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How to Make a Biology Game About Genetics Using a Monopoly Game Board

Monopoly is a classic board game designed by Elizabeth Magie in the early 1900s. In 1924, it was sold commercially under the name "Landlord's Game." In 1935, Parker Brothers purchased the game, which has gone on to sell 200 million copies and have other board games based off the original design. You can use Monopoly as a studying tool by creating a theme for the different spaces on the board. Include a series of questions that players must answer during the game, and suddenly you can use Monopoly to study biology and genetics.

Things You'll Need

  • Monopoly game
  • Ruler
  • Computer
  • Printer
  • Paper
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • Poster board
  • Glue
  • Genetics flash cards
  • Genetics textbooks and notes
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Instructions

    • 1

      Set up a grid in Microsoft Word where the cells are 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches, which is the same size as the squares on the Monopoly board. Add in four more squares that are 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches for the corner spaces.

    • 2

      Design new overlays for each space on the board. Keep the same color and purchasing price but rename all of the spots on board. Use names, items and events that are important to genetics. Boardwalk could be Mendl's laboratory while Park Place could be Watson and Crick's laboratory. The four railroads and two utilities could be different genes or chromosomes. Turn the Community Chest, Chance and Go spaces into Gene Pool, Random Mutation and Evolution, respectively. Give each of the eight color groups a theme such as important dates, significant people, parts of a cell and double helix, significant genetic disorders, important pieces of equipment and significant locations. It is fine for this game if all of the color groups do not represent physical locations.

    • 3

      Find eight different clip art pictures that are related to genetics and electronically paste them on the same page as your grid to use as player markers. Look for pictures such as a double helix, a bean, a beanstalk, a microscope, a picture of a scientist, and a fruit fly or other bug.

    • 4

      Print out the new board pieces and game markers, cut them apart and tape the board pieces over the original spots on the Monopoly board.

    • 5

      Glue the game markers to small pieces of cardboard or poster board for increased durability.

    • 6

      Examine your set of genetics flash cards and separate them into easy and difficult concepts.

    • 7

      Set the game up for play according to the rules of traditional Monopoly.

    • 8

      Give each player an equal number of easy and difficult genetics flash cards.

    • 9

      Play Monopoly according to the rules with a few exceptions. Any time a player is required to answer a question, a neutral player chooses one of his flash cards from the appropriate pile and asks a question based on that card. A neutral player is one who is not involved in the transaction in question, including the owner of a property that another player has landed on. Players are permitted to reuse their flash cards but all of the questions asked must be different.

    • 10

      Require players to correctly answer a trivia question before purchasing a property. If he answers incorrectly, the property remains unsold. Use easy questions for the first two rows of the board and difficult questions for the last two rows.

    • 11

      Ask the player to answer a question when he lands on another player's property. If he answers correctly, he pays only half the amount of money owed. If not, he pays the entire amount. Ask the player owning the property another question. If he answers correctly, the bank pays him the remaining money. Again, use easy questions for the first half of the board and hard questions for the second half.

    • 12

      Require players to answer a question before performing any major action such as paying off a mortgaged property, passing Evolution, landing on Random Mutation or Gene Pool, purchasing a house or hotel, or leaving jail.


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