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!"#$%%&'(%The Overcrowded Lifeboat

In 1842, a ship struck an iceberg and more than 30 survivors were crowded into a lifeboat

intended to hold 7. As a storm threatened, it became obvious that the lifeboat would have

to be lightened if anyone were to survive. The captain reasoned that the right thing to do

in this situation was to force some individuals to go over the side and drown. Such an

action, he reasoned, was not unjust to those thrown overboard, for they would have

drowned anyway. If he did nothing, however, he would be responsible for the deaths of

those whom he could have saved. Some people opposed the captain's decision. They

claimed that if nothing were done and everyone died as a result, no one would be

responsible for these deaths. On the other hand, if the captain attempted to save some, he

could do so only by killing others and their deaths would be his responsibility; this would

be worse than doing nothing and letting all die. The captain rejected this reasoning. Since

the only possibility for rescue required great efforts of rowing, the captain decided that

the weakest would have to be sacrificed. In this situation it would be absurd, he thought,

to decide by drawing lots who should be thrown overboard. As it turned out, after days of

hard rowing, the survivors were rescued and the captain was tried for his action. If you

had been on the jury, how would you have decided?

PART 1:

Talking about the “overcrowded lifeboat” dilemma! What would you have decided?

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PART 2: (Group Discussion)

What would you have done under these circumstances?

CASE 1: The Pregnant Woman

A pregnant woman leading a group of people out of a cave on a coast was stuck in the

mouth of that cave. In a short time high tide was supposed to be upon them, and unless

she had been unstuck, they would all have been drowned except the woman, whose head

was out of the cave. Fortunately, (or unfortunately,) someone had with him a stick of

dynamite. There seemed no way to get the pregnant woman loose without using the

dynamite that killed her; but if they had not used it, everyone would have been drowned.

What would you have done if you had had such a situation last year?

CASE 2: The Mad Bomber

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A madman who threatened to explode several bombs in crowded areas had been

apprehended. Unfortunately, he had already planted the bombs and they were scheduled

to go off in a short time. The authorities could not make him divulge the location of the

bombs by conventional methods. He refused to say anything and requested a lawyer to

protect his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination. In exasperation, some high

level official suggested torture. This would have been illegal, of course, but the official

thought that it was nevertheless the right thing to do in this desperate situation. So they

tortured the man.

What would you have done? Would you have tortured the man if you had had the

responsibility to make a decision?

CASE 3: Giving drugs to kill her!

In August 1991, Dr. Nigel White was treating a 70-year-old woman who was extremely

ill with rheumatoid arthritis, and in constant pain. There was no chance that she would

ever leave her bed again. The only way Dr. White could relieve her pain was by giving

her large doses of heroin. After a time, however, heroin was not enough to stop the pain,

and the woman begged Dr. White to give her a drug that would kill her… What would

you have done if you had had such a patient? Explain why?

CASE 4: Find your own daughter!

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When the nine-year-old daughter of Ernest and Regina Twigg died in 1988, the post-

mortem examination showed that she was not in fact their daughter. They made

enquiries, and discovered that someone had made a mistake at the hospital where Mrs.

Twigg had had her baby girl: their daughter had been given to another couple, and the

Twiggs had been given the other couple’s baby. Their daughter, they learnt, was living

with her ‘family’ in another part of the USA, 1500kilometers away… What would you

have done if you had had such a situation? Would you have gone to your own daughter’s

place and told the other family that actually she had never been their daughter?

CASE 5: Airplane crash

On 13 October 1972 a plane carrying 45 passengers and crew bound for Santiago, Chile,

crashed in a remote part of the High Andes. After waiting several days, the 27 survivors

of the crash realized that they had no chance of being rescued. They were stranded high

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in the mountains above the snow line, and although they could shelter from the worst of

the cold inside the plane, they had nothing to eat except snacks and chocolates that the

plane had been carrying. These soon ran out, and they were faced with starvation. Then

one of the survivors suggested that there was just one chance of survival: they could eat

the flesh of the passengers that had died in the crash… If you had been one of these

surviving guys, would you have eaten the flesh of the dead people? Why? Do you have

any other ideas?

PART 3: Please watch the video and answer the following questions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXvSLBTXGJE

1. What would have been if the people did not find the baby?

2. What would happen if they could not save the 10-year-old boy?

3. How would you have felt before the earthquake if you had been to Van in Turkey?

4. How would you have felt if you had been in Van at the time of the earthquake?

5. How would you have felt after the earthquake if you had been to Van? Would you

have left the city just after the earthquake?

