White Ram, Black Ram

Playing Area: Open Area

Requirements: Chalk for drawing a line, a wooden cube (instead of a knucklebone), paper, scissors, colored pencils, ruler

Game Duration: 40 min. + 40 min.

The Game

The White Ram and Black Ram game is played with two teams of 6 to 8 players. The players are divided into teams through a counting rhyme or a draw, with one group named “White Ram” and the other “Black Ram.” The team that will start the game as the chaser is also determined by drawing lots or using a counting rhyme. The players line up behind a designated boundary, with the playing area behind them.

The leader of the chasing team throws a wooden cube backward while the other players cover their eyes and shield the sides of their faces with their hands to avoid seeing where the cube lands. Once the cube settles, all players start searching for it. If the White Ram team finds the cube, they shout, “White Ram, ride the Black Ram!” and begin chasing the Black Ram team, which starts running away.

The White Ram players try to catch the Black Ram players by grabbing them around the waist. Once caught, a Black Ram player must answer a pre-prepared question. If they answer correctly, they are released; if they answer incorrectly, they must carry a White Ram player to the goal. The game continues until a set time is reached or points are counted. The winning team may treat the losing team to a predetermined food reward.

Classroom Adaptation of the Game

When the game is adapted for the classroom, students are again divided into White Ram and Black Ram teams. The teacher places a wooden cube on a specific square drawn on the classroom floor and asks the students to find it using an unplugged coding method. The student who answers a subject-related question correctly first earns the right to start the game.

The player must announce each step they take toward the cube out loud. If they say the wrong direction, their turn ends, and the next player gets a chance. After completing the game, the teacher encourages students to use code.org to design a similar game using block coding and play it together in class. In classrooms without computers, students work in pairs as White Ram and Black Ram to create a paper-based coding game. This version includes directional commands like right, left, forward, and backward, loops, and answering subject-related questions correctly at designated points.

At the end of the game, students are reminded that having fun and learning are more important than winning or losing. However, if one side wins, they are also taught the value of congratulating their opponents as a sign of good sportsmanship.