Overview
In this class, students will participate in a town hall meeting. They will take on roles of different Bonsaaso residents who hold a variety of contrasting viewpoints regarding farming and mining issues. Students will synthesize what they have learned from the first two classes, as well as from their worksheets, about the contrasting viewpoints of farmers and miners on land use. The town hall meeting will support residents to recognize both mining and farming as sources of income for the entire community.
Essential Questions
● How can a community come together to overcome differences for the common greater good?
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
● Engage in a class discussion within their roles with the objective of building consensus to improve relationships between agricultural and mining businesses
● Demonstrate knowledge of rules of engagement during a town hall meeting
● Articulate the viewpoint of a Bonsaaso resident during the town hall meeting
Common Core State Standards
MVP Glossary
● Cooperative Farming: a farm or multiple farms that are run in cooperation with others in the purchasing and operating of machinery, stock, etc., and in the marketing of produce.
● Mining: the process or industry of obtaining gold, ore, metals, coal, or other minerals from a mine.
● Town Hall Meeting: a forum, where individuals from a community come together to speak and share their opinions on an issue. Town hall meetings are a chance for community officials to hear the concerns of their constituents.
● Consensus: a generally accepted plan among a group of people. A vote that has more than just the majority; it is the agreement of everyone in the group.
Materials for Instructor
● There are no materials in this lesson for teachers
Materials for Students
● Talking points from the previous class
Room set-up:
Arrange the classroom so that students can sit in chairs facing an area where the speakers will stand and present.
I. Opening discussion (5 min.)
Tell students that they are about to conduct the town hall meeting they have prepared for in the previous class. Share with students that the purpose is to come together as community members to support both mining and farming as sources of income and livelihood for the community, rather than let the two remain in conflict.
II. Town Hall Meeting
Step One
Have students sit next to their partners with their talking points.
As the facilitator, bring the meeting to order by stating the objective and writing it on the board: “As a community, we must work together to support both mining and farming as sources of income and livelihood for our community members.”
Step Two
As the facilitator, ask one pair of miners and one pair of farmers to stand together before the community members to share their talking points.
Step Three
After everyone has spoken, ask the community members which pair they think shared the most talking points.
Write four viewpoints from the farmers and four from the miners on the board.
III. Debriefing Conversation (5 min.)
Class discussion entry-point questions may include:
● Do you think our town hall meeting was successful? Why or why not?
● What was challenging about the process?
● Are there any current issues in our school community that you think might be effectively addressed by using the town hall meeting format?