What Would You Do?
By Taylor Sapp
()
About this ebook
What what you do if your best friend had a body odor problem?
Would you tell them directly, indirectly, have someone talk to them, or something else?
What if your smelly friend was also your secret crush? Does it matter if it's a boy or a girl?
Have you ever been in this situation before? Is good hygiene important to you?
What Would You Do? by Taylor Sapp is more than just a collection of 81 tricky hypothetical situations. Each dilemma includes suggested solutions, variations, and extension activities so they're easy to adapt to your students and your classroom.
Use them as thoughtful and engaging warmers, fillers, or as the start of a class discussion, or even pre-writing. Follow them up with one of the writing assignments or a project from the 16 games and activities in the appendix.
Unlike other quick conversation prompts, the dilemmas in What Would You Do? cover a wide variety of topics, for a range of ages and levels of English, such as:
- everyday problems: What if you had a friend who was always late?
- fun situations: What skill would you want instantly downloaded to your brain?
- ethical issues: Would you let someone steal to feed their family?
- fantasy: What if a wizard anointed you the chosen one?
- topical social issues: Would you hire a qualified undocumented immigrant?
Engaging, flexible, fun. What Would You Do? is your students' new favorite activity!
Taylor Sapp
Taylor Sapp has two passions which shape his books: writing and teaching. He has a BA in Creative Writing and Film from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California and spent a few years toiling in the film and TV business. He also has an MA in Education/TESOL from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. He has several education books out with Alphabet Publishing as well as other literary works. He currently works in the education sector for Goodwill.
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What Would You Do? - Taylor Sapp
1.
A Bad Meal
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
The Situation:
You’ve been invited to have dinner at a good friend’s house with their family. To your surprise, the meal they have made is so terrible that you are barely able to finish the first bite. The family is all looking at you and asking, So, how is it?
The Dilemma:
What do you do when you don’t like someone’s cooking?
What Would You Do? (Explain your reasoning)
Tell the family it’s good and finish the meal?
Tell the family it’s good but make an excuse not to finish?
Eat the meal but not say anything?
______________________________
Variables: How would it change the situation if...
instead of your friend’s house, you are at...
your teacher’s house?
your boss’s house?
a stranger’s house?
a restaurant (Does it matter if it’s fancy or casual)?
your girlfriend or boyfriend’s house?
you are allergic to something in the meal?
you find an insect in your food?
you saw the dog licking your food on the counter before you ate it?
you saw someone drop part of your food on the floor in the kitchen?
____________________________________________
Expansion Activities for Discussion and Writing:
Have you ever been in this kind of situation before? If so, what did you do?
What is the best meal you’ve ever eaten at a friend’s house?
What is the worst meal you’ve ever eaten at a friend’s house? Did you eat it?
What are some important table manners that your family followed growing up?
Were they similar or different at other people’s houses?
Discuss or write a short response to the following food-related expressions:
There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
The way to someone's heart is through the stomach.
It takes a good heart to be a good cook.
2.
Pet Allergies
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
The Situation:
You adopt a wonderfully cute little puppy and take him home. Unfortunately, you discover that your sibling has a bad allergy to dogs and is sneezing and red-eyed around your new pet! You go to the doctor and find out that your sibling’s allergies can be helped only if they get a shot every week!
The Dilemma:
Do you keep a pet that your sibling is allergic to?
What Would You Do? (Explain your reasoning)
Return the pet?
Keep the pet and convince your sibling to get the shot?
Keep the pet but in a different room than your sibling?
Exchange the dog for a different pet?
______________________________
4. Variables: How would it change the situation if...
the person who allergic to the pet were
a parent?
your roommate
your partner?
your best friend?
you were the one with the pet allergy?
you have children and they had the allergy?
your sibling had a cat allergy instead?
the dog had an allergy to something in your house?
__________________________________________________
5. Expansion Activities for Discussion and Writing:
Do you or someone you know have a pet allergy?
If so, how did they deal with it?
Do you or anyone you know have another kind of allergy?
