Two entire class activities are used. They were created by Kay Sandmeier, the Geography Education Program Liaison for the National Geographic Society. The class stands in a circle surrounded by a clothes line. As the teacher calls out different human actions that deplete the Rain forest, the clothesline gets tighter, reducing the circle and squeezing the group together. Students crowd together and compete for space and several are squeezed out.
Students imagine that they are in their bathrooms after a steamy shower.
The students are introduced to the concept of role-playing in a trial simulation. This was an excellent introduction. They should feel more comfortable with role-playing in a mock trial. For 2 days the students will research information based on their assigned roles. The students will then have at least a day of class time for preparing their questions and testimony.