Have you ever tried using science games and simulations in your classroom? Several of our science standards make it difficult to provide real-life experiences for students. However, games and simulations can give them a new view and insight into these phenomena – sometimes, even more than they would get from a regular lab! Students gain a new understanding of science content when they experience it in a new context. Continue reading to find our more about science games and simulations!
What are the benefits of games and simulations in science?
Simulations let you show complex concepts—atomic bonding, energy transformations, genetic mutations—that are hard to demonstrate in class. They save teachers time too: instead of organizing physical models for every student, all you need is a tablet or laptop. For students, games rely on modeling and build critical thinking, and they often spark those 'lightbulb' moments.
Atomic bonding, energy transformations, genetic mutations, energy flow in an ecosystem – many of our science standards are difficult to demonstrate in a class setting. We can use digital simulations to show students complex concepts that are otherwise unable to be seen in class or effectively demonstrated.
Using science games and simulations in our classroom has another valuable benefit for us teachers – saving time! Traditionally, teachers would use a physical model to teach students about protons, neutrons, and electrons. You would need to obtain all the pieces, organize them for each student, and manage the class while using them. With a digital simulation, all you need is a tablet or laptop!
Games are also a great way to model complex scientific phenomena. They usually rely on modeling (a key skill students need to practice). These games give students a new and abstract way to view science phenomena.
These strategies are great for building critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students. Whenever I use an online simulation, I purposefully give my class five minutes to explore the simulation at the beginning. They will discover many of the concepts themselves and remember them more clearly than with direct instruction.
Lastly, days in which I use a simulation or game to teach a concept are very rewarding for me. I see the “lightbulb” come on for my students in new ways using these strategies. Being able to see how protons change the type of atom makes new connections for students. Furthermore, they really enjoy exploring these types of activities. It lets students inquiry skills to discover concepts for themselves.
How do you integrate games and simulations into your curriculum?
Use games and simulations for real inquiry, critical thinking, or problem-solving—not just fun. Make sure the simulation aligns with your standards and the content you're covering, and that students are actually thinking about what they see. A simulation without genuine thinking is entertainment, not a learning opportunity.
Luckily, there are numerous resources available to teachers for using games and simulations in class. However, it is important to remember the reason they should be used: for allowing students to have real inquiry experiences, critical thinking practice, or problem-solving opportunities.
Be sure the simulation is aligning with your standards and the content you are covering in class. A simulation can be fun for students but lacks a true learning opportunity if they are not thinking about what they are seeing.
When should you introduce a game or simulation in a lesson?
Timing is key. Introduce a simulation too early and students lack the background to understand it; too late and they miss the chance to make connections themselves. Use backward design—start from the learning outcome, then sequence concepts. Aim for the Goldilocks zone: not too simple, not too difficult.
To that end, think about when to introduce a game or simulation in your lesson plan. If you introduce it too early, students make lack the background knowledge to fully understand it. If you introduce it too late, they will lose the opportunity to make connections for themselves. However, they can still be used to reinforce content or for review.
Sequencing your lesson plan is key. I’m a fan of backward design. This is where you start planning by thinking about the learning outcome you want to achieve. Then, you plan out a logical order for introducing concepts to students. I find one of the most difficult parts of lesson planning is finding the optimal time to introduce an inquiry activity. I try to use the Goldilocks story as a guide for when to introduce a simulation or game – it shouldn’t be too simple or too difficult.
How flexible are science games and simulations?
Many can be adapted to teach several different concepts. One carbon-atom roleplaying game, for example, can teach food chains and webs, producers and consumers, decomposers, or photosynthesis and respiration—just by adding conceptual layers as the unit progresses. Always have students reflect afterward so they can explain the key concepts and prove they've hit the objective.
While some educational science games and simulations are designed for a specific purpose, they can be adapted to teach many different concepts. For example, I use a game in which students begin at a station that represents an organism in an ecosystem (like a bird). Students take on the role of an atom in the bird. They roll a 6-sided die to determine what happens to the bird. It could be eaten by an owl, breathe out as carbon dioxide, or die and be broken down by a fungus. Then, they move to the next station as they follow the path of their carbon atom.
This roleplaying game could be used to teach food chains and webs in this form. It could also be used to teach producers, carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, and decomposers. It could be used to teach photosynthesis and respiration. I may even use the same roleplaying game throughout a unit as I teach each of those new conceptual layers.
I would also like to bring up a critical point. It is important to have students reflect on inquiry activities after they finish them. Students need to be able to explain key concepts afterward to prove they have moved toward the learning objective. You could use a writing strategy like making a newspaper article, making a comic where they illustrate the concept, or simply summarizing key takeaways from the simulation or game.
What are the best online simulations for middle school science?
PhET, from the University of Colorado Boulder, is a go-to source of free simulations across physics, chemistry, biology, and math. Favorites include Build an Atom for subatomic particles, Energy Forms and Changes, Balancing Chemical Equations, and Natural Selection for genetics and inherited versus environmental traits.
