Choosing A Site

Grade Level: 7 - 12

This simulation was developed by The American Forum for Global Education and its predecessor organizations, Global Perspectives in Educations and the Center for Peace Studies, with the aid of a federal grant and is, therefore, in the public domain. The activity appears in its complete form. We encourage you to download this information and use it in your classes.

Acquiring the ability to respond constructively to events involves the development of many skills-among them are (1 ) analysis, (2) decision making, and (3) oral and written communication. This activity involves a housing project location simulation and provides an opportunity to help develop these skills. Conflicts of many sorts are built into the activity. Students must analyze these conflicts, research the different positions their role characters might take, decide on the most effective arguments, and try to persuade others to accept a settlement.

There are eight roles for students to play: citizens representing the interests of seven different neighborhoods, and a federal arbiter. You may want to assign several students to each of the citizen roles, stipulating that they must agree on a single position before presenting their case to the larger group. Alternatively, you might let each student in a neighborhood group represent a different individual from the neighborhood. Either option will give more students the opportunity to participate.

Objectives

Students will be able to:

Suggested Procedure

  1. Distribute Student Handout #1 and Student Handout #2 to the students. Have all students read all the roles. You may want to assign groups and roles, or have students group themselves and then assign the roles. Help the students relate their neighborhood/role identity to the map and the table. If time remains in the period, have students begin the assignment for Part 1. Have them complete it as a homework assignment.
  2. To establish more clearly the character of the seven neighborhoods, have some students read their descriptions before proceeding. Then let students break into role groups. Each group should decide where the low-income housing project should be located and outline the arguments that they would present to people from the other neighborhoods.
  3. Have the groups present their oral arguments to the whole class. The class will act as a citizens' panel. Stress that the panel should try to reach consensus on the location of the project. After the arguments are given, you may want to allow time for discussion, small group caucuses, and the development of compromises, to help reach a settlement.
  4. When students have finished the role play simulation, have them write the newspaper article described in Part 4 of Student Handout #2. This will help students to objectively evaluate what took place.
  5. Discuss the simulation experience. Point out that, while most groups did not object to the housing project in principle, few wanted it in their neighborhood. Ask the students to identify actual issues in their own community (such as deciding the location of a superhighway, a prison, an airport, a garbage dump, etc.). That may be comparable to the simulated experience. How can a fair decision be arrived at in these cases?
  6. Ask the students to identify national and international issues that may be comparable to the simulated experience. One example at the national level would be the reluctance of all states to permit the development of a nuclear waste storage site within their territory. On the international level, the reluctance of all nations to accept large numbers of refugees-urging other countries to accept the refugees instead-is one example that could be given. Many other local, national, and international problems also involve the general unwillingness of people to sacrifice their own self-interest for the broader public good.


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