OBJECTIVE
Students will learn the basic elements of a contract and understand when valid contracts do and do not exist.
PROCEDURE
1. Ask students if they or anyone they know has entered into any written contracts, such as cell phone agreements or car loans. What, to them, were important aspects of the contract?
2. Introduce contracts by reading What is a Contract?
KEY QUESTIONS
• Why would social invitations not be considered an enforceable contract?
• How does society benefit from contracts?
3. Assign What is a Contract? questions.
4. For homework or an in-class activity, teachers may have students examine common contracts and identify key elements (offer, acceptance, consideration) and secondary elements of these contracts. Teachers could find examples of contracts or have students bring their own.
FURTHER EXPLORATION
5. To explore how the implementation of a contract should be reasonable, check out the case study “Contract Law and the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet” in Learning about Law with The Simpsons.
