History Challenge

Monopoly Tribute 

Submission Due Date: March 26, 2021 

Designed for Middle and High School Students

Table of Contents The Challenge Assumptions and Logistics Process Meridian Support Resources Presentation of Learning Evaluation Rubric Essential Questions Student Proficiencies Curricular Correlations:  Common Core – RI1, W2, W3, W4, SL1, SL5, SL6, RH2, RH9 C3 Framework – D1.5, D2.Eco.2, D2.Eco.3, D2.Geo.4, D2.Geo.7, D2.His.4, D3.1, D3.2

Range of Activities Detailed Exploration of the Economic Structure of Select Ancient Civilization Primary and Secondary Source Research Comparison of Ancient and Modern Economic Systems Organization of Content with the Intent to Instruct Creativity Scriptwriting Digital Literacy Skills – Video – Pre-production, Production and Post-production 21st Century Skills: Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Presentational Skills

The Challenge

Monopoly. An amazing game of shrewd economics, strategic thinking, conquering and being conquered (fiscally, that is). This Challenge asks you to re-imagine the facets of Monopoly through the lens of an ancient civilization. For example, in Monopoly, there are four lanes of properties, each with increasingly higher real estate values. What are the four levels of real estate in your civilization? How are values established? What is your currency and its “gold standard”? What replaces the value of the four Railroad cards? What does one have to do wrong to be sent ‘to jail’? What is ‘jail’?

The deliverable is an Instructional Video which needs to clearly communicate two things: the rules of the game – how to play — and knowledge about your chosen ancient culture and its system of economic values. The end result for the user is not entertainment or laughter. The intended result is a crystal-clear understanding of the game, it’s rules and the culture on which it is premised. That doesn’t mean creating a video that is boring or dry. You want to engage your audience – they won’t learn otherwise. The engagement should come from the clear and ordered flow of information, as well as visual demonstrations, that lead us, the end-user, to feel mastery. In short, your team is being asked to play the role of the teacher. Instruct us.

Deliverables include:

• Instructional Video (this is the only Meridian Stories deliverable)
• Comparative Cultures Outline (at teacher’s discretion)
• Shooting Script (at teacher’s discretion)

Assumptions and Logistics

Time Frame – We recommend that this digital storytelling project takes place inside of a three to four-week time frame.

Length – All Meridian Stories submissions should be under 4 minutes in length, unless otherwise specified.

Slate – All digital storytelling projects must begin with a slate that provides:

1. the title of the piece;
2. the name of the school submitting;
3. the wording ‘Permission Granted’ which gives Meridian Stories the right to a) publicly display the submission in question on, as linked from, related to or in support of Meridian Stories digital media; and b) use or reference it for educational purposes only in any and all media; and
4. We strongly recommend that students do not put their last names on the piece either at the start or finish, during the credits.

Submissions – Keep in mind that each school can only submit three submissions per Competition (so while the entire class can participate in the Challenge, only three can be submitted to Meridian Stories for Mentor review and scoring).

Teacher Reviews – All reviews by the teacher are at the discretion of the teacher and all suggested paper deliverables are due only to the teacher. The only deliverable to Meridian Stories is the digital storytelling project.

Teacher’s Role and Technology Integrator – While it is helpful to have a Technology Integrator involved, they are not usually necessary: the students already know how to produce the digital storytelling project. And if they don’t, part of their challenge is to figure it out. They will! The teacher’s primary function in these Challenges is to guide the students as they engage with the content.  You don’t need to know editing, sound design, shooting or storyboarding: you just need to know your content area, while assisting them with time management issues.

Digital Rules/Literacy – We strongly recommend that all students follow the rules of Digital Citizenry in their proper usage and/or citation of images, music and text taken from other sources. This recommendation includes producing a citations page at the end of your entry, if applicable. See the Digital Rules area in the Meridian Digital Storytelling Resources Center section of the site for guidance.

Location – Try not to shoot in a classroom at your school. The classroom, no matter how you dress it up, looks like a classroom and can negatively impact the digital story you are trying to tell.

Collaboration – We strongly recommend that students work in teams of 3-4: part of the educational value is around building collaborative skill sets. But students may work individually.

COVID-19 does not mean that students can’t collaborate. This unusual societal circumstance allows students to, paradoxically, focus on their collaborative skills even more through a clear delegation of responsibilities; and tight communication in order to insure that everyone is clear on the scripting and blocking of individual scenes that need to tell a cohesive story, even though the scenes may be shot in isolation. Digital storytelling projects in general move the essential communication about content and learning away from the educator and toward the students themselves. That is part of their educational strength. But in COVID-19, this quality is expanded. With the teacher more ‘unavailable’ than normal, the students must rely on their collaborative skills more than ever. It’s like playing a team sport with less input from the coach. They have to rise the occasion …and they will.

