CBC Archives

Ask students their opinions about physical fitness.

Is personal fitness your responsibility, or your option?

Are unfit people a burden on our collective health care system?

Should unfit people have to pay a “fat tax”?

Should fit people get a tax credit?

How should we treat smokers in this regard?

Divide the class into groups. Present the following statements: a. Canadians have a responsibility to each other to be physically fit. b. Canadians who are not physically fit should have to pay a portion of their increased health care costs.

Direct students to the topic Canada Gets Physical on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site and have them view Clips #1, 3, 8, and 10. From the information they gather, they will make notes that either support statements a. and b., support statement a. but not statement b., support statement b. but not statement a., or oppose both statements.

Groups should then turn their notes into a clear summary of their position.

Have each group present its position, and offer a brief opportunity for rebuttal after each group has presented. Moderate their discussion to be sure that students stay on topic and that their statements remain impersonal.

After the debating has finished, invite students to share their own personal beliefs and what it was like to advocate a position they may not have believed in.

Students can search for other topics where communal responsibilities and personal freedoms conflict, such as, should people be allowed to :

litter?

abstain from voting?

be uneducated?

smoke?

have a firearm?

hunt and fish?

use unlimited amounts of water?

produce unlimited amounts of garbage?

drive high emission vehicles?
They can research and debate the issue with a partner.