The Town Meeting

Required Materials: Notebook and pen

I. Read the information from the printed link about The Town Meeting and outline the process in your notebook. Part of your grade will depend on how you conduct yourself at town meeting and that will depend on two things: your knowledge of how town meeting is run and your ability to represent your character’s point of view. Each character will be required to speak at town meeting, so make sure that you understand how to act when you get up to the microphone.

II. Select a role from the list below. Be sure to choose a persona with which you can empathize or understand since you will be expected to stay in character throughout the entire course of the town meeting. Appropriate costumes can be brought in, or you can select from something in the classroom.

Moderator

Selectperson

School committee members from each town

Uniform company salesperson

Representative students (boy and girl) from school’s student council

Principal of School

Superintendent of Schools

Parents of students

Teachers

Realtor

Town’s finance committee chairperson

After reading the entire article on The New England Town Meeting, write a synopsis or a summary of how the procedure works at Town Meetings. Do not copy or plagiarize directly off the page. The procedure is on page 2.

You should include the following:

1. History of the town meeting –information on page 1

2.What the moderator’s job is and how it is done.

3.How the town meeting is run or conducted.

4.After looking carefully at each of the roles, write five questions and five comments for each that could be used at the town meeting.