THE LEGENDARY LANDS
The Legendary Lands is an educational gaming system designed to transform academic learning into a competitive and strategic adventure. The program offers three distinct modes, ranging from fast-paced vocabulary duels to a comprehensive strategy game where players build civilizations by mastering curriculum-based content. Unlike traditional games that rely on luck, this system ensures that academic knowledge directly dictates a player's success in battles and resource management. It covers a vast range of subjects, including Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary, literary devices, and science, making it adaptable for students from kindergarten through high school. By incorporating a study pile system for missed questions, the game emphasizes mastery and repeated exposure to difficult concepts. Ultimately, the framework serves as a versatile classroom tool that replaces rote memorization with engaging, goal-oriented gameplay.
The Legendary Lands: A Strategy Guide for Academic Conquest SMARTBOARD PRESENTATION SLIDES
A Vocabulary Adventure, Strategy, and Academic Conquest Game
Conquer the World of Knowledge!
The Legendary Lands is an educational adventure board game in which students explore mysterious territories, build civilizations, battle opponents through academic knowledge, collect resources, and construct great centers of learning.
But there is one important difference between The Legendary Lands and an ordinary strategy game:
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.
Students do not simply win because they are lucky.
Students advance by demonstrating what they know.
A player may need to:
define an academic vocabulary word,
identify the correct term from a definition,
explain a literary concept,
compare two ideas,
solve a problem,
answer a reading question,
explain their reasoning,
or use a vocabulary word correctly in context.
The more students learn, the more powerful they become.
THREE WAYS TO PLAY
The Legendary Lands is designed as a flexible game system rather than a single complicated game.
Teachers can choose the version that best fits their students, available time, and academic goals.
VERSION ONE: QUICK VOCABULARY DUEL
Players: 2
Time: 5–15 minutes
Materials: Vocabulary cards only
Best For: Bell work, intervention, centers, tutoring, review, and fast classroom games.
This is the fastest way to use the Legendary Lands vocabulary cards.
No board is required.
QUICK VOCABULARY DUEL
The 5-Minute Game
OBJECTIVE
Be the first player to earn the agreed-upon number of Knowledge Points.
Recommended goals:
Young students: 5 points
Intermediate students: 10 points
Advanced students: 15 points
SETUP
Shuffle the vocabulary cards.
Place the deck face down between the two players.
Decide how many points are needed to win.
Decide who goes first.
HOW TO PLAY
Player One Draws a Card
The player reads either:
the vocabulary word and explains its meaning, or
the definition and identifies the correct vocabulary word.
The opponent checks the answer.
CORRECT ANSWER
The player earns:
1 Knowledge Point
INCORRECT ANSWER
The other player may attempt to answer.
If the second player answers correctly, that player earns the point.
If neither player answers correctly:
Read the correct answer aloud.
Both players repeat the word and definition.
Place the card in a Study Pile.
The card returns to the game later.
OPTIONAL QUICK DUEL RULES
Explain It Rule
A player must do more than give the definition.
The player must also:
give an example,
use the word in a sentence,
identify an example from a book,
or explain the concept in their own words.
This turns simple recognition into deeper vocabulary learning.
Steal the Treasure
If Player One misses a question, Player Two may answer.
A successful answer earns:
2 points instead of 1.
This keeps both players actively listening.
Vocabulary Streak
Every time a player answers three questions correctly in a row, that player earns:
+2 Bonus Knowledge Points
Boss Battle
After every five cards, players draw one difficult card.
A correct answer is worth:
3 Knowledge Points.
These can include:
difficult Tier 2 vocabulary,
Tier 3 academic concepts,
literary devices,
poetry vocabulary,
Greek and Latin roots,
science vocabulary,
or reading comprehension questions.
VERSION TWO: THE CLASSROOM ADVENTURE GAME
Players: 2–4
Time: 15–30 minutes
Materials:
Board
Vocabulary cards
Player tokens
Florins or score markers
Best For:
Grades K–5
Small groups
Learning centers
Intervention
Vocabulary review
This version introduces the board without requiring students to learn the full strategy game.
OBJECTIVE
Travel through the Legendary Lands, answer academic questions, earn florins, and build your first great center of learning.
The first player to earn the required number of points wins.
Recommended victory goals:
Primary: 10 florins
Intermediate: 25 florins
Advanced: 50 florins
SETUP
Each player receives:
1 character or playing token
3 starting scholars
5 florins
All players begin at a designated starting territory.
Shuffle the vocabulary cards and place them face down.
A PLAYER'S TURN
Each turn has three simple steps:
1. MOVE
Move to an adjacent territory.
Students may move according to the pathways shown on the board.
For younger students, movement may simply be:
Move one space.
2. DRAW A KNOWLEDGE CARD
The player draws a vocabulary or academic card.
The player answers the question.
If correct:
The player successfully completes the challenge.
The player earns:
1 florin
If incorrect:
The player remains where they are or loses the opportunity to earn the reward.
The correct answer is then reviewed aloud.
3. BUILD
Players may spend florins to build learning structures.
Suggested costs:
| Structure | Cost |
|---|---|
| Scholar | 2 Florins |
| Library | 5 Florins |
| University | 10 Florins |
| Sky Library | 25 Florins |
The first player to build the agreed-upon structure wins.
VERSION THREE: THE LEGENDARY LANDS
THE FULL STRATEGY GAME
Players: 2–6
Time: 30–90 minutes or ongoing classroom campaign
Recommended Grades: 4–12
This is the full Risk-style academic strategy game.
