Monday, February 16, 2015

Supreme Court Simulation

I created this for my class to really understand how the supreme court works. I have not run this yet but I would love to see your feedback
Simulation
I am going to dived you into three groups.
Group one will be playing the role of Supreme Court Justices
Group two will be play the plaintiff (Annie)

Group three will be playing the Defendant (State of California)

Scenario 
Annie (the plaintiff) took her son John out of school to homeschool him in 2008 because he was being bullied. In 2010 the state of California took John (age 13) away from Annie and placed him in state care because “John’s education was severely lacking and he was allowed to learn things that could cause serious harm to society.” John was obsessed with Computer hacking and Nazi Germany. He had created a website to united all the Nazi loving hackers to break into the federal governments security.
Supreme Court Judges
Your role is to determine 1 of 3 things.
First does the Supreme Court have jurisdiction to even hear this cause. (see article 3 section 2) if you think it does not then dismiss the case and you don’t have to rule who is right and who is wrong. If you do then you have to make your next choice
Second does the constitution support Annies claim that “a parent has the right to teach their kids anything they wish”
Third does the constitution support The state of California's claim that “parents do not have the right to teach their child potentially harmful things to society.”
Plaintiff
You must build a case to prove that
“a parent has the right to teach their kids anything they wish”
First you must find where in the Constitution this right could possible by found. (See amendment 9-10 and 14)
Build a case with at least 3 reasons as to why the Constitution supports your point.

Defendant
You must build a case to prove that
“parents do not have the right to teach their child potentially harmful things to society.”First you must find where in the Constitution this right could possible by found. (See amendment 9-10 and 14)Build a case with at least 3 reasons as to why the Constitution supports your point.

I want the students to see how things are not always black and white and how the constitution plays a role in helping us not just protect the majority but the minority. I also want the students to see the power that the Supreme Court Has. 

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Great Resource for Declaration of Independence Memorizing Contributed by Amy Sellers

Simulation to build trust and help students think about what they can offer

You all were invited to take a special boat trip to the Philippians for educational purposes. Along the way your boat hit a terrible storm and sank. You were fortunate to make it alive on a lifeboat and after 2 weeks at sea you have spotted land.

You landed on the island and were greeted by a tribe that has never been heard of in the world. They kidnapped you and brought you to their village to see their king.
 You are all tied up and surrounded by the entire village they inform you that the king will allow only one person to talk to him.

That one person must convince the king why he should let you live and what you can contribute to their people. If that one person does not convince him why you should live he will feed you to the island monster.

You will be given 45 minutes to pick someone to speak for you and then prepare them to answer the following questions.

            Give a reason for every person in your boat to live.
            How can each person individually contribute to our tribe?
            What talents and gifts does each person individually have?
            How will you as a group better our island
            Give the king a reason why he can trust each person individually.

If the spokesman fails to convince the king about any individuals worth then the king might choose to let that person die. Be careful who you choose to represent you and who you choose to trust your life too.


At the end of the 45 minutes the king will listen to your spokesman’s plea.

Sun Tzu Simulation

Sun Tzu 

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

So we are going to simulate our enemy.

The year is 2050 you are all experience professionals who are working for the most powerful person in the world Dr. Friend. Her desire is to take power over the entire world but she is not content with just controlling countries she want to try to control people’s wills.

Your task is to come up with three different plans for three different objectives. At the end of the allotted time (which you do know how much time you will be given) you must have three plans. If Dr. Friend likes your plans she may let you live to carry them out if she does not like them, imagine the worst that can happen to you and she will make it happen.

First objective is to, make the people of the world choose to give up their personal freedom and submit to the control of Dr. Friend without any fight.

Second, make people choose to join Dr. Friend in doing harm to others.


Third, make people unhappy and apathetic about life.

Start a Revolution

You are all from a country that is living under a tyrannical queen you have figured out how to communicate across the country through technology and have gathered as the countries leaders pushing for a revolution.

Your communications could be monitored by the government so you need to be careful what you say.

In the next hour you must figure out how you are going to accomplish the following.

Get the people of the country to unite and revolt
Get an army sufficient to even fight the government
Get the word out to the people about the revolution without the government knowing who is starting it.
Decide what to do if you actually do get the Queen overthrown.

How best to dethrone the Queen

Many Simulations that I have used in Key of Liberty Class

Bullies on the Playground
Your children all go to the same elementary school you have been having trouble with bullies and inappropriate behavior on the playground. You have all gathered to find a way to fix the problems. You can’t make any rules for the playground because you are not the Principle you are just parents. You have 15 minutes to find a way to solve the problem of bullies on the playground without making rules.

