Real Life Video Games – Activity #2: A Student’s Marketplace

STUDENT MARKETPLACE: A REAL-LIFE VIDEO GAME SIMULATION

Time for another Real-Life Video Game activity, for face-to-face or virtual classroom, provided by Historical Conquest and their digital curriculum, www.HuntThePast.com. Now that testing is coming to an end, it is time to have some extra fun with your students! This is mainly for use in Elementary and Middle School, this time, but may also be modified for High Schoolers (we provide this modification in our full curriculum access). This game includes a cross curriculum of different subjects, such as English, Math, Social Studies, Business, and Diversity Studies. I know you will enjoy this one.

Day #1 – Dream Stage: A product is something of substance that is manufactured, assembled, or refined for sale. In this activity, the student will be able to run their own business and see how people respond to it. First, have the student consider what they like to do, or make. Are you into video games, or beauty supplies? Encourage them to think about what they like to do and want to do. This is important in life,  to think about what you want and like to do, so you can enjoy it for a long time.

Assignment #1a: Write in your journal what you like to do. What are your hobbies, what are your desires as you get older? What great idea would you like to make? There are no limits – imagine all the possibilities! If you’d like, draw a picture to go along with it. (3-4 lines)

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Assignment #1b: Write in your journal what you think others would like to buy – something that you can make. What items do you think would your classmates buy, if they had the money to spend? (3-4 lines)

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Now, let’s design your product(s). Think of something you can create in your classroom. This can be a product, decoration, or anything that is simple enough to recreate, and does not take too long to produce many units. You will then present it to other students in your classroom, and see if they would be interested in buying them. When considering what to make, think about what your other classmates would purchase, and for how much. Keep the price under $10. They will be given fake money to spend, and you will see how well they like it. After the results come out, you will then present them to another classroom and see if they would buy this craft/project. This project can be done through virtual or face-to-face interaction (more on this later on).

Here are just a few ideas:

Assignment #2: Draw a design and write the steps it would take to make this item, so that if you couldn’t do it, someone could follow your steps and make their own. Make sure to include a list of the items you would need to buy to make it (one full page of drawing or writing).

Take your time to consider each of these options, or find another craft that you can make that your classmates would be interested in buying.

Day #2 – Idea Development (Prototyping, Phase I): At the beginning of class, all students should return their journals, reporting back what they want to make, to sell to other students. Find two people with similar crafts and team them for this project. If there are two whose projects are not similar, see if you can team them up and they can choose one of their two ideas to produce.

Assignment #3: In your journal, write a one-page summary of who this person was; why they were so well known (or what they are known for); and what they were able to accomplish.

While you are helping other students, tell the kids to consider different alterations they can make to their designs, to make them more attractive to their buyers. For instance, with a hair clip, you don’t want to sell just one, but list a few options in your journal. Maybe add a picture to spark your creative side and discover all new hair clips. How about puffball monsters? How can you make alterations that would sell? Maybe design them to look like Disney characters or Minions – yellow with one eye – which will bring more interest from classmates who like those shows.

Assignment #4a: What would the buyers (classmates) pay to obtain these items you designed? When we get to this point, each student will receive a sheet of paper of fake money. They will need to cut each dollar out and use them to buy one or more items from their classmates. They may only charge $1 to $9 for each of their items.  Students will need to write out how much they will charge each student, and why they think their items are worth that much.

Assignment #4b: Now that your students know what they will be creating, they need to figure out how to obtain these materials to make them. Have them make a list of materials.

After these shopping lists are completed, have your students sit down while you present Amazon.com or Walmart.com through the projector, and search out a few of their items. You should only need a few of each item for this prototype stage. Also, recommend students make a few variations of their product in case one would be more acceptable to the buyers than the original.

Assignment #5: Since you do not want your students spending their own money, and you may not want to spend your money to buy these materials, it is time for the students to ask an investor. They should start by thinking of their parents, then a family friend; if they are unable to find one on their own, try someone that you know that may want to help. To obtain these materials or this money, the students need to write a personalized letter to someone, asking them for the materials they need, or the money to make the purchase. There are three options that you can suggest, to include in their letter explaining this program to the investors. 

