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Short Role-playing Simulations for World History |
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You Are Here: Home > History Books > Greenland History > Item 140
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Short Role-playing Simulations for World History
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by Richard Di Giacomo
Sales Rank: 141934
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List Price: $17.50
$17.50
At Amazon
on 6-21-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Spiral Bound with 110 pages
Published by: Magnifico Publications; Third edition January 1, 2003
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0970623704
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0970623706
Book Dimensions:
10.8 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
Weighs: 10.4 ounces
Product Description
Introduction This book is an exciting collection of role-playing simulations for Social Studies classrooms. Although most of the simulations are written for World and US History, some of them would work equally as well in Economics or Government classes. All of these simulations have been play tested in classes ranging from Junior High to High School and at ability levels ranging from sheltered classes to honors. What is a role-playing simulation? Role-playing simulations attempt to put the student in the position of a human being in a particular time and place. Most of the simulations involve group problem solving and conflict resolution. The students are given a character sheet which describes the groups requirements and desires, a brief description of the historical problem and a copy of the rules of the game. Familiarity with fantasy role playing games is a plus, but certainly not required. The individual assumes the role they choose and makes decisions as the character would make during that particular time period. No pre-set limits are placed on a particular human being s choices as long as they are within the realm of what was historically possible. Because of the freedom to choose in these games the outcome is very unpredictable. No two classes finish the simulation in the exact same way which leads to some very interesting classroom discussions about why things turned out the way they did, what could have happened differently, and how the simulation compares to what actually occurred in history. How are these activities different from other simulations? Unlike many simulations that are commercially available, these games can usually be played in one or two class periods. Their open-ended nature allows for playing up to one week if time permits, but after a couple of days you will find that most of the possibilities have been exhausted and continued play will have only limited instructional value. Another key advantage to this system is the cost. Everything you need to play these simulations can be reproduced out of this book. There are no tiresome charts to deal with and minimal set up and cleanup time required allowing for maximum role-playing time. As much as possible, pieces have been kept to a minimum to make cleanup and storage easier and to keep costs down for teachers on a budget. The emphasis is on role-playing so that the student can get as much as possible out of their personal learning experience and not get tied up in the mechanics of a complicated rules system. How are the simulations used? The best way to use these simulations is at the beginning of a unit when students have little prior knowledge of the historical outcome of a particular conflict. This allows a clean slate for actions instead of a predictable imitation of history just because "That's the way it had to be". When the teacher does begin the regular instructional part of the unit, the students will automatically make comments like, "Wow! That is just like what happened in the game" or "Now I understand why they did what they did". We all know that students remember better what they do than what they heard or read about, so these simulations allow for an unforgettable experience, which will bring history alive for them. After the simulation is completed the teacher can lead a very interesting discussion of why things happened the way they did and how they might have turned out differently in the game or actually did turn out differently in other countries. This debriefing period is the most valuable portion of the activity. Students will be eager to participate because they were active stakeholders in the decisions made instead of passive listeners hearing about other people's problems from long ago. The activities build historical understanding, empathy for the viewpoints of others and group decision-making skills.
From the Inside Flap
This book is an exciting collection of role-playing simulations for Social Studies classrooms. Although most of the simulations are written for World and US History, some of them would work equally as well in Economics or Government classes. All of these simulations have been play tested in classes ranging from Junior High to High School and at ability levels ranging from sheltered classes to honors.
What is a role-playing simulation? Role-playing simulations attempt to put the student in the position of a human being in a particular time and place. All of the simulations involve group problem solving and conflict resolution. The students are given a character sheet which describes the groups requirements and desires, a brief description of the historical problem and a copy of the rules of the game. Familiarity with fantasy role playing games is a plus, but certainly not required. The individual assumes the role they choose and makes decisions as the character would make during that particular time period. No pre-set limits are placed on a particular persons choices as long as they are within the realm of what was historically possible. Because of the freedom to choose in these games the outcome is very unpredictable. No two classes finish the simulation in the exact same way which leads to some very interesting classroom discussions about why things turned out the way they did, what could have happened differently, and how the simulation compares to what actually occurred in history.