To help understand the need for rule of law


Simple reflective simulation
You are you it is today! America has more taxes then ever before many of the injuries of that king are happening in our country today. What can you do to change the course of our nation? What can you do to preserve freedom?

You have 20 minutes and I want a real answer something that you really could do.


Teaching morals
America is falling apart and we need a drastic shift in our nation to keep us from falling as a nation. You are the top experts in education and president has gathered you together to come up with a way to teach morals to the youth today.

Ambitious
Courage
Strong Moral Compass
Honest
Diplomatic
Trusting

You have all of the resources of the nation the sky is the limit to what you can do. You must come up with a way to teach one specific character trait to youth. You will be in groups of 5 and you will have ten minutes to come up with a plan. Pick a group leader to present your plan.


What kind of Character does it take to make a good president?
First ask what is the job
Then ask what is being required.


Raising an army for General Washington
General Washington needs more troops and he has asked for the Philadelphia militia to come and help fight. Because it is militia the citizens must vote to decided whether they will send their men to fight. You are gathered at a town meeting discussing the pro and con to fighting.


Tories
You do not want to leave the British Commonwealth. Most of your family is from England and if you go to war with them then you will be forced to fight your family and friends.
Your main source of trade is with the British and that his how you make money.
You don’t want to see thousands of men die and people suffer because we go to war.
You need to come up with a powerful argument to make the rebels see your point and agree to vote with you to keep the militia home. Come up with 5 point as to why not to fight and pick a spokesman to represent your points

Rebels
You are tired of the British even though your family is British you don’t want to be under the control of the king anymore. You see that it is not a healthy situation for America and her future to be under her control.

You must come up with a powerful argument to convince the Tories that you need to fight the British.

Come up with 5 point as to why not to fight and pick a spokesman to represent your points


Freedom or security
We are living in the middle of World War 3 it is 2040, you are all grown up and have kids of your own. Because your older you don’t have to fight in the war but you do have to supply food for the war and because of that people are starving and hunger is everywhere. The government has come up with a program what will bring food to your family and kids but in order to do it you have to allow for government trained men to come in and take over the teaching of your children. Your children will be required to go to the government run school from 7 am to 7 pm so you can work all day in the fields getting food.

You are gathered in a town meeting to discuss if you as a town are going to let people starve to death or let the government program run in your town.

The mayor of the town Brenna will be conducting the meeting at the end you will need to all vote to decided what you are going to do.


Boston Town Meeting
It is 1770 you live in Boston Mass. Your town has become subject to British troops just the other day they killed 5 civilians you have gathered in the town hall to debate as to what must be done to protect your homes and families and keep your freedoms.

You are gathered here to discuss whether the attack justifies using guns to fight back. Whether this attack means full on war or if we should sue for peace.

Keep in mind while you discuss that once you commit to fighting you cannot quite you must either win or die trying. Remember that Great Britain is the world’s biggest power and you have no navy and no army. 

Britain is also attacking your unalienable rights with parliament not letting you have any say in the laws that are being past that you must abided.


George Washington’s rules of civil conduct

The year is 2122 after the last major war the world is dying to save mankind we are sending a rocket ship with young children to the next galaxy to inhabit a planet that will sustain life.

You are part of a council and you have been asked to put together guidelines to teach the youth rules of how to act and behave.

We have to come up with a list of guidelines and rules to teach the only humans that will survive.
You must come up with a list of 10 things to give as guidelines as to how to behave in society and as a person.

 Diplomat to France
Congress has called you to act as an envoy to France to solicit help in the war. The king and his council have decided to give you a 10 minute audience. You need to prepare every point you can think of as to why France should help America and you must do in an a very diplomatic way. The King (Tanner) and his council of Wesley, Emma, Haylie, kylee and Timothy after hearing your case will decided on weather or not to give ad to America.



You must pick two spokesman to represent you and they and only they can talk to the king. No one else is allowed to speak to the king. You must tell the king everything you wish for his help and give him reason as to why he must help you. This is the time to use your diplomacy and work together.

Simulation on the Purpose of Government

Space year 4098 as rangers of the Galactic space government your task is to travel space and find new planets.

You have found a planet and have found a new race of people that are primitive you want to invite them to join your Galactic Space Government but they really don’t see the need for it. They live in peace and have not needed a government for many years they live in small families and if people don’t agree they just kill each other and whoever is the best at fighting is the safest.

You must come up with a list of 5 reasons as to why you need a government and why they should join your government.


What is the purpose of government?
Why do you need to make one?
Why can’t they just live without it?


These are all questions that the new race of people are asking.