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Teachers use game for lessons on Canada

Nothing trivial about new game made available to schools

What Canadian singer was born Eilleen Regina Edwards?

What are residents of Moose Jaw called?

If you’re struggling with the answers, you might benefit from playing Canadian Trivia: Family Edition. That’s what a group of students at Oak Bay High will be doing in the near future as they take up an offer to try out the new board game, free of charge.

Tim Bradshaw, the head of the social studies department at Oak Bay High, sees the game as a valuable teaching tool.

“It looks quite interesting,” Bradshaw said. “It’s obviously fun to engage kids in a variety of teaching methods. We’re going to give it a try.”

The Canadian Trivia game is being made available to schools, free, by Outset Media. The Victoria-based company recently announced that any teacher teaching grades 3 to 12 could borrow up to six units at a time for use in the classroom.

“Like many Canadians, I knew more about the United States than about Canada,” said Dave Manga, the game’s creator. He felt that he could make a difference and develop a way to make learning about Canada fun.

“We designed it to allow play by a pretty broad range of ages and skill levels,” said Manga. “There are junior questions for younger players and more advanced questions for older youth and adults.”

Trent Campbell, a Grade 10 social studies teacher at Victoria High school, has already used the game several times in his classes. “It’s a good icebreaker,” he said, adding that playing the game helps to generate further discussions about the questions on the cards.

If you’re still struggling with the initial questions, the answers are: Shania Twain and Moose Javians. Don’t feel bad, we didn’t know either.

Information on the game and the free offer to teachers can be found here or by contacting School House Teaching Supplies, 2014 Douglas St.

 



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