consideration appears to be
present.
Lesson Essential Questions:
Distinguish situations when
consideration is not needed.
Lesson Essential Questions:
Identify parties who lack contractual
capacity.
Vocabulary:
Illusory promises, termination
clauses, output contract,
requirement contract, existing duty,
liquidated debt, creditor, debtor,
accord and satisfaction, release,
composition with creditors, past
consideration, mutual gifts
Vocabulary:
Statute of limitations, promissory
estoppel, bankruptcy
Vocabulary:
Contractual capacity, age of majority to
contract, minor, necessaries,
emancipation, mental incapacity,
intoxication, scope of authority
Concept:
Disaffirmation
Concept:
Illegal agreements
Concept:
Statute of frauds
Lesson Essential Questions:
Identify contracts that can and
cannot be disaffirmed.
Lesson Essential Questions:
Identify various forms of
unenforceable illegal agreements.
Lesson Essential Questions:
Explain what the statute of frauds
requires.
Vocabulary:
Disaffirmance, ratification,
misrepresentation
Vocabulary:
Lottery, wager, compounding a
crime, competency license, revenue
license, antitrust laws, price fixing,
bid rigging, unconscionable
Vocabulary:
Statute of frauds, personal property,
collateral promise, primary promise,
implied reasonableness, parol evidence
Concept:
Contractual Obligations
Concept:
Breach Remedies
Concept:
Lesson Essential Questions:
How can contractual obligations be
discharged?
Lesson Essential Questions:
Describe various remedies for a
breach in contract.
Lesson Essential Questions:
Board Approval:
— 6—
Vocabulary:
Assignment, assignor, assignee,
obligor, performance, substantial
performance, defaults, anticipatory
breach, discharge, breach of
contract, third-party beneficiaries,
donee, creditor, incidental
beneficiary, conditions concurrent,
condition precedent, subsequent,
negative, alteration, tender
Vocabulary:
Remedy, rescission, restitution,
specific performance,
consequential, liquidated, nominal
damages, specific performance,
waiver, miti gate the damages
Vocabulary:
Board Approval:
— 7—