One of my go-to sources of digital simulations for numerous middle school science topics is PhET through the University of Colorado Boulder. They have several impressive simulations across physics, chemistry, biology, and math that can be used in many ways. Here are several I regularly use (but you should explore them all and see what fits in your curriculum):
- Build an Atom: In this activity, students build an atom out of the three subatomic particles. They see the effect each particle has on the atom.
- Energy Forms and Changes: Students mix-and-match devices that produce electrical, heat, and solar energy with those that use and change them.
- Balancing Chemical Equations: This simulation has helped my students conceptualize balancing chemical equations more than nearly any other activity. Students physically add molecules to one side of a balance and then to the other. It lets them see what is actually happening when they balance equations. It also includes a game with numerous practice examples.
- Natural Selection: This is a fun one also. Students choose a trait in rabbits, track the number of rabbits produced with specific traits, and then introduce environmental factors. It’s a great way to teach genetics, natural selection, and inherited vs environmental factors.
How can roleplaying games teach Earth's cycles?
Roleplaying station activities let students embody a process they can't easily observe. Following a water drop through the water cycle, moving through sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks in the rock cycle, or tracking a carbon atom through an ecosystem all make abstract cycles concrete—and show there's no true beginning or end to a cycle.
One of my favorite types of roleplaying science games and simulations to use in middle school science is a station activity to teach Earth’s cycles. They discover several concepts key to understanding cycles. For example, they see there is no beginning and no end to a cycle.
Water Cycle: Students follow a water drop as it moves from surface water, groundwater, clouds, water vapor, and precipitation. They also determine the processes and energy involved in moving their water droplet there.
Rock Cycle: Give your students the opportunity to imagine this process we cannot easily observe by moving through sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. They will also explore the processes that change rocks.
Carbon Cycle: Have you ever tried to ask your students to imagine how energy and atoms move through an ecosystem? This abstract concept is difficult for students to imagine. This roleplaying game allows them to move to different stations as their carbon atom is eaten by predators, exhaled as carbon dioxide, or broken down by decomposers.
How do digital escape rooms work for science review?
Digital escape rooms are a favorite way to review content. All you need are internet-connected devices and your own Google Drive account—students just need the link. They search a picture for hidden clues, and each correct answer gives a letter to the escape password. They're great for collaboration and completely no-prep.
This is one of my favorite ways to review content material. All you need to use these activities are devices that can access the internet and your own Google Drive account. Students don’t need their own account – just access to the link. It can be assigned through Teams, Google Classroom, a QR code, or just a clickable link!
In this activity, your students will search for clues hidden in a picture by clicking. Each clue links to a content-related question. Then, each correct answer gives them a letter to the password that let them “escape” and win the game.
These activities are great not only for content review but also collaboration. I let my students work together to answer questions. It allows students to bring their own talents to the team to accomplish a goal.
Best of all, they are no-prep saving you time! No cutting out clues or setting up real locks.
In my TeachersPayTeachers store, I sell digital escape rooms for nearly every middle school science standard. Some of my most popular are shown below:
- Natural Selection Digital Escape Room
- States of Matter Digital Escape Room
- Parts of a Cell and Organelles Digital Escape Room
- Ecosystem Changes Digital Escape Room
What review games work well for content review?
Beyond escape rooms, a few review styles shine. A game show lets students self-check by clicking answers—great as a study tool. Science mazes have students color the correct-answer path to the end. Bingo matches read definitions to terms on a gameboard, supporting students who need it while reviewing vocabulary.
Some other styles of games are great for content review.
Game Show: Who doesn’t like being the host of a game show? This game can be played individually or as a group. Students will click on the answer and it will tell them if they are correct or incorrect. Best of all, it is self-checking and can be a great study tool!
Science Mazes: These are similar to the Game Show style review activity but with a twist. Students begin at the start of the maze. Then, they read the question and choose the path with the correct answer. As they progress through the maze, they color in their path. They will go through all the questions to get to the end of the path. Checking their progress is easy – just look for the colored path they have taken and check it against the answer key.
Bingo: A classic with a twist – I read the definition of a term and students must match it on their gameboard. This is a great way to review vocabulary. It provides support to students who need it because they can search the gameboard for vocabulary words and pick the best one. I usually give a piece of candy to the winner each round.
Here are some sets of these games also in my store. I’ve included a digital, printable, and editable version of each game so you can customize it if necessary!
I think there is untapped potential in utilizing games and simulations for middle school science. Students love participating in games. They love exploring and discovering the content in simulations. They provide a powerful opportunity for collaboration and student-led learning.
The challenge we face as teachers is identifying the best time and method to use them. We need to be thoughtful about introducing them at the right time to maximize learning. However, I think we can bring another dimension to learning through these activities.