Players explore and control territories, defend their lands, form alliances, collect florins, build transportation networks, establish universities, and ultimately create a great civilization of knowledge.
The game board contains mythical and legendary territories surrounding an ocean. Territories have different strategic and economic values. Players can explore, control, develop, defend, and connect territories through transportation and civilization building.
THE BIG IDEA
In traditional strategy games, dice often determine who wins a battle.
In The Legendary Lands, academic knowledge can replace luck.
A student who knows the answer gains an advantage.
This means the game can use:
Tier 2 vocabulary,
Tier 3 academic vocabulary,
reading comprehension,
literary elements,
text structures,
poetry,
grammar,
science vocabulary,
mathematics,
Greek and Latin roots,
or virtually any academic subject.
The original design explicitly allows knowledge questions to determine outcomes instead of relying only on dice.
GAME OBJECTIVE
Players may choose one of several victory conditions before beginning the game.
VICTORY OPTION 1: KNOWLEDGE CONQUEST
Control the most territories at the end of a predetermined number of rounds.
Recommended:
3 rounds for a short game
5 rounds for a standard game
7 rounds for an extended game
VICTORY OPTION 2: SKY PORT CONTROL
The first player to control all designated Sky Ports wins.
VICTORY OPTION 3: BUILD A SKY LIBRARY
The first player to build a Sky Library wins.
VICTORY OPTION 4: TWO UNIVERSITIES
The first player to build two Universities wins.
This preserves the original educational goal of building centers of learning rather than simply destroying opponents.
WHAT YOU NEED
Required Materials
The Legendary Lands board
Vocabulary or academic game cards
Player tokens
Scholar tokens
Florins
Dice for tie-breaking
Character cards (optional)
Optional Materials
Conveyance tickets
Airships
Railways
Steamships
Libraries
Universities
Sky Libraries
Scenario cards
Quest cards
Civilization cards
PLAYER PIECES
SCHOLARS
Scholars represent students, explorers, or members of your learning civilization.
Scholars are used to:
occupy territory,
defend territory,
explore new territory,
challenge opponents,
and strengthen your civilization.
PROFESSORS
Professors represent advanced academic leadership.
A Professor may lead:
exploration,
academic challenges,
major attacks,
or advanced missions.
Teachers may create special Professor abilities.
Examples:
Vocabulary Professor:
May answer one vocabulary question with a teammate.
Literature Professor:
Receives a bonus when answering literary questions.
Science Professor:
Receives a bonus on science vocabulary.
GAME SETUP
STEP ONE: CHOOSE A CHARACTER
Each player chooses:
a character,
a token,
or a color.
Players may use the included Steampunk and literary characters or create their own.
STEP TWO: CHOOSE THE ACADEMIC CARD DECK
Choose the deck that matches the lesson.
Examples:
Grade-level ELA vocabulary
Tier 2 academic vocabulary
Tier 3 academic vocabulary
Literary devices
Poetry
Grammar
Science
Mathematics
Greek and Latin roots
Reading comprehension
The game system already supports vocabulary card sets across multiple grade bands and academic subjects.
STEP THREE: DETERMINE STARTING TERRITORIES
Players take turns selecting starting territories.
Recommended simplified setup:
Each player begins with:
1 Professor
5 Scholars
200 Florins
Players place their starting civilization on a low-value territory.
THE FOUR PHASES OF A TURN
Every turn follows the same order.
1. REINFORCEMENT PHASE
2. EXPLORATION OR ATTACK PHASE
3. KNOWLEDGE PHASE
4. BUILDING AND MOVEMENT PHASE
Keeping the same sequence every turn makes the advanced game much easier for students to learn.
PHASE ONE: REINFORCEMENT
At the beginning of a turn, players may receive new Scholars or florins.
Teachers may use one of two systems.
SIMPLE REINFORCEMENT
Players receive:
1 Scholar for every 3 territories they control.
KNOWLEDGE REINFORCEMENT
A player answers three vocabulary cards.
For every correct answer, the player receives:
1 Scholar, or
10 Florins.
This version keeps academic learning at the center of the game.
PHASE TWO: EXPLORE, MIGRATE, OR ATTACK
Players may choose one of three actions.
EXPLORE
Move into an unoccupied territory.
Answer a Knowledge Card correctly to claim the territory.
MIGRATE
Move Scholars into a territory controlled by an ally.
Migration allows players to:
cooperate,
form alliances,
complete missions,
and build civilizations together.
ATTACK
Challenge an opponent for control of an adjacent territory.
The attacker announces:
"I challenge this territory!"
The defender prepares to answer.
The Knowledge Phase begins.
PHASE THREE: THE KNOWLEDGE BATTLE
This is the heart of The Legendary Lands.
Instead of simply rolling dice, players demonstrate knowledge.
STEP ONE: DRAW A CARD
Both players receive a question.
The questions may be:
equal difficulty,
selected by the teacher,
or randomly drawn.
STEP TWO: ANSWER
IF ONE PLAYER ANSWERS CORRECTLY
That player wins the Knowledge Battle.
The winning player removes one opposing Scholar.
IF BOTH PLAYERS ANSWER CORRECTLY
The battle is a tie.
Both players roll a die.
Highest roll wins.
IF BOTH PLAYERS ANSWER INCORRECTLY
The card becomes a:
LOST WORD.
The teacher, referee, or players review the answer.
