Fun and Games: Let’s Play Board Games!
Learning Goals:
- Learn new words about board games and how to play them.
- Talk about your favorite board games.
- Read about the history of board games.
- Listen to a game designer talk about their work.
- Write about why board games are good for people.
Key Words:
- Board game: A game you play with a board, pieces, and dice.
- Strategy game: A game where you have to think carefully and plan to win.
- Cooperative game: A game where players work together as a team.
- Dice: Small cubes with dots on them that you roll to see what happens in the game.
- Turn: A time when it’s your chance to play in the game.
Famous Board Games:
- Chess: A strategy game with a king, queen, and other pieces.
- Checkers: A game where you jump over your opponent’s pieces to capture them.
- Monopoly: A game where you buy and sell properties.
- Catan: A strategy game where you build settlements and trade resources.
Let’s Talk About It!
- What is your favorite board game? Why do you like it?
- Do you prefer games where you play against other people or games where you work together?
- What do you think are the most important things for winning a board game? (Good luck, strategy, teamwork?)
Let’s Read!
Board games are very old! People have been playing them for thousands of years. Some old games were even used to teach children about important things. Now, there are so many different kinds of board games, from simple games for kids to complex games for adults.
Listen and Learn!
(Teacher plays a short clip of a game designer talking about how they create new board games.)
Talk with a Partner!
One of you is explaining a board game to a friend who has never played it before.
Example:
- Person 1: “I love playing this game called Catan. It’s about building settlements and trading resources.”
- Person 2: “That sounds interesting! How do you play?”
Homework:
Write a short paragraph about the benefits of playing board games. Do they help you learn? Make friends? Have fun?
Extra Fun:
If you can, bring a favorite board game to class. Teach your classmates how to play!
