Storybook County Lessons · Lesson 14
Proposals and Roundtables
Preparing for the Conference on National Affairs
Storybook County Lessons · Lesson 14
Proposals and Roundtables
Preparing for the Conference on National Affairs
Grades 10 to 12, adaptable · Four 30-minute sessions
Teacher note. Handouts: 1. Proposal Template; 2. National Problem Cards; 3. Committee Format and Committee Chair Script; 4. Roundtable Guide. Also have a timer, placards and a gavel ready.
The story
The story problem
Wolves do not respect county borders. Neither do giants, pipers or long naps. The Storybook Nation's delegates must propose national solutions and defend them in committee.
Teacher note. Each summer every state's YMCA Youth and Government program sends a small delegation to the Conference on National Affairs (CONA), where delegates present proposals on national-scale problems rather than bills amending state law. Days end with roundtables.
You will be able to
- Distinguish a proposal from a bill.
- Write a proposal with the standard parts.
- Present a proposal in the conference format.
- Lead or take part in a roundtable reflection.
Teacher note. A proposal is a national-scale problem and a recommended solution. A bill is a change to the words of a state law.
Roles
- Delegates (everyone)
- Each writes a proposal, alone or in pairs.
- Committee Chairs (2 to 3)
- Run the committees in Session 3.
- Roundtable Leaders (2 to 3)
- Lead the Session 4 roundtables.
- Delegation Leader (1)
- Keeps the schedule and makes sure every delegate is heard.
Teacher note. Assign roles before Session 1. Divide the class into two or three committees of six to eight proposals each.
Session 1 · 30 min
From County to Nation
- Hook5 min
- Proposal vs. bill10 min
- Choose a problem10 min
- Check5 min
Hook
Storybook County passed a wolf law. The wolf moved to the next county. What can a single county not fix alone?
Teacher note. Draw out the idea of national-scale problems.
Proposal vs. bill
A bill
- Rewrites a specific law
- Must show the original text
A proposal
- Names a problem
- Proves it with evidence
- Recommends a solution and who should carry it out
- Does not have to quote a statute
Teacher note. 10 minutes. Compare side by side.
The test of a proposal
Can the delegate defend it when questioned?
Teacher note. A proposal is judged on the problem it identifies, the evidence, the solution and the delegate's ability to defend it under questioning.
Choose a problem
Draw a National Problem Card or pick your own from any public domain story.
- Write the problem in two sentences
- List the stories that prove it exists in more than one place
National Problem Cards (1 of 2)
- Wolves across borders
- Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Peter and the Wolf: the same hazard in every county.
- Giants and airspace
- Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack the Giant Killer, Gulliver's Travels: oversized visitors and no national rule.
- Unpaid contractors
- The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Rumpelstiltskin: towns that do not pay what they promised, and what follows.
- Long absences
- Rip Van Winkle, Sleeping Beauty, Odysseus: people who vanish for years and the families and villages left behind.
- Unsafe housing
- The Three Little Pigs, Hansel and Gretel, The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe: materials, occupancy, candy.
Teacher note. Supporting Document 2.
National Problem Cards (2 of 2)
- Truth in public life
- The Emperor's New Clothes, Pinocchio, The Boy Who Cried Wolf: a nation that cannot tell when it is being lied to.
- Reckless driving
- The Wind in the Willows, the Hare: speed, vehicles, naps at the wheel.
- Lost livestock
- Little Bo Peep, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, the Little Red Hen's uncooperative neighbors: agriculture without a safety net.
- Trespass and hospitality
- Goldilocks, Snow White at the dwarfs' cottage, Alice at the tea party: when is a guest a trespasser?
- Orphans and guardians
- Oliver Twist, Anne of Green Gables, Peter Pan's Lost Boys: who is responsible for children without homes?
Check
Do you have a problem and at least two stories as evidence?
Teacher note. The Delegation Leader confirms each delegate has both.
