Thinking Journey for Grade 6

Description

An in depth look at the skills this test will accomplish:

Learning Strategies: Planning

• Description:In this workout, students will practice their planning abilities. They will learn the method ‘Planning in Stages’, which guides us to break our plan into smaller parts, starting with the anchors—the certain parts of our plan—and gradually advancing toward our goal.
• Leading game:Mole in the hole
  Mole in the hole is a fun puzzle game that offers a progressive difficulty level. The objective is to connect every two moles of the same color by a hole without crossing any other holes. To solve the game challenges, players should apply logical thinking, seek out key anchors, and sometimes create unintuitive paths.

Learning Strategies: Paving a Route

• Description:This workout introduces to the students the ‘Paving a Route’ tool. This tool is a decision-making and planning tool that helps us make decisions and use our resources in a way that will get us closer to our objective.
• Leading game:Blocker
  Blocker is a two-player strategy game. Players are presented with various dilemmas that require them to make decisions, manage their resources, and decide when to act.The key to winning the game is identifying the critical path and using (limited) resources effectively.

Learning Strategies: The Big Picture

• Description:This workout introduces to the students the concept of seeing the big picture—to comprehend and analyze the overall situation instead of focusing on the small details.
• Leading game:Lockdown
  Lockdown is a strategy game set in a secret high-tech lab. An advanced robot rebels and tries to escape. In order to block his progress, you must use resources (barriers). The game is characterized by the constant need to manage risk and to adopt a Preventive Thinking state of mind. This is in order to anticipate and avoid any possible escape routes for the robot. This requires the player to think ahead and plan for potential scenarios.

Learning Strategies: Planning-b

• Description:In this advanced workout, students will sharpen their planning abilities by practicing the implementation of planning in stages at more complex game levels. Students will practice the ability to analyze situations by seeing the bigger picture in different game positions and will see the implementation in a different real-life situation.
• Leading game:Mole in the hole
  Mole in the hole is a fun puzzle game that offers a progressive difficulty level. The objective is to connect every two moles of the same color by a hole without crossing any other holes. To solve the game challenges, players should apply logical thinking, seek out key anchors, and sometimes create unintuitive paths.

Learning Strategies: Paving a Route-b

• Description:In this advanced workout, students will practice the implementation of the ‘Paving a Route’ tool in more complex game positions.
• Leading game:Blocker
  Blocker is a two-player strategy game. Players are presented with various dilemmas that require them to make decisions, manage their resources, and decide when to act.The key to winning the game is identifying the critical path and using (limited) resources effectively.

Learning Strategies: The Big Picture-b

• Description:In this advanced workout, students will practice their ability to see the big picture while analyzing more complex game positions.
• Leading game:Lockdown
  Lockdown is a strategy game set in a secret high-tech lab. An advanced robot rebels and tries to escape. In order to block his progress, you must use resources (barriers). The game is characterized by the constant need to manage risk and to adopt a Preventive Thinking state of mind. This is in order to anticipate and avoid any possible escape routes for the robot. This requires the player to think ahead and plan for potential scenarios.

Mathematical Thinking: Move Order

• Description:In this workout, students will learn a strategy game called Mancala. They will also be introduced to the concept of ‘Move Order’. They will see how the same actions in different order may yield different results. This idea will be first illustrated in the game, and then other examples will be discussed. Students will acquire a tool to identify the best move order for their actions.
• Leading game:Mancala
  Mancala is an ancient two-player strategy board game. It is among the oldest known games to still be widely played today. It has a unique gameplay mechanism: The game board is composed of two lines of pits and two banks. Each player has his own bank and a line of pits with a certain number of seeds in each pit. The objective is to plant the most seeds in the bank. In each turn, a player picks one of their pits, taking all the seeds in it and sowing them in the follosung pits in sequence and in their own bank, skipping the opponent’s bank. This game requires both strategic and tactical thinking: identifying threats and preventing them, planning, and calculating.

Mathematical Thinking: Estimation

• Description:In this workout, students will become acquainted with the game Maxit and enhance their calculation and estimation skills through diverse game positions. They will learn methods to improve their ability to estimate large numbers effectively.
• Leading game:MaxIt
  Maxit is a two-player strategy game played on an 8×8 square board. The board is randomly filled with numbers and a star is placed on one of the squares. One player plays in the rows and the other in the columns. The objective of the game is to collect more points than the opponent by selecting squares that maximize the sum of their numbers. However, players must also anticipate and adapt to a constantly changing board, adding a layer of complexity to the game that requires planning and strategy.