1. Providing the materials needed by ordering them online and having them shipped to your school c/o your name;
2. Have them purchase part of the order and send them with their student; or
3. Provide the funding for you to purchase the materials.

However you decide to do it, this normally takes a good amount of time, depending on the materials. Hand delivering it would be the best option. If this is requested on a Wednesday or Thursday, the hope is that the materials will be there by Monday, which will give you time to complete the other assignments before crafting the product.

Day #3 – Prototyping Stage (Speech and Art Class Cross Curricula): In the first half of the class period, have the teams present their study on people from history. Allow them each 1-2 minutes to discuss this person. Allow them to use their laptop or tablet to present the person’s image to the class. At the end of the presentation, start a discussion about each of these people and how they made a difference in their own life, and the lives of others. 

Assignment #6: In the second half of the class period, see if they can build a working prototype of their product. Even though your students do not have the materials to make multiple products, the hope is that you could gather the materials that would allow them to create their first working prototype, or even a few alterations. 

Walk around the class and see how you can help them. Tell them that the next time you meet, they will be presenting the items to their classmates, who will have the chance to buy them.

Day #4 – Scientific Method (Science): Now that your students are excited to start building their little creations, it is time to teach your students a little science, through the Scientific Method (SM) of discovery. Here are the steps you could write up on the board, which they should add to their journal as they are writing.

 1. Ask Questions – List 5 questions about your product and the potential customers it will attract.

1. Question 1: ______________________________________________________________
2. Question 2: ______________________________________________________________
3. Question 3: ______________________________________________________________
4. Question 4: ______________________________________________________________
5. Question 5: ______________________________________________________________

2. Research – Are there products sold today like yours that are successful, or are competitors? (What competitors do you have and how were they successful? What makes them different? Find one competitor and write a one-page journal entry on what it is and how they are different.

3. Hypothesis – Think of what you believe to be true about your product and future sales.

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You are here in the process. Tomorrow you will experience the “Experiment” phase, and then future steps.

4. Experiment – In-class marketplace to experiment the interest other students may have.

5. Analyze Data – Was your hypothesis correct, or were you off in some way? What happened?

6. Accepted – If your hypothesis was correct, keep it, and move forward with sales.

7. Rejected – If your hypothesis was incorrect, make alterations, and try again!

Teams will create a unified Hypothesis they agree on, but each student should keep this in their journal.

Day #5 – Research and Development (Speech and Financial Education Cross Curricula): Today is the first day of the marketplace. You want your students to test their idea with other classmates, and see if they are interested and will buy. The first half of the class will finish their projects and prepare to present them to those in their class. The idea is, that each team will have 3-5 minutes to present and talk about their product, and how it will change the buyer’s life.

Before the presentations, pass out a worksheet that lists the items that are for sale, including their prices. Each student is told that they have $10 to spend on these items. They must spend it all. They will receive each of the items in return, when the class builds the products. If they have money left over, it is lost. This will spur a student to use up all their money and receive, in return, the items they want the most, giving a realistic perspective of what may sell. Students may not buy their own product. While the teams are presenting, have the students fill out a line of insight (suggestions and helpful critiques) about the product each team is presenting, as seen below. The critiques will give feedback to the students and the items purchased will allow the students to know how successful they were in pricing the item,  and what can be changed before selling it to another class within the school.

1. Corner Mark Monsters – How many units do you want to buy: ________________________

     Comments on the Products: ____________________________________________________

This insight for each of the projects will provide the team with more understanding of their SM experiment. Students may then take this information and analyze whether their product is ready for the marketplace. Each student will be able to meet as a team to discuss this, but should fill out their own journal with any insight they may have. 

This is a great time to discuss with them the value of money, and how to spend it wisely.  

These products will be built when the other class comes through and all purchases are made.

You will take these student surveys from the students and form them into a single report, to present each team. From this report, you may also consider telling the class who made the most sales and the team that made the most money. You also need to provide each team with any critiques that were given.

