by Bonnie Boateng

  

• According to William Glasser, well known author of books on education, the need for fun is one of the basic needs of higher organisms. Students have fun when they are engaged in games, therefore, playing games can be an effective teaching strategy. The Embryology Game is an easy-to-play game that may be used to review and reinforce embryological terminology and concepts.                                                                                                     to top

• To promote group/cooperative learning
• To reinforce biological terms and concepts
• To have fun while learning

• Biology students, all levels
• Grade Level 9 through 12

Notes to the Teacher: to top

1. Two to five students can play, but the suggested number is five. Therefore, you would need 6 games for a class of 30 students. (Four students with place markers and one student to read the questions and to verify the correct answers.)
2. The initial preparation time is a couple of hours, but none after that, unless the teacher wants to add, change, or update the question and answer cards.
3. If possible the teacher may want to laminate the game boards and question/answer cards for future use.
4. The class time needed to play the game is one 40 minute class period.

 *   A game board, see below, (duplicate, enlarge, cut in half, and attach to both side of an 8-1/2
      x 14 inch manila folder)
 *   A die
 *   Four place markers per player (coins, buttons, painted tops from bottle of white-out, bottle
      caps, etc.) 16 place markers per game
 *   Four different sets of 10 to 15 colored question/answer cards (corresponding to colors on
      the game board)  Duplicate the questions/answers and attach to index cards.
 *   Instructions for the game (also laminated)

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2. Each player should select a playing name for him/herself (the Dragons, Tigers, Monkeys, or
    the Rats) and 4 place markers. They should place one of their markers on the START space.

3. Each player rolls the die one time to determine the order of play. The person who rolls the
   highest number goes first, the other players then go in a clockwise fashion.

4. Cards are placed face down in separate color piles after they are shuffled.

5. The object of the game is to get all 4 of your markers to the FINISH space. You can only start
    a new marker after your previous marker has reached the FINISH  space. The first player to
    get all of their markers to the FINISH space wins or those with the most markers there de-
    pending on the amount of playing time.

6. During a turn, a player rolls the die and moves that number of spaces on the game board.
    When a player lands on a colored space, they must answer the question from the top of the
    question/answer card pile that corresponds to the color on the game board. When they land on
    any other space, they must follow the directions listed on that space. For example, lose a turn
    or move back 3 spaces. The player's turn continues with a new throw of the die until they
    either answer a question incorrectly or draws a LOSE A TURN card from one of the piles of
    question/answer cards.

7. Players continue to move around the board until they've completed one outer circuit of the
    game board and are back to START. They then move up the center area to the FINISH space.

8. Players can only land on the FINISH space with an exact throw of the die, and must wait
    until they have that number.

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2. Games Magazine
     Big Book of Games
     by Editors of Games Magazines
     Workman Publishing Co, Inc.
     New York, NY
     published in 1984

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