GB2186497A - Question-and-answer game - Google Patents

Abstract

A board game for use as an aid to learning a biological system, comprises a board supporting a display of indicia representing at least one biological system with the indicia constituting positions on a track along which one or more playing pieces can be moved, means for storing questions relating to the biological system to be put to each player in accordance with the position of the playing piece of a player on the track of indicia, and means of storing the answers to the questions. The display can be made changeable for example by being mounted on a transparent sheet. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Board games This invention relates to board games and, more specifically, to board games for use as aids to learn ing.

Board games are known having an educational value in,forexample,thefields of stocks and shares, strategy and logical thinking.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a board game which is an aid to learning biological systems.

According to this invention, there is provided a board game for use as an aid to learning a biological system, the game comprising a board supporting a display of indicia representing at least one biological system with the indicia constituting positions on a track along which one or more playing pieces can be moved, means for storing questions relating to the biological system to be put to each player in accord ante with the position of the playing piece of a player on the track of indicia, and means of storing the an swers to the questions.

The biological system may be a system of any liv ing thing for example, human, animal, insect or plant. Preferably, an outline ofthe living thing is dis played on the board, with the respective biological system depicted topographically. Significant parts of the structure of the system may be shown and/or lab elled on the board.

This invention is especially suitable for learning complex biological systems ofthe human body, for example, the circulatory (blood), lymphatic, ner vous, digestive, muscular, skeletal, endocrine and reproductive systems. As indicated above, the board may beara display of an outline ofthestructure of living thing marked thereon and the one or more bio logical systems may be marked on or superimposed on the board itself. Alternatively, the biological system may be displayed on a transparent sheet which may be selectively superimposed overthe outline of the structure on the board. If desired, the game may be played with one or more biological systems displayed simultaneously, the player(s) having to move round one or each ofthe appropriate tracks representing the respective systems.

The game may include means for obtaining, bych ance, a subsequent position to be taken by a player on a track, when the player has correctly answered a question. Movement from one position to a subse quent position may be determined by throwing one or more dice or by a spinning top bearing different numbers. Alternatively, the player(s) may merely move to the next successive position onthetrack after correctly answering a question. The positions on the track may be marked by similarly or equi-sized spaces with a start/finish position. When the game is played by more than one player, the winner wil I be the first playertotravel roundthewhole (or a pre viously agreed specified part) of the track. The direc tion of travel may be predetermined or the or each player may be allowed to follow any personally selected route.Preferably, the track is in the form of a closed circuit and, where the biological system is the human blood system, the circuit begins and ends at the heartwhich also represents the starting and finishing point of the game.

The means for storing the questions and answers may comprise a set of cards, with the question on one side of the card and its answer on the other side.

The questions may relate to the structure, structural functions and other matters relating to one or more biological systems including that orthose displayed.

In the case of questions being answered on more than one system, a criterion is conveniently included for selecting the system e.g. the systems should be taken in turn or a teacher may direct which system shouid be followed by a particular player. The cards may be marked to show with which system the question is concerned. The questions may be pitched in accordance with the level ofteaching reached by the player(s) e.g. primary, secondary, GCSE, CSE, O Level, A Level or above. Different levels of questions may be sold with the game or teachers may of course preparetheirown questions and answers as desired.

The game according to the invention may be modified to include means for increasing the chance factor, by giving commands to the player(s), in respect of movement around the track representing the biological system. Thus, pre-determined indicia may bear a rotation indicating that a player must take a command. These commands may be stored on a set of cards, which is located on a marked position on the board and, when a player lands on one ofthe predetermined positions, the player must take the top card from the pack and return the card to the bottom of the pack after reading and following the command.

Conveniently,the board and playing pieces may be magnetic so thatthe board may be used in an inclined or upright position for demonstration.

The board game ofthe inventionwillthus beseen to be a stimulating, visually effective, entertaining learning aid for use in the teaching and revision of biological systems.

A preferred embodiment of a board game of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, showing a diagrammatic plan view of a game board in ac cordance with the invention.

The board game has a magnetic board on which the human body 1 including selected internal organs is diagrammatically depicted. The circulatory (blood) system 2 is topographically shown as a track or circuit and appropriate arrows indicate the direction of blood flow. The track is constituted by a plurality of marked positions 3 between which one or more playing pieces are moved, marking their respective positions by a red magnetic counter and a white magnetic counter, representing the red and white corpuscles respectivelyofthe blood. Selected sign if cant organs of the body and the circulatory system are shown and labelled on the board. The heart 4 is the start/finish position and the selected organs are each equivalent to a space allocated to a position.

