Win the Room: worksheet
Write about the activity only. Leave out names, class periods, emails, and other personal details.
Play Win the Room with your partner. After your last speech in each room, fill in its table. Then answer the questions for that room. Use the card names and the numbers from the game.
9-10SL3: Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric; identify any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence. 9-10R8: Delineate and evaluate an argument and specific claims in a text, assessing the validity or fallacy of key statements by examining whether the supporting evidence is relevant and sufficient.
Level 1: Student Council
| Predicted yes votes | Actual yes votes | Labels right (of 5) | Stars (0 to 3) | Passed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Record your speech: the five cards in order (short names are fine) and your label for each. Which groups voted no? 9-10SL3
2. 18 of the 30 council members are moved by stories, and they start at −2. Why can't a speech with no pathos win this room? 9-10SL3
3. “Every good school is switching, so we should too.” Which fallacy is this? Why isn't it a real reason, even if some listeners clap? 9-10SL3
Level 2: Parent Association
| Predicted yes votes | Actual yes votes | Labels right (of 5) | Stars (0 to 3) | Passed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
4. Record your speech: the five cards in order (short names are fine) and your label for each. Which groups voted no? 9-10SL3
5. The game loaded your winning council speech into this room. Would it win the parents? Use the room table to explain why or why not. 9-10SL3
6. “Anyone who disagrees just doesn't care about kids.” Which fallacy is this? Why isn't it a reason, and which parents turn against it? 9-10R8
Level 3: School Board
| Predicted yes votes | Actual yes votes | Labels right (of 5) | Stars (0 to 3) | Passed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
7. Record your speech: the five cards in order (short names are fine) and your label for each. Which groups voted no? 9-10SL3
8. The 12 data-minded board members start at −2.5. Why did they need two logos lines? Why doesn't a third logos line help? 9-10R8
9. “Either we start later, or we admit we don't care if students fail.” Which fallacy is this? Name one option it leaves out. 9-10R8
When a speech lost
10. Pick one speech that lost. Which room was it, and which group voted no? Which line or missing appeal caused it, and why? Use How it works. 9-10SL3
Wrap-up: what persuades a skeptical audience
11. What actually persuades a skeptical audience, one that starts against you? Use evidence from at least two rooms. 9-10R8
| Claim | |
|---|---|
| Evidence | |
| Reasoning |