Both players repeat the word or concept.
The card is placed into the Study Pile and returns later.
IMPORTANT RULE
KNOWLEDGE COMES BEFORE LUCK.
Dice should primarily be used:
for ties,
special events,
and optional chance rules.
The vocabulary question is the main battle.
CONQUERING A TERRITORY
A territory is conquered when all defending Scholars have been defeated or removed.
The winning player must move at least one Scholar into the new territory.
For advanced games, teachers may require:
A minimum of 3 Scholars to fully establish a new civilization.
PHASE FOUR: BUILD AND MOVE
After exploring or attacking, players may build.
Players can spend florins on improvements.
Suggested costs:
| Improvement | Cost |
|---|---|
| Scholar | 25 Florins |
| Professor | 200 Florins |
| Library | 250 Florins |
| University | 500 Florins |
| Sky Library | 5,000 Florins |
Teachers may reduce these values for classroom play.
MOVEMENT
Players may move Scholars between adjacent territories they control.
A player may not leave a controlled territory empty.
At least one Scholar must remain to show ownership.
CONVEYANCES
Advanced players may purchase or earn transportation.
Examples include:
Airships
Steam trains
Steamships
Clippers
Ferries
These allow players to travel farther across the map.
Transportation should provide a strategic advantage—but should not replace academic knowledge.
A player may reach a distant territory with an Airship.
But they still must answer the Knowledge Card to successfully claim or conquer it.
THE VOCABULARY SYSTEM
HOW THE GAME TEACHES TIER 2 AND TIER 3 VOCABULARY
The most important feature of The Legendary Lands is that vocabulary is not an isolated worksheet activity.
Students repeatedly encounter words during meaningful game situations.
The original game targets a wide range of academic concepts, including Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary, inference, author's purpose, characterization, figurative language, text features, literary elements, writing, grammar, poetry, and Greek and Latin roots.
TIER 2 VOCABULARY
Tier 2 words are high-utility academic words that students encounter across many subjects and texts.
Examples might include:
analyze
compare
contrast
determine
explain
infer
interpret
justify
summarize
evaluate
Students need these words because they appear repeatedly in:
reading questions,
writing prompts,
classroom discussions,
science,
social studies,
and academic directions.
In the game, Tier 2 vocabulary can determine whether students:
earn money,
win a battle,
claim territory,
build structures,
or rescue a character.
The word therefore has a meaningful purpose.
TIER 3 VOCABULARY
Tier 3 words are specialized academic concepts.
Examples might include:
protagonist
metaphor
alliteration
photosynthesis
denominator
tectonic plate
hypothesis
theme
point of view
Students learn these concepts by repeatedly encountering them within the game.
THE POWER OF REPEATED ENCOUNTERS
A vocabulary word should not disappear after one question.
The same word may appear again as:
LEVEL ONE: RECOGNITION
"What does the word mean?"
LEVEL TWO: DEFINITION
"Identify the academic term from the definition."
LEVEL THREE: APPLICATION
"Choose the best example."
LEVEL FOUR: EXPLANATION
"Explain the concept in your own words."
LEVEL FIVE: TRANSFER
"Apply the concept to a new reading passage or situation."
This progression allows the same vocabulary deck to grow with students.
THE STUDY PILE SYSTEM
Incorrect answers should not simply disappear.
When students miss a question:
The correct answer is revealed.
The group briefly discusses the concept.
The card goes into the Study Pile.
The card returns later.
A player therefore receives another opportunity to learn and demonstrate mastery.
The goal is not simply:
"You were wrong."
The goal is:
"You haven't conquered this word yet."
DIFFERENT DIFFICULTY LEVELS
PRIMARY LEVEL
Grades K–3
Use:
picture-supported vocabulary cards,
sight words,
simple academic concepts,
short definitions,
matching activities,
and oral responses.
Simplified Rules
No money
No complicated territory values
No elimination
No long battles
One question per challenge
Cooperative play encouraged
A correct answer allows the player to:
move,
collect a token,
rescue a character,
or claim a territory.
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
Grades 3–6
Use:
Tier 2 academic vocabulary,
reading concepts,
literary elements,
text features,
figurative language,
grammar,
and grade-level science vocabulary.
Students may:
conquer territories,
earn florins,
build libraries,
form alliances,
and answer increasingly difficult questions.
ADVANCED LEVEL
Grades 6–12
Use:
advanced Tier 2 vocabulary,
Tier 3 disciplinary vocabulary,
Greek and Latin roots,
rhetoric,
poetry,
syntopical reading,
analysis,
and extended reading passages.
Advanced players should often be required to:
justify answers,
cite evidence,
compare concepts,
explain reasoning,
or defend an interpretation.
ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE BATTLE RULES
For older students, answering correctly is not always enough.
The player may also need to:
DEFINE
Give the correct meaning.
EXPLAIN
Explain the concept in their own words.
APPLY
Use the concept correctly.
JUSTIFY
Explain why the answer is correct.
CONNECT
Connect the concept to another text or subject.
This transforms vocabulary from memorization into academic thinking.
NEW GAME CARD TYPES
The Legendary Lands would benefit enormously from expanding beyond basic vocabulary cards.
1. KNOWLEDGE CARDS
Standard vocabulary questions.
Example:
INFER
What does it mean to infer?
2. LOST WORD CARDS
Students must recover forgotten academic vocabulary.
Example:
"You know the definition, but the word has been lost. Name the word."
3. BOSS CARDS
Difficult multi-step questions.
