| "Just
the facts, ma'am." Sergeant Friday on the old TV show
"Dragnet" used to gather information about the crime
scene with that famous request.there are time when you
may want your children to master "just the facts" in
history, science or geography. That's
where Learningames® comes in. These slim,
boxed games strip a subject of all but the bare bones
facts, and require the people playing to recall those
facts. Each game comes with a board (a thin 11
x 17" piece of folded cardboard), an informational poster
that will help you master the information needed to
play the game, playing pieces, instructions, and a teaching
guide that is really the heart of the game.
The Civil War Game
is typical of the series. The playing board is
a map of the southern states, with numbers and symbols
on the locations of key battles and events. The
cards accompanying the game are two-sided: one side
has the name of a historical event of geographical area,
the other side has a number with the important information
about the event or area named on the other side.
Play is simple: you win cards by locating and naming
the event or area on the board or by challenging the
answer of another player. Where
do you find all this information? In the 40-page
study guide you'll find not only incredibly detailed
battle information (heavy on commander' names, numbers
of troops, combat movements, and casualties), but a
couple of puzzles, a chronology, a statistical summary,
and pre- and post-test blank forms you can copy.
Educational Materials Associates
publishes a number of other games based on history,
geography, and science as well. If you avail yourself
of the material in the study guide, you can treat any
one of these games as a piece of curriculum.
I appreciated the way the
games stayed focused only on the facts, without any
sort of editorial comment or revisionist hooey.
The games function as a flash-card type review of many
mastered facts. If you have a data junkie for
a student, he might enjoy using these games to learn
or review information. If you have a child who
has read a lot on the subject like the Civil War, going
through the corresponding game might help to cement
the names, dates, and places in his mind. Though
these games will not fit everyone's needs, they offer
a creative way for some of you to learn and review "just
the facts." |
