Power League

Teacher Guide

More league ideas

If you don't want to use the leagues set up on the website, you can create your own. Here are some suggestions:

Most heroic person/character

League question:
"Who is the most heroic person?"

League items include:
Ghandi, Gromit, Lawrence of Arabia, Winston Churchill, one of the firemen on 9/11, Che Guavara, Rambo, El Cid, Shrek, Nelson Mandella, Montgomery, Batman...

Subject:
English, RE, citizenship, history.

Lesson idea:
This could be used to discuss how heroism is represented in books, television and film. What metaphors are used? What rhetorical devices? Are there any totally heroic characters or do they have some bad aspects to their character? Which characters go on a moral journey (from good to evil, or vice versa), and which stay the same?

In an RE class, the league could be used as a starting point for a discussion on heroism. What do we mean by heroic? Is there universal agreement on what constitutes this, or is it culturally and historically relative? Are people born good or do they become heroic? Are people able to control behaviour through free will or is their behaviour determined by their genes or their social circumstances?

Life in the year 2100

League question:
"What do you think is the most likely thing to happen by the year 2100?"

League items include:
Colonisation of new planet, colony on moon, total pollution of atmosphere, underground city, levitating transport, contacted alien species, time travel, world war, world peace, English global language, dilution of cultures, prejudice dispelled, one religion, one world leader...

Subject:
Citizenship, history, science, geography, RE.

Lesson ideas:
Group league items into the things the class view as positive events and those they view as negative (for the world, the country, themselves), debate and discuss these groupings, and where they appear in the league after some period of voting.

Alternatively, compare the league that the class generate with the social and technological developments that have occurred in the last century, and how people felt about those at the time.

Most important explorer

League question:
"Who was the most important explorer?"

League items include:
Columbus, Neil Armstrong, Amundsen, Scott, Hillary, Buzz Aldrin, John Cabot, James Cook, Erik the Red. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploration for a list of notable explorers.

Subject:
Geography, history.

Lesson idea:
Pupils evaluate the league, and look at what might have driven people to explore new parts of the world. Some explorers did this for political reasons, for fame, for wealth, or just for the challenge or the kudos of being the first person to discover an area.

Students could think about what might have happened if certain explorers hadn't made their discoveries, for example what would North (or South) America be like if Columbus hadn't discovered the New World?

Best male role model

League question:
"Who is the best male role model?"

League items include:
Ray Mears, Batman, Bart Simpson, Gordon Brown, Alexander the Great, Beckham, Lance Armstrong, Jamie Oliver, Harry Potter, Nelson Mandella, Tom Cruise, Boris Johnson...

Subject:
Citizenship.

Lesson idea:
Which of the two people is the better role model? What power or influence has that person had (on you, on other people, in the world generally)? What are the limits to their influence? What are the good and bad ways in which they could exercise their influence? Students should be able to define the term 'role model' and explain the different ways someone can influence or inspire you. Establish if students want to add different people to the league (eg a friend or relative, or just someone who isn't famous).

Best female role model

League question:
"Who is the best female role model?"

League items include:
Madonna, Kate Moss, Harriet Harman, JK Rowling, Hermione Granger, Marge Simpson, Hilary Clinton, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, Margaret Thatcher, Elizabeth Bennett, Kate Adie, Natasha Kaplinsky.

Subject:
Citizenship.

Lesson idea:
See 'best male role model'.

Shakespearean characters

League question:
"Who is the most powerful Shakespearean character?"

League items include:
Prospero, Caliban, Ariel, Othello, Orsino, King Lear, Richard III, Edmund, Regan, Goneril, Henry IV, Cordelia, Hermione, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Hamlet, the Fool (Lear), Mark Antony, Cleopatra, Octavius Caesar, Lord Capulet, Lord Montague, the Nurse, Iago...

Subject:
English

Lesson idea:
Pupils evaluate the league, the processes of gaining influence, how characters become powerful in each play/story, and the role of different kinds of power in Shakespeare's writing. Some characters gain power through establishing the right relationships with other characters, for example; some gain it through using force, while others gain power by manipulating other characters; and some characters are born into power. Students could think about how they themselves might develop power or influence.

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