Name

Partner_______Period #1

Fishbowl Discussion
Introduction to Discussions:
You do not need to raise your hands, but only one person should speak at a time - regulate
yourself to allow everyone to share ideas. All contributions should be respectful and classroom
appropriate. Disagreeing is part of a discussion, but be respectful in your responses. You are
responsible for keeping the discussion going, so if it seems to have stalled, ask the group
another relevant question to prompt the discussion. Discussions involve everyone in the class,
so make sure you are participating. The discussion should be about the text and the questions
posed, so stay focused.

Ground Rules:
1. Listen to what others say and dont interrupt. A discussion cannot occur if you do not
listen carefully to what others say.
2. Speak clearly. For others to respond to your opinions, everyone must be able to hear
and understand what you say.
3. Give others your respect. A discussion is a cooperative exchange of ideas and not an
argument or a debate. You may become excited and wish to share your ideas but dont
talk privately to your neighbor. In a Discussion circle, you must share your ideas with the
whole class/group.
Goals: You will learn to
1. listen better to what is said
2. explain your own ideas
3. speak and work with others
4. receive correction from others
5. ask about what you dont understand
6. admit when youre wrong
7. think about questions for which the answers are uncertain
8. teach others
9. teach yourself
10. become more aware of how others see you

Preparation questions (Answer before discussion begins):

Which ground rule will be the most difficult for the class to follow?

I think that the first ground rule will be hard to follow because we might have some
trouble not interrupting. In our class, people are eager to voice their opinions, so this might be a
challenge. Although, I think that this is a great opportunity to practice this.

Which ground rule will be the most difficult for you to follow?
 I think that the first ground rule will be hard to follow because I might have some trouble
not interrupting. I enjoy engaging in class discussions and voicing my opinions,but I hope that I
can learn to be more patient and listen to people effectively.

Which goal would you most like to achieve?

dmit when youre wrong.

I would like to achieve the sixth goal: a

Write two sentences explaining why you wish to achieve this goal for yourself.

I wish to achieve this goal because I want to grow comfortable with admitting to being
wrong and coping with what people would say. People might become very satisfied by the fact
that I was wrong, and I would like to grow more comfortable in that and not care what they say
about it. This is also important because I do not typically change my opinions, and in admitting
my being wrong about something, I will most likely change my opinions. Therefore, I will have to
get used to this and become more comfortable with changing my opinion.

Answer the questions below. You will be assessed on the following topics:
1. identify the main point of ideas, events, visual representations or arguments
2. use information to give an opinion
3. identify different views and their implications

In your own words, describe what economy means?

An economy is a system in which consumers and distributors of goods and services all
play a role in a certain region, city, or area.

In your own words, describe what infrastructure is?

An infrastructure is the network of managing transportation, sewage, and electricity

throughout cities and different areas.

How does investment in smart infrastructure benefit nations?

Investment in smart infrastructure is beneficial to nations because it helps distributors

and consumers in their everyday lives. Whether it is buying goods, or creating jobs, having a
smart infrastructure allows people to have opportunities. These opportunities could be the best
deal on a certain good or service, or a great job opportunity. Smart infrastructure also provides
businesses with necessities that they need such as innovations, transportation, and productivity.
With smart infrastructure, businesses can efficiently transport goods and services, provide
enough money for innovations, and better the producing of whatever the business provides.
Finally, Smart infrastructure is safe for the environment - other organisms in an area, but also
the people around it by efficiently getting everything done that it takes to create and distribute
goods to various areas and people.

What types of businesses do you think would have been impacted by the creation of the
paddleboat? Why?

Some types of businesses that could have been impacted by the paddleboat were most
likely trading and transportation industries. Trading with neighboring communities and cities
could become easier because now, goods could be shipped by water transportation. This would
make it much easier because now, people would not have to walk by foot to get goods to other
areas, and trading could be done much faster. Communities that are trading partners may
receive their promised goods faster so that each city can grow more efficiently. For example, if a
neighboring community promises another city certain crops and foods, than transporting these
goods would go faster by water and not get spoiled or go bad. Also, they would be able to give
this food to the traders fast so that that community could survive. Then, the transportation
industry could have been impacted because now people would not have to use, for example,
carts to fill with resources as they traveled or traded goods. They could use paddleboats to get
places faster as well, instead of walking by foot.

What types of jobs may have been created by the paddleboat? Why?

Some types of jobs that could have been created were merchants and traders. WIth
paddleboats, people could easily trade with different communities. The number of merchants in
a certain community could increase because if more merchants travel to different places by
water, consumers would want to buy more and more, therefore making it so that more products
are created, thus merchants as well.

California is in the process (a slow process) to build a high speed bullet train that connects the
San Francisco Bay area to the Los Angeles area. The cost and speed of the train is supposed
to be similar to airline travel. This train comes at a cost of billions of dollars to the taxpayers of
California. Do you think the train is in the best interest of California? Why or why not?

I think that this train could be very useful to people who want to go to Los Angeles. But, I
dont think that it is the best interest in California because this train costs just as much as a
plane ride, so there would most likely be some competition. People may not travel on a plane
because of this new invention. Also, people in California who live far away from the bullet train
stations may not want to travel long distances just to ride the bullet train. These people are also
taxpayers, and dont want to pay for something that they may never use. Therefore, this train
would most likely only benefit the people living in areas close to bullet train.