Overview
This classic board game has been reinvented into a classroom-sized activity, including many New Brunswick tourist attractions! Learners will work together to plan a budget and make critical financial decisions.
NB Curricular Outcomes
Mathematics
- Strand: Number – Big Idea: Operations
Social Studies
- Strand – Geography – Big Idea: Places and Regions
What You’ll Need
- PowerPoint Presentation (see attached PPT)
- Team Color Blocks Sheet (included in PDF)
- 16 chairs
- How to Play sheet (included in PDF)
- Printable Shopping Spree Game Sheet (included in PDF)
- Pencils
- 2 dice per pair of students (Race to 0 game)
- 2 giant dice or online dice for whole class game play
- Monopoly cash (included in PDF)
- Property cards (included in PDF)
Instructions
1. DISCUSSION: Using the PowerPoint Presentation, begin with a discussion about allowance and spending: What is an allowance? Do you get one? How else might you earn money? (odd jobs, birthdays, etc.) When you want to purchase something, if you don’t have enough money for it yet, do you save up money until you do enough or do you just buy something else that is cheaper? (Take a class vote!) Talk about the concepts of loaning (borrowing money and then paying it back/returning it OR like library books), bargaining (discussing the cost of something and within reason, the price may increase or decrease) and bartering/trading (exchanging goods or services that have the same value to each party involved). Have learners come up with examples of each method.
2. SHOPPING SPREE GAME: Using the template included, learners can take turns subtracting their “purchases” (the sum of dice) from 100 until one player reaches 0. Learners can also say what they purchased for fun! For a challenge, learners can multiply the dice and subtract the product. The first to 0 exactly wins. For early finishers, simply turn over the sheet and repeat. (For additional support for learners, play on a Hundreds Chart with counters.)
3. GAME PREP TIME: Prep the room – have 16 chairs put in a square and set the property cards onto each chair following the location sheet (included). Allow enough space for learners to move from one location chair to the other. Divide learners into 4 or 5 equal groups (about 4 – 6 learners per group). Go over the rules of the game (Refer to the PowerPoint & How to Play below)
4. PLANNING: Allow team members to talk and walk around the life-sized game board to come up with a plan. What do we want to buy first? How much money should we set aside? Should we make investments or buy more properties?
5. GAME TIME: Set a time limit (15-20 minutes) for the class to play the game. Use 2 large foam dice or online dice on the Smart Board to move spaces. The space marker will be one member of the team – standing or sitting beside the spaces as rolled.
6. WRAP-UP: Allow time for each team to count how many properties they have and how much money they have left. Each team can then present their strategy/plan (from number 4) and discuss if it worked. Discuss: What would you do differently next time? Looking at the final slide of the PowerPoint Presentation, discuss the possibilities of New Brunswick careers in relation to property investment and management.
Extension Ideas
- Have your learners discuss and share about the properties that they purchased – Have they visited one of them? Where is it on a New Brunswick map? Were there other New Brunswick places that should have been included?
- Add more New Brunswick Properties and play in your gymnasium for more space and an even larger game board!
- Create your own class version of the game with different “themed” properties (video games, LOL dolls, favorite songs, hockey teams, etc.)
Reflection Activity
Please see the attached PDF for several choices on how you and your learners can reflect upon today’s activity.
