Poster should be divided into two columns,labeled as follows:

Someone CLOSED TO REASON sounds like this: (left side)
Someone OPEN TO REASON sounds like this: (right side)

[A single set of example statements is listed for each topic. Depending on which topic is taught, a teacher might want to generate more statements for a particular poster.]

Economic Class
Closed: It's their fault because they're poor.
Open: Why are they poor?

Gender
Closed:Women can not/must not do that.
Open: Do women have the skills to do that?

Religion
Closed:There is only one way to worship God.
Open: Let's look at the ways different religions worship God.

Ethnicity
Closed:Those people have stupid holidays.
Open:How do other cultures celebrate holidays?

Environment
Closed: Everyone uses fossil fuels.
Open: Are there alternative forms of energy that we could use?

Distribution of Resources
Closed: If we can afford it, we deserve it?
Open: Live simply so that others may simply live.

IDEAS FOR TEACHING THESE TOPICS USING THE MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES THEORY OF HOWARD GARDNER

Kinesthetic: Have students make large, squarish stone shapes. In one, write a closed statement, in another, an open statement. Then the students build a wall using the closed statements and a road using the open statement.

Intrapersonal: Write a journal entry about a time you were closed to reason, how you could have been more open to reason, and how you will be more open to reason in the future.

Musical: Make up a song illustrating the concept of closed/open to reason, eg., to the tune of "Frere Jacques:"

• Closed to reason, closed to reason,
• Sounds like this, sounds like this.
• I know what I know, I know what I know,
• You don't count, you don't count.

Interpersonal: Make up a board game related to this topic and play it with three friends.

Linguistic: Make up additional closed and open statements for these topics.

Mathematical/Logical: Take a surveyof people's opinions on one of these statements/topics. Analyze according to age, gender, social class.

Spatial: Draw a representation of a topic that shows a closed-to-reason viewpoint and another representation of the same topic from an open-to-reason viewpoint.

TEACHING OCCASIONS
In order that posters not be taught in isolation, teachers would apply each topic to particular events in the school year or in response to potential crisis situations. For example, if the poster focused on religion or ethnicity, then on the next Indian religious holiday, students would be asked to demonstrate an understanding of that religion or cultural practice through one or more of Gardner's intelligences.

STRANDS
A set of topics would be taught in a particular order and then repeated several times in later years with more challenging content as students progress. Conflict resolution techniques would be taught each year.

Nancy Whitman
5th grade teacher
Lincoln Elementary School
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA

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