Why Use Games in the Classroom?
What are the benefits of using board games in the classroom?
- Play is an important part of children's learning and development (NAEYC, 2017)
- Games can enrich and extend instruction across the curriculum and at all levels (Harris, 2017)
- Games are a regular part of students' lives, no matter what their grade level (Marzano, 2010)
- Using academic games in the classroom is associated with a 20 percentile point gain in student achievement (Marzano, 2010)
- Games are motivating and challenging
- Games encourage students to interact and communicate
Harris, C. (2017). About. Retrieved June 29, 2017, from http://playplaylearn.com/about
Marzano, R. (2010). The art and science of teaching: Using games to enhance student achievement. Educational Leadership, 67(5), 71-72. Retrieved June 29, 2017, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb10/vol67/num05/Using-Games-to-Enhance-Student-Achievement.aspx
NAEYC. (2017). Play and children's learning. Retrieved June 29, 2017, from http://www.naeyc.org/play
Web Resources
- BoardGameGeekBoardGameGeek is a website that was founded in January 2000 by Scott Alden and Derk Solko as a resource for the board gaming hobby. The database holds reviews, articles, and session reports for over 66,000 different games, expansions, and designers.
- Learning With Our Inner-Gamer: Using Board Games in the Social Studies ClassroomBlog post discussing the question "Is the use of games as an instructional strategy really worth it?"
- Play Play LearnProvides educational resources and consulting services to connect games and learning in libraries, schools, and homes for students of all ages.
- Technical Reading and Writing Using Board GamesReading focused lesson plan on using games in the classroom
Books
Collecting for the Curriculum by
If you're a librarian charged with collecting curriculum materials and children's literature to support the Common Core State Standards, then this book-the only one that offers explicit advice on collection development in curriculum collections-is for you. * Draws on current research and interviews with some of the most experienced curriculum librarians in the United States to help faculty and teachers better understand the Common Core * Provides explicit applications of the CCSS for librarians working in post-secondary institutions * Covers the diverse teaching strategies of faculty and teachers * Includes an extensive appendix with lists of books that support all curricular areas, as well as lesson ideas and other resources * Offers a regularly updated companion website
Computer Coding with Scratch by
Perfect for children ages 6-9 who are new to coding, this highly visual workbook is a fun introduction to Scratch, a free computer coding programming language, that will take kids from playing games to creating them. With easy-to-follow directions and fun pixel art, DK Workbooks: Coding in Scratch: Games Workbook helps kids understand the basics of programming and how to create games in Scratch through fun, hands-on learning experiences. All learners need is a desktop or laptop with Adobe 10.2 or later, and an internet connection to download Scratch 2.0. Coding can be done without download on https://scratch.mit.edu. Simple and logical instructions help kids make their own Scratch Cat soccer game, design a ghost hunt that features a flying witch, animate a bouncing melon, or build a game to test reaction speeds. Children then can share the finished games with friends to see how they score. Kids can even test their coding knowledge with written vocabulary and programming quizzes at the end of each project. Supporting STEM education initiatives, computer coding teaches kids how to think creatively, work collaboratively, and reason systematically, and is quickly becoming a necessary and sought-after skill. DK's computer coding books are full of fun exercises with step-by-step guidance, making them the perfect introductory tools for building vital skills in computer programming.
Call Number: juv 005.133 WOOISBN: 9781465444820
Libraries Got Game by
A much-talked-about topic gets thorough consideration from two educator-librarians, who explain exactly how designer board gameswhich are worlds apart from games produced strictly for the educational market can become curricular staples for students young and old.
Call Number: Z692.B63 M39ISBN: 9780838910092
Rules of Play by
As pop culture, games are as important as film or television -- but game design has yet to develop a theoretical framework or critical vocabulary. In Rules of Play Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman present a much-needed primer for this emerging field. They offer a unified model for looking at all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games. As active participants in game culture, the authors have written Rules of Play as a catalyst for innovation, filled with new concepts, strategies, and methodologies for creating and understanding games. Building an aesthetics of interactive systems, Salen and Zimmerman define core concepts like "play," "design," and "interactivity." They look at games through a series of eighteen "game design schemas," or conceptual frameworks, including games as systems of emergence and information, as contexts for social play, as a storytelling medium, and as sites of cultural resistance. Written for game scholars, game developers, and interactive designers, Rules of Play is a textbook, reference book, and theoretical guide. It is the first comprehensive attempt to establish a solid theoretical framework for the emerging discipline of game design.
ISBN: 9780262240451
Teaching Financial Literacy Through Play by
It may only be play money, but the games in this book can help students better understand how important financial literacy is in their real lives. Play-based lesson plans in the book cover topics including spending and saving, risk assessment, and return on investment using fast-paced board and card games. a larger capstone game pulls together all of the concepts in a market-driven game that places students in the role of stockholders investing in and managing train companies. Who will use financial savvy to turn the biggest profit?Games:High Society. Reiner Knizia. Gryphon Games, 2008.Can't Stop. Sid Sackson. Gryphon Games, 2011.Panic on Wall Street. Britton Roney. Marabunta, 2011.Chicago Express. Harry Wu. Queen Games, 2007.
Call Number: curr CC 373.833 H37 2015ISBN: 9781499490107
Teaching Secondary Science Through Play by
This book provides broad support for using games in middle and high school science classes including Earth science/living environment, biology, chemistry, and physics. the lesson plans and resources support a play-based approach to evolution, ecosystems, cellular organisms, elements and compounds, and vector motion. Though easy to learn, the included games provide detailed scientific accuracy allowing complex simulations and immersive learning experiences.Games:Evolution. Dominic Crapuchettes, Dmitry Knorre, Sergey Machin. North Star Games, 2014.Strain. Avrom Tobias. HungryRobot, 2011.Compounded. Darell Louder. Dice Hate Me Games, 2013.Bolide. Alfredo Genovese. Rio Grande Games, 2005.
