In the Classroom
Chemistry Taboo: An Active Learning Game for the General Chemistry Classroom Ken Capps Department of Science, Central Florida Community College, Ocala, FL 34474;
[email protected] Using games in the chemistry classroom can provide engaging and alternative methods of instruction. Games are excellent methods of active learning and have been used in various chemistry courses to enliven lectures and recitations; they are excellent for review, practice, and just fun (1–6). Games have been developed to review and reinforce several chemistry topics, including: Lewis structures and VSEPR theory (7); nomenclature and properties of chemical species (8–9); organic chemistry (10); reaction rate theory (11); nuclear synthesis (12); peptide sequencing (13); and laboratory safety (14). Traditional board games and card games have been modified and applied to chemical education, such as Jeopardy (15), Bingo (7), Sorry (16), and Go Fish (8). In this instance, the game Taboo (17) has been used as a model for a general chemistry collaborative activity. Taboo is a word guessing game commonly used at parties. This game could be integrated at any point in the curriculum, and is an effective and entertaining way to teach and reinforce central chemistry concepts and review for exams. In Chemistry Taboo, students are divided into teams of four. Players take turns in the role of the “giver”, who attempts to prompt his or her teammates to guess as many keywords as possible in the allotted time. The card contains the keyword and 3–4 “taboo” (forbidden) words listed that may not be spoken. For example, if the person who is the giver is trying to describe the keyword “metals” to his or her team, the “taboo” or forbidden words that they are not allowed to use are “malleable”, “ductile”, and “conductor”. To save time for the instructor, you may want to have each student prepare a couple of cards the day prior to the activity. Directions for playing Chemistry Taboo are provided below; example cards are available in the online supplement. Instructor Directions for Playing Chemistry Taboo Form the Teams Ideally, teams are composed of four students each with two teams competing against each other. Instruct Students To Alternate Roles In particular, students should take turns as the giver, the player who attempts to prompt his or her teammates to guess as many keywords as possible in the allocated time (two minutes is the recommended time). Explain the Taboo Premise Each card contains the keyword and 3–4 “taboo” or forbidden words listed that cannot be spoken while the giver tries to describe the keyword. Assign a Censor Ask a student from the other team to play the role of “censor” by sitting next to the giver of the opposing team and notifying the group if any of the restricted words are used. 518
Adapt the Rules for Your Educational Aims Decide whether it makes sense in your context for students to have the option of using gestures or drawings in addition to speech to describe the keyword. (In the traditional Taboo game, the giver may only use speech to prompt her teammates, while gestures or drawings are not allowed.) This can be modified to suit the class and subject. For example, if one of the keywords is “synthesis reactions”, students could be permitted to write an example of a synthesis or addition reaction on the chalk board. Engage Students with the Content Encourage students to continue guessing as many new keywords as possible in the allotted time. Once the team correctly guesses a keyword, the giver draws a card again with another new keyword, trying to successfully describe the keywords without using the taboo words listed on the card. Determine Scores The playing team receives one point for each correct guess, one penalty point if “taboo” words are spoken, and one penalty point if the giver passes on more than one card. The team with the most points at the end of a predetermined set of rounds wins! Literature Cited 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.
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Supporting JCE Online Material
http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2008/Apr/abs518.html Abstract and keywords Full text (PDF) Links to cited URLs and JCE articles Supplement Keyword cards with forbidden words for Chemistry Taboo
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 85 No. 4 April 2008 • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • © Division of Chemical Education