How are these activities different from other simulations? Unlike many simulations that are commercially available, these games can usually be played in one or two class periods. Their open-ended nature allows for playing up to one week if time permits, but after a couple of days you will find that most of the possibilities have been exhausted and continued play will have only limited instructional value. Another key advantage to this system is the cost. Everything you need to play these simulations can be reproduced out of this book. There are no tiresome charts to deal with and minimal set up and cleanup time required allowing for maximum role-playing time. As much as possible, pieces have been kept to a minimum to make cleanup and storage easier and to keep costs down for teachers on a budget. The emphasis is on role-playing so that the student can get as much as possible out of their personal learning experience and not get tied up in the mechanics of a complicated rules system.
How are the simulations used? The best way to use these simulations is at the beginning of a unit when students have little prior knowledge of the historical outcome of a particular conflict. This allows a clean slate for actions instead of a predictable imitation of history just because "That's the way it had to be". When the teacher does begin the regular instructional part of the unit, the students will automatically make comments like, "Wow! That is just like what happened in the game" or "Now I understand why they did what they did". We all know that students remember better what they do than what they heard or read about, so these simulations allow for an unforgettable experience, which will bring history alive for them. After the simulation is completed the teacher can lead a very interesting discussion of why things happened the way they did and how they might have turned out differently in the game or actually did turn out differently in other countries. This debriefing period is the most valuable portion of the activity. Students will be eager to participate because they were active stakeholders in the decisions made instead of passive listeners hearing about other people's problems from long ago. The activities build historical understanding, empathy for the viewpoints of others and group decision-making skills. Follow up activities might include an essay comparing the game to what actually occurred in history or a visit to the internet newsgroup on alternative history where the students' questions can be bounced off a group of history professors, students and aficionados across the world. This can be a very valuable form of feed back. The simulations can also be used at the end of a unit for a form of alternative assessment to see how well they can apply the skills they have learned to an actual historical problem.
What do students have to say about these simulations? Invariably students rate these activities among their favorite activities of the year. Returning students have stated that they are the things they best remember about the class years later. Under motivated students will often flourish in these activities because they have found a place were their abilities can shine. Gifted students enjoy the challenge of adding as much realism and detail to the activity as possible and often enjoy taking a leadership role in the bargaining. Many students have commented to me that "This is the first time I have ever been interested in a history class" or "This makes me feel like I was really there because it was so exciting". Often discussion over what has occurred will pore over into other classes, lunchtime or after school. Students will compare what happened to their friends' classes and eagerly return the next day to see if the outcome is as they expected.
How did this book come to be? The author has played role-playing games since he was a teenager himself. The fun and unpredictability of the outcome of a given situation got him thinking about how history might have been different. As a lover of history and a player of every kind of game from checkers to fantasy role-playing and historical miniature battles it was a natural step from tinkering with rules to developing his own games. He has experimented with these games from his first year of teaching, improving upon them every year based upon feedback from students. As he began to share these simulations with colleagues, they unanimously urged him to publish them to make them available for other teachers.
Reader Reviews
So far I have only road tested the "Roman Emperor Simulation", but in the several days since we played the game, I have been asked each day whether we can play another round! More importantly, in our post-game debriefing students were quite articulate in explaining why each of the major social groups from the game would have had incentives to overthrow an uppity or weakly dominant emperor, and in our continuing study of the decline and fall of the Romans, students have referred back to game-making decisions as ways of understanding the internal and external challenges Roman emperors faced in the waning days of the Empire. I am a considerable fan of the "What If" counterfactual questions at the end of the book. End-of-semester finals approach quickly, and I plan on trying a few of these questions out as a way of encouraging a more entertaining but still historically-grounded review process. One final word -- as I was preparing to use this book in class, I had a few questions about the game. I emailed the author, and he responded quickly and with very complete answers. Student recommendations, the What-If extras, and good customer service (!) make this a quality product.
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Short Role-playing Simulations for World History
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Updated on 6-21-2008.
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