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C1 Rewilding Simulation Pair Negotiation Game

BEAVER VALLEY DEAL

Pairs negotiate bringing beavers back to an invented valley. One student is the Wildlife Trust, the other the Hill Farmers. Each has secret points.

Lush river valley in the UK with a newly built beaver dam, calm wetland pools, riparian willow trees, and a pastoral she

📘 1. RULES OF THE GAME

Teacher Setup

What to Do

1 Pair Formation: Pair up students into opposing parties: Valley Wildlife Trust vs Hill Farmers' Group.
2 Role Card Distribution: Hand out Card A and Card B face down; emphasize that point matrices are strictly confidential.
3 Negotiation Rules: Both parties must reach a compromise on all 4 issues; neither side can accept a final deal below 12 points.
4 Language Check: Each student ticks the partner's correct "Much as", "However", "Whatever" and "No matter how" sentences and unit words.
5 Check the Deals: Add up both totals from the points on the role cards. The Teacher key lists three deals that work; other deals can work too.

Student Directives

Negotiator Briefing

1 Your Goal: Agree a deal worth at least 12 points to you, without showing your card to your partner.
2 Turn-taking: Open by proposing your ideal position, then trade concessions across issues (e.g., footpaths vs fencing).
3 Walk-away Threshold: If your total score is 11 or lower at the deadline, negotiations collapse and both score zero.
4 Grammar Leverage: Use "although" sentences (Much as..., However..., Whatever...) to frame trade-offs diplomatically.
5 Finish: Fill in the Deal Sheet together, work out your own points, and sign.

⏱️ 2. TIMED PLAN (25 MINUTES TOTAL)

Step 1 3m

Brief & Distribute

Assign pairs, distribute role cards A & B face-down, clarify the 12-point threshold.

Step 2 5m

Read & Prepare

Analyze secret matrices, highlight target unit words, plan your opening offers.

Step 3 10m

Negotiate Deal

Bargain in pairs. Tick your partner's sentence patterns and unit words on the sheet.

Step 4 4m

Finalize & Score

Calculate points on the Deal Sheet. Check fairness bonus and evaluate walk-aways.

Step 5 3m

Class Review

Poll outcomes, discuss compromises, and review grammar missteps flagged during rounds.

🎭 3. CONFIDENTIAL ROLE CARDS

🦫

ROLE CARD A

Valley Wildlife Trust

Secret Preference Matrix

Issue 1: Beaver Numbers

beavers 6 / 12 / 20 = 0 / 4 / 8

Issue 2: Protective Fencing

fencing none / one side / full = 6 / 3 / 0

Issue 3: Flood Compensation

flood pay none / half / full = 4 / 2 / 0

Issue 4: Valley Footpath Access

footpath closed / summer only / all year = 0 / 2 / 4

Your points in one line: beavers 6 / 12 / 20 = 0 / 4 / 8; fencing none / one side / full = 6 / 3 / 0; flood pay none / half / full = 4 / 2 / 0; footpath closed / summer only / all year = 0 / 2 / 4; walk-away 12.

⚠️ WALK-AWAY: 12 POINTS (Reject deal if ≤ 11)

🚜

ROLE CARD B

Hill Farmers' Group

Secret Preference Matrix

Issue 1: Beaver Numbers

beavers 6 / 12 / 20 = 6 / 3 / 0

Issue 2: Protective Fencing

fencing none / one side / full = 0 / 3 / 6

Issue 3: Flood Compensation

flood pay none / half / full = 0 / 6 / 12

Issue 4: Valley Footpath Access

footpath closed / summer only / all year = 4 / 2 / 0

Your points in one line: beavers 6 / 12 / 20 = 6 / 3 / 0; fencing none / one side / full = 0 / 3 / 6; flood pay none / half / full = 0 / 6 / 12; footpath closed / summer only / all year = 4 / 2 / 0; walk-away 12.

⚠️ WALK-AWAY: 12 POINTS (Reject deal if ≤ 11)

📋 4. OFFICIAL DEAL SHEET & NEGOTIATION TRACKER

Four Negotiable Issues

Sign-off required

Negotiation Issue	Our Agreed Deal	My Points
1. Beaver Population Options: 6 \| 12 \| 20 beavers	____ (number of beavers)	____ (pts)
2. Riverbank Fencing Options: None \| One side \| Full	____ (none / one side / full)	____ (pts)
3. Flood Compensation Fund Options: None \| Half \| Full	____ (none / half / full)	____ (pts)
4. Footpath Public Access Options: Closed \| Summer only \| All year	____ (closed / summer only / all year)	____ (pts)

Individual Subtotal

Did you reach your 12-point threshold?

