Name __________________________
Period ____
Character Name ____________________________
Role/Description ________________________________________
RIVERWOOD TOWN MEETING ROLE RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT
At the end of the Water Unit you will participate in a town meeting of Riverwood citizens
and experts to determine A) who is responsible for the fish kill catastrophe, B) its ramifications,
and C) who should pay for the damages.
You will be assigned either:
 A role as a citizen whose business, personal life, or both has been affected by the fish kill
 A role as an expert who gives testimony based on laboratory research and/or expertise
In order to prepare, you will need to do some research on your role. Then use your
experience and imagination to enhance your role for the video-taped meeting your class will
produce. Your preparation research will be twofold.
1. Research on the business or occupation of your assigned role. On paper:
a) Your name, job title, and salary
b) Occupational duties and responsibilities
c) Job aptitudes, abilities, education, and training
d) Salaries and fringe benefits
e) Why you are called to testify
2. Creation of a personal life for your role
a) Where you live, remember that some experts have been brought in from out of town.
Refer to the map on Page 5 of your text.
b) Length of residence in Riverwood
c) Lifestyle, personality, your family, and home life
d) How you would have handled this emergency
e) How the fish kill affected you personally and financially
In the library or Internet you should research your occupation title to discover reference
materials for that job. Books include, “Occupational Outlook Handbook”, “Encyclopedia of
Careers”, “California Occupational Guides”, and “Chronicle Guidance Briefs” (try to use the
most current available). Use your chemistry text for information as well. You can talk to your
guidance counselor and other teachers about your occupational assignment to gain more
information to help you know how to act out your role. Your research should not be limited to
these secondary sources alone. You may wish to include primary source information by
interviewing a person practicing your assigned occupation.
By reading about and talking to people in the occupation you are assigned, you should
gain some insight into what to include in their personal life, which will help you create your
role. Think about the way they would dress, speak and behave on and off the job. Think about
where they might live and what kind of family life they might have. Decide how they would
personally be touched by the fish kill incident and its consequences on the community. At the
town meeting, would they be quiet and reflective or demanding action? How will the person
you play demonstrate his or her concern, knowledge, and skills at a community meeting meant
to hear all sides of a distressing issue?
By _________________________, prepare a one-page report detailing your occupational
research and your character’s personal life. *Include the source of your occupational research.
**(See MLA guide in Planner)**