Session 2 · 30 min
Writing the Proposal
- Template5 min
- Draft20 min
- Pair challenge5 min
Supporting Document 1
Proposal Template
Title: A Proposal to...
Delegate(s) and State or County
The Problem (two or three sentences): what is wrong, where, and who is harmed.
The Evidence (at least two stories): specific events that show the problem happens in more than one place.
The Proposed Solution (three to five sentences): what should be done.
Who Carries It Out: the national body or office responsible.
Benefits: who is helped and how.
Costs and Risks: what it costs, who pays, what could go wrong.
Conclusion: one sentence restating the ask.
Teacher note. 5 minutes. Walk through the template with an example: a National Wolf Registry, with the problem, three stories as evidence, a registry run by a national Forest Service, and its benefits and costs.
Draft
Write your proposal. Your solution must name who carries it out and what it costs, even roughly.
Pair challenge
Ask your partner the two hardest questions you can think of. Write down the questions you get.
Teacher note. Tell delegates these questions will be asked again in committee.
Session 3 · 30 min
Committee
- Format3 min
- Hear proposals25 min
- Report2 min
Committee format
- Presentation: 2 minutes
- Questions: 2 minutes
- Debate, alternating con and pro: 3 minutes
- Summation: 30 seconds
- Vote
Teacher note. 3 minutes. Proposals that pass committee are "advanced to General Assembly." In class, the top two per committee present again in Session 4.
Say it
This committee of the Conference on Storybook National Affairs will come to order. Will the delegate presenting Proposal ___ please come forward? Delegate, you have two minutes.
Committee Chair
Teacher note. Supporting Document 3, the Committee Chair Script.
Chair script, continued
- "We are now in questions. Delegates, raise your placards. Thank the Chair and state your name and state when recognized."
- "We will now move to debate, alternating con and pro, beginning with a con speaker. Is there a con speaker?"
- "Delegate, you have thirty seconds for summation."
- "All those in favor of advancing Proposal ___, raise your placards. All opposed. The proposal is advanced / not advanced." (two taps)
Hear proposals
Committees meet in different corners of the room. Six proposals, about four minutes each.
Teacher note. Committees run in parallel, each with a Chair.
Report
Which proposals advanced?
Teacher note. Chairs announce which proposals advanced.
Session 4 · 30 min
General Assembly and Roundtable
- General Assembly15 min
- Roundtable12 min
- Wrap-up3 min
General Assembly
Advanced proposals are presented to the whole class in the same format, compressed. The class votes on each.
Roundtable
- Rose and bud
- What proposal changed your mind and why?
- What did you learn about defending an idea under questions?
- Shout-outs
- Next steps
Teacher note. Roundtable Leaders take groups of eight.
Roundtable Guide
- Sit in a circle. The leader speaks last.
- Rose and bud from everyone
- Two prompt questions
- Shout-outs to specific people for specific things
- Next steps and who is responsible
- One closing sentence from the leader
Teacher note. Supporting Document 4.
Wrap-up
Who would want to take a real proposal to the real conference?
Teacher note. The Delegation Leader reads the list of proposals adopted by the General Assembly, then ask the question.
How proposals are scored
- Proposal: 35
- Presentation: 20
- Defense under questioning: 25
- Committee participation: 10
- Roundtable: 10
Teacher note. Proposal: all template parts, national in scale, evidence from at least two stories, solution names who and what it costs. Presentation: within time, organized, clear ask. Defense: answered directly, conceded what should be conceded, did not abandon the proposal. Participation: one question or debate speech with the recognition formula. Roundtable: spoke once, listened, specific shout-out.
Differentiation
Support
- Provide a completed sample proposal (National Wolf Registry)
- Allow pairs
- Shorten questioning to one minute
Challenge
- Solve two Problem Cards at once
- Present a one-sentence amendment to someone else's proposal during debate
Teacher note. Teacher reference. Skip this slide when teaching.
Proposals heard, ideas defended
Storybook County Lesson Plans · YMCA Youth and Government
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