School-opoly

Using School-opoly to Cover Book Genres

This year the library's theme was "Board Games/Phone Apps."  All the bulletins in the library were centered around this theme.  I had a "Be a winner at the game of LIFE" bulletin to showcase the six pillars of character, and a "Check It Out!" bulletin (checkerboard) for the display case.  For my main wall, I created a "School-opoly" board, with all the pieces necessary to play the game.  As I was creating the wall, and creating "properties,"  I saw the potential in using each of the different colors on the board to showcase different book genres, and so I decided to use this game to introduce students to the different genres and sub-genres.

The Set Up

First, I created the "property" pieces for the game board.  The "properties" were the different school site locations:  The classrooms, the offices, the playground, etc.  I then grouped the properties by genres and sub-genres, assigning each genre/sub-genre a color.  Then to each property, I assigned an example of a book that fits the genre, and at the reading level that fits the classroom assigned the property.

I also created all the other board pieces that are typically used to play the beloved Parker Brothers/Hasbro game.
For the genres, I printed out genres posters I downloaded as freebies from a teacher's blog.

I used poster paper as the background, and set up the board, and added our theme motto to the board, which is "Get Your Reading Game On!"

I have six tables for the classes, so each table was assigned a game piece.  I made the school-related game pieces from glittery foam I found at the discount store.  I selected an apple, a book, a school bus, a glue bottle, scissors, and a triangle tool for the shapes.

Playing the Game

The object of School-opoly is to gain the most points.  I went with points instead of currency, which I'm glad I did because it makes it easier to play and track.  This means that each property has an assigned number of points, with the points increasing as the properties go around the board.  I keep track of each table's points with a white board I have pinned on the game board.

Just like in the classic board game, all the game pieces begin at the same location.  Each table takes turns rolling the dice. I pick a student at random from each table.  Then we move the game piece accordingly.  When the game piece lands on a property, the team can purchase if available (the purchase price in points is written on the board game property), or must pay the team who owns the property the listed amount of points.  I indicate which team owns which property with the name over the property.  If there is a monopoly of a genre, teams visiting the property must pay double the points.

Where the Genres Come In

For the first semester, every time a table landed on a colored property with a genre, we looked for the corresponding genre poster that is located to the sides of the game board, and then as a class, we read the definition out loud.  Then, I would read the examples given on the poster.  If the genre had a Dewey classification, we discussed that as well.  This didn't take more than 5 minutes.  I had also planned on having a "speed dating with genres" week for the scheduled class visits, however, with testing, it did not go as planned.  Instead I modified it so that we discussed book genres, and asked students about their favorite book genres.

Currently, for the second semester, when a table lands on a colored property with a genre, the students at the table must come up with an example for that genre.  I give them a few minutes, and then, if they are unable to come up with an example or with the Dewey classification for the genre, they can ask for another table's help.  This doesn't affect the points in any way.
This semester, the students will also be making their own genre posters.  My first idea was to create a poster using poster paper, and have students find examples in the publisher catalogs I've kept.  They will pick a genre, create the call number and write the definition, and then look up book covers and cut and paste them to the poster.

Now that I have laptops in the library, I am debating on whether to still do the paper poster, or use a website/online app to create them.  I need to consider the time to teach the students how to use the application, and the fact that the library will be open four more weeks.

Trial and Error

Overall, the game has gone on splendidly.  I wish I had scheduled in the speed dating activity as first designed, so I will have to revisit that.  Also, for the first semester, we played tables against tables, and only one table rolled during the class visit, so only one piece moved per class visit.  For the second semester, every table takes a turn for every class visit, so all six pieces move for every class visit.  Now that the students are more familiar with the genres, having all the tables take a turn during one class visit takes as long as one table taking a turn during the first semester.

I had also planned to use the titles on the properties as another component of the game, linked in some way to the Accelerated Reader program we use.  I did not have enough copies of the titles to work out an effective activity, so I skipped the activity all together.  I will also have to rethink that activity.

So, that's how you play school-opoly!  It is all for instruction, and I am not making any profit in any way.  The winning tables for each semester, however, are going away with a prize, and hopefully, all the students end the year knowing some of the book genres, and knowing which genre they prefer.