Lesson Plan:
Nobel Peace Prize Press Conference

Class Time Required: 3-4 Class Periods

Overview and Purpose: Open class with a discussion and information on the history of the Nobel Prize. Each student should state what he or she thinks the Nobel Prize is, or what it means. Responses should be limited to one or two words or a short phrase, so they can be written on the board. Like: “honor”, “peace”, “science”, “invention”, “achievement”.

Next the class will use the World Wide Web to research information about the 1995 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Joseph Rotblat. The students will be given a handout with questions and website addresses to work from. After the completion of the handout, the students will be divide into two groups: The Nobel Prize Committee, and The Press. Then there will be a “Press Conference” on the Nobel Prize Award. This Press Conference will be video taped. The class will create their script for the press conference. Each group will prepare one or two questions to answer. Then the class will work on a script and rehearse it. Finally comes the video taping of the Press Conference, followed by viewing it and critiquing it.

General Goals:
1. To increase reading comprehension through students analyzing appropriate reading strategies such as summarizing and note taking.
2. To increase students understanding of the effect of human decisions and actions on our environment.
Specific Objectives:
1. Students will examine the relationships between science, personal responsibility, world peace and politics.
2. Students will assess the contributions of Nobel laureates.
3. Students will analyze data using the Web for information gathering.
4. Students will work collectively to find conclusions of posed questions.

Materials Needed:
Video camera and computers to do the web research.

Handout Worksheet

Rubric

Activities (step by step procedure):
1. Introduce topic: What is the Nobel Prize?
2. Researching the 1995 Nobel Prize Winner, Joseph Rotblat.
3. Evaluating the research.
4. Criteria for selecting Joseph Rotblat (most interesting because of inherent contradictions)
5. Developing list of questions (each question must relate to world peace, the Nobel prize, the bomb, the Pugwash Conference, Joseph Rotblat)
6. Putting it all together – The planning and rehearsing the Press Conference.
7. Evaluation- students response

Teaching Strategies
1. Open class discussions.
2. Internet research
3. Formation of teams for investigation and discovery
4. Student presentation
5. Students critique


Thought provoking questions
Can we relate to things we’ve done by just not thinking of consequences?
What do you think are the characteristics of a successful peacemaker?
What is the ethical dilemma Joseph Rotbtat faced?

“Notes to self…”
Choose camera person wisely…instruct student not to zoom in and out while taping or talking near mike on camera