Defending the Grinch

I do training sessions that give examples of how to incorporate the concepts of Kaplan's Depth and Complexity. Many teachers talk about Language of the Disciplines being a hard one to use in our primary classes. This is one way I like to use it.

I introduce them to videos and pictures from a court proceeding. We talk about the different vocabulary-judge, jury, defendant, trial, lawyer. Then we watch a lawyer in action and talk about their jobs. 

After reading the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, I ask the students to be a lawyer for the Grinch. How would they defend him in court? How would they convince a judge not to send him to jail? Now I have gotten complaints from parents that we are teaching the kids our actions do not have consequences. I disagree-I think we are teaching them about what a lawyer does on a daily basis which is to defend clients who may have done bad things.