Walden, a game for educators
Learn about the EDU version of Walden, a game available free for teachers and students!
The lessons below adapt the award winning open world experience of “Walden, a game” into 15-30 minute learning experiences for middle and high school students. Paired with accompanying curriculum materials, these game-based learning experiences will bring the core themes of Thoreau’s book alive for your students.
These free, web-based lessons have been optimized for lower-end machines and require no installation or high end graphics technology. They will run on most Chromebooks, PC’s or Macs. Students can play on their own at home or in class, or can co-play in classroom settings.
Teachers will find these lessons straightforward and flexible. They are intended for online, hybrid, or in-person teaching. All the materials provided here are free of charge and no individual student data is collected or stored.
If you have questions, feel free to visit our Educators FAQ or email us at uscgameinnovationlab@gmail.com for more info about using “Walden, a game” in your classroom!
“For many of my students, your game was a lifeline; for me, your game was an eye-opening demonstration of new learning possibilities.”
Lesson: Self-reliance
Students play as Thoreau as they attend to his basic needs of life in the woods, exploring his thoughts on self-reliant living and his critique of materialism in early industrial society in America.
Subjects: English-Language Arts and Social Studies
Gameplay time: 15-30 minutes with five options for related lessons and activities
Lesson time: six modular lessons ranging from 20-60 minutes each
Cost: free
Age range: 14-18
Languages (Game): English, Spanish, French
Lesson: where i lived
Students explore the woods near Thoreau’s cabin seeking traces of the individuals and groups who lived in the area before and during his time there and reflecting on the stories in our histories that are not always told.
Subjects: Social Studies (Geography)
Gameplay time: 15-30 minutes with four options for related lessons and activities
Lesson time: four modular lessons ranging from 20-60 minutes each
Cost: free
Age range: 14-18
Languages: English, Spanish, French
Materials: Curriculum, Web-based Game Module
Lesson: what i lived for
Students take a mindful walk around the in-game Walden Pond, stopping to appreciate the virtual environment around them. As they explore, they will cultivate skills for being “awake” in the present moment.
Subjects: Social and Emotional Learning
Gameplay time: 15-30 minutes with six options for related lessons and activities
Lesson time: seven modular lessons ranging from 20 - 60 minutes each
Cost: free
Age range: 14-18
Languages: English, Spanish, French
Materials: Curriculum, Web-based Game Module
Lesson: Civil Disobedience
Students will engage with historical and modern questions of slavery, abolition, and freedom, discovering the power of civic actions that are authentic, responsible, and informed.
Subjects: History and Civics
Gameplay time: 15-30 minutes
Activity time: five modular lessons ranging from 20-60 minutes each
Cost: free
Age range: 14-18
Languages: English, Spanish, French
Materials: Curriculum, Web-based Game Module
Lesson: The NATURAL WORLD
Students will take on the role of “citizen scientists” as they explore Thoreau’s contributions to our scientific understanding of the environment at Walden Pond and the effects of climate changes on that environment over the past 150 years.
Subjects: Environmental Science
Gameplay time: 15-30 minutes
Activity time: five modular lessons ranging from 20 minutes to several 60 minute sessions over seasonal gaps
Cost: free
Age range: 14-18
Languages: English, Spanish, French
Materials: Curriculum, Web-based Game Module
commercial version of Walden
We also have free curriculum available for the full, commercial version of “Walden, a game.”
Created by our friends at Journeys in Film, this curriculum includes five sets of lessons across a range of disciplines and grade levels.
The full commercial version of Walden is a six-hour, first-person exploratory game that requires installation to a gaming PC, Mac, Xbox, or Playstation. More info on the technical requirements here.
