Activity 4
| Title | The Rights Balloon Game ( adapted from Human Rights, G. Pike and D. Selby) |
| Outcomes | To raise questions surrounding the idea of basic rights and the
relative importance of the different rights we claim To encourage students to consider why certain rights may be essential or more important than others. |
| Level | Grades 4 - 6 |
| Curriculum Connections |
Language Arts - The student will: - communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly and respond critically and clearly - interact with sensitivity and respect, considering the situation, audience and purpose |
| Health The student will: - demonstrate behaviours which contribute to emotional and social growth and development. |
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| Mathematics The student will: - understand the basic concepts associated with data handling and be able to construct and interpret tables, and bar, picto, and broken-line graphs |
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| Time | 30 - 45 minutes ( May be extended if students generate their own lists) |
| Resources | - Sheets of paper with balloon game sample rights (two per student)
- Summary chart sheet (one per group) - Poster size summary chart (one per class) - Individual survey sheets (one per student) - Graph Paper |
Strategies and Procedures
Step 1
1.1
Each student is given a sheet with a list of rights. Beside each "right" there is an empty box/space.
The student is asked to read silently the list of "rights".
1.2
The teacher then asks the students to imagine that they are each in a hot air balloon drifting in the air. On board the balloon are all ten "rights" each weighing 2 kg each. Suddenly the balloon begins to lose altitude. To keep the balloon aloft the student must begin throwing "rights" overboard. The teacher asks the students to select the first "right" that they think they could do without and to place the number one next to this right on the sheet. The teacher announces that the balloon is still falling and that the students will have to jettison another "right" . They will place the number 2 next to that right. The teacher directs this process until every student has only one "right" left in his/her balloon .
1.3.
The students move around the room and collect the answers of 5 of their classmates on their lists. They use the included table to record the number rank assigned to each answer. In the final column the numbers are added together to give a reading of the value extended to particular "rights". The higher totals would indicate more valued rights. Students can then graph the results comparing the total scores of the various "rights".
Step 2
2.1
The teacher then asks the students to form groups of four to discuss their choices and to re-do the list as a group .
2.2
The teacher circulates from group to group and observes the choices that students are making. He/she stops this portion of the activity at his/her discretion.
Step 3
3.1
Each group of four reports to the rest of the class on their decisions. The students are asked to observe which rights have been valued as least and as most important. The teacher may invite the students to use this information to construct another graph to demonstrate the overall value given to each right.
Implications for Teaching/Learning:
Students may reflect on and consider the reasons for similarities and differences in choices among groups.
Students may want to create their own lists of "rights".
Students may wish to conduct a survey of other classes, from their parents or others and analyze their results.
Name_________________
Group #_______________
The Balloon Game
1. The right to my own bedroom ____
2. The right to clean air to breathe ____
3. The right to go away for a vacation every year ____
4. The right to receive an allowance ____
5. The right to love and affection ____
6. The right not to be bossed around ____
7. The right to be different ____
8. The right to food and water ____
9. The right to time for play ____
10. The right to be listened to ____
Individual Chart
| Rights | Sample | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | Points |
| 1. Bedroom | 1 | ||||||
| 2.Clean air | 10 | ||||||
| 3. Allowance | 2 | ||||||
| 4. Love and affection | 8 | ||||||
| 5. Not bossed around | 3 | ||||||
| 6. Be different | 6 | ||||||
| 7. Vacation | 4 | ||||||
| 8. Food and water | 9 | ||||||
| 9. Be listened to | 7 | ||||||
| 10. Time for play | 5 |
Sample Data Collection Chart
| Rights | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | Points |
| 1. Bedroom | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 2.Clean air | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 48 |
| 3. Allowance | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| 4. Love and affection | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 38 |
| 5. Not bossed around | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 16 |
| 6. Be different | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 18 |
| 7. Vacation | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 19 |
| 8. Food and water | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 47 |
| 9. Be listened to | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 35 |
| 10. Time for play | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 31 |
Chart of Group
| Group 1 totals | Group 2 totals | Group 3 totals | Group 4 totals | Group 5 totals | Points Total | |
| 1. Bedroom | ||||||
| 2.Clean air | ||||||
| 3.Allowance | ||||||
| 4. Love and affection | ||||||
| 5. Not bossed around | ||||||
| 6. Be different | ||||||
| 7. Vacation | ||||||
| 8. Food and water | ||||||
| 9.Be listened to | ||||||
| 10.Time for play |
Sample Chart
