A wooden gavel resting on a weathered table inside a corrugated-iron shed, red dirt and gum trees beyond
Year 7 · Unit 03 · Lesson 05

The Verdict

One idea must land: a judgment is criteria, evidence, and the other side faced fairly — not a feeling written down.

The gavel sits on the table and the tone drops: “today the talking stops — every judge writes alone.” The equipment check assembles four lessons on one desk (radar, test questions, ledger, marked briefing, tracker — nothing was wasted), the reckoning forces gut and rules to face each other, and the five moves of a real recommendation get taught before the silent, open-book write. It closes with the gavel moment: one word per judge, the class tally on the board, and the unit’s last question — same facts, same criteria, why did we still split?

Spark

The gavel + the equipment check

The image sits in silence, then the line lands. The equipment check runs like a ritual: radar · test questions · ledger · marked briefing · tracker — all on the desk, all ticked. Then the reckoning: gut-lock → post-hearing → now, with two honest sentences about which one has been driving.

Say it during the check: “this is what a prepared judge looks like — nothing you made was wasted.” Four lessons, physically assembled, is the most convincing argument for the unit ever made.
Core

The five moves + training the hardest one

Taught once, out loud: ruling first sentence · criteria by name with evidence · the other side at full strength · conditions with a named checker · signed. Flag the third option clearly: YES WITH CONDITIONS is not fence-sitting — it’s how most real approvals work. Then Judge A vs Judge B: two “other side” paragraphs, one strawman, one real — students pick and rehearse their own.

Name the difference when B wins: fair beats loud. The tell: a strawman says “some people”; a real other side names the fact.
Workshop

The writing — silent, individual, open book

The judge’s map fills first — no verdict starts until the plan is whole. Then about one page, on device (Surname_Kambaria_Verdict) or paper, with the evidence desk open: briefing, ledger and radar beside them. Real analysts don’t write from memory.

Circulate with one question only: “which move are you on?” It keeps structure alive without ever touching their ruling.
Land it

The gavel moment

Around the room, one word per judge — yes, no, conditions — tally building on the board, no comments between words. Then the unit’s final question: same facts, same five criteria — why the split? Let them find it: different weightings, different values. Perception, Lesson 1’s word, closes the loop. Collect the full arc: tracker, map, verdict.

Teacher intel

“Which move are you on?” — the only question you need during writing.
Is your “other side” the strongest one — or just the easiest to beat?
Who checks that condition? A promise nobody checks is just a sentence.
Would the Shire President understand your first sentence with no help?
Watch for“Longer = better” (one tight page beats three loose ones) · “the class majority = the right answer” (the tally measures the room, not the truth) · “conditions = fence-sitting” (a condition with a named checker is the most professional ruling on the board).
Running shortTrim Judge A/B to a show of hands. Never cut the equipment check, the silent write, or the gavel moment — the writing can finish next session; the gavel waits for the last word.
SupportThe five starters become a full writing frame, one box per move; requirements drop to two criteria and two facts — the structure stays whole.
ExtendThe minority report: if the tally splits heavily, dissenting judges write a half-page on what the majority missed. A real judicial tradition — Year 7s rise to it.