Correct answer:
earns major florins,
defeats multiple Scholars,
or unlocks a special reward.
4. QUEST CARDS
Players receive an academic mission.
Examples:
Find three examples of figurative language.
Rescue a character by answering five vocabulary questions.
Build a Library by completing a reading challenge.
Discover the lost Greek root.
5. DEBATE CARDS
Players must defend an answer.
Example:
"Which character is more responsible for the conflict? Use evidence to defend your answer."
6. ALLIANCE CARDS
Two players must cooperate.
Example:
"Both players must correctly explain the difference between theme and main idea."
If successful, both players receive a reward.
7. TIME BANDIT CARDS
A player loses time or resources unless they solve an academic challenge.
8. SKY PIRATE CARDS
A Sky Pirate challenges a player's vocabulary knowledge.
Correct answer:
The player escapes.
Incorrect answer:
The player loses florins or Scholars.
9. NATURAL DISASTER CARDS
Examples:
Storm
Flood
Volcano
Mechanical failure
Students may avoid the disaster by solving a difficult academic challenge.
10. TEACHER'S CHOICE CARDS
The teacher may connect the game to the current lesson.
Example:
"Answer a question from today's reading."
CREATIVE WRITING EXPANSION
The Legendary Lands is not only a vocabulary game.
Students can create:
characters,
territories,
civilizations,
missions,
quests,
historical events,
villains,
heroes,
and plot cards.
The original design explicitly encourages students to create their own plots and rules, making the game adaptable for creative writing and long-term classroom simulations.
STUDENT-CREATED CARD RULE
Every student may create:
ONE NEW CARD EACH WEEK.
The card must include:
A vocabulary word or academic concept.
A correct definition.
A question.
A reward or consequence.
A source or explanation when appropriate.
The best cards become part of the permanent classroom deck.
SAMPLE QUESTS
RESCUE THE LOST SCHOLAR
A character has been captured.
The team must answer:
5 vocabulary questions correctly before 3 questions are missed.
BUILD THE GREAT LIBRARY
A player must correctly answer:
3 Tier 2 words,
3 Tier 3 words,
1 Boss Question.
Success allows construction of a Library.
THE WORD PIRATE'S TREASURE
A pirate has stolen five important vocabulary words.
Students must correctly identify all five definitions to recover the treasure.
COOPERATIVE MODE
The game does not always need to be competitive.
Students may work together against:
the Sky Pirates,
Time Bandits,
a dragon,
a natural disaster,
or the Lost Words.
The class wins by completing an agreed-upon academic mission.
Example:
Recover 25 Lost Academic Words before the Time Bandit reaches the Sky Library.
TEACHER SETUP GUIDE
Before beginning, the teacher only needs to answer four questions:
1. WHAT ARE WE LEARNING?
Choose the academic focus.
2. HOW LONG DO WE HAVE?
Choose:
5 minutes,
15 minutes,
30 minutes,
or an ongoing campaign.
3. HOW COMPETITIVE SHOULD THE GAME BE?
Choose:
cooperative,
two-player duel,
small-group,
or full strategy game.
4. HOW DEEP SHOULD THE THINKING BE?
Choose:
recognition,
definition,
explanation,
application,
or analysis.
THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE
THE GAME SHOULD ALWAYS BE FUN ENOUGH THAT STUDENTS FORGET THEY ARE PRACTICING.
The Legendary Lands works because academic vocabulary is embedded inside adventure, competition, storytelling, exploration, cooperation, and strategy.
Students are not simply completing another vocabulary worksheet.
They are:
Exploring.
Building.
Defending.
Rescuing.
Creating.
Strategizing.
And conquering difficult academic concepts one word at a time.
QUICK REFERENCE
QUICK DUEL
2 Players | 5–15 Minutes | Vocabulary Cards Only
Draw → Answer → Earn Points → Review Lost Words → Win.
CLASSROOM ADVENTURE
2–4 Players | 15–30 Minutes
Move → Draw Card → Answer → Earn Reward → Build.
FULL LEGENDARY LANDS
2–6 Players | 30–90+ Minutes
Reinforce → Explore/Attack → Knowledge Battle → Build/Move.
KNOWLEDGE DETERMINES POWER.
VOCABULARY BUILDS CIVILIZATION.
CONQUER THE WORLD OF KNOWLEDGE!
Teachers can customize The Legendary Lands across three distinct grade-level bands—Primary (Grades K–3), Intermediate (Grades 3–6), and Advanced (Grades 6–12)—by adjusting the gameplay rules, card decks, victory goals, and the depth of academic thinking required.
1. Primary Level (Grades K–3)
For the youngest players, teachers can simplify the game system to keep it engaging and accessible:
- Card Types & Focus: Use picture-supported vocabulary cards, sight words, simple academic concepts, short definitions, and matching activities. Responses are kept oral.
- Simplified Rules: Eliminate money/florins, complicated territory values, player elimination, and long battles. Movement on the board can be simplified to just "move one space". Each challenge requires only one question, and cooperative play is highly encouraged.
- Rewards: Instead of complex strategic elements, a correct answer simply lets a player move, collect a token, rescue a character, or claim a territory.
- Victory Goals: In a Quick Vocabulary Duel, set a low goal of 5 Knowledge Points to win, or 10 florins in the Classroom Adventure Game.
