Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Mock Trial”

In this activity, students conduct a mock trial to determine whether Vince is guilty of criminal activity or if his motives are pure enough to exonerate him.

Throughout the novel, Vince attempts to distance himself from his family. However, he becomes caught up in criminal activity in a variety of ways. Work with your team to use evidence from the novel to argue for or against Vince’s criminal guilt. Choose a side to work with (or work with your teacher-assigned side), complete research using evidence, and persuade your audience that your claim offers sufficient evidence to find Vince guilty or not guilty. Use the roles below to conduct your trial.

• Alex
• Ray
• Cede
• Jimmy Rat
• Kendra
• FBI Agent Bightly
• Mrs. Luca
• Mr. Luca
• Ed Mishkin
• Ray Francione
• Defense Attorney
• Tommy
• Boaz
• Prosecuting Attorney
• Vince
• Jurors (optional)
• Press (optional)

Teaching Suggestion: One way to complete this activity is by dividing students into two groups in the trial: prosecution and defense. Then consider assigning students roles in each group using the list of witnesses and roles above. For larger groups of students, it might be beneficial to divide students into smaller groups to conduct two trials.