Total Score: ____ (0)

Ecological wildlife corridor along a meandering stream with wetlands, wooden footpaths, and native riparian vegetation,

Peer Language Tracker

Check each target structure used correctly by your partner during negotiations:

____ Much as... ____ However + adj... ____ Whatever + noun... ____ No matter how...

🟢 5. SCORING SYSTEM

Deal Ratification

Both parties reach agreement on all 4 issues AND both score 12+ points. Walk-away if either scores ≤ 11.

Base Success: 3 Points

Fairness Premium

Final totals between Wildlife Trust and Hill Farmers differ by 4 points or fewer (balanced compromise).

Delta ≤ 4: +1 Bonus

Sentence Pattern

Earn 1 point each for every correct Much as / However / Whatever / No matter how sentence you say while bargaining.

1 pt per verified clause

C1 Unit Vocabulary

Earn 1 bonus point for every unit vocabulary word (e.g., keystone, fragmentation, corridor) naturally integrated.

1 bonus pt per unit word

🟣 6. SENTENCE STARTERS (MUCH AS, HOWEVER, WHATEVER, NO MATTER HOW)

Pattern 1: Much as + clause

"Much as we want to reintroduce 20 beavers, we must protect valuable farmland from waterlogging."

Pattern 2: However + adj/adv

"However difficult it is to coexist, keeping continuous wildlife corridors open will benefit downstream ecosystems."

Pattern 3: Whatever + noun

"Whatever flood compensation we agree on, beavers as a keystone species will help the entire valley thrive."

Pattern 4: No matter how + adj

"No matter how costly full fencing seems, it protects the young trees on the riverbank."

Pattern 5: Much as + coexist

"Much as the farmers fear flooding, they can coexist with the beavers if the fencing is paid for."

Pattern 6: However + pollinators

"However fragile the pollinators are, a strip of wildflowers beside the footpath will help them thrive."

🩶 7. TEACHER'S KEY & COMMON PITFALLS

Three Mathematically Viable Compromises (Both ≥ 12 Points):

Working Deal #1 Valid Deal

• Beavers: 20

• Fencing: One side

• Flood Pay: Full

• Footpath: Summer only

Trust: 8+3+0+2 = 13 Farmers: 0+3+12+2 = 17

Difference: 4 points (Qualifies for +1 Fairness bonus)

Working Deal #2 Valid Deal

• Beavers: 12

• Fencing: None

• Flood Pay: Half

• Footpath: Closed

Trust: 4+6+2+0 = 12 Farmers: 3+0+6+4 = 13

Difference: 1 point (Qualifies for +1 Fairness bonus)

Working Deal #3 Valid Deal

• Beavers: 20

• Fencing: None

• Flood Pay: Full

• Footpath: Closed

Trust: 8+6+0+0 = 14 Farmers: 0+0+12+4 = 16

Difference: 2 points (Qualifies for +1 Fairness bonus)

Teacher Ear

Mistakes to Hear & Correct On-the-Fly

❌ "Much as I like it, but we need money."

✅ Correction: Double conjunction error. Remove 'but': "Much as I like it, we need money."

❌ "However it is small, the brook matters."

✅ Correction: Inversion error. Adjective must immediately follow however: "However small it is, ..."

❌ "No matter what expensive the fencing is..."

✅ Correction: Use how before an adjective, not what: "No matter how expensive..."

❌ "Whatever we will agree tomorrow..."

✅ Correction: After whatever, use the present tense for the future: "Whatever we agree..."

🔵 8. GAMEPLAY VARIATIONS

Easy Tier Easy

Open Cards at Minute 5

If students reach an impasse after 5 minutes of negotiation, permit them to show each other their secret score sheets to collaborate mathematically.

Medium Tier Medium

Flash Drought

After 5 minutes, announce that the flood fund is cut: "full" flood pay is no longer allowed. Pairs must make a deal with "none" or "half" only. (Deal #2 still works for both.)

Hard Tier Hard

Strict 14-Point Walk-Away

Shorten the negotiation to 6 minutes and raise the walk-away to 14 points each. Of the three working deals, only Deal #3 (14 and 16) still works. Another deal that works: 20, one side, full, all year (15 and 15).

Fast Finishers Fast

Fifth Issue

Finished early? Add a fifth issue: a parking fee for visitors. Agree who gets the money, the farm or the Trust, and write one "Much as ..." sentence to explain it.

🌸 9. CLOSING & REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Your Deal

Did your agreed beaver population genuinely allow the valley ecosystem to thrive, or did financial compensation overshadow genuine biodiversity goals?

Target: keystone species, ecological corridor

Polite Disagreement

How did using "although" sentences (Much as..., However...) change the mood of your talk compared with just saying no ("No, we won't accept...")?

Target: diplomatic framing, concessions

Real Life

In real rewilding projects, is it realistic to expect agricultural communities to coexist with apex or engineering species without permanent state subsidies?

Target: coexistence, public vs private stewardship

Class activity: Beaver Valley Deal