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 📖

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