Download Lesson 3 Get Me to the Lake on Time Game

Page 1 of 4
Plus Game Board
and Game Cards
N at u r al S el ec ti o n I n s t r uc ti o n a l C a s e : A s er i e s o f 3 s t u d e n t -c e nt er e d s c i e nc e l es s o ns
Lesson 3
Get Me to the Lake on Time
Summary
Students play a board game (“Get Me to the Lake on Time”) to
reinforce the vocabulary and concepts related to evolution (and
other life science topics) and to put the role of the environment
as a driver of evolutionary change in a real-world context. This
game can be played at the end of this unit. Teachers can create
their own question cards to apply the game board and game rules
to other units.
Objective
Reinforce the understanding and application of the appropriate
biological language (terms, phrases, concepts) related to
evolution and other biological topics by answering questions
correctly in a game.
Teacher Background Knowledge
Suggested Timeline
About 20 minutes, but will vary
from game to game
Importance of the language of evolution – students learn terms
and appropriate context/use of language. Common Core State
Standards for Literacy in Science.
Materials
For each lab group:
Standards

Game board
California Science Content Standards, 7th Grade: 3.a., 7.a, 7.b.

1 playing piece for each student
(can use erasers, magnets, or
game pieces from other board
games)
California’s Common Core Standards for Literacy in Science, and
Technical Subjects (Grades 6–8), Reading: Reading 3, 4.
A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation
Science Standards

Deck of Get Me to the Lake on
Time playing cards
Scientific and Engineering Practices:
8. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

six sided die

a set of game rules
Crosscutting Concepts:
2. Cause and effect . 4. Systems and system models.
7. Stability and change.
Integrated Middle School Science Partnership
Page 2 of 4
Plus Game Board
and Game Cards
Natural Selection Instructional Case
A series of 3 student-centered science lessons
Lesson 3 Get Me to the Lake on Time
Lesson
1. The first time students play this game, review the rules with the class.
2. Play a few rounds, teacher against the class, to model how to play. Model the cooperation that is
expected from the students in the group.
Teacher Actions While Students are Working:
As students play, teachers should circulate around the room, encouraging students to try their best.
Modifications for English Learners
Be ready to point to places on the game board and have pictures handy (or available on-line) to help
students understand what the questions are asking.
Pitfalls to Watch Out for When Teaching:
Students need to work collaboratively in their group and attend to the questions, supporting each other
with explanations if someone in the groups doesn’t understand a question or answer.
Vocabulary : (culminated from a whole evolution unit)

acclimation

evolve (evolution)

pollution

adaptation

extinct (extinction)

regeneration

behavioral adaptation

fossils

restoration

camouflage

genetic diversity

scavenger

classification

habitat

sedimentary rock

climate change

invasive species

selective breeding

cloning

migration

species

decay

mimicry

structural adaptation

diversity

mutation (mutant)

subspecies

ecosystem

native species

toxic chemical

endangered

natural selection

vestigial structures

erosion

organic matter
Integrated Middle School Science Partnership
Natural Selection Instructional Case
A series of 3 student-centered science lessons
Page 3 of 4
Plus Game Board
and Game Cards
Lesson 3 Get Me to the Lake on Time
Game Rules for Get Me to the Lake on Time
1. This game can be played in pairs, small teams (2, 3, or 4 teams), or whole class (2, 3, or 4 teams).
Each player or team picks one of the 4 playing pieces.
2. Determine who goes first by whose birthday is closest to the current date.(or some other selection
method determined by the teacher).
3. Everyone starts on the word “Start” (in the sky above Mount Awesome) on the game board.
4. An opposing player takes the top question card from the deck and reads the question to the 1st
player(s) to answer. The task of reading the question should rotate between the opposing players.
5. If the player answers correctly, he/she can get onto the game board by rolling one six-sided die and
advancing their token that number of spaces. The
player cannot get onto the game board and roll
the die until he/she correctly answers a question
from the card stack.
6. Once all players are on the board, any player
answering a question incorrectly must move back
one space.
7. The first player to reach Lake Darwin and
correctly answers the question on their next turn
correctly is the WINNER! If the player answers
incorrectly, he/she must move back one space
and is no longer considered on Lake Darwin.).
Game card
Special Spaces
1. If a player lands on the yellow space with the gold star at the top of the John Muir Bike Trail and
correctly answers the question, the player rides the bike down the path to the State Fair, ending up
on the red star. This ends that player’s turn (player does not roll the die).
2. If a player lands on the yellow space with the red star at the end of the John Muir Bike Trail and
incorrectly answers the question, the player must take the John Muir Bike Trail backwards, ending
on the yellow space with the gold star.
3. If a player riding forward on the John Muir Bike Trail incorrectly answers a question on his/her next
turn gets a flat tire and must walk his/her bike backwards to the start of the trail.
4. If a player lands on the green space with the blue star and correctly answers the question, the player
takes the pedestrian path shortcut through Commuter City.
5. If a player lands on the yellow space with the silver star at the end of the IMSS highway and
incorrectly answers the question, the player must ride IMSS Highway backwards and take a trip to
McSkeeve’s Oil Refinery, ending his/her turn on the red space.
Integrated Middle School Science Partnership
Natural Selection Instructional Case
A series of 3 student-centered science lessons
Page 4 of 4
Plus Game Board
and Game Cards
Lesson 3 Get Me to the Lake on Time
Game Variations
1. This game is designed to be used as-is or with additional questions. Teachers may choose to add/subtract
questions from the deck in order to use the game as a review for their most recent science unit, or they
may have students write review questions for one another and use them in the game.
2. For improved classroom management, teachers may choose to penalize teams who interrupt or yell out
answers by moving their token back one space per infraction. This is an effective strategy for keeping the
game on track.
For added focus, when a team or player misses a question, you may offer the next group in line the
opportunity to answer that same question for a chance to move ahead one space (no penalty for missing).
3. You may print individual copies of the game board (see page 5) for students to paste into their notebooks
to playing the game at home. Students can create their own question cards by writing review questions
that correspond to their current unit of study.
Teachers can suggest adding more questions that reinforces the “language” of evolution and other concepts,
e.g. population variation, genetic fitness, natural selection, predation, gene frequency, allele, species (vs.
population).
Integrated Middle School Science Partnership
Natural Selection Instructional Case
A series of 3 student-centered science lessons
Integrated Middle School Science Partnership