This year, I’m teaching a completely new course, called Evolution of Games, for 8th graders. This course is a total shift in classroom management, teaching and learning, and planning. Evolution of Games is the basic course from Zulama, a company creating courses around technology and games with a project-based learning philosophy. Computer skills are taught and used along the way as the entire course is set up online. Going forward we hope to offer high school students more Zulama courses on 3D-Modeling, Game Design, Programming, Screenwriting,  and Mobile Game Programming.

Each course contains:

We help students find their passion and give them a framework in which to think, study, analyze, explore, and invent so they can fulfill their dreams. We help teachers and schools manage and embrace change. – The Zulama Mission

In Evolution of Games, students study six different Ancient Civilizations and how their games were a reflection of their society, religion, geography and technology. They continue to study how games were influenced by Europe and the printing press, then move on to card games, war games, modern games and computer games. Students take charge of their learning, researching what interests them, representing what they have learned in various computer projects. They also cover Social Studies, English and Math standards as they read, research, communicate through online discussions and class presentations. Creative, strategic and higher level thinking is encouraged as students create and modify games.

We started with ancient Babylon and the Game of Ur, creating our own game boards and playing them. Now we are into our second full unit, digging through ancient Egypt and the Game of Senet, comparing it to Checkers and Draughts (international checkers).  Each lesson has an essential question that guides the students thought process through everything they do. Check out the gallery below to see examples of student work so far.

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