Learning Objective
Spin is designed to promote student reflection on the power of words and images by creating and altering meaning in a fictional narrative. This fast-paced, small group story-telling game provides students the experience of “spinning” a story in different directions to convey diverse storylines or viewpoints—much like it occurs in print, broadcast, and digital media today. Visual, verbal, and image-based reading skills are put into play during the game, enabling students to gain a better understanding of how words and images may be manipulated to promote a particular interpretation of an event or to advocate a social, political, or governmental agenda.
Basic Strategy
In SPIN, players take turns crafting a cohesive story using random images and words drawn from a deck of cards. Opponents may foil one another by playing a Spin wildcard that requires the previous player to spin the story in the opposite direction! This game is intended to be fun and fast-paced.
Detailed Teacher Instructions are included in the Spin game materials below.
Express:
Express
- Once the game is completed, have all the students return to their seats in the circle for a debrief.
- This is an opportunity for you to guide the students’ reflection and prepare them for the period of history and the genre of literature you plan to study or have already studied.
- Guiding Questions (Adapt depending on how you approach the texts and music.)
- Where do you get your information? How do you conduct research into things that interest you?
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How do you know what is reliable?
- How do we read or hear tone? How to we interpret information? Is it possible for two people to hear the same story, but analyze it differently? How do we account for such varying perspectives?
- What happens to messaging or information in the news if the diction (word choice) is changed and thus the tone is changed?
Express
- Once the game is completed, have all the students return to their seats in the circle for a debrief.
- This is an opportunity for you to guide the students’ reflection and prepare them for the period of history and the genre of literature you plan to study or have already studied.
- Guiding Questions (Adapt depending on how you approach the texts and music.)
- Where do you get your information? How do you conduct research into things that interest you?
-
How do you know what is reliable?
- How do we read or hear tone? How to we interpret information? Is it possible for two people to hear the same story, but analyze it differently? How do we account for such varying perspectives?
- What happens to messaging or information in the news if the diction (word choice) is changed and thus the tone is changed?