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PART 4: Write a second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first

sentence.

1. I didn’t answer the phone because I didn’t know it was you.

__________________________________________________________________

2. I didn’t know you were back from your holiday, so I didn’t call you.

__________________________________________________________________

3. If she’d had my address with her, she’d have sent me a postcard.

__________________________________________________________________

4. He forgot to put his watch on – that’s why he was late.

__________________________________________________________________

5. I’d have bought you a present, but I forgot when your birthday was.

__________________________________________________________________

6. We got in from work really late – that’s why we didn’t come to your party.

__________________________________________________________________

Past PastPast Past

You can change one decision in your life.

You can meet someone from your past for a few days.

You can say something to someonethat you didn’t say at the time.

You can change someone’s opinionabout you when you were younger.

You can learn how to do something that you never learned.

Lot Number 2841

Lot Number 9447

Lot Number 6853

Lot Number 2016

Lot Number 5553 Lot Number 6047

Lot Number 1884 Lot Number 3203

Lot Number 6561 Lot Number 9707

You can do something differently inyour junior high school days.

You can know something that youdidn’t know at the time.

You can buy something that you didn’t buy at the time.

You can erase a block of time from your life.

You can re-live one moment in your life.

For more FUN English Lesson WorksheetsVisit: http://www.efl4u.com

Magic Auction Cards (Past) - Lesson Collection Set #1©EFL4U.com

Amount

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BidBidPassPass

BidBidPassPass

BidBidPassPass

BidBidPassPass

BidBidPassPass

BidBidPassPass

BidBidPassPass

BidBidPassPass

BidBidPassPass

BidBidPassPass

Lot #

2841

6853

9447

2016

5553

6047

1884

3203

6561

9707

Magic Items for Sale Examples

Past PastPast Past

For more FUN English Lesson WorksheetsVisit: http://www.efl4u.com

Magic Auction Menu (Past) - Lesson Collection Set #1©EFL4U.com

I would have decided to: study overseas for one year. major in computer programming. go to a different school, etc.

I would have: joined the tennis team. studied harder. gone to the school dance, etc.

I would like to meet: my grandmother. my rst love. my 2nd Grade teacher, etc.

I would like to have known: my grandparents better. some good stocks to buy. the result of the football game, etc.

I would have: told my father “I love you.” asked my friend for some help. said “No thanks,” to the salesman, etc.

I would have bought: a different car. a better Mother’s Day present. a red cashmere sweater, etc.

I would have: made Chris fall in love with me. made my mother-in-law like me. made my teacher be nicer to me, etc.

I would erase: all of my 5th Grade days. the time I had the u. the car accident I was in, etc.

I would have learned how to: speak another language. y a plane. play a musical instrument, etc.

I would re-live: a visit with my grandfather. my rst kiss. my 12th birthday party, etc.

You can change one decision in your life.

You can do something differently in your

You can meet someone from your past for

You can know something that you didn’t

You can say something to someone that you

You can buy something that you didn’t buy

You can change someone’s opinion about

You can erase a block of time from your life.

You can learn how to do something that you

You can re-live one moment in your life.

junior high school days.

a few days.

know at the time.

didn’t say at the time.

at the time.

you when you were younger.

never learned.

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Teachers’ Instructions (1/2)

For more FUN English Lesson Worksheets Magic Auction (Past Tense) [Lesson Collection Set #1 – Lesson 1a]Visit: http://www.efl4u.com ©EFL4U.com

Magic Auction (Past)

1. Student ability: High Beginner ~ Intermediate 2. Approximate length of lesson: 40+ 3. Number of students necessary: 4+ 4. Preferred age/maturity: JHS, HS, College, Adult 5. Type of lesson: Group Activity

* * * * *

Language Target: Working with present,past and past perfect tenses, (plus Type 2and Type 3 Conditionals with if – foradvanced students), numbers - especiallymoney, and auction phraseology andvocabulary. Persuading group mates tobuy Magic Auction Items. There’s also asimple writing *option available.

Setting Up: Explain the concept of a MagicAuction: items can be purchased whichwill allow the buyer to change things inthe past. The inherent value of theseitems is, of course, priceless since inreality we can not return to or changeanything in our past.

Prepare enough copies of MagicAuction Menu Worksheet for everystudent in class. Also prepare one set ofMagic Auction Cards for every group inclass (the ideal group size is five).

