Hot Air Balloon Debate

Participants: Whole class

Summary: Based on an imaginary scenario students are given roles and each student gives a very short speech to convince their role is important.

You can have students speak as themselves or give them role cards with information, or give them roles and have them research their roles before the debate.

Hot air balloon debate general instructions:

https://lehrerfortbildung-bw.de/u_berufsbezogen/wahl/fb1/kompdebat/teaching/five/

https://www.esu.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Balloon-Debate.pdf

Hot air balloon debate example with roles:

You are in a hot air balloon which is losing height rapidly and will soon crash because it is overweight. You are traveling with a group of schoolchildren who will grow up to be very famous. You have to decide which 7 to throw over the side; if the balloon crashes you will all die. The passengers are:

Mother Teresa = Mahatma Gandhi
Nelson Mandela = Charles Darwin
William Shakespeare = Miguel de Cervantes
Lionel Messi = Thomas Edison

Diego Maradona = Albert Einstein
Leonardo da Vinci = Abraham Lincoln
Beethoven = Vincent Van Gogh
JK Rowling = Pep Guardiola
Steve Jobs

Hot air balloon debate examples of role cards:

https://mirai-bridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Balloon-Debate.pdf

https://thecanswedian.edublogs.org/files/2017/06/BalloonDebate-192thz7.pdf