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Would You Survive? Printable history games for the classroom

Your class runs a family in the past. Each round brings a real situation and three choices. Students choose, roll to see what happens, keep score of their family's grain and health, then find out what really happened.

Drawn scenes, real history, no slides or devices needed.

An ancient Egyptian farming family on the bank of the rising Nile, with the Great Pyramid being built in the distance

How a round plays

1Read and choose

A drawn scene and a short story set the problem. Students pick A, B or C and write it down in pen.

Round 1 story page
2Roll and score

Roll a die or spin the paper clip. The table shows what each choice gains or loses for each roll.

Round 1 roll page
3Track the family

Grain and health go on one two-sided student sheet, with a question for every round.

Family tracker

The games

Would You Survive? Ancient Egypt cover

Ancient Egypt · Grades 4–7 · 17 pages

Would You Survive? Ancient Egypt

A farming family near Giza in 2560 BC, while King Khufu’s Great Pyramid is being built. Six rounds through one farming year:

  1. The river is rising
  2. The king calls for pyramid workers
  3. What will you plant?
  4. Fever at harvest
  5. The scribe counts your harvest
  6. Market day
  • Colour edition to project and black-and-white edition to print
  • Teacher guide with three ways to run it, talking points, sample answers and standards
  • What really happened after every round, checked against the archaeology
Get the game for $7
Teaching the whole unit? Get the game with the Ancient Egypt Teaching Pack (lesson slides, readings, maps and activities) for $12 instead of $14.
Get both for $12

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Questions

How long does a game take?

One lesson of 45 to 60 minutes, about 8 minutes a round, or two shorter lessons of three rounds each.

Do I need dice?

No. Every roll page has a spinner you use with a paper clip and a pencil. A die per group works too.

How much do I have to print?

Project the colour round pages and print one two-sided student sheet per student. Or print a set of round pages per group for stations, or the black-and-white edition for each student.

Is there a right answer?

No. In every round each choice is the best pick for some rolls, counting grain and health, so students weigh risks. We played all 729 ways through the game to check it is fair.

What grades is it for?

Grades 4 to 7. It pairs with the Ancient Egypt teaching pack (grades 5 to 7), and works on its own.