Eagle Chase

Explore

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players will explore the game board to look at the position of their pawn and the Eagle, as well as read the game cards and reference sheet to learn new facts about all 50 states.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Eagle Chase is a great game for learning about geography, history and culture. If children are interested in something specific, like the state of Alaska or a particular fact, introduce them to more information by reading books from the library, watching documentaries, or using the internet to find more information etc.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Eagle Chase is a great game for learning about geography, history and culture. It can be integrated as a classroom activity when the class is learning basic geography and facts about states.
If children are interested in something specific, like the state of Alaska or a particular fact, introduce them to more information by reading books from the library, watching documentaries, or using the internet to find more information etc.

Determine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players have many opportunities to determine actions to take while playing Eagle Chase. The most common opportunities are deciding where to move their and the Eagle pawn, and when and how to play one of the chase cards.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Because there are multiple options on each turn, such as deciding whether to play a chase card or roll the die first and which paths are available for moving their pawn, encourage children to take their time to think through all the options prior to deciding what moves to make. This will help reduce impulsivity and increase their ability to consider the risk-reward of different moves.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Eagle Chase involves significant spatial reasoning, sequencing and strategic thinking.
Encourage children to take their time to think through all the options prior to deciding what moves to make. This will help reduce impulsivity and increase their ability to consider the risk-reward of different moves.
If children have difficultly with mentally imagining where the pawns can go, allow them to move their and the Eagle pawn along different possible pathways as part of evaluating which option is best.

Compare

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players compare locations and number of states between locations as they move around the board. They also look at the location of the Eagle pawn and their different chase cards to try to make moves that result in collecting points. This is one of the key skills developed playing Eagle Chase

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can encourage children to think about different routes. Point out options the child may not have considered, like moving through the same state twice or playing a location card prior to moving their pawn. Also, encourage them to think about the effects of playing different chase cards.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Visual matching is an important skill developed playing Eagle Chase. It underlies word and number recognition, which in turn leads to reading and math fluency. It also supports pattern recognition and using landmarks for spatial orientation.
Educators can encourage children to think about different routes. Point out options the child may not have considered, like moving through the same state twice or playing a location card prior to moving their pawn

Remember

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
While not required, players can share facts about a location based on their experience of living in or visiting a location.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Use the resource sheet to talk about state capitols and identify them and other locations on the resource map.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Use the resource sheet to talk about state capitols and identify them and other locations on the resource map.

Predict

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Eagle Chase involves a little predicting as players consider how others may react to their moves.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Since children cannot see others' chase cards, it is difficult to predict accurately. However, as the game goes on, children may notice how others are trying to collect certain locations which can help them anticipate the next moves of those players. Additionally, if a child plays a chase card that prevents another from scoring points, the child may predict retaliation on future turns.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Since children cannot see others' chase cards, it is difficult to predict accurately. However, as the game goes on, children may notice how others are trying to collect certain locations which can help them anticipate the next moves of those players. Additionally, if a child plays a chase card that prevents another from scoring points, the child may predict retaliation on future turns.

Plan

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Planning is the most used skill in Eagle Chase as players create a sequence of moves using die rolls and chase cards to score points or prevent others from scoring points.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Encourage children to take their time to think through all the options prior to deciding what moves to make. Taking time to look at also supports regulating impulsivity.
Also, encourage children to plan ahead, trying to get closer to places where they have one or more location cards.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Planning is an important skill for developing strategic thinking and reaching a goal. Planning is also essential to developing and executing strategies, as well as managing life's activities from going to school to cleaning up your room.
In Eagle Chase, the planning includes spatial reasoning and sequencing of moves combining a die roll and playing chase cards.
Educators can encourage children to take their time to think through all the options prior to deciding what moves to make. Also suggest that they watch how other players plan their approach and use the various options in the game.

