Heard the News

Determine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Determining is the main thinking skill in Heard the News as players decide where and when to buy and sell based on potential effects of news on investments and currency.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
To help children develop more thoughtful decision-making, parents can ask them to justify before they make a decision. Ask questions like, "Why do you think the news will support your decision?"

Learning Implications and Educator Support
When first learning to play Heard the News, children may think about consequences of their immediate move or look only at their own funds and investments. As they become more proficient, children will think about other players' portfolio and prior moves to decide what would be strategically optimal on their turn. This game helps children learn to set priorities and to allocate resources across variables. Educators can discuss the different moves players make in order to understand different strategies and the logical thinking the children are utilizing. Ask children to justify their thinking, before they make a decision. Ask questions like, "Why do you think the news will support your decision?"

Compare

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players will compare options for investment based on news presented on the Heard the News cards. Where other players are on the board will influence the investment choices a player makes.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
When children are learning the game, parents may want to encourage children to verbally describe their options prior to comparing and deciding what to sell and buy, or not to invest at all. As the game proceeds, there are numerous comparisons to make and verbalizing is a good way to examine the different consequences of different potential moves.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Heard the News involves fundamental thinking skills necessary for math, money and scientific reasoning. To help encourage mathematical thinking, educators can ask questions like, "How are you building your investments? What would be the benefits of investing in companies or currencies? What strategies are other players using to score points?" This line of questions also helps children think carefully to reduce impulsive thinking.

Predict

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
After the Heard the News card is read, players need to predict the price effect on different companies.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can encourage children to recall the movements of prices based on similar news on prior turns in order to predict more accurately.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Heard the News helps children develop situational analysis, planning and perspective changing skills. Also, being able to hypothesize risk and reward consequences of actions helps children develop strategic thinking. Educators can encourage children to recall the movements of prices based on similar news on prior turns in order to predict more accurately.

Plan

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Heard the News involves slight planning since players mostly react to the news presented on each turn.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can encourage children to recall the movements of prices based on similar news on prior turns in order to predict more accurately.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Heard the News helps children develop situational analysis, planning and perspective changing skills. Also, being able to hypothesize risk and reward consequences of actions helps children develop strategic thinking. Educators can encourage children to recall the movements of prices based on similar news on prior turns in order to predict more accurately.

Solve

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players solve the game and achieve points by adjusting their investment portfolio to new information presented each turn.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
This game involves uses of situational analysis, sequential thinking and risk and reward analysis. Children learn new information constantly during game play. This information directly effects how children strategize an approach for buying and selling equities and currencies, or not investing at all on a turn. The ability to shift strategies based on new information can help children cope with the stresses of change in other areas of their life.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
This game involves uses of situational analysis, sequential thinking and risk and reward analysis. Children learn new information constantly during game play. This information directly effects how children strategize an approach for buying and selling equities and currencies, or not investing at all on a turn. Educators can talk to children about alternative approaches and help them think about choices including whether to change strategy (example, shift from equities to currencies, sell a losing stock or hold a losing stock in anticipation of positive news.). It is important for adults to not create the approaches, but help the children come to their own conclusions. This ability to shift strategies based on new information can help children cope with the stresses of change in other areas of their life.

Review

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Reviewing is not required, but is valuable for children in order to explore and evaluate their thinking and moves.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Ask children to explain their reasoning to help all the players learn which strategies worked and which did not work as well.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Ask children to explain their reasoning to help all the players learn which strategies worked and which did not work as well.

Demonstrate

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Demonstrating is not required, but is valuable for children in order to explore and evaluate their thinking and moves.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Ask children to explain their reasoning to help all the players learn which strategies worked and which did not work as well.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Ask children to explain their reasoning to help all the players learn which strategies worked and which did not work as well.

Cognitive

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Heard the News requires abstract "if-then "reasoning and is not recommended for children with cognitive challenges.

Communication

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Play in partners to encourage discussion about what moves to make on each turn.

Sensorimotor

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
The investment markers and value indicators that must be moved on the board are small. The spaces on the investment areas are small, so placement of the value indicators requires precision of movement. Players may play in pairs to allow one player to move the pieces.

Social Emotional/Behavioral

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Discuss reasons for the effects on the market after each round. This will help children who are impulsive learn to stop and think about each move.

Vision

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
The game board has many locations and requires moving value indicators up and down small spaces in three sections of the board. This may be difficult for children with low vision.

Hearing

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Players can read the cards instead of having them read aloud.

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

Extra Ways to Play the Game
After the last phase of the game, when people see the market impacts, have a discussion about why the impacts may have resulted from the news.

Materials Needed
No additional materials needed.

Developmental Benefits
Discussing how people perceive the effects of various events on investments can help players learn from each other. They learn that not everyone thinks about causes and effects in the same way. The ability to look at a problem from multiple perspectives is an important life skill.