What are the differences between an adult and
a juvenile? Brainstorm a list of qualities that
characterize a juvenile versus an adult.
As you develop a list of characteristics, come to
the board and write them under each label.
You can come to the board as many times as
you would like within the time-frame allotted.
Quickwrite (10 minutes):
On the backside of your “Senior Year Reflection”,
respond to the question below. Be specific and
provide examples to support your reasoning
when necessary.
Part I: If a 17 year old committed a heinous
(horrible, shocking) crime, do you think it would
be fair for them to be punished the same way as
an adult who committed the same crime?
Part II: Now, imagine the same scenario; however,
the person is 14 years old. Do you still feel the
same? Why? If your position changed, why?
• Whether or not sentencing juveniles as
adults is appropriate and fair.
• The distinction between adults and juveniles.
• Whether age alone makes a person a juvenile
or if other qualities give a person that
designation.
Write a multi-paragraph essay in which you
analyze and argue whether or not juveniles
who commit particularly heinous crimes
should be tried as adults. Consider, should
adolescents be held to the same level of
responsibility for their actions as adults?
 “Kids are Kids – Until They Commit Crimes”
 “Sarah-Jayne Blakemore: The mysterious
workings of the adolescent brain”
 “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains”
 “On Punishment and Teen Killers”
 “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences”
 “Greg Ousley is Sorry for Killing His Parents. Is
That Enough?”
As you read and annotate the article “Kids are
Kids: Until They Commit Crimes” take a moment
to identify the arguments for or against
punishing juveniles as adults.
• What is the author’s position? What
information from the text informs you of the
author’s opinion? Look for the presence of
ethos, pathos, and/or logos.
• Do you agree or disagree with the author’s
position?
• What does the author want readers to
question?
1. Write a summary of the article (1 paragraph). A summary
is a shorter version of the text that contains all of the
essential information—and nothing extra. Identify the
title, the author, the source, and the date of publication in
your summary, and write the entire summary in your own
words; do not use quotations from the original source.
2. Write a response to the article (one paragraph). A
response is your personal reaction to the text. For
example, what personal experiences have you had that
cause you to agree and/or disagree? Why? Does the
author make a particularly strong or weak argument?
Explain.
Using your annotated copy of “Greg Ousley is Sorry
for Killing His Parents,” write three questions that
you would like to discuss with other students in
your class. These questions should be about
significant issues that the article raises, and should
not have a right or wrong answer. An example is
the question below:
Example: Can our knowledge about the development of
the teenage brain help us understand why Greg Ousley
killed his parents and why he behaved the way he did
afterwards?
Term
Definition
Homicide
Killing of one person by another, either intentionally or
unintentionally. Homicide includes accidents and murder.
Murder
Killing someone with malice of forethought. It could be done
while committing another crime.
First-degree Murder
Killing a person with malice of forethought; the killing
was planned.
Second-degree
Murder
Killing done during a crime deemed dangerous to
a human life. The crime was most likely not committed with
the intention of killing.
Voluntary
Manslaughter
killing someone intentionally but without malice of
forethought. For example, if the killing was a crime of passion
(killing a spouse or lover because of jealousy), the intention
was to kill.
Involuntary
Manslaughter
killing someone unlawfully but without malice of
forethought. It was committed without intent to kill and
without a conscious disregard for human life.