2. Intermediate Level (Grades 3–6)
For middle-grade students, the game introduces strategic elements and standard grade-level curriculum concepts:
- Card Types & Focus: Focus on Tier 2 academic vocabulary, reading concepts, literary elements, text features, figurative language, grammar, and grade-level science vocabulary.
- Gameplay Mechanics: Students begin using the board to conquer territories, earn and spend florins, build libraries, and form alliances.
- Victory Goals: Victory requires 10 Knowledge Points in a Quick Duel or 25 florins in the Classroom Adventure Game.
3. Advanced Level (Grades 6–12)
Older students are ready for the Full Strategy Game (recommended for Grades 4–12) and deep academic challenges:
- Card Types & Focus: Incorporate advanced Tier 2 vocabulary, specialized Tier 3 disciplinary vocabulary, Greek and Latin roots, rhetoric, poetry, syntopical reading, analysis, and extended reading passages.
- Higher Thinking & Justification: Answering correctly is no longer the only requirement. Advanced players are often asked to:
- Define the correct meaning.
- Explain the concept in their own words.
- Apply the concept correctly.
- Justify why their answer is correct or cite evidence.
- Connect the concept to another text or subject.
- Strategic Rules: For conquering territories, teachers can require a minimum of 3 Scholars to fully establish a new civilization.
- Victory Goals: Quick Duel victory goals increase to 15 Knowledge Points, and Classroom Adventure goals increase to 50 florins.
Broad Customization Controls
Regardless of grade, teachers can always tailor any session using four setup questions:
- What are we learning? Select an academic deck matching the specific lesson (e.g., ELA vocabulary, science, math, or grammar).
- How long do we have? Adjust the playtime from a 5-minute duel up to an ongoing classroom campaign.
- How competitive should it be? Choose between cooperative play, a two-player duel, small groups, or the full strategy game.
- How deep should the thinking be? Scale the cognitive load by selecting recognition, definition, explanation, application, or analysis.
The Study Pile is designed so that incorrect answers do not simply disappear from play. Instead of acting as a punishment, the system operates on the philosophy of: "You haven't conquered this word yet," giving players a structured path to learn from their mistakes and try again.
Here is exactly how the Study Pile system works during gameplay:
1. How a Card Enters the Study Pile
A card is sent to the Study Pile when an academic challenge is failed by both sides:
- In a Quick Vocabulary Duel: If Player One misses a card, Player Two has a chance to answer. If neither player answers correctly, the card goes to the Study Pile.
- In a Knowledge Battle: If both the attacker and defender answer incorrectly, the card becomes a "Lost Word" and is sent directly to the Study Pile.
2. The Interactive Learning Steps
When a card is missed, the game pauses briefly for an active learning moment:
- Reveal: The correct answer is revealed and read aloud by the teacher, referee, or players.
- Discuss: The group briefly discusses the academic concept to build understanding.
- Repeat: Both players repeat the word and its definition or concept aloud to reinforce auditory learning.
- Deposit: The card is placed face-down into the designated Study Pile.
3. Re-entering the Game
The cards in the Study Pile do not sit idle. The pile returns to the game later, meaning players will eventually draw these exact terms again. This gives them a second (or third) opportunity to put their newly reinforced knowledge to the test, master the concept, and successfully earn the point, florin, or territory they missed out on earlier.
This continuous feedback loop turns mistakes into active strategic opportunities, helping students naturally memorize difficult academic terms through repeated exposure.
In The Legendary Lands, Boss Cards and Quest Cards are advanced card types designed to expand the game beyond basic vocabulary cards, transforming routine study into high-stakes challenges and cooperative academic missions.
Here is how each of these card types works:
Boss Cards (or Boss Battles)
Boss Cards present difficult, multi-step academic questions designed to test the limits of students' knowledge. They can be integrated into different game formats:
- In a Quick Vocabulary Duel (as a "Boss Battle"): After every five regular cards are played, players must draw one difficult Boss Card. A correct answer is worth a whopping 3 Knowledge Points (instead of the usual 1 point).
- In the Strategy or Adventure Game: Successfully answering a Boss Card yields massive gameplay advantages, such as earning major florins, defeating multiple opposing Scholars at once, or unlocking special rewards.
- What they test: These cards feature advanced concepts, including difficult Tier 2 vocabulary, Tier 3 academic or science vocabulary, literary devices, poetry, Greek and Latin roots, or complex reading comprehension questions.
- Building Requirements: Some strategic moves require overcoming a Boss Card. For example, to build a Library via a quest, a player must correctly answer three Tier 2 words, three Tier 3 words, and one Boss Question.
Quest Cards
Quest Cards provide players with specific academic missions that they must complete to achieve a larger goal, rescue characters, or gain a strategic foothold on the board.
The sources outline several structured quests:
- Rescue the Lost Scholar: A character has been captured by an enemy. To rescue them, the player or team must answer 5 vocabulary questions correctly before they miss 3 questions.
- Build the Great Library: A player can bypass standard building costs by successfully completing a reading challenge consisting of 3 Tier 2 words, 3 Tier 3 words, and 1 Boss Question.
- The Word Pirate's Treasure: A pirate has stolen five important vocabulary words. Students must correctly identify all five definitions to recover the lost treasure.
- General Academic Missions: Other quick quests include finding three examples of figurative language in a text, discovering a lost Greek or Latin root, or completing a specific reading challenge to build structures.
Quest Cards are especially powerful in Cooperative Mode, where the entire class works as a team to complete an academic mission—such as recovering 25 Lost Academic Words from the Study Pile—before a Time Bandit or Sky Pirate defeats them.
