rubric gallery

This role-play will begin with the premise that a monstrous crime was committed in the years after Columbus's arrival in 1492, when perhaps as many as three million or more Tainos on the island of Hispaniola lost their lives. Who --- and / or what --- was responsible for this slaughter? This is the question that students confront here. Students are organized into five defendant groups (Columbus's Men, Columbus, King Ferdinand and Queen Isablela, The Tainos, and The System of Empire) Each of these groups is charge with the genocide of the Tainos people. As a group they will portray the defendants, their attorney, and a defense witness of their choice. Your teacher will act as prosecutor for each defendant. Each group has a two-fold responsibility - Defend yourselves against the charges and explain / prove who they think is guilty and why.