Parents in India Helping Students Cheat

Astounding Images Show Indians Climbing Walls of School to Help Students Cheat 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/03/20/india_school_cheating_wall_climbing_photos_videos.html

By Ben Mathis-Lilley

1)  How do we know these parents are cheating?  What evidence could convince you that this was not cheating?  What is cheating?  Is it always wrong?  How do you know?  Could you believe this was an attempt to promote collaboration?    

2)  Why might Americans and Indians view this incident differently?  Why might a gifted Why might a student from a low-economic family view this differently than one from a wealthy family?  A gifted student versus a student in mainstream classes?  

3)  How is this connected to history?  How is this connected to ethics?  In what ways is this connected to lying about academic credentials?

4)  What if this was in Ohio?  What if this one test determined their economic futures?  What if this was a way of showing support?

5)  What are the long term consequences of this incident?  What are the long term consequences for cheating in your school?  On your sports team?  Should there be harsher penalties for cheating in school?

Extension Activities:

1)  Student create a hierarchy of cheating using scenarios and then distribute their survey to other classes, friends, and family and then analyze the results.

2)  Students can research famous cases of academic cheating (plagiarism, Atlanta standardized test case, cheating on military officers' tests) contrast the incidents, and try to solve one of the issues for future students.

Cervantes' Tomb Discovered

The Remains of Spain's "Prince of Letters" Found

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31852032

1)  What evidence is cited in the article?  What evidence would be most convincing to scientists?  His fans?  Who should pay for the exhumation?

2)  Would a scientist, author, historian, or mathematician most likely find this more interesting?    Why might a Spanish student view this differently than their British counterpart?  Why might some find this disrespectful?  Why might a Mexican student view this differently than a Canadian?  

3)  How is this connected to TV show depicting modern forensic crime scene investigations?  How is this connected to dinosaurs?  How is this connected to literature?

4)  How would this be different if it was Shakespeare?  A Chinese author?  What if Cervantes' body was never found?  What if the body was damaged even further during exhumation?

5)  Why is it important to find the bodies of historically significant individuals?  What are the long term consequences of this discovery?

Extension Activities:
1)  Students can research and identify the most important authors from a variety of languages and countries and present their "Cervantes of their country".

2)  Students can track the similarities and differences of famous grave-site discoveries and mysteries.