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- Create Date June 23, 2023
- Last Updated June 23, 2023
The One Eyed Man is King
Created by Hdar Yashar
Brief Description
Using the story “The Country of the Blind”, students will gain persuasion skills through inquiry and acknowledgment while understanding what it means to be disabled in society. They will gain important listening skills while learning how disability is a matter of perspective.
Learning Objectives
- Students will define what a disability is.
- Students will enhance their speaking abilities through debate and negotiation.
- Students will learn listening skills for better communication.
- Students will gain a deeper understanding of what a disability is and how society affects our definition of the word.
Lead-in / Preparation / Prerequisite Knowledge
Students will have read the story “The Country of the Blind” by H.G. Wells.
Estimated Class-Time Required
45 min. – a full class
Description of Activities
Students need to find the definition of “disability.” Then they need to write a paragraph or two as to whether they believe Nunez was disabled or the village people were disabled. What does it mean to be disabled?
- Give each student a number 1 or 2. All the ones need to pair up with a two.
- Each student takes one side – either Nunez is disabled, and the village people are not or vice versa. Tell all the 1s they believe that Nunez was disabled. And the twos argue against it.
- They are to try to convince each other of their position.
- Give the students 3 minutes to convince the other side of their position.
- Then, students take a new partner, but still, 1s pair up with a 2. Be sure that no one is with the same partner as before.
- Switch the sides – now 2s argue that Nunez was disabled and the 1s argue against it.
- The students again have 3 minutes to convince the other side of their position.
When the students are done, with a raise of hands, find out how many succeeded in convincing the other person of their position. Why couldn’t they be convinced? Or, if they were convinced, what convinced them? Point out what patterns are being displayed in students succeeding in convincing their partner or not.
In addition, you can discuss what it is to be disabled. Who do they each believe is the disabled person in the story? And does he need to be “fixed”? Should we as a society be trying to “fix” disabled people?
Key Vocabulary / Phrases
Disability – What is a disability?
Useful vocabulary chunks and phrases:
Why do you believe Nunez is/is not disabled?
What is your definition of disabled?
So you believe that…
Assessment
Find out how many students changed their position. How many students didn’t change their position? Ask why they think that happened. What could have been said or done differently to change their position?
Reflection
Have students complete the sentence:
Today I learned that…
I liked this activity because… / I didn’t like this activity because…
Now I understand that…
Comments
This activity could probably also be used for any story as long as there are two sides of a situation to argue. The goal of the students is to understand what it means to be disabled and to be aware of what society considers disabled and whether or not a “disability” needs to be “fixed.”