Free fun ways to build background knowledge and prepare for assessments using games. Standardized test use tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary concepts to assess students exposure to academic content. Students need a deeper understanding of literary elements, text features, figurative language, syntopical reading and rhetorical thinking. Games have been used for thousands of years to teach critical thinking, novel games facilitate faster learning of difficult concepts. The best test prep for Reading, ELA, and Writing is repeated exposure to “test prep vocabulary” in the form of engaging games. Sean Taylor The Dyslexic Reading Teacher 
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Exploring The Legendary Lands
- 8 Character Sheets
- 4 Map Sections
- 12 ELA Reading Knowledge Game Cards
- 6 Money Sheets
- 1 Small Sky Library Poster
- 1 Small Sky Pirate Poster
- 2 Civilization Sheets
- 1 Conveyance Voucher Sheet
- 1 Front and Back Game Cover
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The Legendary Lands
Sky Village Book Mark |
The board consists of 18 mythical and legendary lands with an ocean at its center. Some lands are named and others are to be named by the new explorers of “The legendary Lands”. The lands have a numerical value of 5 florins to 100 florins based on strategic locations and previous development. The value of the land is used to determine taxes paid to players at the end of game rounds. As the game progresses, players use florins to build, Railway Spurs, Sky Ships, Train Stations, Aerodromes, Universities, Sky Villages, Libraries, Sea Ports, Governments, and Sky Libraries or … use your imagination. Each player begins the game with 250 florins, one randomly selected conveyance ticket, 1 professor, and 4 students on any 5 florin land.
The basic objective of The Legendary Lands is to be the first scholar who builds a Sky Library or Two Universities.
The game can be played like a RISK style territory conquering game or a European Tile | exploration and development game.
- Grade k-3 | 300+ Sight Words & 60+ Primary ELA Reading Concepts Covered
- Grade 4-6 | 130+ Intermediate ELA Reading Concepts Covered
- Grade 7-9 | 90+ Advanced ELA Reading Concepts & 60+ Poetry, Greek and Latin Affixes and Roots Concepts Covered
- Tier 2 and 3 Academic Vocabulary Development
- Drawing Conclusions
- Inferring
- Compare and Contrast
- Author’s Purpose
- Characterization
- Fact and Opinion
- Main Idea
- Figurative Language
- Text Features
- Summarizing
- Literary Elements
- Elements of Writing
- Grammar and Conventions
- Elements of Poetry
- Greek and Latin Affixes and Roots
- Sample of CCSS ELA Cards
"The Legendary Lands" Steampunk Airship Board Game and Literary Adventure Game!
The game was designed to easily teach complex concepts like tier 2 and tier 3 academic vocabularies in a fun and novel way!
PDF Samples of Basic Game
How to Play The Legendary Lands
Sample Vocabulary ELA Two
Sample Vocabulary ELA Three
Sample Vocabulary Game Cards ELA CCSS ELA Grade 1-2
Sample Vocabulary Game Cards ELA CCSS ELA Grade 3-4
Sample Vocabulary Game Cards ELA CCSS ELA Grade 3-4
Sample Vocabulary Game Cards ELA CCSS ELA Grade 4-5
Science Vocabulary Game Cards I
Science Vocabulary Game Cards II
Science Vocabulary Game Cards III
Science Vocabulary Game Cards IV
Map Section ONE
Map Section TWO
Map Section THREE
Map Section FOUR
Game Money One
Game Money Two
Game Money Three
Game Money Four
Game Money Five
Game Money Six
Conveyance Tickets | Vouchers
Legendary Lands Game Cover
Sky Library Poster Small
Dragons and Airships
Lady Alice
Mr. Taylor the Sky Pirate
Mr. Wolf
Princess Isabella
Prior Hornbuckle
Queen Eleanor
Mr. Pirate
The Autistic Dragon
The Sultan
Back Cover
Knowledge of key academic concepts is imperative for success on standardized test.
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Civilization Cards Are Used
For Ongoing Simulations |
- The Game can be played as an ongoing simulation with teams or individuals working towards literary goals. Graduating with a diploma[s] from different colleges or building their own University.
- The game can be played similarly to classic risk with the roll of the dice determining the outcome.
- The game can played using the student’s knowledge of tier 2 and 3 academic vocabulary, math facts, quick math problems, reading comprehensions passages, or math terms to determine the outcome.
- The students can invent their own plot ideas, Miss Red R Hood is captured and must be rescued, Queen Eleanor is besieged by Mr. Wolf in the Aquitaine Castle.
- Students can use the Board | Map and Characters and make up their own rule.
- The game is a great teaching tool for all forms of creative writing.
The Game can be played using modified Risk rules, as a teaching aide and or simulation, replacing the dice rolls with the students knowledge to determine the outcome.
The Set Up | Cooperative Learning Groups
How to Play The Legendary Lands
Five Parts | Basic Setup | Getting and Placing New Scholars | Debating | Fortification | Strategy
Part 1: Setup
1| The objective of the game is to conquer the world of knowledge by educating all the countries on the board. You do this by winning territory by engaging other players in a academic debates of knowledge.
2 | The Legendary Land basis set comes with a printable game board, a set of academic game cards, and various printable game tokens.
The Legendary Lands can be played with different kinds of tokens, denoting size of the scholar group. Each game should have scholar tokens (e.g. glass gems, pennies, buttons) (which represents 1 scholar “50 florin” ), Library (5 scholars, “250 Gold Florin”), University (10 scholars, “500 Gold Florin ”) and The Sky Library (100 scholars, “5000 Gold Florin ”).
