Albert's Great Adventure Lesson Plan

Objective

Students will recall facts and general information learned about the prairie to complete a game simulating Albert M. Lea's trip through Iowa in 1835.

Activity Summary

Pairs of students will play a cooperative survivalist simulation game where Albert travels from Fort Des Moines in SE Iowa on June 7, 1835 and returns on August 19, 1835. The map of eastern Iowa and southern Minnesota includes Albert's travel route as a game board. On each play, a pop-up screen reveals a question about the prairie environment. If the students answer the question correctly they move forward. If they answer incorrectly, they don't advance. The object of the game is to move through the route and arrive back at the Fort Des Moines.

Tips For Teachers

• This activity could serve as an assessment tool for the prairie unit. To play the game successfully, students must demonstrate their knowledge of the prairie.
  
• Structure the classroom to allow students to work in pairs when playing the game. This will not only make the game more interesting but will also facilitate peer mentoring.
  
• Introduce the game to students by encouraging them to explore the online resource materials about Who Was Albert M. Lea.
  
• Encourage students to play the game more than one time to reinforce facts and concepts related to the native prairie life.

Play The Game!

You need the Flash 4 or higher plug-in to play the game. If you do not have Flash, you'll be prompted to download the plug-in from Macromedia's site. Click on "Yes" to begin the download and automatic install.Note if you have the Flash 3 plug-in, the game will not work properly.