Lifeboat

This past week I did an activity in my classes that focused on persuasion and argumentation. I set up a situation that included a sinking ship and a lifeboat that could only hold 6 of the 10 remaining passengers. My students had to argue for their place in the boat and some of them were very creative and hilarious! It was an international passenger list and some of the people on the ship included: a Rabbi, an Arab diplomat, a Brazilian athlete, a Hollywood actress, a German accountant and his pregnant wife, a CIA agent, a Hispanic poet and an African-American med student. Here are some of the best stories from this activity:
* In one of the groups a boy was the CIA agent and he told his group that if they didn't take him, he would just pull out his gun and shoot them all...they decided to bring him along pretty quickly!
* In almost every group, the Hollywood actress sank to her doom but in one group she convinced the other members that she was skinny enough to compensate for the weight of the pregnant lady!
* Another group decided that they didn't really need the Brazilian athlete in the lifeboat but that she could swim behind the boat and push it!
* The Hispanic poet was another one who rarely made it into the lifeboat and in one group she tried to convince the other members that she would write a historical poem about the event. They decided that she could write it quickly before she died and give it to them to take back and publish!
Just wanted to share a little bit about one of my many interesting teaching experiences! This week I will teach a Thanksgiving lesson! :)
I'll try to post again in a few days and include some pictures from my weekend...lots going on around here!
I hope that this Thanksgiving week finds you thankful and truly blessed.