Crisis PR Whodunit: The Lumina Tech Breach
A tabletop investigation simulation for high school juniors, seniors, and advanced students in which small groups analyze a faux corporate crisis file, including leaked emails, conflicting witness statements, timestamps, and budget sheets. Groups interrogate suspect role-players and draft a unified 60-second press statement or board pitch, building critical analysis, persuasive writing, and consensus skills in a single class block.
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use as a 60- to 90-minute collaborative lesson, with an initial 20-minute document review in small groups followed by timed suspect interviews and a final drafting sprint; it works well as a capstone after a unit on argument or media literacy.
- Discussion question: Which document contradicts another, and what does the choice of wording ("minor incident," "out of an abundance of caution") reveal about each person's motive to minimize or deflect?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a one-page cue sheet listing tone, timing, and consistency markers, and pre-assign each group member a single document to annotate before the group discussion begins.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask groups to write a rebuttal from the accused party's perspective or to identify which piece of evidence is deliberately misleading and explain how a skilled reader would expose it.
- Estimated time: About 75 minutes total, including 20 minutes of reading, 25 minutes of interrogation, 15 minutes of drafting, and 15 minutes of group presentations.
Crisis PR Whodunit: The Lumina Tech Breach
A tabletop investigation simulation for high school juniors, seniors, and advanced students in which small groups analyze a faux corporate crisis file, including leaked emails, conflicting witness statements, timestamps, and budget sheets. Groups interrogate suspect role-players and draft a unified 60-second press statement or board pitch, building critical analysis, persuasive writing, and consensus skills in a single class block.
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use as a 60- to 90-minute collaborative lesson, with an initial 20-minute document review in small groups followed by timed suspect interviews and a final drafting sprint; it works well as a capstone after a unit on argument or media literacy.
- Discussion question: Which document contradicts another, and what does the choice of wording ("minor incident," "out of an abundance of caution") reveal about each person's motive to minimize or deflect?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a one-page cue sheet listing tone, timing, and consistency markers, and pre-assign each group member a single document to annotate before the group discussion begins.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask groups to write a rebuttal from the accused party's perspective or to identify which piece of evidence is deliberately misleading and explain how a skilled reader would expose it.
- Estimated time: About 75 minutes total, including 20 minutes of reading, 25 minutes of interrogation, 15 minutes of drafting, and 15 minutes of group presentations.