The situation must be set up and all perspectives explained clearly. In a successful role playing activity everyone must have a role. There may only be five or six key roles, but the entire class should be engaged in the role playing in some way, albeit as jurors, or interested citizens, or newspaper reporters. Everyone has an assignment, something they do in the role play. They must try to think like Thomas Jefferson or a land developer or whomever they have been assigned to become.
Enactment Make sure students stay in role, and proceed.
Debriefing Depending upon the structure of the role playing activity, students complete the action with a written reflection followed by an oral debriefing. Roles must be specified and the resources or constraints of the simulation outlined. Again, the debriefing is important.