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Sinking Island
Resilience Strategies
Climate Change Impacts
Climate Change Causes
Game Duration
Number of Players
Facilitation Difficulty
Space Size

5-15 mins.

6+ players

Large Space

2

  • Learn about possible climate impacts

  • Bonding among participants & energizing activity

  • Large piece of paper or cloth

FACILITATION GUIDELINES

DEBRIEFING QUESTIONS

MATERIALS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  1. Divide students into groups of 4-5 players.

  2. Put a large sheet of paper on the floor (one for each group) and ask all group members to step onto the paper.

  3. Tell the players that the paper symbolizes an island (for example a Greek island) that is affected by rising sea levels.

  4. Explain the goal: The group that manages to keep everyone on the increasingly  small surface/ “island” wins.

  5. Give the groups 30-60 seconds to strategize before each round.

  6. After they strategize, countdown from 10 to 1, if all team members remain safely on the ‘island’ by not stepping off the paper during those 10 seconds, they proceed to the next round.

  7. Ask all remaining players to step off the ‘island’ and fold the paper in half.

  8. Narrative option: "You have left your island and when you get back – guess  what… the sea level has risen."

    1. Lines can be drawn on the paper prior to the start of the game to make the papers identical in size for every group in each round.

  9. Players get back on their islands. Give them 30-60 seconds to strategize again.  Then, countdown from 10 to 1 again and those who are safe proceed to the next round. Reduce the size of the paper in thirds from now on. Repeat steps 8-9 until you have a winning team or teams (if all teams get out in one round, all of those teams win)!

  1. Did you have fun playing this game? If so, what was your favorite part? If not, what did you not like?

  2. Are sea levels rising? Explain your answer.

  3. What did you learn about the effects of sea levels rising that you did not know before?

N/A

ADDITIONAL

Sinking Island

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