Game Maker · Lesson 1
Lesson 1: Lotería Toss
Students explore how data is created through play in a Lotería-inspired tossing game that combines identity, culture, movement, and chance.
Overview
Students explore how data is created through play by participating in an active Lotería-inspired tossing game that combines identity, culture, movement, and chance. Students create personalized word-and-image cards, generate real class data through gameplay, and reflect on how game design choices influence patterns and outcomes. Throughout the lesson, students practice the Data Habit of Mind of Understanding Context by considering how the rules, materials, players, environment, and purpose of a game help explain the data that is generated.
Student Objectives
I can…
- ✓ I can generate and collect data through gameplay.
- ✓ I can notice patterns, clusters, and repetition in data.
- ✓ I can reflect on how design choices influence data results.
- ✓ I can use context to explain why patterns and results appear in data.
At a Glance
Total: about 45 minutes| Section | Time | Slides | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch — connect to SEL and Data Habits of Mind | 4 min | 3–6 | Introduce the lesson and begin with an SEL check-in — "Which game represents how you are entering this space?" Describe the lesson flow and review classroom agreements. |
| Engage — connect to games and data | 3 min | 7–10 | Invite students to think about their favorite analog game. Share the lesson's driving question — "How does play create data, and how do game design choices shape the results?" Introduce the Data Habit of Mind: understanding context, and connect how rules, materials, and the purpose of a game influence the data it generates. |
| Context — connect to culture and identity | 5 min | 11–13 | Introduce traditional and modern versions of Lotería. Invite students to discuss words and images that stand out and how games can reflect culture and identity. |
| Create — make a class Lotería deck | 12 min | 14–18 | Introduce a new game variation (Lotería Toss). Students create their Custom Word Card (left side) using a meaningful noun and an image, then choose numbers (from 1 to the number of students in class) to make their Lotería Grid (right side). |
| Prepare — set up to play Lotería Toss | 4 min | 19–21 | Set up the game board using the students' Lotería Cards, leaving room for students to gather around. Show how to collect data and track the frequency of numbers using the Lotería Number Data Tracker (digital or physical poster). Invite students to share their chosen words and images. |
| Collect data — play Lotería Toss and chart frequency | 10 min | 22 | Have students take turns tossing an object (such as a bean bag) onto the class Lotería game board, recording the frequency and marking off numbers on their own Lotería Grids. |
| Reflect — connect game design and data, identify Data Habits of Mind | 5 min | 23–24 | Students reflect on patterns in the data, possible causes, fairness, and how changing game design elements could create different outcomes. Discuss how understanding context showed up in the lesson. |
| Close — check on emotions | 2 min | 25 | Have students check on their emotions and identify how they feel at the end of the lesson. |
Materials & Prep
- Student Handout — Custom Lotería Cards and My Lotería Grid · 1 per studentPrint single-sided, then cut in half. The number of pages should equal the number of students in your class. Blank Lotería cards are included at the end — duplicate as many as needed and write in numbers up to the number of students.
- Lotería Inspiration Images (optional) · 1–2 sheets per groupProvide pre-printed images if creating their own is a barrier for students.
Gather
- Objects to tossFor example, bean bags, masking tape rings, or small paper plates (3–6 total for the class).
- Markers, colored pencils, or crayons
- Sentence starters and visual vocabulary cards (optional)
- Examples of Lotería images (optional)
Digital
- Internet access and a computer with projectorNeeded to show the slides.
Before You Teach
- ☐Decide how materials will be distributed (stations or packets).
- ☐Confirm the number of Lotería Cards matches the exact number of students in your class. Remove extra printed cards if there are too many.
- ☐Set up the classroom space for the Lotería Toss game.
- ☐Locate an open space (approximately 5 x 7 feet for the game grid, plus room for students to gather around).
- ☐Display the Lotería Number Data Tracker (digital poster) or make a similar physical poster marked with numbers from 1 to the number of students in your class.
Open slide deck to project launches the fullscreen slideshow in a new tab. Open with speaker notes opens the deck in Google Slides with the speaker-notes pane below each slide — read these to prep, or open presenter view while projecting. The preview above is just a quick look.