Process

• Below is a suggested breakdown for the students’ work.

During Phase I, student teams will:

• Select your ancient civilization. For this Challenge, an ancient civilization is being defined as one that thrived pre- 17^th century – Mayan, Assyrian, Roman, Mauryan – the list goes on.
• Study the key economic factors that made that civilization succeed. Consider looking at:
  • Currency
  • Real Estate
  • Tribute Systems, if applicable*
  • Food and crops
  • Social Hierarchy
  • Transportation Systems
  • Law Enforcement
  • Taxation and Collection Systems

All of these systems, plus others, relate to the functioning economy of your civilization.

• Research should include culling information from primary (if available) and secondary sources.

• De-construct Monopoly. Take a close look at the dominant elements of the game. This includes the currency, the values and titles of the various spaces on the Board (from Water Works to Luxury Tax), and the role of Chance and Community Chest. Discuss and identify a) the ‘economic system’ in place that makes Monopoly such a compelling game; and b) the story behind Monopoly – real estate conquest – that makes playing Monopoly so riveting and intense.
• Once you have identified the key elements that make-up the universe of Monopoly, begin to replace those elements with elements from your chosen culture.
  • Teacher’s Option: Comparative Cultures Outline – Teachers may require that their teams hand in a fully annotated outline that loosely matches the elements of their ancient civilization to the game elements in Monopoly, for feedback and review.
• The task here is to re-present the culture that you have selected, inside of a Monopoly construct. This will involve a healthy mix of historical research and informed, imaginative projections and decisions.

  For example, in the Aztec society, there were four classes of people: nobles, commoners, serfs and slaves. Would you set up your four avenues of Monopoly around these four classes? Aztec society also allowed for a certain movement within this hierarchical structure. How might that be reflected in your new Monopoly game?

  Meridian Stories recognizes that no ancient civilization will map perfectly onto the Monopoly playing board. There will be contradictions: Monopoly rules and assumptions won’t always accurately reflect the structure of your chosen culture and vice versa. So your team has permission to bend the rules…of either the game itself or of the culture (but if the latter, make it clear that the game decision is not an accurate reflection of that culture).

  Where your team cannot ascertain information about a certain economic element of your chosen culture, you may need to project or anticipate what you think that culture might have: informed guessing. Or, if there are critical economic or societal elements in your culture that don’t have a place in the Monopoly framework, consider revising that framework.

  The end result is a re-imagining of Monopoly as an economic skeleton of your chosen civilization.

*Tribute Systems – Some civilizations had expansive Tribute Systems. Tribute Systems are those in which those who were conquered paid the conquerors taxes in the forms of labor and valued goods. A new game design can be based entirely on this particular micro-economic system.

During Phase II, student teams will:

• Once you have completed your re-design conceptually, begin to render it artistically. In short, create a mock-up of the game. This can be done using an online graphics package or using art supplies on cardboard – or an existing Monopoly Board. There are no rules here: mock-up the game in any fashion that your team likes.
• As your team is re-designing the actual board game, play your new game – or imagine playing the game. With each gameplay, your team will be able to refine and revise your instructions.
• Draft a script of the instructions.
  • Looking at the organizational structure in Monopoly’s current set of instructions may be helpful. Looking at other board games’ instructions may be helpful as well. They all generally follow a plan that begins with a game’s objective.
• Create a storyboard to accompany the draft script. The purpose of the storyboard is to match the visual shots to the scripted instructions. This will prepare you to shoot your Instructional Video.
  • The Instructional Video is an odd and challenging genre of storytelling. It is often slow and methodical, designed to teach, on a step-by-step basis. If the thing to be taught is knot tying, some video makers incorporate slow-motion. If the thing to be taught is mathematics, some video makers simply film a teacher teaching or use basic animation to illustrate the concept (think BrainPOP). If the thing to be taught is Yoga, then clear demonstrations are in order. There are numerous tools and models at your disposal for creating your Instructional Video.
  • To get some good ideas, we recommend looking at some online Instructional Videos about topics of your own choosing to get a sense of the tools that those video creators have used to explain their products.
• Finalize the script.
  • Don’t forget to give your game a new title.
  • Pre-produce the scene:
• Prepare your locations for shooting – pay specific attention to lighting;
• Complete the game board and other props and set pieces, as needed;
• Plan the logistics of the shoot; and
• Rehearse the scene.