Mathematical Thinking: Breaking Problems

• Description:In this workout, students will learn how to break down a problem into smaller parts and why it is effective in various scenarios of problem solving. The students will implement the method in different game positions and will discuss other examples from real-life situations.
• Leading Game:Move It
  Move It is a puzzle game where players maneuver through a room cluttered with furniture and boxes. Their objective is to strategically shift obstacles like sofas, tables, and bookshelves to forge a pathway for the mover to the exit. This game enhances problem-solving skills, promotes forward-thinking, and offers an engaging experience while progressively honing students’ spatial reasoning and strategic thinking abilities.

Mathematical Thinking: Move Order-b

• Description:In this advanced workout, students will continue to practice their ability to find the correct move order that will lead to their winning in different game positions.
• Leading Game:Mancala
  Mancala is an ancient two-player strategy board game. It is among the oldest known games to still be widely played today. It has a unique gameplay mechanism: The game board is composed of two lines of pits and two banks. Each player has his own bank and a line of pits with a certain number of seeds in each pit. The objective is to plant the most seeds in the bank. In each turn, a player picks one of their pits, taking all the seeds in it and sowing them in the follosung pits in sequence and in their own bank, skipping the opponent’s bank. This game requires both strategic and tactical thinking: identifying threats and preventing them, planning, and calculating.

Mathematical Thinking: Estimation-b

• Description:In this advanced workout, students will practice the different techniques they acquired to estimate which move will lead them to a better result.
• Leading Game:MaxIt
  Maxit is a two-player strategy game played on an 8×8 square board. The board is randomly filled with numbers and a star is placed on one of the squares. One player plays in the rows and the other in the columns. The objective of the game is to collect more points than the opponent by selecting squares that maximize the sum of their numbers. However, players must also anticipate and adapt to a constantly changing board, adding a layer of complexity to the game that requires planning and strategy.

Mathematical Thinking: Breaking Problems-b

• Description:In this advanced workout, students will practice the implementation of Breaking Down the Problem in more complex game challenges.
• Leading Game:Move It
  Move It is a puzzle game where players maneuver through a room cluttered with furniture and boxes. Their objective is to strategically shift obstacles like sofas, tables, and bookshelves to forge a pathway for the mover to the exit. This game enhances problem-solving skills, promotes forward-thinking, and offers an engaging experience while progressively honing students’ spatial reasoning and strategic thinking abilities.

Scientific Thinking: Resources

• Description:In this workout, students will learn the game of Treasure Island and will explore the concept of resources in the game. Students will see that different resources can be used in different ways, and the better we understand our resources’ characteristics, the better we use them.
• Leading Game:Treasure Island
  Treasure Island is a puzzle game requiring good planning. The objective of the game is to lead the pirate to the treasure in a given number of moves. Since the pirate walks to the treasure in the shortest possible way, the player needs to extend its route using the given barriers. In each game level, the board structure changes, as do the given barriers and the required number of moves to the treasure; hence, the difficulty level of the challenges can also be widely changed.

Scientific Thinking: Patterns

• Description:In this workout, students will learn the concept of temporary parking and will see how it can be useful to use temporary parking when solving problems. Students will identify the repeated pattern in the game challenges that indicates the need for temporary parking in the solution.
• Leading Game:ClimbUp
  ClimbUp is a puzzle game requiring good planning and flexibility. The objective of ClimbUp is to help the alpinist reach the top of the mountain by rearranging the available resources to form a path. The game is characterized by the need for resourcefulness and flexibility from the players. The game levels illustrate that progress toward a goal does not always follow a straight path.

Scientific Thinking: Asking Questions

• Description:In this workout, students will explore the use of what-if questions. Students will play the advanced game positions of the game Pooolies and will see how what-if questions can help them identify the winning moves.
• Leading Game:Poolies
  Poolies is a strategy game for two players. The objective is to be the first player to create a sequence of four game pieces in a row, a column, or diagonally. The game requires the players to be attentive, to identify threats on time, and to create opportunities for their own threats.

Scientific Thinking: Resources-b

• Description:In this advanced workout, students will keep exploring the use of resources in the game and the differences between the different resources available in the game challenges.
• Leading Game:Treasure Island
  Treasure Island is a puzzle game requiring good planning. The objective of the game is to lead the pirate to the treasure in a given number of moves. Since the pirate walks to the treasure in the shortest possible way, the player needs to extend its route using the given barriers. In each game level, the board structure changes, as do the given barriers and the required number of moves to the treasure; hence, the difficulty level of the challenges can also be widely changed.

Scientific Thinking: Patterns-b

• Description:In this advanced workout, students will practice the implementation of ‘Temporary Parking’ in more complex game challenges.
• Leading Game:ClimbUp
  ClimbUp is a puzzle game requiring good planning and flexibility. The objective of ClimbUp is to help the alpinist reach the top of the mountain by rearranging the available resources to form a path. The game is characterized by the need for resourcefulness and flexibility from the players. The game levels illustrate that progress toward a goal does not always follow a straight path.

Scientific Thinking: Asking Questions-b

• Description:In this workout, students will practice the use of what-if questions before making a move in the game, in more advanced game positions.
• Leading Game:Poolies
  Poolies is a strategy game for two players. The objective is to be the first player to create a sequence of four game pieces in a row, a column, or diagonally. The game requires the players to be attentive, to identify threats on time, and to create opportunities for their own threats.

Flexible Thinking:Dead End

• Description:In this workout, students will learn the puzzle game of Roboban and will explore the concept of a dead end in the game and in the process of problem-solving. Students will also see how sometimes expanding our possibilities may help us deal with situations in which we feel like reaching a dead end.
• Leading Game:Roboban
  Roboban is a puzzle game played on a rectangular gameboard. In each puzzle, there are one or more barrels and one or more robots. The objective is to bring each barrel to its target square. Each robot can push a barrel of its color if the square to which it is being pushed is empty. The robots can freely move on the board, but they cannot push barrels of other colors. Since a barrel can only be pushed and cannot be pulled, some moves may be irreversible, and that means one can easily reach a dead end while solving a challenge. This challenging game requires both good planning ability and flexible thinking.

Flexible Thinking:Dealing with changes

• Description:In this workout, students will solve challenges in the game of PingWins, but with a twist—incorporating an array of changes and surprises in the game. The workout will also present a method to deal with the changes and to react to them in a balanced way.
• Leading Game:PingWins
  Ping-Wins is a puzzle game requiring analysis abilities. Players must use their logical and problem-solving skills to complete levels. As they progress, the levels become more challenging and more complex. The game is characterized by problems requiring high analytical skills and the identification of anchors that lead to conclusions and finally a solution.

Flexible Thinking:The Stoplight Method

• Description:In this workout, students will learn the Stoplight method for better dealing with changes and surprises. Students will practice the implementation of the method in different game positions that incorporate different changes and surprises.
• Leading Game:Two-Flags
  Two-Flags is a strategy game for 2 players in which you need to create and execute your strategic plan while overcoming opponent threats. The game is characterized by the need to be agile in your thinking, as well as the ability to adjust to changing conditions. Players must think about the long-term moves in the game, while making short-term decisions that will help them gain an advantage over their opponent.

Flexible Thinking:Dead End-b

• Description:In this advanced workout, students will practice their flexible thinking skills by expanding their possibilities and finding creative solutions to difficult game challenges.
• Leading Game:Roboban
  Roboban is a puzzle game played on a rectangular gameboard. In each puzzle, there are one or more barrels and one or more robots. The objective is to bring each barrel to its target square. Each robot can push a barrel of its color if the square to which it is being pushed is empty. The robots can freely move on the board, but they cannot push barrels of other colors. Since a barrel can only be pushed and cannot be pulled, some moves may be irreversible, and that means one can easily reach a dead end while solving a challenge. This challenging game requires both good planning ability and flexible thinking.

Flexible Thinking:Dealing w+A150ith changes-b

• Description:In this advanced workout, students will continue to practice their ability to better deal with changes in more complex game challenges.
• Leading Game:PingWins
  Ping-Wins is a puzzle game requiring analysis abilities. Players must use their logical and problem-solving skills to complete levels. As they progress, the levels become more challenging and more complex. The game is characterized by problems requiring high analytical skills and the identification of anchors that lead to conclusions and finally a solution.