Planning suggestions for taking an 8th grade science class through a pretend town meeting?

October 16, 2008 12:41 PM

Have you got any logistical or planning suggestions for leading an 8th grade earth science class through a pretend town meeting on an environmental topic?

We have the topic - it will be about whether or not a local mining company should be allowed to dig a new mine, when their previous mine collapsed, likely due to the mine company's negligence. The collapse caused a certain amount of ongoing environmental damage. This is loosely based on some real life events in our area, some years back.

So far it looks like we will have the following stakeholders: (1) Mine Owners (2) Miners (3) Local Farmers (suffered damage to land) (4) local concerned citizens (5) Mayor (6) Dept of Envir. Conservation (7) Factory Owners (suffered damage to property)

I'm looking for logistical and planning tips for running this activity. The kids will mostly be given roles to play and talking points, and will have read up a little bit, but we only have one 60 minute class period to prepare, and then the following day's period for the actual town meeting simulation.

So - got any tips on running events like this with 13 year olds? Any ideas for follow-ups or assessments, so we can analyze what they took away from it? Any ideas for ways to make it exciting or shocking? (The material is interesting, but a surprise is always good.)

posted by anonymous to education (6 comments total)

Purposefully divide the kids into groups that you know 1-2 will take things seriously in each. There is going to be a group that will be disinterested. Similarly, divide your leadership-oriented students into different groups.

I'd also suggest letting the groups have some bonding time without any assignments so that the kids feel more committed to their groups.
posted by k8t at 12:51 PM on October 16, 2008

We did something like this in 5th grade where a construction company was trying to build a development over some wetlands. I was the "ecologist" plaintiff suing the construction company for rights over the land. So you could have a similar thing where each kid is assigned a part and they have to come up with their own legitimate concerns for the affects or benefits the mine would have on the region.

You could have your own "ecologists" and have those students study the environmental impact of the mine with runoff, etc. Preparing some materials on the environmental, safety, and financial impacts of the mines would be helpful, and the kids could look through those materials to decide what is most important in their arguments. We also had lawyers and a jury and a whole array of characters. We also dressed up to fit the part. (I was some sort of hippie-ecologist with a baggy tie dye shirt and some peace sign from my mom) I remember it being like a mini-debate and a lot of fun.
posted by sararah at 3:30 PM on October 16, 2008

We do something like this in my college classroom, but over a period of a couple weeks. In my case it's a fake legislature meeting, not a town hall meeting. Here are a few thoughts -


-In my class, each person must make one 2-min speech (notecards ok, but not read verbatim), which is followed by a brief time for the audience to ask questions. You probably won't have time to impose this rule, but you could require that each group (supposing you have something like 4 groups) make a short presentation of their view and then open the floor to the more general discussion. You could also require that each kid say *something* during the hour, to encourage groups to plan ahead and give each kid his or her own talking point.


-Have a good moderator to keep things moving. Typically we choose a different student moderator each day and they run the session (calling on the next speaker etc) so I can stay silent in the back; this may not work with younger kids. This is supplemented with a "podium rule" - if anyone wants to speak but isn't being called on, they can stand in line for the podium and they must be allowed to speak. You may want to have a teacher in the role, maybe as a respected local judge or something.


-Increasing their buy-in is good. Maybe costumes, have them pick a name for their character and everyone gets a nametag, etc. This way if they are defending a view they disagree with, they'll feel more free to go for it. You might want to ensure that the session begins with the mayor, or moderator, giving a little speech "welcome my fellow townsfolk, I'm glad to see you all here for the meeting, let's thank Hank's Diner for providing the coffee and muffins tonight." Do something at the start of the session to mark that mental transition into your imaginary town.


-Have a clear, set, first student action. Getting things going is the hardest part, so even if you want the rest of it to be freeform, designate someone to be the first speaker and let them know ahead of time that they are on the hook. Probably it should be a character with a strong point of view (who will be forceful in their speech) and it should be a student who is popular and not shy. This sets the tone for the other kids of "okay, we're really going to do this thing".


-Think about how you want to handle cunning plans - eg if any of them get the idea to try to bribe the others (eg if one is playing Local Rich Guy he will think of this), or assassinate others, or to bring in outside characters ("I wrote to the Governor and he sent me this letter which says..."). Maybe this kind of thing is fine with you; worth thinking about ahead of time. Some of my students always begin their prep by trying to figure out how to short-circuit the game.


-Brainstorm with them ahead of time about what their character thinks - don't hand them a sheet of talking points, because they won't absorb them. Working up the talking points themselves helps them buy in to the character, and be more convincing during the simulation. Some things for them to think through and write out on paper:

A) Here are the effects on your character's life from the previous mine; here are your ongoing interests (land, needing work, etc). What does your character think we should do, going forward? (what's your conclusion)

B) How can your character try to convince other people that that's the right thing to do? (what reasons should you give for your conclusion)

C) Think ahead about who else will be at the meeting. Who will be your natural allies? Who will be your opposition? (What will they say and how can you respond? etc.)

D) Suppose you can't get your first-choice outcome. What's Plan B for you? What kinds of compromises are you willing to make, vs. compromises you would not make? (Make sure they know not to start off compromising! My biggest problem is that my students are too eager to seek muddy compromises between factions that would never really happen. You may want to include a grade penalty for departing too much from "core values" - ie a stipulated set of things that character absolutely won't give up)
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:00 PM on October 16, 2008

Though, if you include the "core values" thing, you need to be sure they know they can compromise by the end. You want to avoid quick and cheap compromises, but you also want to avoid total breakdown of negotiation if none of the students will budge.
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:02 PM on October 16, 2008

(Upon reflection - maybe take my "don't give them any talking points" with a grain of salt. Depends on your group.)
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:32 PM on October 16, 2008

A further thing to think about:
Who are your students trying to convince, in giving their speeches/talking in the discussion?

Two ways to go:
1. Everybody is assigned a point of view on the question, and they have to all negotiate to some compromise.

2. Some people NOT assigned a definite point of view, and the characters with assigned points of view have to convince THEM, the undecided voters. Basically a jury scenario. The jury characters can be assigned characters (eg, the local dentist, who doesn't know what he thinks about the mine but does want the town's economy to be good, and also likes to go hiking near town).
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:39 PM on October 16, 2008