Using Role-playing for current events

This article is about fifth graders debating about a local environmental issue. The scenario, provided by the authors, illustrates how role-playing, using current events, can provide the op... See More

This article is about fifth graders debating about a local environmental issue. The scenario, provided by the authors, illustrates how role-playing, using current events, can provide the opportunity for students to develop meaningful connections to environmental science concepts and understand how those concepts relate to their community. The students research their roles, allowing them to develop creativity, self-esteem, and motivation for learning science It also supports students in developing communication skills and understanding abstract concepts with opportunities to learn and practice skills and develop positive attitudes in science. This article provides how to establish a role-playing activity, a cast list and description, as well as several guiding questions to help focus the activity. Finally, a grading rubric is provided in the NSTA Connection resource at the end of the article. This activity can easily be adapted at many grade levels and in many different content areas, allowing for cross curricular use, making this an excellent article for most teachers, in many different content areas.

Common Core “Pears” up With Environmental Debate

Just like science, art is taking a back seat to reading, writing and math in the elementary school classroom. This article is a means to use science and art to connect reading/language arts... See More

Just like science, art is taking a back seat to reading, writing and math in the elementary school classroom. This article is a means to use science and art to connect reading/language arts and science literacy with the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI). Since argumentation is a key component in the CCSSI, a debate is an effective way to help students examine all sides of an environmental issue and then role-play one view in such a manner that the student is able to provide evidence to support his/her claims for a particular stance. Since it is important for students to articulate and communicate their claims (with evidence they have found to support their positions), role-playing and debating an issue become natural connections to the common core standards. The article provides excellent ideas that will help teachers organize a lesson on any environmental issue so that their students can examine the pros and cons through the art of role-playing.