Page 1: Rules and fee cards (teacher posts the rules; cuts the three fee cards, one set per house table)
The rules (three sentences)
- The student holding the most Skittles of one color at the final count wins the prize.
- Any trade is legal, but every trade must happen at a house table, and the house takes a fee.
- No eating. No taking. The banker initials your ledger for every trade.
The House Banker's job
- Sit at your table with the jar. You do not trade and you do not win. You are paid from the house jar at the end.
- For every trade at your table: collect the fee from each trader into the jar, then initial both ledgers.
- Do not give advice. Do not refuse a trade that follows the rules.
- At the end, count the jar and report the number.
Fee card, Round 1
THE HOUSE TAKES 1 SKITTLE FROM EACH TRADER, EVERY TRADE.
(Picture: one Skittle, an arrow, a jar.)
Fee card, Round 2
THE HOUSE TAKES 2 SKITTLES FROM EACH TRADER, EVERY TRADE.
(Picture: two Skittles, an arrow, a jar.)
Fee card, Round 3
MEMBERSHIP: PAY 3 SKITTLES ONCE, TRADE FREE ALL ROUND. NO MEMBERSHIP, NO TRADING.
(Picture: a small card with a star, three Skittles, a jar.)
The non-food version
Same rules, same rounds, same ledger. Each student gets a cup of 15 colored paper clips in five colors, mixed. The winner has the most clips of one color. The house jar holds clips. Use it for the whole class if anyone on the class list cannot have candy and you cannot seat them apart without comment, or hand a paper clip cup to any student who needs one and say nothing.
Page 2: The trade ledger
Name: ______________________ Date: __________ Banker at my table: ______________________
Do now (keep this line covered until the debrief): Think of a game or app you play. Who made it? Write one way they make money from you playing.
Part A: Start count
| Color | Red | Orange | Yellow | Green | Purple | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How many at the start |
My target color: ______________
The ledger (one line per trade; the banker initials every line)
| Round | I gave (color and how many) | I got (color and how many) | Fee I paid | Banker initials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 1 | ||||
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 (membership paid? yes / no) | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 3 |
Part B: End count and the math
| Color | Red | Orange | Yellow | Green | Purple | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How many at the end |
My biggest color: ______________ How many: ______
Total fees I paid (add the fee column, plus the membership if you bought one): ______ Skittles
Start total minus end total = ______. Is that the same as the fees I paid? yes / no. If no, what happened? ________________
The room (fill in from the board): The house jars held ______ Skittles. That is ______ Skittles that left the players and never came back. Did the total in the room go up or down? ______
Why did the house end up with Skittles when the house never traded? ______________________________________
Part C: Fees in real life (fill in during the debrief)
A fee is _________________________________________________________________
| Real-life fee | Who collects it | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| ATM fee | ||
| Instant transfer fee on an app | ||
| Subscription fee | ||
| Commission |
Part D: Which fee plan was the best deal?
| Fee plan | Best for a heavy trader (many trades) or a light trader (one or two)? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1: 1 per trade | ||
| Round 2: 2 per trade | ||
| Round 3: 3 once, then free |
Real choice: Checking Account A charges $12 a month and nothing per transaction. Checking Account B charges nothing a month and $0.50 per transaction. A person who makes 10 transactions a month should pick ______ (A costs $______, B costs $______). A person who makes 40 should pick ______ (A costs $______, B costs $______).
After the debrief
Reread your do now line. One sentence: "The maker gets ______________ every time I ______________."