Colonial Mock Trial

This interactive role-play worksheet supports students in Grades 4, 5, and 6 as they explore colonial law, civic participation, critical thinking, and evidence-based discussion. By simulating a fictional trial or town meeting in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, students step into roles such as judge, witness, or accused colonist and use details from the scenario to present arguments, evaluate evidence, and understand how justice and community decision-making worked in early America.

Learning Goals

• Colonial Civics & Government (Grades 4-6) – Understand how laws, courts, and town meetings functioned in colonial communities.
• Argument & Evidence Use – Develop claims and support them with evidence drawn from a shared scenario.
• Civic Reasoning & Fairness – Analyze ideas of justice, responsibility, and community values in a historical context.
• Collaboration & Communication – Practice respectful discussion, role-based speaking, and active listening.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with upper elementary social studies and ELA standards.
• Engaging Role-Play Format – Makes colonial law and governance relatable and memorable.
• Supports Multiple Learning Styles – Combines reading, speaking, reasoning, and collaboration.
• Flexible Use – Ideal for small groups, whole-class simulations, enrichment activities, or assessment of discussion skills.

This printable worksheet helps students strengthen civic understanding, historical reasoning, and communication skills by bringing early American justice to life. Through structured role-play and evidence-based argument, learners gain insight into how colonial communities resolved conflict and upheld order. It’s a meaningful, no-prep resource that works well in both classroom instruction and homeschool learning.

This worksheet is part of our Colonial America collection.