Experiment

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players may try different approaches to scoring points.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
While the goal of the game is to score points by collecting location cards, bonus cards and star tokens, children can try different approaches on each turn.
For example, they may make an aggressive offensive move by landing on multiple states where they have location cards and flying the Eagle pawn to their ending location. However, other players may react by playing chase cards that reverse or otherwise undermine the child's effort to score multiple points on one turn.
Alternatively, they may try to make less aggressive moves in effort to avoid attracting defensive reaction from other players.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
While the goal of the game is to score points by collecting location cards, bonus cards and star tokens, children can try different approaches on each turn.
For example, they may make an aggressive offensive move by landing on multiple states where they have location cards and flying the Eagle pawn to their ending location. However, other players may react by playing chase cards that reverse or otherwise undermine the child's effort to score multiple points on one turn.
Alternatively, they may try to make less aggressive moves in effort to avoid attracting defensive reaction from other players.
Educators can support experimentation by discussing different strategies prior to starting the game and encouraging children to select one. Play the game and discuss. Then, play again trying a different strategy. Discuss again and compare the advantages and disadvantages.

Practice

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
The more children play Eagle Chase, the more they will learn about geography, history and culture. Also, they will increase their mastery of the game's strategies.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
The more children play the more capable they will be in developing and executing increasingly sophisticated strategies. Also, as they become proficient, they will be able to teach others. Teaching others demonstrates mastery, the final stage of learning, and is wonderful for building self-esteem, confidence and intrinsic motivation.
Hopefully, the more they play, the more children will develop curiosity and interest in American history, geography and culture. In particular, curiosity is an essential life skill that leads to a lifetime love of learning.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
The more children play the more capable they will be in developing and executing increasingly sophisticated strategies. Also, as they become proficient, they will be able to teach others. Teaching others demonstrates mastery, the final stage of learning, and is wonderful for building self-esteem, confidence and intrinsic motivation.
Educators can use Eagle Chase to help spark curiosity and interest in history, culture and geography when those subjects are being taught in class.

Solve

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Similar to experimentation, players will need to try different approaches and respond to the moves of others in order to score points and win the game.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Discuss different strategies prior to starting the game and encourage the child to select one. Play the game and discuss. Then, play again with the child trying a different strategy. Discuss again and compare the advantages and disadvantages. Once children understand different strategies, they can shift and adapt strategies within a game.
If parents see that children are selecting paths or location that are not optimal or missing chances to earn multiple points, encourage them to look again closely and pay attention to the actions of other players. To provide additional support, show the child two options to examine and discuss why one would be a preferred choice to the other.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Discuss different strategies prior to starting the game and encourage the child to select one. Play the game and discuss. Then, play again with the child trying a different strategy. Discuss again and compare the advantages and disadvantages. Once children understand different strategies, they can shift and adapt strategies within a game.
Encourage children to remain flexible in their approach to the game. It is difficult to predict what opponents will do. Thus, it is important to adapt based on prior moves. Adapting is key to building resilience and creative problem solving.

Review

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players may review if encouraged. See How Parents Can Assist Learning, or Learning Implications And Educator Support.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
At the end of the game parents can review player's location cards. They can look up more information about those locations, or read all the facts on the location cards. This can help build a child's curiosity about geography, culture and history.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Educators can use review of the game actions to introduce children to concepts of states, cities, parks, national monuments, and capitals. At the end of the game, review players' cards and read all the facts related to each. Also, provide additional materials like books, videos and detailed maps. This can help build a child's curiosity about geography, culture and history.

Demonstrate

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players may demonstrate if encouraged. See How Parents Can Assist Learning, or Learning Implications And Educator Support.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
To build cooperation and collaboration skills, parents can encourage children to assist each other by pointing out alternatives that may not have been considered by other children.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
To build cooperation and collaboration skills, educators can encourage children to assist each other by pointing out alternatives that may not have been considered by other children.

Imagine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Children may use imagination if encouraged. See How Parents Can Assist Learning, or Learning Implications And Educator Support.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
To stimulate their imaginations, ask children to imagine where they would like to travel some day, what it might be like in those states, and what might they do when they get to those destinations. This can be especially effective after reading the location card facts.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
To stimulate their imaginations, ask children to imagine where they would like to travel some day, what it might be like in those cities or countries, and what might they do when they get to those destinations. This can be especially effective after reading the location card facts.

