The reason for this is that they need a good understanding of how the game works to move on to the other credits. Content is not my first goal with Virtual City. Higher order thinking skills are what I want students to use on a daily basis in the class. I approach the class from a constructivist view that students will build their own learning in areas of the class and apply that knowledge base to solve other problems. Thinking skills is where I believe I have legitimized this class to those who think Sim City 2000 is just a game.
Students daily fill out goal sheets for their city and rank their city.
From this data, students are able to write a state of the city address. Sim City 2000 is a computer simulation that simulates a city. You are in charge of building and running the city. It is a very complex simulation. Students in my class are considered the mayor of their city.