Three of my favorite activities of the year all come from the same time period - the Industrial Revolution. I’m referring to the Urbanization Game in Unit 3 and the Assembly Line Simulation and Economic Systems Simulation in Unit 4.
If done correctly, all three simulations should actively engage the whole class. Not only are we having some fun while learning but as experiential lessons, they become valuable reference points throughout the school year. As we venture through other units, I often find myself saying: “Think about the confusion and chaos during the urbanization game” as I gesture to the drawings still hanging on my classroom wall. “Think about the frustration and the treatment of workers during the assembly line simulation” followed by a few smirks and comments about who was the best and worst at their roles assembling clickable pens in our imaginary factory. The impact of capitalism and communism are driving forces through much of the 20th century curriculum we examine. This is why every few weeks I’ll reference the Economic Systems Simulation by telling my students that the goal of this individual, society, or nation was to get everyone an equal amount of Hershey Kisses Over the years, I have found that this simulation really helps break down incredibly complex information to a level where students can understand the basics of these economic concepts and also apply their knowledge through in their classwork.
At 41 minutes a class period, it typically takes me about two periods to complete the Urbanization Game. This includes about a period and a half to actually get through the script and the rest of a period to unpack and reflect on the simulation. I break my students up into groups and give them large sheets of paper so they can work together as I go through the changes during each time period. When we’re done I have them use their drawings and experiences to answer questions like: Based on this activity, what do you think urbanization means? What are three reasons the Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain? Based on this activity, what are two positive effects of urbanization? What are two negative effects? Why do you think industrialization and urbanization will have a major impact on history?
The Assembly Line Simulation is one of the most high energy activities my students partake in all year. For the past few years, I’ve had my students create ball-point retractable pens (You can get a package of 50 of them for under $15 - https://www.staples.com/Staples-Ballpoint-Retractable-Grip-Pens-Medium-1-0mm-Assorted-50pk/product_2345307).The actual assembly line should involve five students to put the different parts together, plus an additional student to do quality assurance by testing each pen out. You’ll also need someone to keep time and track production on the board for the rest of the class to follow. If you’re feeling adventurous, and you want to engage even more students, you can always have competing assembly lines. In addition to screaming at my “workers' to complete the task as quickly as possible, I also like livening things up a bit by playing some music. The Sabre Dance by Aram Khachaturian is my personal recommendation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqg3l3r_DRI We do rounds that last 2 minutes and 15 seconds and check progress (complete, work in progress, and defective products).
While the rest of the class is enjoying watching their peers struggle through the chaos, they are also answering some questions based on their observations. These questions include: What are three things you learned? As a worker, what would your top two concerns be? Based on this activity, what are two positive effects of industrialization? What are two negative effects? How have working conditions changed since the Industrial Revolution? What do you think the future holds for assembly line production?
The Economics Systems Simulation is by far one of my absolute favorite activities to do with students. We learn important concepts, it engages the entire class, and we get to eat some chocolate. After distributing random amounts of Hershey Kisses to my students and going over the basic rules of Rock, Paper, Scissors, I just let my students play the game for about five minutes. After the first round, they are asked to reflect and answer some questions like: Based on the number of candies you had compared to other students, how did you feel? Compared to how you started, did the game end better for you or worse? Was this game fair? Why? How could we have made it fairer? I then allow students to answer and debate their ideas before collecting all the candy and giving exactly two pieces to each student. I tell them that this round is already over, and we won’t be playing Rock, Paper, Scissors at all. We then reflect on both rounds as students answer these questions: Was the second round more or less fair than the first? Why? Who benefited from round two? Who suffered? Why?
I know it sounds trivial, but using Hershey Kisses, as opposed to its alternatives, actually seems to work best for this simulation. I have tried using paper clips, but students don’t really care about acquiring a lot of these. Using Starbursts was a disaster. Students have favorite flavors, and this changes the value and utility they give to the candies. Naturally, I always check to make sure no one in my class has a chocolate allergy before planning.
After both rounds, I finally let students eat their candy. At this time, we compare the simulation to the basic tenets of both capitalism and communism. I’ll ask students to find some advantages and disadvantages to both systems and I’ll finish the lesson with asking students to analyze some quotes from Adam Smith and Karl Marx. We do a deeper dive into content the next day, but the simulation becomes a helpful reference for students for the rest of the school year. All I have to do is bring the day when we got to eat some Hershey Kisses.
I’m curious how other teachers approach these topics and use these simulations in their classrooms. I’m always open to new ideas and willing to share anything else about my own methods and techniques.
- If you do these activities in your class, what do they look like? What modifications do you make?
