Desert island game
Ask the students to place the following occupations in order of importance:
Doctor, teacher, police officer, carpenter, firefighter, nurse, ship’s captain, salesperson,
soldier, businessperson, cook, computer analyst, politician, musician, professional athlete, etc.
The order they choose is not important. What is important is to ask the students to explain
their choices (salary, power, interest in that particular occupation, etc.).
If they found themselves on a desert island, would the order of importance of these
occupations change? Mention the movie Cast Away to provide the students with context and ask them
to repeat the exercise, placing the occupations in order of importance and explaining their
choices.
Optional: Ask the students to choose only three occupations,
specify ages for each person, and then determine which would be more important on a desert island
vs. in the city.
Tell the students that they have established hierarchies of occupations. Ask them to provide
a definition of the word hierarchy. Emphasize the
interdependence of individuals in a hierarchy.