simulations By hokiegirl3

I love doing experientials. They make everything come alive!

I'm not sure what curriculum you're dealing with but 2 of my favorites outside of TCI are:

1. Taxation without Representation: When students come

in, I tell them they have a pop quiz today. However, our school district is running low on funds. Because of this, they have limited our paper supply. To be able to take the quiz, students must pay $0.10. If they refuse to pay, they will receive a 0. Students are startled, but starting pulling out dimes and asking friends for money. One student usually speaks up and starts complaining.

I ask them why are they upset, these are the rules, I'm the teacher so just do it, etc. This leads into a good discussion about how the colonists felt when they were taxed by Britain.

2. Civil Rights: This is similar to the brown eyed/blue eyed experiment. I pick some aspect of the students wardrobe as the deciding factor (jeans, tennis shoes, etc.). I then treat the students wearing something other than jeans like royalty for the entire class. They get to sit up front, they get to borrow paper, they get to ask/answer questions. This makes the "other" students upset and again, one brave soul speaks out. We then have a discussion about how it feels when ones rights are taken away. I have students write about what their experience was like and then share. It's interesting to hear from both sides.


Hope these help. TCI has some fabulous ideas!

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