During Phase III, student teams will:

• Finalize the Script.
  • Teacher’s Option: Shooting Script – Teachers may require that teams hand in their Shooting Script for review and feedback.
• Finalize the visual support.
• Shoot the visual items.
• Record the script. (The visual shooting and voice recording can be done all at once or separately.)
• Edit together the visuals with the sound recording, adding music and sound effects as desired.

 Meridian Support – The Digital Storytelling Resource Center

Meridian Stories provides two forms of support for the student teams. 1.    Media Innovators and Artists – This is a series of three to four-minute videos featuring artists and innovative professionals who offer important advice, specifically for Meridian Stories, in the areas of creativity and production. 2.    Meridian Tips – These are short documents that offer student teams key tips in the areas of creativity and production. Recommended review, as a team, for this Challenge include:
Media Innovators and Artists	Meridian Tips
Liza Bakewell on Memoir and Non-Fiction Writing Chris Watkinson on Sound Design Tom Pierce on Editing Michael Kolster on Photography	Rendering and Animation Programs Sound Recording Basics Producing: Time Management Creating Storyboards/Framing a Shot

Presentation of Learning

Meridian Stories is a proud partner of the non-profit Share Your Learning, which is spearheading the movement of over five million students to publicly share their work as a meaningful part of their educational experience.

The workforce considers Presentational Skills to be a key asset and we encourage you to allow students to practice this skill set as often as possible. These digital storytelling projects provide a great opportunity for kids to practice their public presentational skills.  This can be achieved in a remote learning environment by inviting parents to a Zoom/Google/Skype screening of the student’s digital stories.

According to Share Your Learning, Presentations of Learning (POL) promote…

• Student Ownership, Responsibility & Engagement. POLs can serve as a powerful rite of passage at the end of [a project]. By reflecting on their growth over time in relation to academic and character goals, grounded in evidence from their work, students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning. Just as an artist wants their portfolio to represent their best work, POLs encourage students to care deeply about the work they will share.
• Community Pride & Involvement. When peers, teachers and community members come together to engage with student work and provide authentic feedback, they become invested in students’ growth and serve as active contributors to the school community.
• Equity. POLs ensure that all students are seen and provide insight into what learning experiences students find most meaningful and relevant to their lives.

Meridian Stories’ own research indicates this to be a really useful exercise for one additional reason:  Students actually learn from their peers’ presentations – it is useful to hear a perspective that is not just the teacher’s.

It is with this in mind that we you encourage you to plan an event – it could be just an end-of-the-week class or an event where parents, teachers and student peers are invited – to allow the students to showcase their Meridian Stories’ digital storytelling projects. For more free resources that will support this planning, visit Share Your Learning. 

Evaluation Rubric – Monopoly Tribute

CONTENT COMMAND
Criteria	1-10
Historical Understanding	The video demonstrates a thorough understanding of the chosen ancient culture
Historical Details	The historical details that serve the new game are thoughtful and insightful
Comparative Economics	The transposition of ancient economics onto a modern economic framework (Monopoly) is enlightening
STORYTELLING COMMAND
Criteria	1-10
Game Narrative – The ‘Story’ of the Game	The narrative of the new game design is compelling
Instructional Clarity	The instructions for playing – the script – are clear and logical
Instructional Engagement	The way the instructions are presented – word choice, visuals, pacing, tone, perspective, etc. – is creative and engaging
MEDIA COMMAND
Criteria	1-10
Visual Shot Selection	The visual shots effectively communicate the content
Editing	The instructional video is edited cleanly and effectively, resulting in an engaging video experience
Sound and Music	The selective use of sound effects and music enhances the dramatic appeal of the story and helps engage/entertain viewers
21st CENTURY SKILLS COMMAND (teachers only)
Criteria	1-10
Collaborative Thinking	The group demonstrated flexibility in making compromises and valued the contributions of each group member
Creativity and Innovation	The group brainstormed many inventive ideas and was able to evaluate, refine and implement them effectively
Initiative and Self-Direction	The group set attainable goals, worked independently and managed their time effectively, demonstrating a disciplined commitment to the project

Essential Questions

1. What is the basic economic framework for the ancient culture that your team has chosen?
2. In your chosen ancient culture, what specific elements are valued highly and how do those elements factor in the economy and political/social structure of that culture?
3. In transposing your knowledge of that culture to a Monopoly framework – a mash up of ancient and modern economic systems – how has your understanding of that culture changed?
4. How is information gathered from primary sources different from information gathered from secondary sources?
5. How does one organize new content in a way so that it can be taught to others — so that it can instruct?
6. How has immersion in the creation of original content and the production of digital media – exercising one’s creativity, critical thinking and digital literacy skills – deepened the overall educational experience?
7. How has working on a team – practicing one’s collaborative skills – changed the learning experience?

