Purpose: This problematic situation is designed to help students further their knowledge of the characters in the novel and help them appreciate the features connected with the setting in Spain. This strategy can be used anytime during the study of the novel, but would be most beneficial if it was used towards the end of the book after Brett has left with Pedro.
Context: The students will be in the position of gamblers who are betting on who will be first to make it safely through the running of the bulls in Spain. Due to the dangerous nature of the sport, students will have several options of who they want to bet on and what the outcome will be that they are betting on. Each person/group will have $1,000 to use to place their bets. Students are free to put all their money on one person or to divide it up in different amounts between the people. The students even have the freedom to bet on who will lose or who will get injured or killed in the running of the bulls. Although there is no right or wrong answer to this problematic situation, the activity prompts discussion questions about the characters and their true natures. The entire activity should take about 35 minutes.
Directions: • Pass out the Problematic Situation Worksheet to the students. Discuss with the students the situation and the consensus rules written on the sheet before allowing them to begin. • Allow the students a few minutes to place their own bets among the five characters. • Next, put the students in groups of four and ask them to come to a consensus about how they will be betting. • After the groups have come to an agreement on how they will bet, have one member from each group present their bet to the class by providing justification for their choice. • Ask the students to return to their seats if they have moved to work in groups, and have them write for one minute about which bet they liked the most (either their personal bet or the bets with the group).
Use the following questions to stimulate discuss in the classroom:
What do your bets reveal about your personal biases surrounding certain characters? How have you personal experiences in your life helped shape those biases? Are there any certain events in the novel that significantly contributed to your opinions about a certain character? How do you think these biases will affect your reading for the rest of the novel? How will they affect your feelings about the ending when we get to it?
Assessment: Take note of student participation during the class discussion and group work, and grade based on evidence of thought on the reflection writing assignment.