Objectives

At the end of this activity, students should be better able to (select as many as apply):

take risks

look for opportunities


Activity

Divide the class into groups of 5 to 6.

Give each group a pool of 1000 points each. Tell the groups they haven’t earned these points yet and any points they do NOT earn from the pool will be taken away from them at the end of the activity. The groups will be asked *10 questions about the content being taught to earn the points from their pool. (There can be more than 10 questions, but not less.)

Give each group a bank account of 0 points. They have to move points from their pool to their bank account.

Now ask the first question.

Groups have to bid (in multiples of 5, up to the maximum amount in their pool) to be the one to answer the question.

Once a highest bidder has been determined, BEFORE they answer the question, deduct that amount from that group’s pool.

If the group gets the answer correct, the amount bid is added to their bank account AND 50 points are added to their pool.

If the group gets the answer wrong, they have lost money from their pool but gained nothing.

Keep going until all questions are asked.

Whatever points are left in the groups’ pools are removed.

The group with the most points in their bank account wins.


Time Needed for Activity

30 MINUTES


Additional Resources

None


Rationale

Having to auction to answer questions gives the students practice in taking risks. They risk losing points from their pool if they get the answer wrong so they have to make calculated decisions. How sure are they of the answer? Is the payoff worth the possible loss?

Deciding how much to bid and which questions to bid on encourages students to look for opportunities. Sometimes biding their time until they know an answer for sure is the way to go. But how long can they wait before they are completely out of the running?

Activity


Divide the class into groups of 5 to 6.

Give each group a pool of 1000 points each. Tell the groups they haven’t earned these points yet and any points they do NOT earn from the pool will be taken away from them at the end of the activity. The groups will be asked *10 questions about the content being taught to earn the points from their pool. (There can be more than 10 questions, but not less.)

Give each group a bank account of 0 points. They have to move points from their pool to their bank account.

Now ask the first question.

Groups have to bid (in multiples of 5, up to the maximum amount in their pool) to be the one to answer the question.

Once a highest bidder has been determined, BEFORE they answer the question, deduct that amount from that group’s pool.

If the group gets the answer correct, the amount bid is added to their bank account AND 50 points are added to their pool.

If the group gets the answer wrong, they have lost money from their pool but gained nothing.

Keep going until all questions are asked.

Whatever points are left in the groups’ pools are removed.

The group with the most points in their bank account wins.

Additional Resources


None

Rationale

Having to auction to answer questions gives the students practice in taking risks. They risk losing points from their pool if they get the answer wrong so they have to make calculated decisions. How sure are they of the answer? Is the payoff worth the possible loss?

Deciding how much to bid and which questions to bid on encourages students to look for opportunities. Sometimes biding their time until they know an answer for sure is the way to go. But how long can they wait before they are completely out of the running?

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