Big News for Gaming in School

Yesterday I found out that I've got tentative approval to teach a Strategy Games class during the regular 2014-2015 school year!  That means that the ball is now in my court to start putting together specific learning objectives, crafting lessons, and developing assessments to flesh out a full course proposal for final approval.

Think that through for a second ... 

"Here's your quiz class: You, a dwarf, an elf, and a wizard enter a 40' by 40' room containing three doors.  As your party begins searching the area, the middle door opens and a half-dozen pig-faced humanoids begin to enter.  Explain your strategy for surviving this encounter."

The grading rubric would take into account the student's use of cause and effect reasoning, the clarity of their step-by-step description, use of supporting details, etc.

I can't let my brain spin too far down that track yet, however, because my two-week Summer Enrichment class starts Monday!

Today I finalized the lineup of satellite games and the benefits that a victory in each break-out game will bring to our central scaffold game - Ghult: The Blood Coast.  Here's what that looks like:

Settlers of Catan	Card	Place one pacified village and one base camp on the named island of your choice, discarding any other markers on that island.
Cadwallon: City of Thieves	Gold	Each player gains their final score in gold.
Citadels	Card	Exchange this card to enter Haut Port once without paying taxes.
Dagger for Kids	Gold	Add recovered gold to the expedition of any surviving characters.
Red November	Card	Experimental Sub: Your ship can occupy the same space as enemy ships without having to fight or run.
Qwirkle	Gold	Players set the stakes. Winner takes all.
Chess	Card	Exchange this card to roll two dice when your expedition fights or raids. Retain the higher roll.
Stratego	Card	Exchange this card for an automatic result of six when your expedition fights.
Pyramid of Horus	Gold	Each player gains their final score in gold.
Robo Rally	Gold	Players set the stakes. Winner takes all.
Small World	Card	It came from the jungle! On your turn exchange this card to have a horde of creatures emerge from the jungle and destroy the village or camp of your choice. An expedition in that space must retreat and is wounded. Any gold in the camp is lost.

I've been slapping paint on the minis for class too.  Here's where I'm at today: