Category Archives: Reading/Writing Games

Monopoly Mod

Created by Francesco Crocco

Objective
To simulate how class inequality increases over time due to inherited wealth, land, and privilege

Procedure
1. Define the word “monopoly” and talk about the ideas that the game embodies (competition, monopolization, survival of the fittest, level playing field, social mobility, the American Dream)

2. Make teams and assign each team a different class profile. I use the American profiles in Gregory Mantsios’ “Class in America: Myths and Realities,” Rereading America, 6th ed., ed. Colombo, Cullen, & Lisle (NY: Bedford St. Martin, 2004) 331-45.

3. Answer and discuss question one

4. Review the rules and write each profile’s starting assets on the board

Modified Rules
1) Players start with unequal amounts of money and land (this corresponds roughly to
“Samuelson’s Pyramid” in Mantsios’ essay)
a. Harold, Capitalist: $4000 + Boardwalk, Park Place, & 3 Railroads
b. Bob, Middle Class Worker: $1500 + New York Ave
c. Cheryl, Lower Class Worker: $1000
d. Maria, Immigrant Worker: $500

2) Fortune Die: Each time a player passes go, roll a six-sided die for a random event to
simulate privilege. Implement the outcome in terms of monetary rewards or fines.
a. Capitalist: 1 bad, 2 nothing, 4-6 good
b. Middle Class Worker: 1-2 bad, 3-4 nothing, 5-6 good
c. Lower Class Worker: 1-3 bad, 4 nothing, 5-6 good
d. Immigrant Worker: 1-4 bad, 5 nothing, 6 good

3) No private transactions are allowed

4) End the game after 3 turns around the board (3 Rounds). Should take 60 minutes.

5) If someone besides Harold is winning after three rounds, they get extra XP

5. Answer and discuss questions two and three

Sample Random Events
Good: stock gain, tax cut, subsidy, award, raise, promotion, welfare

Bad: rent hike, stock loss, unemployment, tuition hike, bail money, tax hike, medical expense

Pre-game Question
1) How do you think the game will end for your character?

Post-game Questions
2) How did inherited wealth, land and privilege affect the outcome of the game? How did it specifically affect your character?

3) How can opportunity be made equal?

Image credit: mtsofan

Thoughtcraft

Created by Francesco Crocco

This is a cooperative learning game that may be played verbally or in writing.

Objectives
1) The point of this game is to cooperatively build an idea that involves memory recall, argumentation, and applied learning.

2) The game also teaches players how to write a successful paragraph by giving each player a different role to play that corresponds to the rhetorical elements of a paragraph.

Setup
1) Assign a question or topic, or let the students choose one.

2) Make teams of four.

3) Assign each player a different role:
➢ Start: One person starts the process by stating or writing a main idea related to the topic. If this is done in writing, pass the sheet of paper to the next person.
➢ Support: The next person adds a few sentences that offer supporting details. These may come from facts, statistics, examples, analogies, logic, explanation, quotations, or some other means of support.
➢ Summarize: The third person sums up the main idea and draws all conclusions, thereby finishing the paragraph.
➢ Counter-Argue: The last person opposes the completed argument by offering a critical position. This stage teaches the players that the creation of knowledge is both a constantly unfolding process and a process of dialogue.

4) Play it again with a different topic. Assign the players a different role each time so that they can learn each part of the process by practice and imitation.

If you like, add the element of speed by putting two teams in competition with each other. The first team to successfully complete the process wins an award (you decide what it is).

How to Implement the Free Rice Game into Your Classroom

Created by Joe Bisz

Description
Free Rice is a free, simple yet addictive, level-based learning game on the web. The main feature is a vocabulary quiz but there are also subject-specific quizzes under the “Subjects” heading for Art, Chemistry, Geography, Math, foreign-language learning, and grammar. For every question successfully answered, the website donates 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program.

Download my Teaching Document: How to Implement the Free Rice Web Game into Your Class