Boardgames

8 March 2016Tochukwu A, Alex ‘19; Photo by Seo Young R, Alex '17

Over the past few weeks, three of the four Grade 9 Social Studies classes dipped into English history. We were tasked with creating a board game English Civil War in groups of three to four. Our game had to meet the following criteria: it actually had to be playable; it had to include a rule book; it had to include all of the key people we were focusing on in the chapter. We also had to include the key themes we learned, major vocabulary, religion and how it shifted, as well as the struggle for power seen in the government. On top of that, we also had to make it fun for our peers to play.

My group and I, seeing that it was a large project and it would be hard if we procrastinated, got started right away. Most, if not all of the groups started by planning out the layout and design of their game. The real challenge was trying to find a layout that was not only original and playable, but also educational and entertaining. It seemed like a lot of people chose to make an “original” copy of Monopoly. We chose a design with a bit more difficulty and originality.

After the discussing and planning stages, the next step was to simply get started. To put my game together, we had to do extensive research for all of the trivia questions. For me, that was probably the most tedious part of this project. Endless lines of research and questions, about different monarch and time periods all running together, until all I wanted to do was just get those cards done! During this time “the board game” was something I thought of every day.

Before we knew it “gaming” day was upon us. Everyone was rushing to put final touches on their games; making sure the rules made sense, finding all the game pieces, and organizing their boards. I think what people found the hardest was being able to incorporate the key themes and focal points of the chapter as well making it fun and engaging for a 9th grade audience.

In all honesty, I have to admit that I had fun, not only playing other people’s games, but making one as well. Furthermore, I found that the research I did to complete my game helped me better understand and answer the questions posed to me in class. It was a surefire way to get 9th graders to learn about the English Civil Wars.

Tochukwu A, Alex ‘19

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