How to implement games in your classroom
If you have read through the information and watched some videos you have seen how games can have a huge impact on learning. It is important that as teachers we treat technology as our friend and tool and not our foe or WMD. Below I have provided a brief outline of a unit that incorporates technology.
The Unit: World Studies
Topic: Evolution of cultures
Grade Level: S2
Time: Period of 3-4 weeks
Outcomes:
- Students will be able to witness stages of cultural evolution
- Students will gain understanding of the different cultures
- Students will relate the game to real life scenario's
Activities
Have the students play the game Civilization for two weeks and note down the advancements in weaponry, technology and quality of life. Check in at the end of each week to see where students are at in the game.
After three weeks of playing the game, group the students together based roughly on their progress in the game together, this will ensure that students can collaborate with each other and be able to contribute to their group.
The fourth week will be used to discuss the groups success in the game (what scenarios or strategies worked), the difficulties faced and what caused them. How evolution happened and major breakthroughs.
Then collaboratively the groups will research and put together a power point presentation discussing the relation of the game to actual events. The individuals of each group will each do a write up on their personal experience, what they learned about the unit as a whole and what modifications could be done to improve the unit.
At the end after everything is done and collected make a class wiki and post the students work for others to learn from and review for exam/test.
The Unit: World Studies
Topic: Evolution of cultures
Grade Level: S2
Time: Period of 3-4 weeks
Outcomes:
- Students will be able to witness stages of cultural evolution
- Students will gain understanding of the different cultures
- Students will relate the game to real life scenario's
Activities
Have the students play the game Civilization for two weeks and note down the advancements in weaponry, technology and quality of life. Check in at the end of each week to see where students are at in the game.
After three weeks of playing the game, group the students together based roughly on their progress in the game together, this will ensure that students can collaborate with each other and be able to contribute to their group.
The fourth week will be used to discuss the groups success in the game (what scenarios or strategies worked), the difficulties faced and what caused them. How evolution happened and major breakthroughs.
Then collaboratively the groups will research and put together a power point presentation discussing the relation of the game to actual events. The individuals of each group will each do a write up on their personal experience, what they learned about the unit as a whole and what modifications could be done to improve the unit.
At the end after everything is done and collected make a class wiki and post the students work for others to learn from and review for exam/test.