Submitted by: Scott P, Sichuan College of Education (Chengdu)
Materials: See “Printing and Material Preparation” – Download these materials
Class Size: 20 – 80 students
Ideal Tiime Period: 90 minutes

Lesson Overview and Goals:

Baldicer is a simulation activity where students assume the role of the leader of a country in an informal “United Nations”. It is student-centered in that the activity allows students to learn from their own experience. The goal of the activity is to have students work together to reflect on the issue of World Hunger. The simulation allows for students to interact with each other (if they don’t their country will starve!). The simulation, of course, helps the class reflect on global issues; but Baldicer is a fantastic way to get students to practice their English with urgency in the role of an advocate.

Baldicer: A Simulation about World Hunger

Name____________________

Baldicer is a simulation activity dealing with world food production, food distribution, and food consumption.

In Baldicer, you are the president of a country and are responsible for feeding all of your people. All other players have the same responsibility for feeding the people in their country. Your goal is to feed your people over the course of seven years by acquiring as many baldicers as possible.

A Baldicer (Balanced Diet Certificate) is earned during the work period. Baldicers multiply in value (x 5) with the help of a FOOD MACHINE or with the help of a SUPER FOOD MACHINE (x 50). If you have more than one baldicer at the end of each year, your country has enough to eat. If not, your people will die of starvation.

A Food Machine costs 50 Baldicers and Super Food Machine cost 400 Baldicers. They may be purchased from the Game Director at designated times each year. The Director will sell you the machine as a colored slip of paper to multiply your food production in the work period.

The name of your country is __________________________________

As you begin the simulation, you have ______baldicers. You do not have to share this information with other players. Now, enter this amount on line 10 of the Tally Sheet.

Periods

Baldicer is played in rounds that represent years of time. Each year has specific periods to follow.

1. Work Period. Use a piece of paper to earn baldicers for your people. When the work period begins, you will have one minute to write the phrase “Dig, Sweat, Push, Pull” as many times as possible. You must have commas between the words. For every time the phrase is written, you will receive one baldicer. You will then enter the amount on Line 1 of the Tally Sheet.

2. Natural/Social Forces Period. You will be asked to draw and read a card to the class about something that affects your country that year. Then enter the amount on Line 6.

3. Tally Period. Complete your Tally Sheet through Line 13 using the information given on the board. If you need help, ask the Game Director.

4. Planning Period. During each year, you will have between 5 – 10 minutes to complete any negotiations you wish to make with other countries. Use Line 14 to record any baldicers lent or received by other countries. All deals must be recorded on the Tally Sheet. You can also purchase food machines during this time. Remember that you MUST have a total of 0 or above in order to keep your people fed.

Additional Rules

1. If a player has purchased a Food Machine or Super Food Machine, it is a capital investment and may be kept throughout the game without further cost.

2. If you share your work with another student, you must average your production in the Work Period (ex. if you earn 7 Baldicers, and your partner earns 3, that would equal 10. Divide in half and enter “5).

3. Players must have 0 or more Baldicers after purchases are made in order to continue as the leader of the country. They may employ other leaders to work their Food Machine during the Work Period. Payment for such service must be determined by agreement between the two players. Records must be kept by whatever means the players devise. Each player must keep his own Tally Sheet throughout the game. Deals must be made in such a way that a player has enough Baldicers to continue.

4. If your total at the end of a year is below zero, you and your people have starved to death.

5. Leaders of “starved countries” become the World Conscience and attempt to communicate the horror of their fate. Any technique they use to dramatize their plight is acceptable as long as it doesn’t interfere with the activity. You have to make posters to warn other countries not to starve!

6. Inflation occurs at the rate of 2% per Food Machine and 10% per Super Food Machine. Everyone is affected by inflation.

7. An international lending institution or changes to the rules can only be created with the agreement of all countries. Any proposals must be submitted to the Game Director.

