Lesson 6

Introductory Mini-lesson:

Use the games provided as examples when talking about game rules and level of complication in game play.

Will your game be based on luck or skill?

Example: A game based completely on dice rolls or spin rolls and nothing else would be more of a luck game because there is no thinking at all, no strategy just a small chance of rolling/ spinning/ card drafting a certain number of spaces; (CHUTES AND LADDERS) (CANDY LAND) A game based on skill would be more of the game like (PHONICS) and (WORDS WITH FRIENDS) where there is no chance at all. There are also games that are based on both such as (LIFE) and (Monopoly) where you make decisions AND you have to roll the dice.

How complex can a game be? Lot of rules or small amount of rules?

Example: The more rules a game has the more complicated and sophisticated it will be. The less rules you have the simpler it would be. Ways to win a game are also part of the rules. There are different types of rules in games. Discuss the examples below and see which of these is used in the games the students have played.Have students brainstorm other types of rules they have found in games they have played at home.

1. First player to reach the finish line wins.

2. Person who earns the most money at the end wins.

3. If you receive doubles you roll again.

4. If you land on a space you must pick up a card.

5. If you land on a ladder you must climb up it.

6. You can only drive in a straight line. Not across.

7. If you land on a double space you get double the points.

8. Person who earns the most points at the end of the round wins.

9. If you land on the footprint you must kick the ball into the bucket.

10. Everybody starts off with a certain amount of money.

11. First person to get all his pieces back to his home wins.

12. Draw a card at the beginning of your turn.

13. If you land on a chute you must go down the slide.

14. If you land on a double yellow you must go to the 2nd closest yellow.

15. You must answer a question correctly to move.

Note: The more rules you have in a game, the more complex it will be. In a game like Chutes and Ladders the only thing you do is spin; there is not much thinking involved.

Explain that all different types of games have many types of rules that need to be included in the rulebook.

Teacher Will: Display the rules of game using the steps below:

How To Play

1. Explains who goes first and in what order the players go.

2. What to do on your turn; phases

3. Optional Rules in the Game

Teacher Will: Explain that each turn is called a Phase of the game. The phase of the game is the exact sequence of events that happen in a single persons turn before the turn is over.

Teacher will talk about several games and about the phases that each player will encounter as they take a turn in the game.

Example: Candy Land– You pick up a card. You move towards the space that is pictured on the card. The turn is over. For example, if you pick up a double yellow card you move up to the 2nd closest yellow space.

Allowance – Roll the dice, move your game piece, read the space you land on, either pay or collect money from the bank. The turn is over. For example, if you land on a space where you have to owe $1.35 you have to put that money back in the bank.

Teacher Will: Show the game “Chutes & Ladders” and ask the students what does a phase include in that game.

Students Will: Will answer. Answers should be similar to:

Chutes & Ladders - Spin the spinner, move the counter upward the number of spaces, go down if you land on a chute or up if you land on a ladder. The Turn is over.

Teacher Will: Show the game “Read, Roll & Write,” and explain that games like this have a bit more that happens before a turn is officially over. Have the students talk to each other about what is included in a single phase for this game.

Teacher Will: Call on students to find out what steps are needed. Answers should be similar to:

Read, Roll & Write– Roll the letter dice, flip the timer, write as many words down as you can, when the timer runs out stop writing, count how many words you have written down, write down how many points you have on the score card. The turn is over.

Teacher Will: Display different board games to the students so students could see the patterns/ paths that some games take.

Allowance – The game goes around in a circle, at the start you get more money every time you go around.

Chutes & Ladders – The game goes from bottom to top in a zigzag in a grid-like manner.

Life – The game has many different types of paths you can take ultimately to one place at the end.

Using each of the board games they have played have students respond in the game journal to the following questions:

Q: Where is the Start?

Q: Where am I given the chance to make choices in the game?

Q: Where are the spots where I need to take risks in the game?

Explain that every game has a Back Story (some story element that will interest people in playing the game)

Teacher Will Say: Every game has some story element to it. It is important to have an interesting Back Story to your game to get players interested in your game. Think of a back-story for a game similar to the synopsis of a book. It’s a small summary of what you are to expect and interesting enough for the person to want to engage further.

Teacher Will: Introduce the back-stories of several different games, “Candy Land, Allowance, Goosebumps, Trouble, etc.

” Get into trouble with the Minions! Race your Minions around the track. May the best team win!”

Teacher Will Say: Notice how enticing the back of the game is, short and sweet but it makes it very exciting to make players want to open the game and try it out. It also tells you a bit about the game and what you have to do in the game, “Race around the track and win as a team.”

Have students work in groups to create a Back Story for each of the games they have played. Have students share their back stories.

Teacher will discuss how you determine who goes first in a game.

Teacher Will: Explain that in order to start playing the game you need to have a deciding factor in which person will go first to play the game, there are different ways in different games to decide who will go first. These are some examples; don’t have to necessarily choose the rules below.

(1) Whoever rolls/ spins the highest number goes first.

(2)Whoever is the oldest goes first.

(3)Whoever’s birthday is next goes first.

Module Summary: Use the Game Planner worksheet to have students review all of the elements of games they have learned in this module.

Use the sample Game Rules links to explore how some games are played