Let's Play This War of Mine! Learn About the Impact of War on People
In this 5-week class students will play through This War of Mine and discuss the difficult things war brings to people.
Matthew Grace, M.Ed
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(325)
What's included
6 live meetings
5 in-class hoursClass Experience
I have enjoyed games my whole life and I have found that some of them have affected me just as much as books and documentaries. This series of classes will feature these games. The first in the series is "The War of Mine" The award-winning video game "This War of Mine" takes players through a war in the modern world but rather than as a soldier you are a civilian trying to survive in the midst of the chaos. There are touching stories of mercy and some sad displays of human anger to experience and learn from. This will help students who enjoy war games to have a balanced view of the other side of things. With characters and setting in a modern city this can really bring home why war is not a pretty thing. This is not an anti-war or pro-war class but a class for students to understand what happens to people in war and why it isn't something to take lightly. This class will include 1 intro class, 1 class focusing on the general game, 3 classes focused on the 3 main stories from the "Story" side of the game(Father's Promise, The Last Broadcast, Fading Embers), then a final concluding class where students present their projects. VERY important to know (the first class will have a longer than normal get to know you time because with any discussion class we really need to get acquainted or else the discussions will not be very good.) Overall Structure: Class 1 - (50 minutes) 5 minutes - Introduce the game and what this class is about. 5 minutes - Verify that everyone has a device that this game works with. 30 minutes - Introduce each other and games we like to play. 10 minutes - Assign homework (to play the game and after each 3 in-game days reflect using the provided worksheets or a journal) Class 2- (50 minutes) (General game discussion) 5 minutes - Greetings 30 minutes - Reflect on what was learned by asking questions and discussing. 5 minutes - Summarize what has been said 10 minutes - Write a short essay (a paragraph or two) reflecting on what you learned. Students don't need to read this but will submit it to me at least. 5 minutes - Assign Homework (reflection same as before) Class 3- (50 minutes) (Father's Promise Story Discussion) 5 minutes - Greetings 30 minutes - Reflect on what was learned by asking questions and discussing. 5 minutes - Summarize what has been said 10 minutes - Write a short essay (a paragraph or two) reflecting on what you learned. Students don't need to read this but will submit it to me at least. 5 minutes - Assign Homework (reflection same as before) Class 4- (50 minutes) (The Last Broadcast Story Discussion) 5 minutes - Greetings 30 minutes - Reflect on what was learned by asking questions and discussing. 5 minutes - Summarize what has been said 10 minutes - Write a short essay (a paragraph or two) reflecting on what you learned. Students don't need to read this but will submit it to me at least. 5 minutes - Assign Homework (reflection same as before) Class 5 - (50 minutes) (Fading Embers Story Discussion) 5 minutes - Greetings 30 minutes - Reflect on what was learned by asking questions and discussing. 5 minutes - Summarize what has been said 10 minutes - Write a short essay (a paragraph or two) reflecting on what you learned. Students don't need to read this but will submit it to me at least. 5 minutes - Assign Homework (students will prepare a 3-5 minute presentation on what they have learned and how this has affected them) Class 6 - (50 minutes) Review and final project 5 minutes - Greetings 15 minutes - Presentations 25 minutes - Final discussion on all that was learned 5 minutes - Talk about future classes
Learning Goals
Students will learn about and gain some experience with the difficulties faced by those in war-torn countries.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
This game has violence (not gory violence but definitely violence) as well as profanity and people broken to the point of thinking about suicide. I am not personally one that uses profanity but this game is trying to reflect a serious and terrible situation and so I think it's reasonable.
Please go here for thorough information before making a decision on this game.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/this-war-of-mine
Supply List
1. A notebook or journal to reflect with 2. Have a copy of the game to play including the "stories" Season pass 2. A device to play the game on: a. Computer with Windows, iOS or Linux OR b. Android or iPhone OR c. Xbox One, Playstation 4, or Switch Computer requirements MINIMUM: OS: Windows 7/8/10 Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo 2.4, AMD Athlon(TM) X2 2.8 Ghz Memory: 2 GB RAM Graphics: Geforce 9600 GS, Radeon HD4000, Shader Model 3.0, 512 MB DirectX: Version 9.0c Sound Card: DirectX compatible RECOMMENDED: OS: Windows 7/8/10 Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad 2.7 Ghz, AMD Phenom(TM)II X4 3 Ghz Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: GeForce GTX 260, Radeon HD 5770, 1024 MB, Shader Model 3.0 DirectX: Version 9.0c Sound Card: DirectX compatible
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined July, 2019
4.9
325reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in Education from MidAmerica Nazarene University
Bachelor's Degree from Auburn University - Economics
I have a M Ed. and have been teaching and tutoring students since 2005 and have been seeking out ways to engage them for the same amount of time. Games are not often educational enough to really educate but I have found some that are and I like to use them, this is one of those.Reviews
Live Group Class
$70
for 6 classes1x per week, 6 weeks
50 min
Completed by 5 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 14-18
3-5 learners per class