Student Proficiencies

1. The student will have an understanding of the overall economic design of their select ancient culture.
2. The student will have a substantive understanding of specific elements of the select culture’s economy that contribute to the shape of the political and social system.
3. The student, through a process of compare and contrast, will have a greater awareness of some of the differences and similarities between ancient and modern-day economic/political systems.
4. The student will understand how combining primary and secondary sources can help one to reach a more complex and nuanced understanding of a historical culture.
5. The student will have a visceral understanding of how to organize content clearly and efficiently by experiencing the rigor of having to communicate their content with the intent to instruct others.
6. The student will utilize key 21^st century skills, with a focus on creativity, critical thinking and digital literacy, in their process of translating historical content into a new narrative format.
7. The student will have an increased awareness of the challenges and rewards of team collaboration. Collaboration – the ability to work with others – is considered one of the most important 21^st century skills to develop in students as they prepare for life after secondary school.

Curricular Correlations

The Monopoly Tribute Challenge addresses a range of curricular objectives that have been articulated by two nationally recognized sources:

1. The Common Core Curricular Standards – English Language Arts & History/Social Studies; and
2. The C3 Framework for Social Studies, as outlined by National Council of Social Studies (NCSS).

Below please find the standards that are being addressed, either wholly or in part.

Common Core Curricular Standards

English Language Arts Standards – History/Social Studies

The Standard	8th	9th/10th	11th/12th
RI1   READING INFORMATIONAL TEXT   Key Ideas and Details	Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.	Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.	Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
W2   WRITING   Text Types and Purposes	Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.	Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.	Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
W3   WRITING   Text Types and Purposes	Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.	Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.	Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
W4   WRITING   Production and Distribution of Writing	Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.	Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.	Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
SL1   SPEAKING AND LISTENING   Comprehension and Collaboration	Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher- led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.	Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.	Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one- on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
SL5   SPEAKING AND LISTENING   Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas	Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.	Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.	Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
SL6   SPEAKING AND LISTENING   Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas	Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.	Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.	Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
RH2   HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES   Key Ideas and Details	Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.	Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.	Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
RH9   HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES   Integration of Knowledge and Ideas	Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.	Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.	Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.

C3 Framework for Social Studies

6th – 8th Grade	9th – 12th Grade
D1.5.6-8. Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions, taking into consideration multiple points of views represented in the sources.	D1.5.9-12. Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions, taking into consideration multiple points of view represented in the sources, the types of sources available, and the potential uses of the sources.
D2.Eco.2.6-8. Evaluate alternative approaches or solutions to current economic issues in terms of benefits and costs for different groups and society as a whole.	D2.Eco.2.9-12. Use margin- al benefits and marginal costs to construct an argument for or against an approach or solution to an economic issue
D2.Eco.3.6-8. Explain the roles of buyers and sellers in product, labor, and financial markets.	D2.Eco.3.9-12. Analyze the ways in which incentives influence what is produced and distributed in a market system.
D2.Geo.4.6-8. Explain how cultural patterns and economic decisions influence environments and the daily lives of people in both nearby and distant places.	D2.Geo.4.9-12. Analyze relationships and interactions within and between human and physical systems to explain reciprocal influences that occur among them.
D2.Geo.7.6-8. Explain how changes in transportation and communication technology influence the spatial connections among human settlements and affect the diffusion of ideas and cultural practices.	D2.Geo.7.9-12. Analyze the reciprocal nature of how historical events and the spatial diffusion of ideas, technologies, and cultural practices have influenced migration patterns and the distribution of human population.
D2.His.4.6-8. Analyze multiple factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.	D2.His.4.9-12. Analyze complex and interacting factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.
D3.1.6-8. Gather relevant information from multiple sources while using the origin, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources to guide the selection.	D3.1.9-12. Gather relevant information from multiple sources representing a wide range of views while using the origin, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources to guide the selection.
D3.2.6-8. Evaluate the credibility of a source by determining its relevance and intended use.	D3.2.9-12. Evaluate the credibility of a source by examining how experts value the source.