(Korean) Deserted Island Game

Last week I decided to play the “deserted island” game with my classes.  I designed it to be a little hard for them (i.e., I used a few big words and required them to justify their choices of survivors and supplies).  I did this on purpose so that they would have to ask me questions…some my students are still quite shy, so sometimes it takes quite a bit of work on my part to get them to talk to me.  Secondly, I wanted to see how these kids think...Korean kids don’t get a lot of say in their lives, so I wanted to see what decisions they would make if there was no “right” or “wrong” answer, just what they want as long as they could explain their choices.

I am blown away by some of the things my students came up with.

Some were funny.  Like asking if the fishing pole was made in China...because if it was made it China it was no good and they would be better off choosing something else.  Or asking to take 1 extra item because they really wanted the teddy bear to hug at night.  But still not as good as the student that asked if the island is a wi-fi zone because then the cell phone would be a practical item to save.

But more than that was the caring and compassionate answers some of the students gave about which survivors they would take to the island.  Several groups (we did this in groups to help with speaking) saved the entire family of three because they felt it would not be right to separate them.  Some only saved the Daughter because she was so young and deserved the chance to live out her life.  Many groups saved the nurse and/or doctor to healing the survivors, or took the nurse and not the doctor because the doctor is actually a plastic surgeon.  Other students chose to save the Minister because he could bring hope and comfort to the other survivors.  One group chose to save the Curator even though she has cancer because they felt sympathy for her.  One group chose the disabled Professor who had developed an HIV antibody because he would be important to a lot of people who are sick.  

However, the most extraordinary answer was the group that decided to leave the strongest survivors behind because they thought they would have a chance on their own.  Instead they took the survivors they felt might be a burden to the others.  So unbelievably moving!

Really, I have some fantastic students.