Lesmateriaal secundair: Nexus Island

2025-07-24T15:33:18+02:00

Teaching materials: Nexus Island 🦠

Exoplaneten STEM module A game-based teaching recourse on the exploration of ecosystems

The “Nexus Island” teaching resource, inspired by an EMBL-led scientific expedition entitled “TRaversing European Coastlines (TREC)“, invites students to re-evaluate their perception of the environment we live in by focusing on the interaction between living organisms, non-living environmental factors and humans, and their dependencies and adaptation strategies. The game-based approach draws special attention to our ecosystems’ biodiversity, specifically on the microscopic level, and to the extent to which microorganisms are vulnerable to the dynamics of a changing environment. Moreover, the role that research plays in providing data -the basis for any further discussions and actions, is highlighted in relation to analysing each element and organism in the environment.

✔️ Niveau: 14-16 years

✔️ Topics: Biology, STEM, natural sciences

✔️ Partners: EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory)

✔️ Version: 27 june 2024

✔️ Languages: Teacher manual in English, Playing cards also in Dutch

Contents of the bundle 📖

  • Duration: 45/55 minutes
  •  Number of participants: Between 8 and 24, divided in 4 teams
  • Minimum space: 5×5 metres of open space (no chairs, tables, etc.)
  • Materials: walkable map (a carpet), deck of cards
  • Overview: Everybody taking part in the workshop is a “citizen” living on Nexus Island. The island is portrayed on a walkable 4 x 4 metres map. The different parts of the workshop are linked together by a story that spans 3 days:
    • Day 1: the citizens discover the microorganisms living on the island.
    • Day 2: the island is suddenly affected by an extreme event, and the citizens have to understand what happened during this event, and assess the implications for the island’s organisms.
    • Day 3: the citizens recommend actions to the island’s government to remedy the situation.

  •  The workshop is divided into 5 parts:
    • Introduction (Intro)
    • First day of the story
    • Second day of the story
    • Third day of the story
    • Conclusion

Here the pedagogical and didactic approach is fully set out in tables.

What does TREC and the workshop have in common?

How does the location for the game look? Would you like to play in this particular location? Is it welcoming? Is there anything you can do to improve it?

  • Getting to know each other
  • Introducing the game

The game will be different every time it is played. Different participants, different facilitators, different locations, and so on. What matters is that the participants AND you have a very good time. What matters is that everyone has a positive experience. Why? Because we want to have a positive impact on the participants’ perceptions of science & scientists. It is unlikely that participants will remember the scientific content of the game, even just after a couple of hours. But they will remember the feeling of playing the game, and possibly associate that feeling with science. So have fun, talk with them, and let the game take its own shape

  • Farming quadrant
  • Natural Quadrant
  • City Quadrant
  • Industry and estuary quadrant

  • Farming quadrant
  • Natural Quadrant
  • City Quadrant
  • Industry and estuary quadrant

Downloads 👩‍🏫

EMBL – Website

What does EMBL stand for? What do they research? What’s their connection to this recourse?

Nexus Island – Website

Here you can find the original website of the game.

Nexus Island – Teacherguide

Find all the information you need to play the game here.

NEXUS Island – Downloads

Nexus Island Map

Nexus Island playing cards