Gaming the Past

Chapter 4

Instructional Strategies

Once the curricular concepts and learning goals for a simulation exercise have been determined and the appropriate hardware and software have been arranged, it is time to develop a lesson plan by considering the instructional strategies that will be used to introduce students to the simulation and provide the necessary structure for them to study, analyze, and reflect on it. More specifically, teachers must consider:

• the methods students will use to play and analyze games;
• the opportunities for reflection, analysis, and discussion that will be provided;
• the types of historical resources to provide students and the timing for introducing them;
• the products students can create to demonstrate their learning.