3 | Determine how many players are going to be playing. The total amount of scholars you start the game with depends on how many players there are:
6 players - 10 scholars each | 5 players - 15 scholars each | 4 players - 20 scholars each
3 players - 25 scholars each | 2 players - 30 scholars each
4 | Set up your initial territories. This will determine the starting points for all players. Each territory must have one “army” in it at all times. There are two ways to determine the initial territories:
The player that rolls the highest value will choose an open territory and place one soldier in it. Moving clock-wise, each player will select an open territory until all territories are occupied. Once players have claimed all the territories on the board, players place their remaining armies onto territories they already claim in any order they choose. 5 | Determine the order of play by rolling dice. The player who rolls the highest number starts, with the order traveling clockwise from the starting player. The game starts after the order of play has been determined.
Part 2: Getting and Placing New Scholars
1| The three phrases to a turn: getting and placing new scholars, debating, and building or fortifying. This section will focus on how new scholars are assigned at the beginning of each turn and how a player can place them.
2 | Know that each player can redeem his scholars in whatever unit s/he wants (scholars, libraries, or universities), provided they all add up to the same number of scholars.
3 | Get your new scholars at the beginning of each turn. At the beginning of each turn, players receive more scholars. The number of scholars is determined by: The number of territories you control. For every country with at least three unopposed scholars, the player gets one new scholar or 50 Gold Florin.
Turning in knowledge cards. Cards can be turned in when you have a set of five cards For the first set of cards you turn in, you receive 2 scholars; 4 for the second; 6 for the third; 8 for the fourth; 10 for the fifth; 12 for the sixth; and for every additional set thereafter, 5 more armies than the previous set turned in. If you have 5 or more knowledge cards at the beginning of a turn, you must turn at least one set of them in. 4 | Place the scholars you received at the beginning of your turn wherever you have an army presence, in whatever proportion. If you wish, you can place one army in each of your territories; or you can place all of your armies in one territory. The choice is up to you.
If, during the beginning of your turn, you turned in a set of cards with a territory that you owned, you receive two extra infantrymen. You must place those infantrymen on the territory specified by the card.
Part 3: Debating 1 | Debating with territories that are adjacent to a territory you own or that are connected to you a territory you own by a sea-lane.
2 | Debate any number of times from any one of your territories to any adjacent territory. You may debate with the same territory more than once, or you may debate with different territories.
Understand that debating with opposing scholars is optional. A player may decide not to debate at all during a turn, only deploying scholars.
Declare who you want to debate. Declare your intentions out loud. 3 | Decide how many scholars you are going to debate with. Because your territory must be occupied at all times, you must leave at least three scholar behind to control a territory and collect taxes. The number of scholars you debate with will determine how man knowledge cards you get to draw and have to answer. When both scholars answer correctly you must roll dice to determine a winner. Roll the dice. You roll up to three dice, depending on your debate team size. The defending player rolls the same number of dice as the number of scholars in their defending territory.
Remove one of your scholars from the invaded territory if the die is higher or equal to its corresponding die.
Remove one of your opponent’s pieces from the defending territory if the rolled die is higher to its corresponding die. 4 | If you successfully outwit all of the defending scholars in the area you are debating with, occupy the territory with at least as many scholars as used in the debate. If you win you must colonize the newly-acquired territory with at least three scholars, although you can choose to colonize it with more if you wish.
5 | If, at the end of your debating turn, you've conquered at least one territory, redeem a treasure card. You cannot redeem more than one treasure card during a turn. If, however, you manage to wipe out an opposite entirely by outwitting his or her last scholar, you gain possession of all the treasure cards he or she may have had in their hands.
Part 4: Building and Fortification
1 | Understand that you cannot move scholars around until your next debating turn. To keep your territories safe from debates during your opponents' debating phases, it's an important strategy to move around scholars before ending your turn.
2 | Move scholars to different territories at the end of your turn. There are two rules on how you can do this:
Standard Rule: Move any number of scholars from a single territory into an adjacent territory occupied by you.
Conveyance Rule: You can move pieces anywhere, as long as the starting point and destination can be reached by going through a string of adjacent territories under your control. Movement by railway anywhere there is a spur is accomplished with railway tickets or owning a locomotive and the rule above does not apply. You may travel to any Territory if the starting point and the destination point have an Air Ship station and you own an airship or have a conveyance ticket.
Part 4 | Strategy
1 | Have fun, find allies, make friends, learn new vocabulary and create your own rules and plot ideas!
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Rescue Red Initial Set Up
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| Lady Alice Amelia Wonderland |
You and your students can make Steampunk characters or use literary characters like Alice in Wonderland.
