Unit(s): Group Discussion, Critical Thinking and Listening Skills
Purpose:
The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to use critical thinking skills in group problem solving. It also encourages critical listening and interpersonal communication.
Objectives:
Students will demonstrate critical thinking skills through group problems solving.
Students will realize the importance of critical listening in group interaction.
Material:
The fact sheets/clues of the case should be cut into strips so that only one fact is on each strip. Make enough for each group to have an envelope with clues in it.
Procedure:
Divide the class into groups of five or six students per group.
Give the following directions:
- In a moment, each of you will be given clues to a bank robbery. Each member must read his clue(s) to the other members of this group. You may repeat the clues over and over, but you cannot show the clues to another member of the group or allow the members to read your clues. All clues must be given orally.
- Each group is to determine the following information:
- Who robbed the bank?
- How did he/she/they do it?
- Any time your group thinks it knows the answers and the group agrees, you may give me the answer. The group must answer both questions correctly to solve the mystery.
If a part of the group's solution is incorrect, do not tell them which answers are wrong. Tell them only they have not yet solved the case.
Students may decide to have one member of the group take notes but allow this action to evolve from the group problem-solving process.
After the groups have solved the case, a discussion should follow on the process used to solve the problem. For example, what slowed the group down? What organizational problems were encountered? Did anyone take over leadership? Is this good or bad?
ANSWER: The Ellingtons collaborated to rob the bank. Miss Ellington supplied the front door key (borrowed from Mr. Greenbags) and Howard supplying the dynamite. Greenbags had already left for Brazil when the robbery took place. Mr. Smith was in Dogwalk on the night of the robbery. Dirsey Flowers was at Anastasia's parents. The Ellington's were lying to try to implicate Smith. There was no evidence that Arthur Nodough was connected to the robbery in any way.
The robbery was discovered at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, November 12. The bank had closed at 5:00 p.m. the previous day.
Miss Margaret Ellington, a teller at the bank discovered the robbery.
The vault of the bank had been blasted open by dynamite.
The president of the bank, Mr. Albert Greenbags, left before the robbery was discovered. He was arrested by authorities at the Mexico City airport at noon on Friday, November 12.
The president of the bank had been having trouble with his wife, who spent all of his money. He had frequently talked of leaving her.
The front door of the bank had been opened with a key.
The only keys to the bank were held by the janitor and the president of the bank.
Miss Ellington often borrowed the president's key to open the bank early when she had an extra amount of work to do.
A strange hippie type person had been hanging around the bank on Thursday, November 11, watching employees and customers.
A substantial amount of dynamite had been stolen from the Acme Construction Company on Wednesday, November 10.
An Acme employee, Howard Ellington, said that a hippie had been hanging around the construction company on Wednesday afternoon.
The hippie type character, whose name was Dirsey Flowers, had recently dropped out of Southwest Arkansas State Teachers College, was found by police in East Birdwatch, about 10 miles from Minnetonka.
Dirsey Flowers was carrying $500 when police apprehended him and had thrown a package into the river as the police approached.
Anastasia Wallflower of East Birdwatch, Wisconsin, said that she had bought $500 worth of genuine Indian love beads from Dirsey Flowers for resale in her boutique in downtown East Birdwatch.
Anastasia said that Dirsey had spent the night of November 11th at the home of her parents and left after a pleasant breakfast on the morning of the 12th.
When the police tried to locate the janitor of the bank, Elwood Smith, he had apparently disappeared.
Miss Ellington stated that her brother Howard, when strolling to Taylor's diner for coffee about 11 p.m. on Thursday, November 11, had seen Mr. Smith running from the bank.
Mr. Smith was found by the FBI in Dogwalk, Georgia on November 12. He had arrived there via Southern Airlines Flight 414 at 5:00 p.m. on the 11th.
The airline clerk confirmed the time of Smith's arrival.
Mr. Greenbags was the only person who had a key to the vault.
There were no planes out of Dogwalk between 4 P.m. and 7:00 a.m.
In addition to keeping payroll records, Mr. Ellington was in charge of the dynamite supplies of the Acme Construction Company.
Mr. Greenbag's half brother, Arthur Nodough, had always been jealous of his brother.
Nodough always got drunk on Friday nights.
Arthur Nodough appeared in Chicago on Monday, November 8, waving a lot of money.
Arthur wanted to marry Camellia Smith.
Miss Ellington said that Smith had ofen flirted with her.
Mr. Smith's father, a gold prospector in Alaska, had died in September.
Mr. Greenbags waited in the terminal at O'Hare Field in Chicago for 16 hours because of engine trouble on the plane he was to take to Mexico City.