To the Moon and Back - Charles Duke

Rules of the Game
The game follows the format of a traditional board game (see Powerpoint under the Resources tab), but with technological capabilities. In moving pieces across the board, students can land on spaces where one of three different game cards, fact, picture, video, will be utilized. The first student/group to get Charles Duke from Earth to the moon and back again, wins the game. 

The game can be played as a small group activity if enough tablet/computer devices are available, or as a class/large group activity using smart-board/projection technology. 

In the whole class scenario, the class will be divided into two different sides, (if emphasizing the Cold War aspect of the space race, one side can be the United States, the other the Soviet Union). 

The computer projection will show the game board with spaces leading from the earth to the moon, and back to the earth again. There should be 43 spaces. Some spaces will be blank (indicating fact cards), other spaces will be labeled picture (indicating the student is to pick a question from the picture cards), and some spaces will be labeled video (indicating the student is to pick a question from the video cards) – There is one “jump two spaces forward” space showing of video of Charles Duke trying to pick up a hammer he dropped on the moon surface.

All cards have facts, but the picture/video cards relate directly to the picture/video selected.

Also on the screen is a die that when clicked will randomly pick a number between 1 and 6. This die should ideally look and sound like a die. (there is a link for this die - many smart boards have this)

Each side will randomly pick a number between 1 and 6 and the die click will determine which side goes first.

The game begins on earth and progresses into space and back to earth again (ideally to the Pacific Ocean)  

The first question will go to the first student on the side chosen to go first. The student will click the die to indicate the number of moves he/she can make. This review is for every student and each student should have a turn answering questions.

The teacher can decide whether to give students choices (multiple choices for answers), or perhaps can build in help (like each student gets to ask one friend for help during game play).

If the student gets the answer correct, the student moves his/her game piece the number of spaces indicated on the die roll. 

The play automatically goes to the other side. The die is clicked and a roll between 1 and 6 is possible.

If the answer is correct, the play automatically goes to the next group, the die is rolled and play proceeds as already described.

If an incorrect answer is given, the question is automatically given to the player whose turn it is to respond on the other team.  If he/she answers the question correctly the “spaces” are stolen from the other team.  If neither team answers correctly, the teacher answers the question and game play proceeds.

Regardless of a correct or incorrect answer, the team whose turn it would have been before the incorrect answer regains control of the question.  In this way no one team monopolizes play, but it gives some advantage for correct answers.
 
Additional Activities
A. This game involves picture cards which depict an Apollo mission’s journey to the moon and back. The cards are shown lying face down. You must flip the cards and order them correctly, placing them in a sequence that would accurately depict a mission’s journey from the moon and back to earth. Cards that are ordered correctly will stay where placed, incorrect placement will cause the card to return to its face-down position.

B. In the future, historians will look at pictures and artifacts to help decipher how individuals lived in the 20th century. Look at the NASA insignia, Apollo insignia, and the patches from some of Apollo missions, especially Apollo Mission 16 which involved Hall of Fame recipient, and famous South Carolinian, Charles Duke. These potential “future artifacts” can tell later generations about the space race and the Apollo missions.  Pretend you are one of these “future historians” who has been given the task of studying the insignias and patches; use the questions to help interpret possible meanings.

1. Can you determine a specific time period by simply looking at the insignia/patch, if so when?
2. When looking at the insignia/patch where does your eye go first?
3. What do you see that you didn’t expect?
4. What powerful words or ideas are expressed in the insignia/patch?
5. What feelings and thoughts does the insignia/patch trigger in you?
6. What questions does the insignia/patch raise?
7. What was happening during this time period?
8. For what purpose was the insignia/patch created?
9. Did the creator of the insignia/patch get his or her point across?
10. Was this insignia/patch intended for a specific audience, if so who?
11. What biases or stereotypes do you see?
12. Is there anything that connects the insignias/patches, do you see a common thread?
13. Summarize what you learned from the insignia/patch.
14. What specific reasons and evidence do you have to support your conclusions?