Create

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Children may be creative if encouraged. See How Parents Can Assist Learning, or Learning Implications And Educator Support.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Encourage children to make up a story or a play. For example, one child could pretend to be a travel agent, and the others could come to the travel agent to plan the most unusual vacation. Adults could also encourage children to invent and create (build, draw, etc.) a new means of travel, such as a submarinaloon (a submarine combined with a big balloon).

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Encourage children to make up a story or a play. For example, one child could pretend to be a travel agent, and the others could come to the travel agent to plan the most unusual vacation. Adults could also encourage children to invent and create (build, draw, etc.) a new means of travel, such as a submarinaloon (a submarine combined with a big balloon).

Cognitive

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children with cognitive challenges may have difficulty playing Eagle Chase, as it involves reasoning about multiple abstract aspects at the same time, including the location of their pawn in relation to the Eagle and other players' pawns. Players also need a basic understanding of where various states are located, how the states connect, and how to move from one to another in the most direct way. Children with cognitive delays may also have difficulty understanding and reading the facts, which will influence their motivation to play the game.

Children with cognitive challenges may be paired with another player who can explain the game and help the child move the pawns during the game.

Communication

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children with communication or reading delays or disorders may find Eagle Chase challenging. If they have solid cognitive reasoning, they may be able to use the needed reasoning skills to make good decisions for game play, but may have difficulty reading the facts.

Allow another player to read the fact picked by the child with reading difficulty. This allows the player to use cognitive strengths, while not emphasizing what may be a difficult or embarrassing experience.

Sensorimotor

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
For a child with fine motor control concerns, moving the small pawn between states may be difficult, particularly between the smaller states. If needed, another player may assist in moving the pawn of the player with sensorimotor concerns.

Social Emotional/Behavioral

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Eagle Chase may be challenging for children with a short attention span for reasoning, spatial, and/or fact-based games. Children who need a fast-paced game and immediate reinforcement may not like Eagle Chase. The game requires patience and an ability to think long term to win.

Children may be introduced to the game in phases. In the first phase, the players do not read the facts on the cards, but just claim locations them as earned. This allows the game to move more quickly. In the first phase, the players also only use Chase cards to move their own pawns. Children who are impulsive will think of their own interest first. Once the child understands the moves for their pawns, you can move to a second phase, where the players consider all available options for the Chase cards. In the last phase the players add in the facts. This phase-in approach allows the child to gradually increase attention and build on specific aspects of the game.

Vision

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
It may be difficult to see the lines between the states, particularly for the smaller states. This may make playing Eagle Chase difficult for the player with vision problems.

Playing with a partner may allow the player with a vision problem to play the game. The partners can make decisions together, while the non-impaired player makes the difficult moves and reads the facts.

Hearing

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Hearing impaired players can't hear the facts being read on the location cards. However, they can play by reading the cards and making moves just as other players do.

The hearing impaired player who cannot speak can point to a fact on a card and hand it to another player to read aloud. Other players can also hand their location cards to the player who is deaf or hard-of-hearing to read the facts they are reading aloud to others.

*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Once a player claims a location card, give them the opportunity to name the capital of the state. If the capital is correctly named, the player earns an extra point which is documented on a piece of paper. If the child cannot name the capital, the first player to correctly name the capital is awarded a point. If no player can name the capital, the correct answer is read aloud so future players who land on that location can potentially earn an extra point.

Materials Needed
No additional materials needed.

Developmental Benefits
This extension encourages children to use memory skills to name capitals. They will also be motivated to learn the names of capitals.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Allow players to add location cards to the deck using thick stock paper. Players can pick their favorite state and research facts to add to their new location card. These cards can then be added to the game.

Materials Needed
Card stock paper and pens for writing and drawing. Research materials and/or safe access to internet.

Developmental Benefits
Researching new information teaches skills for where information can be found. If done online, the research may also teach search approaches.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Have students look up one of the various agencies listed in the rescource guide. Have them find interesting facts related to the agency and previous activities, events, or locations addressed in the agency.

Materials Needed
Safe access to internet.

Developmental Benefits
This search will help children understand the extent the government assists in maintaining the benefits of the important historical and natural sites in the US.