Inferential Games for STEM (Online)

What truly makes Codenames stand out as an inferential game is the fact that it certainly requires a good level of induction and deduction, and the fact that there is basically no redundancy. In this game you and your partner have either eight or nine words that are basic nouns. You then need to give your partner a very simple hint so that they will guess the eight or nine words that you have while not guessing any of the words that your opponents have, or the deadly "spy" card that end the entire round. The reason that this game has so little repetition is that the hundreds of words that you have to use can be placed in almost an inifinite number of combinations of twenty-five words.

The link below will allow a group with a minimum of four people to play online completely for free.

Play online: https://codenames.game/

Instruction manual: https://czechgames.com/files/rules/codenames-rules-en.pdf

YouTube overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8RWBooJivg

Connections is a brilliant game that truly teaches the use of induction (for the first two rounds) and then deduction for the last two rounds. Essentially, you are given sixteen words, and then you need to group together four groups with a common theme, in which each group has four words. 

In addition to the daily New York Times version, you can also find a great online version (Connections+) that you can create from scratch; this can really serve as a way to not only have induction and deduction in your class, but to really review some vocabulary.   

New York Times Connections: https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections

Connections+: https://connectionsplus.io/

Example of custom game: https://connectionsplus.io/game/pBytvm

Of all the games on this site, I'd argue that this one might be the one that is the most recreational with the least amount of induction and dedcution. I first started using this game when actually teaching about pollenation in Science 7, but found that students enjoyed it enough they wanted to keep playing it throughout the year. The best part is that it can quickly be drawn on a scrap piece of paper.

Instead of quickly running through the rules here, there is a website that gives you a quick introduction to this two player game, and if you go under the "i" menu, there are some variations to this game that students can experiment with.

Dandelions: https://mathgameswithbaddrawings.com/games/dandelions

Where were you in the 1980s? If you were at anyone's house and you weren't sure what to do to pass time, you could be quite certain that they had a copy of this game--you just needed to find one other person who wanted to play it. Mastermind is a great game where you place a combination of colours (as pegs), and then you are told how many colours/peg you have that are the right colour, and how many pegs are the right colour and in the right location. Now, since you aren't told which specific pegs are the right colour (or in the right place and the right colour) you need to make all of these inferences. 

While there are a good number of sites on the internet that have this game, what is really great about the site below is that there are many ways you can modify the game: the number of pegs and the use of numbers on pegs (for colour-blind people, or people who prefer the use of numbers) are just one way such modifications are present. Another great addition on this version is that you are able to see how many combinations you should be able to deduct to based on your previous plays.

Play online: https://supermastermind.github.io/playonline/game.html

Instruction manual: https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/44220_en-in_mastermind.pdf

YouTube overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsYPsrzCKiA

This is somewhat of a variation of Tic-Tac-Toe, but it is certainly different enough that it deserves its own title. The game works like this:

1. Two players decide who would like to be "Order" and who will be "Chaos."

2. The idea of the game is that Order is trying to get five consecutive symbols horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, and Chaos is trying to prevent that.

3. Order begins, and they can place an X or an O anywhere on a 6 x 6 grid.

4. It is now chaos' turn, and they can now play and X or an O anywhere on the same grid. 

5. Note: throughout the game either person can play an X or an O.

6. The game is over when Order gets five in a row or Chaos prevents that from happening.

PDF Document: Order and Chaos Sheet

Play online: Order and Chaos

This is a game that certainly combines analysis with induction. Though it take a bit of practice to really understand how this game is played, by looking at both the instructions below and playing a few rounds online (where you can ask for a hint or two, and then use the two hints to begin understanding the game) after a few minutes of play, you will see that the game is both simple and difficult. 

Essentially, people are looking for groups of three cards ("sets"), and each set of three cards needs to have the following factors the same or different:

• The colour of the object(s)

• The fill of the object(s)

• The shape of the object(s)

• The quantity of the object(s)

If you take the first link below, and create a "Private Game," you will be able to ask for hints; this is a great way to begin understanding how to play this game. It is also useful as you can have groups of students play a private game together on this site.

Set Online: Set With Friends

Another Version Online: https://buddyboardgames.com/set

This is a relatively simple game that really places emphasis on visual analysis. Essentially, you start out by clicking on any shape, and then you need to find another shape that shares a visual similarity with the previous shape. If you ever arrive at a shape that has no similarities with any other place on the board, you are prompted to start on a new shape.

NYT Tiles: https://www.nytimes.com/puzzles/tiles

Tiles Unlimited: https://www.tilesgame.org/

Unlimited Tiles: https://www.unlimited-tiles.com/

This is a game where many former students have really enjoyed making their own cards for this game. Here is the way you can have your students create a deck of cards to play this game:

1. Take either 4"x6" or 5"x7" index cards and cut them in half.

2. Ask students to create their own deck by creating cards. A deck should be a minimum of 32 cards.

3. On the side of the card with lines, place the year that a scientific event/discovery took place, and then outline the discovery/event.

4. On the blank side of the card, place the event and a simple illustration.

5. You may want to place initials on the cards to know whose cards are whose.

6. Once students have created such decks, follow the rules at the PDF below, or try playing a one-person version online (that focuses on events from many different fields) to get an idea of how to play this game in groups of 2-6.

Free Online One-Player Variation: https://wikitrivia.tomjwatson.com/

Instructions PDF: https://images-cdn.asmodee.us/filer_public/69/28/69280f5c-fbeb-4be0-9bf7-9d682d369fea/tim04_rules.pdf

We've all played Tic-Tac-Toe; this takes rules that people are already familiar with, and makes it a far more interesting game for students of all ages. (I've had students in grade eleven who would work hard to have spare time at the end of class to play this game). 

The basic idea of this game is that you place your symbol (let's say an X) in the center of the game in the top-left game. Now your opponent, the O, can place an O anywhere in the game in the center (since that is where you placed your X). When you win a game, you place a giant X or O over that game. If your opponent makes you play on a game that is already finished, you are allowed to play anywhere. If you want to give it a try, there is a link below to play it online.

These instructions are also at the top of the worksheets that can be found below.

Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe Online: https://www.michaelxing.com/UltimateTTT/v3/

Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe (8.5"x11"): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n28aZsDsZdcxTKrL0Of0y1Pvaldk-CDr/view?usp=drive_link

Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe (11"x17"): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pFt19fbM35b5LW3Zdf7ufDtnVmvHgMsJ/view?usp=drive_link

Do you enjoy having a game of Wordle up on your screen when students are coming in? Would you like to have assurance that the word is a scientific one? Would you laos like to be able to look at some six-letter words?

Sounds like Words for Nerds is for you! As described above this is both five-letter and six-letter Wordle that is restricted to scientific terms.

Words for Nerds: https://www.the-scientist.com/game/words-for-nerds