It has been over a month since my last post; I’ll lay the blame at the feet of my three week winter vacation and the birth of my daughter. It has been an exciting and surreal month due to the latter. However, now that the new semester is beginning and I am adjusting to new routines, I am looking forward to carving out more time to write and post. This blog has given me great opportunities to reflect on my practice and has been the source of much personal enjoyment. I hope anyone that discovers it finds some useful thought or resource.
This post is not about anything particularly insightful. Any World History teacher will likely have heard of, or have used, the Urban Game in teaching the Industrial Revolution. This simulation has been one of my mainstay activities though it has taken on many variations over the years.
This year, I am adjusting to shorter blocks in the schedule, requiring me to rethink some of my longer activities. Instead of splitting the Urban Game into two days using the traditional 20 round game, I have decided to swap it for the OER project’s 12 round version instead. It covers the most significant content even though its narratives are a little lighter in detail.
For anyone else that might be using the OER project’s version, I have created a PPT to go along with the directions for each round. A quick google search will turn up dozens of PPTs for the longer version, but I could not quickly find one corresponding to the OER version. This activity is so common, no teacher should ever buy a PPT to go with any script. I do wish I knew the original creator of the Urban Game. Whoever they are, thousands of teachers owe them a debt of gratitude.
No matter what version of the game you use, I wholeheartedly agree with Steve Heimler’s advice that the way to get the most out of the game is to stress the students out! Time the rounds, read the narratives with intensity, and inspire chaos! I enjoy the frustration and hurried sketching from students in the final rounds; Especially from the perfectionist students who witness their artistry slowly decline as the game reaches its conclusion.
After using the Urban Game, check out one my favorite lessons on the industrial era middle classes using a great set of primary source images from french artist Honore Daumier.