Gnome Your Media Board Game: Home

6-8

Missouri School Library Standards

6-8: Media Literacy: Explain reasonable interactions with media.

AASL National Standards

INQUIRE - Build new knowledge by inquiring, thinking critically, identifying problems, and developing strategies for solving problems.

45 minutes

This lesson was created by Katie Berger, Discovery Middle School, Liberty 53 School District. 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Gnome Your Media is an engaging educational board game designed for students to explore the world of digital safety and screen time management. Players navigate the game while learning about scenarios that teach them about online privacy, social media usage, and the importance of balancing screen time with offline activities. The game promotes critical thinking and teamwork, ensuring that learning about digital responsibility is both enjoyable and impactful! After playing the game, students are given a gnome to color to take home to help them 'guard' their digital media usage.

• Printed versions of the board game  (1 per small group)
• Game cards with digital literacy scenarios/questions
• Game pieces (buttons, tokens, small figures, etc.)
• Dice or spinner (if needed for movement)
• Gnome coloring sheets for students to take home

Students will learn key concepts of online safety, including privacy settings, recognizing fake information, balancing screen usage and identifying potential online dangers.

Warm Up:

• Ask students: “How much time do you think you spend on screens each day?”
• Follow up: “What are some ways media can be helpful or harmful?”
• Explain that today, students will be playing a game to explore digital safety and screen time balance while making decisions about real-life online situations.

Game Introduction & Setup:

• Review Key Concepts Before Playing:
  • Online privacy & security settings
  • Recognizing fake news & misinformation
  • Cyberbullying & digital footprint
  • Balancing screen time with real-world activities
• Game Directions:
  1. Students divide into small groups (3-5 players per game board).
  2. Each student chooses a game piece/token.
  3. The first player draws a card, reads it aloud, and follows the scenario’s instructions (move forward, answer a question, lose a turn, etc.).
  4. Play continues until one student reaches the end first.
  5. The teacher observes and helps clarify any misconceptions.

Playing the Game:

• Students navigate real-life digital dilemmas while engaging in gameplay.
• Encourage students to discuss their choices and reflect on different digital safety strategies.
• Walk around and listen to student conversations to assess understanding.

Closure:

• Whole-Class Discussion:
  • “What was the most important lesson you learned from the game?”
  • “Did any of the scenarios surprise you? Why?”
  • “What is one digital habit you can improve?”
• Gnome Coloring Activity:
  • Hand out "Digital Guard Gnome" coloring sheets.
  • Explain that students can take their gnome home as a reminder to practice responsible screen time and digital habits.

Informal Assessment:

• Observation: Monitor how students engage with the game and discuss digital literacy topics.
• Discussion Responses: Listen for thoughtful reflections during the post-game discussion.
• Student Takeaways: Evaluate how well students connect gameplay lessons to real-life online interactions.

For Struggling Learners / English Learners:

• Pair with a buddy to read game cards aloud together.
• Use visual cue cards for key digital safety concepts.

For Advanced Learners:

• Have students create their own game cards with additional real-life digital dilemmas.
• Challenge them to research a digital safety tip and present it to the class.

For Students Needing Engagement Support:

• Let students customize their game tokens (use small printed icons of emojis, apps, or avatars).
• Offer real-world rewards (e.g., "Screen Time Challenge" where they track their screen usage for a day).