Question and answer cards are provided relating to different biological systems, and each system may be represented by a particular colour or code which is shown on the respective card. A picture relevantto the question is also shown on each card.

The object of playing the game is to traverse round the whole of the circulatory (blood) system as quickly as possible around the track, in the direction of blood flow,andviaalltheorgansand limbsofthebody.A record should be kept of the entry into an organ e.g.

on blank cards provided. A pair of dice is used to determine the number of spaces and positions a player moves the counter(s) if a question is correctly answered. If a question is incorrectly answered, the player will miss a turn.

If a teacher is supervising the game,theteacher mayselectthe biological system on which a player must answer a question. If there is no teacher, the player or players must answer questions on the different systems in an agreed order e.g. a different system each time or all the questions of one system before the others and soon.

If one player lands on the same space as another, the latter must return to the heart4andthus beginto traverse the track again. A set of chance Biopt cards, to be located where indicated on the board, gives commands to the player(s) in respect of movement round the board to provide a further chance factor.

Predetermined positions Bindicatethata player landing thereon must take one of the chance Biopt cards.

Cards of another set of cards, called the "Category" cards, also to be located at a predetermined position on the board, show the colour codes ofthe biological systems to remind the player(s).

If desired, the circulatory system may alternatively be marked on a transparent sheet and imposed on an outline of the human body marked on the board beneath. Other sheets may be provided for use in the same way and depicting alternativesystems,forex- ample,anyofthe lymphatic, nervous, digestive, muscular, skeletal, endocrine and reproductive systems.

In the case of the skeletal system, for instance, the player(s) must move round the skeleton visiting all the extremities and, in this case, the start/finish position is the head.

Typical questions and answers for use in the game are: Q. What are the 3 main functions of blood? A. Transport, defence, homeostasis.

Q. What is the largest muscle ofthe back? A. Latissimus Dorsi.

Typical commands on the Bioptcards are: 1. Food molecules need transporting to the liver: move to the gut.

2. Smoking has affected the alveoli in the lungs: move to the lungs for extra oxygen.

In a modification ofthe game according to this invention, where it is intended to use a number of transparent sheets dipicting different systems, the different systems may be depicted on different paths of a roll of transparent material. The roll may be mounted in a cassette which may be detachably fixed or supported along one edge ofthe board and the roll of transparent material may be fed across the boardontoatake-up-spool in a mannersimilartoa camera. The cassette and/ortake-up-spool may also be fitted with an indexing system to assist in aligning a system depicted on the roll with the under lying outline of the structure mounted in the board.

Similarly, the packs or sets of question/answer cards may be printed on rolls mounted in cassettes with an interlinking and registration system to ensure display of the correct answerto each question.

Claims (9)

1. A board game for use as an aid to learning a biological system, the game comprising a board supporting a display of indicia representing at least one biological system with the indicia constituting positions on a track along which one or more playing pieces can be moved, means for storing questions relating to the biological system to be put to each player in accordance with the position of the playing piece of a player on the track of indicia, and means of storing the answers to the questions.

2. A game according to Claim 1 wherein the biological system is of a living thing and is selected from the group consisting of human, animal, insect and plant systems.

3. A game according to Claim 2 wherein the biological system is displayed topographically on the board within an outline of the living thing.

4. A modification ofthe game according to Claim 3, wherein the biological system is displayed on a transparent sheet which is superimposed over the outline ofthe living thing.

5. A game according to any preceding claim including means for obtaining by chance a subsequent position to be taken buy a player on a track, when the player has correctly answered a question.

6. A game according to Claim 5 wherein movementfrom one position to a subsequent position may be determined by throwing one or more dice or by a spinning top bearing different numbers.

7. A game according to any preceding claim wherein the track is in the form a closed circuit.

8. A game according to anyone of Claims 1 to 7 wherein the means for storing the questions and answers may comprise a set of cards, with the question on one side of the card and its answer on the other side.

9. Agame according to anyone ofClaims4to8 including a roll oftransparent material having different systems represented on successive areas of the roll, means for supporting the roll along one edgeofthe board and atake-up-spool supported along the opposite edge ofthe board for receiving the roll whereby different systems may be selectively superimposed over the outline ofthe living thing.