Assessment

Type: Making a board game, evaluation
Individual or group work: Individual
Levels of assessments: Five, six and seven
Number of lessons: Six
Number of homeworks: Four

The billionaire assessment is a thinking and creative activity culminating in students producing a board game suitable for teenagers. The topic for the board game is The Variation in World Wealth. It has three distinct phases of designing, making and evaluating. All stages require working in pairs with the final evaluation being written by each individual. The latter is supported with appropriate writing frames. Whilst this assessment requires a lot of time, six lessons and four homeworks, it is very much assessment as learning. Success in completing the board games will be dependent upon good organisation of both classwork and homework time from the outset (Resource Sheet C5 helps with this).

Resources available for this assessment are:

• Who wants to be a billionaire? Assessment teacher guidance

• Who wants to be a billionaire? Assessment levelling grid 

For level five

• Resource Sheet A5 - Assessment Activity 

• Resource Sheet B - Using Sources 

• Resource Sheet C5 - Plan 

• Resource Sheet D5 and D6 - Student Review

• Resource Sheet E5 and E6 - Evaluation 

For level six

• Resource Sheet A6 - Assessment Activity

• Resource Sheet B - Using Sources 

• Resource Sheet C6 and C7 - Plan 

• Resource Sheet D5 and D6 - Student Review 

• Resource Sheet E5 and E6 - Evaluation 

For level seven

• Resource Sheet A7 - Assessment Activity 

• Resource Sheet C6 and C7 - Plan   

• Resource Sheet D7 - Student Review 

It is advised that Resource Sheets B, C, and E are enlarged to A3 for writing on.

Whilst this assessment does not include assessment for citizenship, it could with further time be included as variation in world wealth and raises questions of responsibility, service provision, responses to emergencies, and community spirit.

Making Board Games

Students always enjoy making board games and I have always been amazed as to how students transform factual information into amazing games. Students also enjoy assessing each others' work; it is a shame that there is insufficient time to play the games. However, in my experience students tend to play their games amongst themselves anyway.

If you have not previously used the making of board games as an assessment, here are some guidelines as it can be a bit daunting when every student is producing something so unique.

1. Organise the paperwork that students need. I have a different colour for each level. For some students I gather together everything that they will need in advance

2. Make sure that students know which level they are aiming at and therefore which colour of paper they need

3. Ensure that all students have all the paperwork that they need - there is a section for this on the assessment sheet

4. The assessment needs to be clear to the students before they start. They need to know that there will be two deadlines - one for the completion of the game and the other for completion of the evaluation. They need to be very aware that if they fail to bring their completed game into school by the deadline then this will adversely affect the second part of their assessment as they will not have other students' comments to work from

5. Students need to know that for Level five you need to show that they can follow a plan for their work (Resource Sheet C5) and that they understand that plans ensure that deadlines are met. You will notice that homework times will need to be ‘negotiated' or else to fit in with the homework timetable a couple of unrelated lessons are inserted between the designing and playing stages. Whichever route you take then students need to be advised of the dates of each lesson, and to write them into the plan. It may be that you will need a second lesson for the evaluation

6. Students' enquiry skills of questioning are assessed and so this needs to be clear to students before they start. Their board game needs to show the beginnings relevant and geographical questioning

7. When designing board games you could brainstorm names of games and then categorise them into different types. This would help students choose which format they want to use

8. Issue every student with an envelope or plastic wallet to keep all their papers in

9. Before students bring their completed boards in ensure that there is room for them within the classroom - empty tables or cupboard tops around the outside of the room works well for me. It is surprising how much room is needed but they make a fantastic display

10. As soon as students bring their board in insist that names are put on the back of the board and the back of any packets - I always have a supply of envelopes or small plastic bags to put cards in; counters I ask students to take home with them

11. Students then talk about their game within a group of four. Everyone in the group completes the Student Review Sheet (Resource Sheet E). All are returned to the student who made the game. Allow, and time, five minutes per student (unless you decide to take more than two lessons to review the games). Have a supply of die and counters ready as spares

12. Finally, a formal evaluation is written by the students of their experiences in designing, making, presenting and reviewing their board game. Use of Resource Sheet will help stimulate ideas which can then be transferred into a formal piece of evaluative writing by following the guidance given on the assessment sheet

13. When students hand in their work I have always asked them to staple sheets together in the order that the assessment sheet asks for them

14. I have always found it worthwhile photographing some of the board games and displaying them around school in cabinets (in the main foyer, library and geography corridors)

15. Inform students of the date by which they have to collect their board games and what will happen to their board games after this date - students get very attached to them. In the past, I have sent some boards to the library, games clubs, Learning Resources, and international schools