*Option: For higher-ability students, prepare

sets of Magic Auction Cheques andReceipts, ten of each per group.

Getting Started Part 1: Put students intogroups of 4 or 5 and give each student acopy of the Magic Auction MenuWorksheet. pages of the worksheets.

Tell students that they have $1,000to spend on the auction (or $10,000 ormore?) in cash in which to purchaseMagic Auction Items.

Explain that in auctions, the itemsfor sale are identified by Lot Numbers,these are clearly printed on the MenuWorksheet. Beginning with Lot # 2841,read the first Magic Item for sale: Youcan change one decision in your life.

Then students look at the Exampleson the right. These are merely examples,and explain that students can “actually”change any single decision from their pastif they purchase this item. Encouragestudents to offer additional examples.

Note: For higher ability students, whenoffering an example, encourage them touse Type 2 and Type 3 conditionals, e.g.,If I could change one decision in my life,I would have decided to visit mygrandmother in the hospital one weekbefore she died.

Read through all of the Magic Itemsfor Sale on the worksheet assistingstudents with vocabulary and meaningswhile eliciting additional examples.

While reading through the list ofMagic Items for Sale, students shouldmake notes on their worksheets as towhether or not they’re interested inpurchasing any of them. If interested, theyshould check the circle next to Bid, thenwrite an amount that they are willing tospend (this amount can be changed later)and finally, they should make notes as towhat they would do with this item ifpurchased (this can also be changed).

Teachers’ Instructions (2/2)

For more FUN English Lesson Worksheets Magic Auction (Past Tense) [Lesson Collection Set #1 – Lesson 1a]Visit: http://www.efl4u.com ©EFL4U.com

Getting Started Part 2: Shuffle the MagicAuction Cards and deal them out to thestudents in the group. Explain that theseitems are theirs to keep or to sell.

There are two goals for this lesson:#1 Students purchase items that theyreally want and #2 They try to earnmoney from the sale of the Magic Items.

Beginning the Auction: Students lookthrough their Magic Auction Cards . Onestudent decides to sell a item, he/sheholds up the Magic Auction Card andreads it to the group. For example:

Seller: You can meet someone from your past for a few days. Who wants to buy this Magic Item?Bidder 1: I’ll give you $50.Bidder 2: $75.00.

Seller: This is worth much more than that. If you could meet someone from your past for a few days, you could meet your grandmother, or your first love.

Bidder 3: I bid $90.00.Bidder 1: $100.00.Seller: Just imagine, you could meet your elementary teacher or your best friend.Bidder 2: $125.00. Etc.

In this case (as with all auction sales)the Seller tries to get as much money aspossible for the item – this can be done bythe power of suggestion, offeringexamples to group mates as to what onecould do with this item.

When all bidding has ceased, theSeller should say: Lot Number 9447going once. Going twice. Sold to (buyer’sname) for (amount of money)!

The Magic Auction Card is then

given to the buyer.

Important: Once the buyer has theMagic Auction Card, he/she should tellthe group how it will be used. Examples:

[For lower ability students]I would like to meet my grandfather(when I was 6 years old).

[For higher ability students]If I could meet someone from my pastfor a few days, I would like to meet mynext door neighbor who moved away in1987.

Finally, the details of this sale shouldbe recorded by the Buyer and Seller tokeep track of their sales and purchases.See Variation 1 below.

*Variation 1: On the completion of eachsale, the Seller fills out a Magic AuctionReceipt for the Buyer and the Buyerdoes the same with a Magic AuctionCheque for the Seller.

Variation 2: For lower ability students, donot give the Magic Auction Cards to thestudents. Instead, you become theAuctioneer and do most of the talking.

Building Fluency: When finished, invite allBuyers to make a report of theirpurchases to the other members of thegroup (or the whole class).

Similar Lessons:Magic Auction (Present Tense) (Lesson Collection Set #1 - Lesson 1b)Magic Auction (Future Tense) (Lesson Collection Set #1 - Lesson 1c)

Contributed by Kurt Scheibner

DILEMMA ? X ?

Dilemma 1. a situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives. 2. any difficult or perplexing situation or problem.

The Overcrowded Lifeboat

The Pregnant Woman

The Mad Bomber

Giving Drugs to Kill Her

Find Your Own Daughter

Airplane Crash

Let’s watch a video ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXvSLBTXGJE

Let’s play a game! !

THANK YOU !

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