Call Number: curr 507.1 HAR 2015ISBN: 9781499490060
Teaching the American Revolution Through Play by
We all know the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, but too often we forget that the colonies were almost a year into the Revolutionary War by the time of the signing. Can you replicate historical success? Or will your colonies fall back under British rule? Building upon 1775: Rebellion, an award winning board game, this book presents a week-long unit with detailed lesson plans, primary source documents, and additional instructional resources for teaching the American Revolution through play. Exclusive print-and-play game Intolerable Acts designed for classroom use by Brian Mayer and Christopher Harris.Game:1775: Rebellion. Beau Beckett, Jeph Stahl. Academy Games, 2013.
Call Number: curr 973 HAR 2015ISBN: 9781499490046
Gaming by Bloom's Taxonomy
| Bloom’s Taxonomy | Skills | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluation | Argue, assess, compare, judge, predict, support | Chicago Express, Settlers of Catan, Chang Chen |
| Synthesis | Arrange, collect, create, develop, manage, organize, plan | Once upon a Time, Pandemic, Carcassonne, 1960 The Making of a President |
| Analysis | Appraise, calculate, criticize, examine, question | Bolide, Shadows Over Camelot |
| Application | Choose, illustrate, dramatize, solve, use | Charades, Portrayal, Number League |
| Comprehension | Classify, explain, locate, recognize, select | Pictueka, Pictionary, Qwirkle, Lost Cities |
| Knowledge | Memorize, define, arrange, list | 10 Days in the USA/Europe, Ticket to Ride, This Day in History |
Mayer, Brian, and Christopher Harris. "TABLE 2.1." Libraries Got Game: Aligned Learning through Modern Board Games. Chicago: American Library Association, 2010. 17. Print.
Games Found in Our Collection
- Code Master: Programming Logic Game For all 60 levels you will have to use programming logic to help your Avatar collect the Crystals and land in the PortalCall Number: curr GAME COD
- Council of Verona The citizens of Verona have grown tired of the constant quarrel between the houses of Capulet and Montague. As ruler of the region, Prince Escalus has formed a council to help mediate the conflict and bring lasting peace to Verona. In Council of Verona players take on the role of citizens of Verona and have the opportunity to steer the story of Romeo & Juliet and determine who will rule Verona once and for all!Call Number: curr GAME COU
- Evolution : the dynamic game of survival In Evolution, you’re in the midst of a dynamic ecosystem of limited resources and hungry predators. What traits will your species need to eat, multiply and thrive? The answer changes with every game. 4000 different species to create.Call Number: curr GAME EVO
- Freedom: The Underground Railroad A challenging cooperative game pitting the players against the institution of slavery during the early 1800’s through the Civil War. Players work together for the Abolitionist cause, raising funds and helping slaves as they move from the Southern States to freedom in Canada.Call Number: curr GAME FRE
- Prime Climb: The Beautiful, Colorful, Mathematical Game This is a game of strategy and luck. See the 101 circle? It’s the big red circle at the center of the spiral. The goal is to land both your pawns on 101 exactly. A turn consists of four phases: roll, move, bump, and draw.Call Number: curr GAME PRI
- Race to Madrid: Play the Game and Learn Spanish Learn Spanish as you race to Madrid in this beginner to intermediate Spanish board gameCall Number: curr GAME RAC
- Spookies The haunted house looks even scarier than usual in the light of the full Moon. But the four brave friends and their dog dare to enter the haunted house. Who dares to climb up the highest? the player who has collected the most spookies-points at the end of the game is the winner! you receive spookies chips every time you venture into the haunted house or climb up one floor. The higher you climb, the more spookies you can collect. But if you take too high of a risk, you may lose some spookies as well, so use caution!Call Number: curr GAME SPO
This is just a sampling of the board games we have in our collection. To search for more games, click here.
Standards Aligned to the Use of Board Games
- Teaching Through Games Games as Meaningful Education Conference Presentation
Journal Articles
- Applying 4-H Judging Strategies to Board, Dice, and Card Games : Developing Skills in Urban and Suburban Youths Most 4-H judging events involve livestock or other traditional 4-H projects. Consequently, many urban and suburban youths miss out on building life skills developed through judging. In a nontraditional approach to 4-H judging, such youths play board, dice, and card games and then judge the games using the practice of giving oral reasons. The youths also reflect on the life skills learned while playing and judging the games. This approach has been used in a Washington State 4-H program. Youths have responded positively, demonstrated skills, and returned to the program year after year. Because Extension offices across the country have resources related to judging, the approach is easily replicated.
- Five Board Games for the Language Classroom: Uvas, Montana Rusa, El Futbol, La Corrida de Verbos, Paso a Paso Snyder, B., & American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, H. N. (1986). Five Board Games for the Language Classroom: Uvas, Montana Rusa, El Futbol, La Corrida de Verbos, Paso a Paso.
- It's All in the Game: Designing and Playing Board Games to Foster Communication and Social Skills Collins, K. M., & Griess, C. J. (2011). It's All in the Game: Designing and Playing Board Games to Foster Communication and Social Skills. Young Children, 66(2), 12-19.
- Meet the New School Board: Board Games Are Back--And They're Exactly What Your Curriculum Needs Harris, C. (2009). Meet the New School Board: Board Games Are Back--And They're Exactly What Your Curriculum Needs. School Library Journal, 55(5), 24-26.
Attribution
Inspiration for this page comes from LaKeshia N. Darden's informative guide on Learning Through Inquiry: Makerspaces, Manipulatives, and Boardgames.