A. Printing and Material Preparation.

1. Copy of “Baldicer Tally Sheet” for each country or student. They can use the back for the Work Period.

2. Copy of “Baldicer Rules” for each country/student. Write the names of each individual country and write the number of starting Baldicers on each Rule Sheet. See below for the country list. Only one country starts with “50” Baldicers. It should obviously be an industrialized country. Two other industrialized countries start with 30 Baldicers. The remaining countries, all chosen from the United Nations list of the “50 Poorest Countries in the World, 2004”, should be given 5 Baldicers to start.

Industrialized Countries: Norway, Iceland, Australia, Canada, Sweden, England, Germany, France(include any 3; China, the United States, and Japan have been purposely left off. You might not want to use them because of potential political issues that might arise or the students playing the role of these countries might be put in a very difficult position socially; or, you might include Japan, the U.S., and China, certainly for realism! Discretion of your own class and situation is the key here).

Underdeveloped Countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde,Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iraq, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, East Timor, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Tanzania, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia

3. One copy of National/Social Forces Cards or as many cards as there are countries. These should be cut into smaller cards. You could also write each factor on a deck of playing cards for distribution. You need at least card per country. Copy Food Machines as well.

4. Copy “Facts About World Hunger” for each country. Or just keep this for your own reference. You might also change the statistics into a True/False quiz to be used before or after the simulation as part of student reflection.

5. Optional: Flags and statistics about the country (ex. www.flags.com, go to United Nations Millennium website at www.undp.org for hunger and poverty statistics per country).

B. Introduce the Simulation:

1. Ask the students what they had for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. How does it feel to be hungry?
2. Are there countries in the world where people don’t have enough to eat? Where? Is this true in China or the United States do you think?
3. Can world hunger be ended? Why or why not?
4. Optional: use the Hunger Facts as a True/False quiz.
5. Tell the class they will have a simulation activity that explores the issue of World Hunger and how to end it.
6. Ask a student to pass out the Tally Sheet to each country. You can have the students work in pairs in a large class, or have them work as independent countries.
7. Pass out the Baldicer Rules sheets.
8. Read with students the Baldicer Rules. Check for understanding. If they don’t understand how the activity works, assure them that many American students don’t understand until the activity begins. So, it will become clear.
9. Tell the students to turn over their Tally Sheet. Tell them that when you say to begin, you will give them one minute to earn food for their people by writing, “Dig, Sweat, Push, Pull” as many times as they can. They will earn one Baldicer each time they write the “Dig, Sweat, Push, Pull” phrase, WITH COMMAS. If they work in pairs, they have to average the amount they write. You can tell them to begin. Walk around the room to monitor things. Stop them between one minute and 1:15. You can adjust this to a shorter time later in the game if you’d like.
10. Tell the class to stop. Walk them through the Tally Sheet. National News Period (National/Social Forces). Pass out a card to each country. Have each country stand and read their card to the class! Tell them to use emotions in describing if the event was good or bad. In the event of a disaster, be sure and be heard so countries can come to your aid! Learning new vocabulary might arise here from words on the card.
11. After figuring their Tally Sheets through the “Cost of Living” section, ask them if anyone is starving. Plug the Food Machines! See if anyone will want to buy one! Note that they can share them. Pronunciation: Can you say “starvation”? Hopefully not!
12. Give the class 5 minutes (first round) and a few more minutes in later rounds, to make negotiations. They should be encouraged to get up and talk to other countries. They may borrow or lend Baldicers during this period.
13. Start a new Work Period and repeat the process. Keep the activity going until you have 10- 15 minutes left, so you can lead the class in a reflection. If anyone’s people starve, they are to make posters on paper and walk around the room to be the “World Conscience”.

C. Reflection Questions.
Lead the class in a discussion in groups of four or as a large class.

Some Experiential and Application Questions.

1. How did things go for your country?
2. How hard did you work? Did your work help or hinder your people?
3. Did you form any coalitions with other countries? Did these help or hinder your people’s survival?
4. What countries were helpful? Which ones were not? Why?
5. If you were to play the simulation again, what would you do differently?
6. How important is a food machine in the activity?
7. How is Baldicer like the reality of solving World Hunger today?
8. How important is technology (Food Machines) in ending hunger?
9. What kept people from sharing in Baldicer? What keeps countries from sharing today?
10. For teachers: how might you use this activity in a middle school context? (with Math and English classes together)