Great Game of Power

Place a set of four chairs (all the same) in a row, along with a water bottle in front of a seated group. Ask for a volunteer to silently arrange the 4 chairs and a water bottle in such a way that, in their opinion, one chair has more power than all the other chairs. Explain that any of the objects can be moved in any direction or placed on top of each other, but none of the objects can be removed altogether from the space. Sit in the audience and wait for a volunteer to arrange the chairs. Once the chairs have been arranged ask that volunteer to return to their seat and to not reveal his/her thinking behind the arrangement. Next, ask the group to interpret or “read” the image made by the chairs and water bottle:

• Describe: What do you see? Describe the way the chairs are positioned.

• Analyze: What does that position represent or make you think of? Why do you say that? What is another interpretation of this position? Which chair has the most power? Why?

• Relate: (Make connections to content) If this image represents a moment in history/a scene from our book/an interaction at our school … what does this image represent? Why? What else could it be?

Encourage a number of different interpretations. Have another volunteer repeat the activity.

• What are some of the different ways we saw power represented in this activity?

• What makes someone or something powerful?

• Who or what is powerful in our world now/was powerful then? Why?

• What do these ideas have to do with each other or our larger inquiry?

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