Unit Web Activity Lesson Plans

Unit 3: Torts
Keeping the Public Safe and Informed

Overview

This lesson is designed to help students learn about the concept of strict liability, to find out about the role of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and to discover other resources for product safety information.

Correlation to Textbook

This lesson correlates to Unit Three, Chapter 21: Strict Liability in the Street Law textbook.

Correlation to the National Standards for Civics and Government

V.C.6. Personal responsibilities: Students should be able to evaluate, take, and defend positions on issues regarding the personal responsibilities of citizens in American constitutional democracy.

Objectives

At the conclusion of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Define the term “strict liability.”
2. Describe the “findings and purposes” of the Consumer Product Safety Act.
3. Navigate to the CPSC’s recalls page and determine which products are currently being recalled.
4. Demonstrate how to report an unsafe product.
5. Identify independent groups that provide information to consumers about the safety of products.

Before You Teach This Lesson

1. Before you take your students to the computer lab or assign this lesson for independent research, go through it yourself to make sure that it suits your purposes and that the links all work.
2. Depending on the time and number of computers you have available, you may do part of this lesson on paper. For example, Steps 1 and 2 under “Background” may be printed, photocopied, and handed out to students to read as homework before the lesson is done in class. This will cut down on your online time in your classroom or in a lab. The first task under Step 1, which is designed to help students become familiar with the reasons the Consumer Product Safety Act was written, can be done on paper as well.
3. This lesson is best done in a lab, so that students can choose which products they want to research. If you are in a one-computer classroom, you may want to determine which products or links you will look at in advance, or agree to follow the links your students suggest.

Lesson Plan

1. Review the lesson outcomes with the students.
2. If a Resource Person is helping to co-teach this lesson, introduce him or her and explain how you will work together.
3. Have the students navigate through the steps of the lesson (or do it yourself at the front of the classroom) and take notes about the information they are looking for.
4. **Note: Instruct students that they should NOT submit a product incident report form. This activity is for demonstration purposes only. If a student has a real concern, he or she should return to the Web site at a later time. You do not want the CPSC to waste its time on minor issues that students might think of.
5. When looking at the Web sites of independent groups or agencies, allow the students to comment on how well the information is distributed. They should keep in mind that the purpose of all of this is to inform the public regarding safety problems. How well are these groups or agencies doing their jobs?
6. Think-Pair-Share: Ask the students to think about the answers to the questions posed in the reflection. Then pair them up with a partner to discuss what they think. Some students may not think of all the possible advantages or disadvantages of the strict liability concept alone, but will have more success brainstorming with a peer. Finally, ask the students to share their ideas with the class. If the students do not bring it up, be sure to point out that manufacturers may not be adverse to strict liability laws, because they help the manufacturers to create a better product. If the products are manufactured properly, there will be fewer lawsuits and less wasted time and money.
7. End the lesson with a written reflection or an oral discussion about who consumers should trust for safety information. Encourage students to question whether the manufacturers or the government is more reliable in safety matters.

Suggestions for Using Resource People

Go to the CSPC’s Product Safety State Contacts page to find contact information for product safety liaisons in your state. Ask someone from that office to co-teach with you and speak to your students about consumer protection, product safety, and the role citizens can take in protecting themselves in their community.

Timing of Lesson

The timing of this lesson depends on how much you do on paper and how much you do on the computer. If you print out the definitions and the Consumer Product Safety Act information for the students to complete in class or for homework, the rest of the lesson can be completed in a 45-minute class period. If you want them to navigate to each Web site and take notes on the first three steps, you should allow extra time. Limit the amount of time they may browse through the CPSC recalls and other sites to fit your schedule.