Science Matters: Role-Playing Games for Students
Science History Institute/Conrad Erb
Our Science Matters role-playing games are designed to enhance the classroom experience for high school chemistry students and teachers. The games can also be implemented in social studies classes, in college settings, and in crossdisciplinary projects or clubs.
Students debate the positive and negative viewpoints of these important environmental issues by adopting the roles of characters representing positions on all sides, from activists and manufacturers to regulators and consumers.
The games teach students to understand multiple perspectives and to recognize the complex issues facing today’s policy makers, while also emphasizing the role of history in the formation of policy. By understanding the history of the issues, the changes brought about by these industries, and the historical context for the characters’ positions, students are better able to engage in a contemporary debate while gaining real-world skills.
Sponsors and Credits
Science Matters: The Case of Plastics has been supported by Heritage Philadelphia, a program of the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage.
Science Matters: The Case of Rare Earth Elements was made possible by a generous grant from Roy Eddleman, founder of Spectrum LifeSciences and namesake of the Roy Eddleman Institute for Interpretation and Education at the Science History Institute.
Support for Science Matters has also been provided by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences.