What is REAL LIVES and why is it a valuable learning tool for my students? REAL LIVES is an interactive life simulation that enables students to live one of billions of lives in any country in the world while gaining real-world practice in reasoning, problem-solving, critical thinking, and compromise, as well as a sense of personal responsibility. When students are “born” into another country and are faced with representations of real-life events and problems, they must make decisions and witness consequences. They learn about the world and gain an increased appreciation of their own culture as they learn about the cultures of other peoples. REAL LIVES promotes deductive and inferential reasoning through critical thinking and problem-solving. Students must observe, predict, compare and contrast information, identify variables, and choose between relevant and irrelevant data. They are constantly engaged in such higher-order thinking tasks as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Students are challenged by overt as well as subtle problems which must be resolved before they can proceed. They must constantly weigh variables and ask, "How can I resolve this problem or set of problems by taking into account all of the factors I've just learned?" "Where can I find the information I need to make these decisions?" REAL LIVES uses statistically accurate events to bring to life different cultures, political and economic systems, personal attributes, health issues, family issues, schooling, jobs, religions, geography, wars, and more. The computer manipulates the data behind the scenes in order to show how the natural system is likely to behave under a variety of conditions. However, it is the students who drive the simulation, because they are responsible for interpreting the data and selecting among alternative actions. As an added feature, unlike real life, students can relive an experience so that they can learn from it. Students always have the option of replaying a simulation (or moving back in time to a younger age) so that they can learn where or why things went wrong and how their actions or decisions influenced the outcome. Instead of just accepting a loss or replaying past failures, students can think about the steps they might have taken to achieve a more desirable outcome. How might they have responded differently when faced with an unexpected job loss, medical emergency, or a human rights violation? What information were they missing to help them make a clear decision the first time around? Where could they find that information next time? The REAL LIVES software, carefully selected Internet links, and supplemental classroom activities provide for a multidimensional and multidisciplinary learning environment to motivate all students.

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Cause and Effect Overview: Students will track the causes and effects of simulated life events. Grade Level: 9th to12th Objectives Students will: • understand that every event has many possible causes and many possible effects • complete a cause and effect graphic organizer to visually represent, outline, and

organize information • record relationships among facts, ideas, and events • develop critical thinking strategies by identifying, analyzing, and synthesizing

information gleaned from the simulation software National Education Standards • Social Studies: I, III, IV, V, VI, IX, X • English Language Arts: 3, 5, 8, 12 • Technology: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 • Geography: 4, 6, 10 (See page X for a detailed description of each Standard.) Materials • REAL LIVES software • Cause and Effect (student handout ) • Colored markers or highlighter pens Procedure 1. Help students to understand that all decisions and actions in their simulated lives

(and real lives) have related consequences. Draw a sample three-column chart (see sketch) on the chalkboard and discuss some examples of the types of events/causes/effects students may come across during the simulation. Remind students that when we write about cause and effect, we determine the reasons that something happened and the consequences of its happening. As events occur in the simulation, students need to select the Learn More options and keep a careful eye on all statistical data so that they can evaluate and analyze it to draw sound conclusions and make the best choices. For example, in the first event shown in the sample chart, a student would select Learn More to find out about the disease, and then look at the statistical data on Health to determine possible causes for the father becoming ill. That would include looking at such data as the percentage of population (urban or rural) with access to safe water and the percentage of population (urban or rural) with access to healthcare services.

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Example chart

Event Cause(s) Effect(s) • Father contracts

schistosomiasis Possible: • Contact with parasitic worm-

infested water • Safe water sources not

available (SWR: 29%) • Lack of good healthcare

(HSR: 30%)

• Have to leave school • Take a job as a laborer

• I have to serve time in the military

• Political unrest in region causes war to break out

• Country has participated in war or had widespread political violence in 25% of years in the last quarter century.

• My family’s monthly income and net worth plummets since I am not able to contribute my regular salary.

• Invitation to begin smoking

• Some friends smoke and they want me to be one of the gang.

• I choose not to smoke so my health and resistance improves.

2. Distribute three copies of the student handout to each student before starting a new

simulation. Tell students that they are to track (on the handouts) 12 events, their causes, and effects during the playing of the simulation. If desired, students can keep all personal/household events on one handout and all country-related events on another. Too, some students may want to keep track of more than 12 events. (Note that for some students, it may be easier to identify the event first, then the effect, followed by the cause.)

3. Remind students to keep adding to the handouts throughout the whole simulation

and to look for “effects” that might be felt long after the initial event. For example, a decision to decline a marriage proposal early on might affect the family’s net worth many years down the road, or a country’s drought might produce social and economic impacts for many years to come.

4. When done, have students use colored markers or highlighting pens to color-code

their charts. Use one color to shade all entries that they believe were events over which they had personal control (e.g., selecting a career, lying to a friend) and another color to shade those events over which they believe they had no control (e.g., an outbreak of war).

5. Ask students to present, one by one, oral summaries of the major events in their

simulated lives and the related causes/effects. 6. Help students process all of the information and relate it to their own lives with post-

activity discussions centered around life’s events, causes and effects—those that we can influence in a positive or negative way and those we can’t.

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Assessment Collect and evaluate students’ charts. Then conduct a teacher/student interview (speaking with each student, one on one) to give students the opportunity to talk about all parts of the activity and the processes by which they completed it. Sample questions: • "What conclusions can you draw from your charts?” • "Can you explain the two main differences behind these two causes and effects?” • In your simulated life, could you have made a different decision that would have had

a different life outcome?” • "What was the easiest/most difficult part of the activity? Why?" • "If you were to do the activity again, what might you do differently? Why?" Extension Activities 1. Create a class Current Events bulletin board by having students clip and bring into

class articles from newspapers or magazines, or printed stories from Web-based news sites (e.g., CNN.com). Students can briefly summarize and share the news stories aloud. Then have the class work together to create one large Event/Cause/Effect graphic organizer (using the student handout format) to be hung on the wall. The Events should be taken from the Current Events news stories. As world news unfolds throughout the school year, students may need to add additional items to the Cause and Effect areas of the chart.

2. Help students to understand that an important part of geography is the cause and

effect relationship between the natural environment and human beings. The environment directly impacts the ways in which people live and the ways in which people make a living. Have students work in pairs to research such topics as land-use, natural resources, climate, and vegetation in their simulated birth countries. They can create topographical maps, posters, or murals to organize and present their research to the class. Remind students to select the Factbook and History Links in the simulation to find detailed information on each country.

3. If you have regular Internet access, consider matching students with keypals (e-mail

penpals) in other countries. There are several organizations that provide this service to schools free (or for a small fee) so that students from around the world can connect and interact with one another via e-mail, video, and/or live Web chats. Two recommended keypal sites: Intercultural E-mail Classroom Connections (iecc.org) and E-Pals Classroom Exchange (epals.com). Once initial contacts with keypals are made, your students can discuss their experiences with being “born” into the keypals’ birth countries to discover whether or not their “virtual lives” are similar to the real lives of their keypals.

EVENT CAUSE(S) EFFECT(S)

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Comparing Lives Overview: Students will compare their own lives with their simulated characters’ lives. Grade Level: 9th to12th Objectives Students will: • create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast their own individual lives with those

of another person living in another country • record relationships among facts, ideas, and events • analyze and synthesize information gleaned from the simulation • learn to value diversity among all people National Education Standards • Social Studies: I, III, IV, V, VI, X • English Language Arts: 3, 5, 8, 12 • Technology: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 • Geography: 4, 6, 10 (See page X for a detailed description of each Standard.) Materials • REAL LIVES software • Comparing Lives (student handout) • Large construction or butcher paper • (Optional) Compass to draw circles Procedure 1. If your students have never created nor used a Venn diagram, provide an example.

Draw a two-circle Venn diagram (see sketch) on the chalkboard and label the left circle “My Life” and the right circle “Simulated Life.” Ask students to list some events and/or characteristics for each, based on any of the simulated lives they have already experienced. Write each set of attributes in their related circles and write attributes that they share in the interlocking segment of the circles. Example:

Formal Ed.: Ages 5 - 18 attend school Parents’ Professions Mother—doctor Father—Marketing manager House: 6 rooms 2 t.v.’s, 3 radios, 2 cars Country: engaged in war in Afghanistan

Formal Ed.: None Begin work as a laborer at age 9 Parents’ Professions: Mother—assembler Father—freight handler House: 1 room 0 t.v.’s, 1 radio, 0 cars Country: engaged in civil war in North District

Leisure: sports & reading Local earthquakes

My Life Los Angeles, California

Simulated Life Kampala, Uganda

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2. After creating a short example on the chalkboard, tell students that they will be

completing their own, more detailed Venn diagram to compare attributes and events from their own lives with those of their simulated life character.

3. Distribute a large piece of construction paper or butcher paper to each student to

draw their diagrams. (Students can use a compass or can draw freehand.) The two interlocking circles must be made large enough so that students have ample space to write detailed Personal and Household Data.

4. Distribute the Comparing Lives handout and review the instructions with the class.

Review, if necessary, the meanings of the rankings for all Personal Data. Students should rank their own lives in the same way, using the same scales.

5. Remind students that the overlapping portion of the circle contains those attributes,

characteristics, and/or events that are shared by themselves and their simulated life character. Remind them also that there is some data that they won’t have for their own lives, such as their household income or income vs. nation and world. Instead, they can make a generalized statement about how they think their families (real and simulated) are faring.

6. When Venn diagrams are complete, have students share them with the class.

Engage the class in a discussion about some of the most important and striking similarities and differences reflected in their diagrams. Ask students what similarities/differences surprised them the most and why.

Assessment Collect and evaluate Venn diagrams using a rubrics to assess whether or not students have met specific standards and learning goals. Example: Student: Jared Activity: Comparing Lives

Skill Comments Score Demonstrates understanding of similarities and differences between own life and simulated life.

Solid work 4.5

Demonstrates attention to detail while using software.

Good progress. Jared still needs reminders to check all web links in the simulation. He tends to scan information too quickly and rarely selects the Learn More option.

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Relates prior knowledge to new knowledge. Exemplary 5 Completed Venn diagram clearly shows careful analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information gleaned from the simulation.

Two attributes & one event were not placed correctly in the diagram and he didn’t compare feature to feature.

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Extension Activities 1. Have students compare political, societal, and health statistics of people living in the

United States and those living in their simulated birth country. They will need to select United States from the country list, as if starting a new simulation. Students can create another Venn diagram or table to compare all United States data with

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data from other countries. When done, ask students to write a short summary of what they’ve learned from the data.

2. Select the Factbook Link in REAL LIVES to conduct in depth research comparing

environmental issues facing the United States with those facing their simulated birth country. Determine how those issues impact economies, political climates, etc.

3. After students have looked closely at life in a developing (or under-developed)

country, encourage the class to get involved educating others about what they’ve learned. This might mean making presentations to other classes or even raising funds for organizations that work to help people living in hardship in these countries. Encourage students to generate their own creative ideas for taking action. Examples include compiling and selling an international recipes cookbook to raise money, or a letter-writing campaign to elected officials.

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[student handout]

Comparing Lives Assignment On the large piece of paper you’ve been given, draw a Venn diagram (two interlocking circles) to compare your own life with that of your simulated character’s life. Procedure 1. Draw the Venn diagram on a large piece of paper. You can use a compass (if one is

available) to draw the circles, or you can draw the circles freehand. 2. Above the left circle, write your name, city, and country. Above the right circle, write

the name of your REAL LIVES simulated city and country. 3. Compare Personal and Household Data on your diagram (see list below). In the left

circle, write all attributes, characteristics, and events that pertain to your own life. In the right circle, do the same for the simulated life. In the interlocking portion of the diagram, write any attributes, characteristics, or events that are shared by both. (If there are none, leave that section blank.)

Personal Data should include rankings (scores) for and information about: • Happiness • Home • Intelligence • Safe Water • Artistic • Public Sanitation • Musical • Medical Care • Athletic • Number of televisions • Strength • Number of radios • Endurance • Number of telephones • Appearance • Number of cars • Conscience • Formal Education • Wisdom • Language • Diet • Religion

Household Data should include the following information:

• Names of family members • Ages of family members • Overall health • Overall disease resistance • Health problems • Profession(s) or school attendance by each family member

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Real Lives Journal Amanda Levin

Incline High School 499 Village Boulevard

Incline Village, NV 89451 775.832.4260

Overview: Students use the Real Lives computer software to create a personal journal chronicling a simulated life for a specific region or place in the world. Inquiry Question: What would it be like to experience life in a place other than your own? Grade Level: Middle School and High School. Standards: This assignment addresses the following National Education Standards Social Studies: I, III, IV, V, IX, X English Language Arts: 3, 5, 8, 12 Technology: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 Geography: 4, 6, 10 (See the Real Lives Education Standards sheet for a complete description of each standard). Time: As required. (In the school where this lesson plan was tested, students were given a block period (105 minutes) to complete the simulation and initial worksheet in the computer lab and a week (at home) to prepare the journals.) Objectives:

Students will be able to identify physical and political characteristics of a specific country Students will be able to compare how physical and political events affect life in more- and lesser-developed nations.

Students will become familiar with typical educational and employment opportunities in other countries.

Students will be able to consider how choices will affect their personal outcomes in a simulated “lifetime.”

Students will be able to synthesize information from the computer software Real Lives into a first-person account of their “life.”

Students will have an opportunity to consider how they would do in the country to which they were born in “Real Lives.”

Materials: Real Lives software and computer facilities Real Lives Handout (attached) Atlases and maps Real Lives Journal Assignment (attached) Art supplies (optional)

Procedure:

1. Discussion: Open the lesson with a discussion of what students know about the region or countries currently being covered in the class.

a. What are some of the countries being studied? b. What are some of the unique characteristics of these places? c. Are these countries more or lesser developed and what does that mean? d. Any historical or cultural background?

2. Overview of the software: Go over some of the basics of the program, particularly

what the abbreviations stand for (B.R. etc.) so that students know what kind of statistical information they are looking for and how to access it on the screen. Abbreviation definitions are found in the Real Lives user’s guide. Some of the features that seemed worthy of mention included:

a. How to be born in a specific country b. Night to day toggle and basic ways to manipulate the view c. How to flip the tabs with the political and social information in the upper right

hand corner of the screen d. How to “undo” choices and decisions e. How to permanently activate the “learn more” feature f. How to print the journal and what is included in the journal so they know what to

take notes about.

3. Playing the game: Students given this assignment loved using Real Lives and in fact many of them started living lives on their own time in the computer lab and it provided really stimulating discussions in class. Students are all very interested in their love lives, diseases, etc., and keeping them thinking about why their lives progress in the fashion that they do is an important emphasis.

4. Discussion II: After playing the game another discussion will likely come about. This

is a great opportunity to get the students thinking about the “why” questions in addition to the “what” questions that they bring up.

5. Writing the journal: When students are introduced to the journal assignment it may

be helpful to tell them that you are not looking for them to simply turn in the print out of their lives from the computer program. Rather, you are looking for synthesis and analysis of the lives they led. Indicate what areas will be emphasized for grading purposes and

remind them that they are supposed to be really putting themselves in the shoes of the character they were born as in the simulation.

6. Presenting the projects: The students who completed the journals in a sophomore

class were very (unusually) excited to present them to the class and it was a nice culminating activity for the unit project.

Extensions, Assessments and Other Activities

1. Class Interaction When journals are complete, have students participate in peer assessments to help them learn how to give and receive constructive feedback. First, have the class work together to create a checklist of desired skills and outcomes that they believe are essential for a successful journal (e.g. organizing information in such a way that others understand it and including all required information, as stated on the student handout). Once the checklist is complete, have each student exchange his/her journal with another student. Ask each student to carefully critique the journal they have been given, using the class checklist. Teachers will need to monitor the critique sessions to make sure there are no inappropriate criticisms. 2. My Life Challenge the students to complete the same student handouts, this time using their own real lives. The class will need to define the parameters of the rating scale for such personal information as happiness, intelligence, appearance, etc. 3. Create a Graph Each student can create a bar graph for their birth country to represent all Health statistics. (Find the information by clicking on the Health tab at the top right part of the Real Lives screen). 4. Further Research Have the students work alone or in teams to conduct further research (in the library and on the Internet) by using the bibliographic information included in Real Lives. Students can choose particular areas of interest such as climate, economics, environment, government and other topics of interest. Students can showcase their research in written, oral or multimedia reports.

Name: ______________________ Date: _______________________

Real Lives Assignment Sheet

You will be creating a journal of your life in a country based on the experiences you

had while using Real Lives.

The journal will be due on _____________________________ The journal must include the following: o A description of the city and country where your character lived

o A description of your family

o A description of yourself. Remember you are writing this so even if you rated really

low in the intelligence or attractiveness index, you probably wouldn’t emphasize

those shortcomings.

o The wealth and status of your family compared to your country and the world.

o Your school and employment opportunities.

o A MINIMUM of THREE significant events for each decade that you lived AND

explanations of these events (like why did these things happen to you in your

country…)

o An analysis of how you feel about living in your country as you grow up.

To enhance your grade, the journal MAY include the following o Pictures

o Letters

o Scrapbook type memorabilia

o Maps

SPECIFICS: o The journal may be typed, hand-written… whatever you choose; though

presentation will account for part of your grade.

There is no minimum length, though you have to have enough things happening in your life to meet the basic requirements.

Name: ______________________ Date: _______________________

1. What country are you from? ___________________________ Population: ___________

2. List the following information (what the statistic is and its value):

a. BR _______________________________: _______________

b. ML _______________________________: _______________

c. FL _______________________________: _______________

d. PPP ______________________________: _______________

e. WP _______________________________: _______________

f. GINI ______________________________: _______________

g. MLE ______________________________: _______________

h. FLE ______________________________: _______________

i. IM _______________________________: _______________

j. Wasting ___________________________: _______________

k. Stunting ___________________________: _______________

3. List the following information at the specified ages:

0 10 20 30 40

a. Happiness _______ ________ _______ _______ _______

b. Intelligence _______ ________ _______ _______ _______

c. Artistic _______ ________ _______ _______ _______

d. Musical _______ ________ _______ _______ _______

e. Athletic _______ ________ _______ _______ _______

f. Strength _______ ________ _______ _______ _______

g. Endurance _______ ________ _______ _______ _______

h. Appearance _______ ________ _______ _______ _______

4. List your family members (name, relationship, age):

a. ________________________ ________________________ ___________

b. ________________________ ________________________ ___________

c. ________________________ ________________________ ___________

d. ________________________ ________________________ ___________

e. ________________________ ________________________ ___________

As you work through the program keep notes about:

Events in your country that may or may not effect your family. Be sure to use the “learn more” button to get the information you need. When you finish print out the journal of your life.

You will be creating a diary of life in your country and the more details that you include the better! Remember to always check the “learn more” button.

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More Interdisciplinary Activities Using REAL LIVES • Challenge students to write a REAL LIVES “tip sheet” with helpful tips or tricks that

they’ve discovered playing a REAL LIVES simulation. • Have students create a list showing all abbreviations for Political, Society, and

Health statistics and their meanings (e.g., HSR: health services, rural; BR: birth rate). Review all terms and their meanings with students before they begin the simulations. Post near computers to aid students as they work through the simulations.

• Host a mock United Nations Forum, having students debate critical global issues

gleaned from the simulations to attempt to resolve problems. Each student (individually or in pairs) serves as a delegate to the UN Forum by representing one country learned about in REAL LIVES. Students will need to research up to three critical problems facing their birth country and report those to the Forum in short oral presentations. Or, they might wish to write and read a brief position paper. Once an issue is presented, the Forum (class) debates and attempts to resolve it. One student can act as Forum secretary, keeping track of issues and resolutions.

• When students are faced with a war in their country’s simulation, have them

examine (through additional research) the historic reasons for conflicts within that world region (e.g., the Middle East, Africa). Examples include religious and ethnic differences, political and/or territorial conflicts.

• Celebrate diversity by hosting a classroom World Culture Fair. Students can work in

pairs or teams to research, create, and share with one another traditional crafts, foods, music, folktales, dances, etc. from their simulated birth countries.

• Research a simulated birth country in order to create a profile in the form of oral

and/or written presentations, maps, illustrations, board games, murals, travel brochures, or any other creative method students choose. Then have students work together to create a class “trivia” book, containing fascinating facts about each country they’ve researched.

• Many of the developing countries in REAL LIVES have events revolving around

common illness and disease. Have students conduct further research (in the library and on the Internet) and report to the class about these diseases, how they are contracted, and how or if they can be treated/cured.

• Students can create a PSA (public service announcement) to be performed

theatrically for the class on any number of subjects related to a birth country. For example, a PSA might focus on a country’s inequality of income, lack of safe water in rural areas, or steady improvements in adult literacy.

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• Use Venn diagrams (see Comparing Lives activity) as a pre-writing tool, having students pull information from the diagram to write a fictional news report about the family, in the role of a journalist.

• Ask students to consider whether or not science and new technologies could

improve living and working conditions in their birth countries. How? Why or why not? • Have students gather data on their simulated birth country’s imports and exports.

Then have the class chart and analyze patterns of trade among the United States and other countries. In addition, students might research common transportation methods in each country to learn how economic activities are helped or hurt by these methods.

• Analyze the role of climate, natural disasters, and human activities (e.g., urban

development, clear-cutting of forest land) in shaping regions of the world. • There are many opportunities to blend math skills using statistical data shown in

each REAL LIVES simulation. For example, students can: a) Create broken-line graphs to show how quantities (e.g., income vs. nation,

income vs. world) change over time. b) Create a spreadsheet showing rates of exchange for the U.S. dollar with other

countries’ currencies. Students can find the name of each country’s currency in the Household Data chart, Net Worth. They can find currency exchange rates in the business section of local newspapers and on the Internet. Have them convert foreign currencies into US dollars and vice-versa, rounding the currency amounts to the nearest hundredth.

c) Chart and analyze a country’s demographics (e.g., birthrates, infant mortality). d) Find the mean, median and mode of all rankings in the Personal Data column,

using items with the 1-7 rating scale. e) Keep an ongoing chart showing the simulated family’s monthly income, monthly

expenses, and net worth over a simulated “lifetime.” Find the averages. Graph the data. Then, have students track and compare the same data for their own real-world lives. (Remind them to include income from after-school jobs and weekly allowances.)

• Construct timelines to establish the chronology of important events in each

simulated life. • Create cultural maps (showing patterns of ethnic groups, languages, religions, etc.). • Make topographical maps featuring each country’s major biomes (i.e., mountain,

tundra, forest, etc.). • Students can summarize events in their REAL LIVES simulations and write articles

about them to be posted on the school’s website or newspaper. (In addition, they can write about their experiences playing the simulation.)

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• Have students identify any human rights violations in their simulated birth country to determine the personal, political, economic, and social ramifications of those violations. Then, have them read the text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html) to identify the specific human right(s) that have been violated.

• Create a timeline of each country’s major historical events (see History and

Factbook Links). Compile all information onto one collaborative world timeline, to be posted around the walls of the classroom.

(Optional) NOTE TO TEACHERS: What lessons have YOU created around REAL LIVES that you‘d like to share with other teachers? Submit original lessons to : (Ed. Simulations street address or website)