Discuss or write a short response to one of the following:
What are the best ways to deal with pet or other allergies?
Pets are important to make us happy.
Pets are a waste of money and time.
3. Bad Hygiene
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
The Situation:
You sit next to your friend at school each day. That means you can also smell them! Your friend has bad hygiene, and doesn’t wash or brush their teeth as often as they should. Almost every day they smell bad, and lots of people are talking bad behind their back about it. Your friend doesn’t seem to know about the issue!
The Dilemma:
How can you help your friend with their hygiene problem?
What Would You Do? (Explain your reasoning)
Tell your friend about the bad smell directly?
Tell your friend about the bad smell indirectly by giving them perfume or cologne as a present?
Talk to your parents or your friend’s parents about the issue?
Make up a reason to tell the other kids not to make fun of your friend?
Say nothing and ignore it?
______________________________
Variables: How would it change the situation if...
your friend knows about the smell but doesn’t want to do anything about it?
instead of your friend, the person with the bad smell is your...
classmate you don’t know well?
sibling?
girlfriend or boyfriend?
teacher?
instead of a bad smell, your friend usually has...
dandruff?
excessive flatulence?
clothing that is...
old and dirty?
strange?
too revealing or sexy?
__________________________________________________
Expansion Activities for Discussion and Writing
Have you ever been in this kind of situation before?
If so, what did you do?
Have your ever been the one with bad hygiene?
If so, did anyone talk to you about it?
Is good hygiene important to you?
How do you compare to your friends and family?
Who do you know that’s the most/least careful about hygiene?
Is good hygiene more important for different ages or genders?
Write a short response: Look at the following saying: Cleanliness is next to godliness
What does this mean?
Do you agree or disagree? Why?
4. Don’t Bug Me!
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
The Situation:
You are home alone. A big, scary spider is walking across your floor. Your sibling usually likes to catch spiders and put them outside but they are not home right now.
The Dilemma:
Is it always ok to kill insects?
What Would You Do? (Explain your reasoning)
Smash the spider with something?
Try to pick up the spider and put it outside?
Try to find someone to help you take care of the spider?
Ignore the spider?
Keep the spider as a pet?
______________________________
Variables: How would it change the situation if...
the spider is...
smaller than your fingernail?
as big as a tarantula!)
poisonous?
instead of a spider, the insect is a...
fly?
bee?
mosquito?
cockroach?
____________________
instead of an insect, you see a mouse!
__________________________________________________
Expansion Activities for Discussion and Writing:
Have you ever been in this kind of situation before?
If so, what did you do?
Is killing insects ever wrong? Why or why not?
What do you usually do when you see an insect...
In your house or room?
Outside?
Are some insects more ok to kill than others?
Which insects are you most likely to kill?
Which insects are you least likely to kill?
Discuss or write a short response to the prompts:
All life on earth has value, including insects.
Insects don’t deserve the same rights as animals.
5. Scary Pet!
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
The Situation:
You come home to see that your sibling has gotten a new pet — a giant snake! They have also decided to surprise you by keeping it in your shared bedroom. So you will be meeting the snake every day! And right now, it’s feeding time for the snake’s favorite food, a live mouse!
The Dilemma:
How do you feel about sharing a room with a scary pet?
What Would You Do? (Explain your reasoning)
Tell your sibling to get rid of the snake?
Tell your sibling to move the snake?
Ignore the snake but refuse to feed it?
Help feed it?
______________________
Variables: How would it change the situation if...
the snake was smaller?
the snake only eats dead insects?
instead of your sibling, you are living with your...
school roommate?
best friend?
boyfriend or girlfriend?
instead of a snake, the pet your sibling got was a...
tarantula?
iguana?
Malagasy hissing cockroach?
_____________________________________________________
Expansion Activities for Discussion and Writing:
Have you ever been in this situation before?
If so, what did you do?
Do you or someone you know have an unusual pet?
What is it, and what did you think about it?
What unusual pet (something besides a cat or dog) would you be...
Most interested in having?
Least interested in having?
Write/Discuss a short response: Answer one of the following