TITANIC ON TRIAL
Background:
On April 14, 1912 Captain Edward John Smith was on the bridge of the largest man made moving
object on the planet. The R.M.S. Titanic was near the leading edge of technological development and
was thought to be virtually unsinkable. However, with these famous words "Iceberg, right ahead!” all
of that changed.
The ship made a fatal error; due to the lack of foresight on the behalf of many who worked for the
White Star Lines, approximately 1,500 people lost their lives in the icy Atlantic Ocean.
The Task:
You are a prosecutor representing families of Titanic victims who are suing White Star Lines for the
untimely death of their relatives. You will investigate evidence for why the ship went down and
present the facts to the jury in a 2-3 minute opening statement. Your opening statement should
be exciting and fact based. Your goal is to convince the jury of White Star Lines’ guilt and bring
justice to the lives that were lost!
In addition to delivering your speech, you must turn in a typed version of your script and a
bibliography. The bibliography should be in MLA format to cite all sources of information that you
use. All text must be in your own words. Copying and pasting words from a website and claiming
them as your own is a form of plagiarism. Please reference the CMS handbook for more information
regarding the school’s policy on plagiarism.
Due Date:
Presentations will take place on Friday, May 17 and Monday, May 20. Students will have 2-3 minutes
to present their speeches to the class.
THE OPENING STATEMENT: ELEMENTS, STYLE & STRUCTURE
Effective opening statements should:
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Be clear, simple and tell a story.
Begin with an attention grabber a simple device (slogan, phrase, idea) that is easy to
remember & will stick in the listener’s mind and immediately engages the listener.
 Include a brief summary of your case.
 Outline the case & provide a framework for the judge/jury to analyze the case.
 State the facts of the case that you expect to prove (focus on people & elements)
 Be well-organized & follow chronological order or another orderly sequence of events.
Formalities/phrasing tips:
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“The evidence will indicate…”
“The facts will show …”
“Witnesses will present evidence to show that …”
“Witness A will be brought to testify on the state’s/plaintiff’s behalf that …”
“Today you will hear from Witness A who will tell you…”
“When Witness B takes the stand, he will testify that…”
STRUCTURE OF OPENING STATEMENT
Introduction(possible suggestions)
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Begin with a formal address to the judge: “May it please the court, your honor, my name is
______, counsel for the _______ in this action.”
Attention grabber. Example: “Your honor, this is a case of mistaken identity. Tragically, that
simple, honest mistake could cost Mary Watson, my client, her precious freedom and future.”
We’re here today because (one-sentence summary of your case)
Tell a story – from your perspective that introduces and explains the evidence in the
case:
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Describe your side of story vividly citing specific details so the judge can visualize what
happened.
Emphasize good evidence for your side.
Tell the judge what to expect to hear from your witnesses and what the evidence will show.
Conclusion:
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Rephrase and repeat your theme.
Possible summary statement- “I am confident that after you’ve heard all of the evidence, you
will come to the only verdict that the evidence supports and justice demands … At the end of
this trial, I would ask you to find the defendant (liable/not liable) or (guilty/not guilty) for
____