Last week, both Upper Elementary classrooms declared that the World Peace Game officially won. Each classroom proudly reached a peaceful conclusion.
World Peace Game Makes Front Page News
To see photos and read about the exciting conclusion of the games from our friends at the Scituate Mariner, click here.
Watch the exciting last few moments of the Upper Elementary UE2 game on Instagram.
Student Reflections
Inly upper elementary students in UE2 were asked to reflect on their experience playing the World Peace Games this week. The game concluded last Thursday. Below are a few of their observations.
What was the “point” or “purpose” of playing this game for you?
- “I learned about the world and know more about myself.”—Chloe C., Grade 4, Prime Minister of P.C.O.S.
- “[The World Peace Game] showed me that solving world peace is hard and playing the role of a professional job is also hard.”—Wesley F., Grade 5, Chief Financial Officer of the United Nations
- “The purpose of this game for me was to understand that world peace is not easy in real life, and it takes communication to do it.”—Cameron M., Grade 6, Assistant International Arms Dealer
- “The purpose of the game for me was learning that not everyone thinks the same and that the real world is not very easy.”—Isabel P., Grade 5, Secretary of State of P.C.O.S.
- “The purpose of the game for me was making PEACE and learning to agree and make decisions together.”—Emma C., Grade 5, Weather Goddess
- “Well, to me, playing the World Peace Game was about learning diplomacy, delegacy, and learning about real world problems. Also, my dream is to become the Secretary General of the real UN and this brought me a little closer to achieving that goal.”—Will M., Grade 6, Secretary General of the United Nations
- “The purposes of playing the game for me were: Teamwork, Solving world peace, Future plans, Good time and friendships.”—Ava K., Grade 4, Chief Financial Officer of United Islands
Can there be peace without violence? Please explain your reasons for answering as you do.
- “No. When there is violence, people die. In violence, no one likes each other. The definition of peace is: ‘The absence of war and violence.’”—Isabel P., Grade 5, Secretary of State of P.C.O.S.
Describe in detail how your thinking changed during the game from the first impressions through the end of the game. Please explain what caused your thinking to change in key moments.
- “Well I thought if someone got me out in a game they didn’t like me. So when I started, I was going to be the nicest company leader ever. But then stuff happened and I couldn’t be like that. I decided I had to be aggressive and sometimes bossy (even though people don’t like it) and take the welcome sign off my back.”—Nora K., Grade 6, President of the International Arms Dealers
- “At first I thought ‘Oh, this will be easy. Everyone will want peace.’ But NO. Some people wanted violence when some people wanted peace. Now I think, ‘Life is not easy.’ And I also think, ‘I want to do it again.’”—Lilja M., Grade 4, Undersecretary of the United Nations
- “In the beginning of the game, I thought that the easiest way to get something was to claim it before the other teams got to it. But towards the end of the game, I realized that you should always make a treaty, or research about who really owns it, not just do what you think.”—Henry S., Grade 4, Prime Minister of Krellic
- “I think this game showed me that you have to be creative.”—Peter H., Grade 4, Secretary of State of Krellic
- “In the beginning, all I wanted was to have more nukes than everyone. Towards the end of the game, I was desperate to keep up with CFO stuff and the money.”—Jayden L., Grade 5, Prime Minister and Chief Financial Officer of Troopers
- “At the beginning, I thought people could just wait and let the professionals do it. But in the end, I learned anyone can stand up.”—Isabel P., Grade 5, Secretary of State of P.C.O.S.
- “When I first started, I thought it would all be sunshine and rainbows, but when the saboteur became more of a threat, my thinking changed, and so did I. I decided to use what the real UN uses, delegacy and knowledge.”—Will M., Grade 6, Secretary General of the United Nations
- “When I started out, I was confident. ‘Yeah, I can do this,’ I thought, ‘Take care of the money.’ We had $540 billion and then the money dropped. I lost confidence. But as the game went on we gained and lost. ‘Nothing is perfect,’ I thought. Some teams helped and, I thought, ‘We are all in this together.’ We won with a total of $625 billion.”—Ava K., Grade 4, Chief Financial Officer of the United Islands
Is there a best way to solve problems between opposing groups of people?
- “Strategic planning is necessary. You need money, time and brain strength. You need to be alert and full attention.”—Catherine B., Grade 4, Prime Minster of United Islands
- “COMPROMISE.”—Jayden L., Grade 5, Prime Minister and Chief Financial Officer of Troopers