Over the past week, my students and I have been looking at differing character points of view. We read familiar stories like Cinderella and The Three Little Pigs, but wrote journal entries that expressed the feelings of the ugly stepsisters and the big bad wolf. To conclude our week, I organized a mock trial based around the Little Miss Muffet nursery rhyme.
The spider was our defendant, and he was on trial for injuring Ms. Muffet. The students got the chance to hear both the defendant and the victim state their cases, and reached a verdict based on the facts.
Before the conclusion of the case, I had the chance to talk with the children that were jury members. I discussed with them the importance of listen to both sides of the story, and not forming a bias opinion. I also asked the question, “Does anyone know what happens when half the jury think the defendant is guilty, and the half the jury think the defendant is innocent?” Without missing a beat, one of my students raised her hand and stated matter-of-factly, “Yeah, they rock-paper-scissors for it!”
If only things were that easy.
Post made by March 2009 writer, Hal Schwartz.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
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