Making Curriculum Pop

Three Games About Viruses That Teach Interconnectedness

MindShift

By Matthew Farber

Inside a classroom, opportunities to learn about common viruses arise when illnesses cycle through, like the cold, flu and some conjunctivitis. Those ailments often come and go with students spending a couple of days recovering at home. However, the types of communicable diseases that capture the nation’s attention tend to be more deadly, such as Ebola. While students can learn about how these diseases affect the human body and communities through news, books and movies, another platform has proven itself useful as an educational tool: games. By playing games about how relationships and outcomes are tested by more deadly viruses, players are pushed to work together to ensure survival.

PANDEMIC

Pandemic is a tabletop game that can be used to teach themes of global interconnectedness. Players must work together to rid the board’s cities of infection outbreaks. Either everyone wins together, or all is lost. Players choose role cards, each with specific abilities. For example, “Scientists” can eliminate diseases more quickly than other players and “Dispatchers” can move anyone from city to city, regardless of location on the map. In effect, each player has a “power-up” the other doesn’t. Because there is a player limit of four, it can work best when used in a learning station connected to other content strands. It takes around 30-45 minutes to play.

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