Here is a simulation in order to practice human rights appearing in the book ‘Noughts & Crosses’. This exercice has been done in group in a class of the Master of Secondary Education.
NOUGHTS & CROSSES – Malorie Blackman
BRIEFING
Goals: to promote equality through Malorie Blackman’s book Noughts and Crosses. Students have to read the book.
Course: 2º Bachillerato
Groups: students will work in teams of 4 (6 groups). In each group there would be 1 chief leader, 1 advisor, 1 secretary and 1 language monitor.
Background documents: the book itself and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Scenario: students have to focus on the chapters 66-67.
SITUATION
You’re in a courtroom, and you’re part of the public gallery, composed of twelve Noughts (white people) and twelve Crosses (black people). Remember that Noughts and Crosses do not mix, and that in the Noughts group, the son and wife of Ryan Callum McGregor take part of it.
Ryan Callyum McGregor, a Nought, is on charge of Political Terrorism.
The clerk stands up and faces Ryan, asking him if he considers himself guilty or not.
After having repeated the question several times, Ryan finally answers with a: Not guilty!
The clerk keeps blaming Ryan, and adds that he has been charged with the murder of Aysha Pilling. The same question is asked by the clerk to Ryan, who answers with the same words as before.
Next day, Callyum is questioned.
‘Callyum Ryan McGregor, Do you belong to the Liberation Militia?’- Pingule asked.
‘No I don’t ‘– replied Callyum.
‘Does your father belong to the Liberation Militia?’
‘No he doesn’t’ –Callyum answed while glancing across to where his father was.
‘Does anyone of your relatives belong to the L.M. or has talked about them?’.
‘No’.
‘How can you be so sure?, Can you tell me what you were doing in the Dundale Shopping Centre at this time, approximately ten minutes before the bomb went off?’.
Callyum was recorded running out of the Shopping Center, getting her friend Sephy out of it. He defends himself by saying that he wanted to show his friend, a Cross, something, but that he could not remember what.
The following day, Sephy was called to testify, she was asked why Callyum took her out of the Shopping Centre and if he had given her any reasons, plus, what was her relationship with him, to what she answered that she assumed Callyum wanted to show her something outside, and that they were just really good friends.
Another witness was called to testify, this time, a Cross police officer, Kelani, who said that after seeing the boy dragging the girl out, she asked the little girl who was he and if he was bothering her, to what the little girl replied that he was just a friend of her and that he was taking her out to show her something.
The last day, Callyum Ryan is judged, and Governor Giustini sentences him to life imprisonment instead of hanging him.
Game: the aim of this game is to find the different roles that take action in each group.
– How to play: we divide the class in 2 groups of 12 people. Without talking and standing up in chairs, they have to find out how to organize themselves according to the mark in their last English exam. They cannot get off of the 12 chairs. Later on, they will have 3-4 minutes in order to carry out this game. After that, the teacher will make them realize who will be the leader of each team. The leader of each group has to decide the members of their teams.
ACTION
Once they are in groups, they will have to discuss about the trial and to decide, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and their own prejudices, if Ryan is guilty or not and if his son was aware of what was going to happen. Moreover, they will finally have to come into a decision of which human rights are the ones that appear in the chapters studied. Then, the leader of each team will have to come together and they will have to reach a final common conclusion.
DEBRIEFING
Students have to think about the following questions:
– What have you learnt about human rights?
– What have you learnt linguistically speaking?
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