- Lady Alice Amelia Wonderland | Airship Designer and Captain
- Lord Jack “The Bean” Quick | Steampunk Mechanic and Engineer
- Mr. Wolf | Sky Pirate
- Miss Red R. Hood | Wolf Hunter, Geographer and Cartographer
- Mr. P. N. Boots | Ships Captain Retired
- Kate "Bonny Lass" Crackernuts | Restaurateur, Airship Caterer and Chef
- Baron Von Rum Pelstiltskin | Time Bandit and Part Time Gold Weaver
- Mr. Harry "Mad" Hatter | Tea Monger and Clockwork Engineer
- Count Harry Beast | Barrister of Enchantments and Curses
When a player is ending his/her turn they should:
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| Steampunk Airship | Steampunk Sky Pirates |
B. minimum of one scholar must remain on a Territory at all times to show who is in possession of that territory.
Time Bandits, Sky Pirates, Sea Pirates Probability Charts
Legendary Lands Conveyance
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Movement
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Capacity
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Natural Disasters
Lose half your scholars
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Sky Pirates, Time Bandits, Sea Pirates
Lose half your money or lose 2 turns
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Airship
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6 territories
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10 Scholars
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Roll 3 or higher
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Roll 1
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Steam Train
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3 territories
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30 Scholars
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Roll a Six
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Roll 1
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Clipper
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3 Atlantis Miles
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5 Scholars
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Roll 4 or higher
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Roll odd
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Steamship
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6 Atlantis Miles
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30 Scholars
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Roll a Six
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Roll 1
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Ferry
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Ferry Crossing
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30 Scholars
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| Teach Reading and Writing the Fun Way! |
Scenario Three | Third Plot | Building a Sky Library
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| Steampunk Airship | Steampunk Sky Library |
Each set of grade level game cards covers three years of tier 2 and tier 3 academic vocabulary and CCSS ELA concepts.
- Grades 1-2-3 80 Reading ELA Game Cards
- Grades 3-4 120 Reading ELA Game Cards
- Grades 5-6 120 Reading ELA Game Cards
- Middle School 120 Reading ELA Game Cards
- High School 120 Reading ELA Game Cards
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| New CCSS ELA vocabulary game cards sets! |
Students can use standards based reading passages from released test but this slows down the play.
Sample Reading Passages
If answered correctly Move 6 or win the Battle
- A solar cell generates electricity using heat.
- The term "photovoltaic" comes from the Italian meaning "light"
- A photo-voltaic cell works without an outside power source.
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| Learning the CCSS ELA the Fun Way! |
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| Reading Questions "The Legendary Lands" |
- Saturn is the largest planet in the solar system and has nine large rings.
- Saturn is named after the Greek god Saturn.
- Titan, Saturn’s moon is larger than all others moons in the solar system except one.
The Steampunk Cosplay Photos are from Wiki Creative Commons or Flicker Creative Commons!
The majority of the photos are from an Amazing Photographer that is a photo journalist for the London cosplay, theatrical, alternate performance artist scene in London. https://www.flickr.com/photos/soul_stealer/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/taymtaym/
Game Cards "The Legendary Lands"
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Grammar Game Cards
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Dedicated to all the reading teachers and parents that help students acquire the great skill of reading. Sean
Use the Game Boards with dice or the Game Cards!
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Snakes and Ladders Board Game
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Sorry or Parcheesi Type Board Game
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Kindergarten | Primer: all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, did, do, eat, four, get, good, have, he, into, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, there, they, this, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes
1st Grade: after, again, an, any, as, ask, by, could, every, fly, from, give, giving, had, has, her, him, his, how, just, know, let, live, may, of, old, once, open, over, put, round, some, stop, take, thank, them, then, think, walk, were, when
2nd Grade: always, around, because, been, before, best, both, buy, call, cold, does, don't, fast, first, five, found, gave, goes, green, its, made, many, off, or, pull, read, right, sing, sit, sleep, tell, their, these, those, upon, us, use, very, wash, which, why, wish, work, would, write, your
3rd Grade: about, better, bring, carry, clean, cut, done, draw, drink, eight, fall, far, full, got, grow, hold, hot, hurt, if, keep, kind, laugh, light, long, much, myself, never, only, own, pick, seven, shall, show, six, small, start, ten, today, together, try, warm
More Academic Vocabulary Games
Each turn, a player draws an academic vocabulary card and shows the definition to the other players. The player must give an example or definition to keep the card and continue playing. The player gets to keep every card they can define. If a player cannot give a correct answer they place the card at the bottom of the deck and forfeit their turn. At any time during a player's turn, the player is faced with two options:
Option one, draw the next card and give a correct definition and keep playing piggy piggy piggy.
Option two, pass on the card, and the next player must give the definition or lose all their points!
The first player to score 100 wins!
Academic Vocabulary Parcheesi is played with one deck of academic vocabulary cards (25-30) cards and the goal of the game is to move each of one's pieces home to the center space.
Each player selects four pieces of the same color and places them in their "nest," or starting area. The game board should be positioned so that each player's nest is to his right. Pieces enter play onto the darkened space to the left of the nest and continue counter-clockwise around the board to the home path directly in front of the player.
Yes / No Phonics and Word Game
The Idea behind the Yes No Phonics and Word game is to help students use auditory discrimination to build phonemic awareness by quickly answering Yes No questions. Turn any word list or set of flash cards into a fast fun phonics game. YES / NO Short and long vowels, consonant blends, beginning sounds, ending sounds, syllables, silent e, and so much more.
Does the word end in a vowel? Yes/No
Does the word begin with a letter____? Yes/No
Does the word end with a consonant? Yes/No
Does the word luck have a ck like the word truck? Yes/No
Does the word read have ea like tea? Yes/No
Does bat, fat, cat, rat, hat, mat, and sat end with et? Yes/No
Does ice have a long I sound? Yes/ No
Does cat have a long a sound? Yes/No
Does the word ship start with ch? Yes/No
Does the word hand end with ng? Yes/No
Does the word slide start with st? Yes/No
Please share your favorite reading and phonics games!
