Provided by: Field Day Learning Games |Published on: December 16, 2021
Games Grades 6-8, 9-12
Synopsis
This fun game teaches students how to build their town while preserving the health of the lakes.
Students explore complex interactions between population growth, agricultural practices, land use change, fertilizer application, algae blooms, weather, and human happiness.
It is extremely easy to use on your computer. No need to download or install anything.
Additional Prerequisites
If possible, it is best for each student to have their own computer.
Field Day Learning Games is a project at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Differentiation
This game can be used in many different disciplines and grade levels to explain the interdependence of humans and the environment.
Social studies classes can discuss economics or geography. Guiding questions can include "How can we make farming sustainable?" and "Where should humans farm and why?"
Science classes can discuss the role of fertilizer in industrial farming, the role of rainfall and runoff and how that leads to aquatic dead zones, or the science related to algae blooms.
Some students may lose at this game quite early. They can simply restart the game and try to make different choices.
You can create a contest in your class - whoever has the highest population at the end of the class wins!