This report should be simple and include: the number of units that were sold, for what price, and the comments that were made on each of the forms. The students who wrote them are not to be divulged, to keep bullying or any type of intimidation away. All comments will be viewed and vetted by the teacher.

Consideration: If no one buys a product, this may be a good time to meet with the team and look at the critiques that were given. These will tell a better story of what people were looking for, and why they wouldn’t buy the product. Allow the students to consider alterations, substitutions, or even lowering the price.

Day #6 – Manufacturing (Math Cross Curricula):  Students should estimate how many items will be needed to produce, when selling it to another classroom. Each student can take the number of students who bought their product in their room, and then add a safe quantity to the number of students in that classroom. Will they need more or will they need less? You decide, but you want to have the crafts on hand when the student comes to buy. People rather buy something that is on-hand rather than something backordered.

Assignment #7: Create a worksheet with help from their Math teacher, or design it yourself. You want them to see how Math can find its way into their products. Include questions such as these:

1. Ten units of your product were sold in your classroom of 20 students. The next class to visit will have one half more students in attendance. Of this amount of information, how many products do you think this next class will buy, if they buy at the same rate as your class? Hint: For every two students in your class, one item was purchased.
2. ______ units (actual numbers from the classroom marketplace) of your product were sold in your classroom of ______ students. The next class to visit will have ______ students attending this marketplace. How many units do you think you will sell to this next classroom?
3. If you are to make 20 units for the marketplace and you need two eyeballs for each creature craft you are making, how many eyeballs will you need? How many feet will you need, if you need two per unit?
4. If you are to make ______ (how many units did you choose to make) units for the marketplace and you need ______ of Material A, ______ of Material B, and ______ of Material C, how many of each of these items will you need to make these units? Fill out the table below:

5. In the critiques by fellow classmates, did they have alternative options for their classmate’s products? What were they? List them above.

6. What if the world stopped producing Product A and Product C? What alterations could you make, and what materials would you use in their place? Would these items be a better seller than your original idea?

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7. Would you spend more money on materials if you were to create your product twice the size? What materials would you need more of (list the Material you must buy more of)? Would you be able to charge more for these larger items?

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Day #7 – Manufacturing: With all the supplies arriving, provided by those who can afford the donations, it is time to build your crafts. Each student has a number they have estimated will be the number they need. The classroom can be a factory floor, and each of the students today are factory workers, building their own crafts. When they complete their entire order, they can join up with their classmates and help with their crafts. Today, the entire class will be used for creating your products and making them presentable. This can take more than one day, but all products that are estimated should be complete before the day that is set up for the next class to come in and make their purchases.

Day #8 – Marketplace: It is now time to invite the other class to visit your physical or virtual classroom. Before they attend, provide the teacher with one sheet of play dollars for their students to cut out and provide to the merchants (your students). The sheet will be provided and contain ten $1 bills. Each buyer (their student) may visit a booth and purchase an item for the set price of the item. The students may walk away from the table with the craft that they purchased.  If COVID is still a worry, then instead of using the play money that will be passed around, feel free to give them all a student survey (as you did with the classroom marketplace) and allow them to mark down the items they want, with their names on the papers. These crafts will be collected and stored for two weeks, and then passed out to the buyers’ classroom for them to collect their items.

When the marketplace is finished and the class is sitting back down, allow the students to count their money and write about the experience in their journal. Have them write a summary of what happened, how many orders they had, and what they have learned. If they believe that they sold the wrong type of item, have them list other types of items they think they should change their business plan to include. This is a learning experience for all – those who sold a “ton,” and those who were not as successful. Make sure to encourage your students that businesses fail all the time, but those that get back on their feet will be the ones that succeed. Perseverance is key!

Alternative Ending to this Activity: In the future, we will be creating a marketplace so the top selling craft from each class that participates will be able to sell on the worldwide web, and use this project as a fundraiser. Their class will compete against classes from around the United States for the greatest products and the greatest interest from real paying customers. The cash can be used by the PTA or the school directly, depending on who is coordinating the efforts.