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Games can be an exciting way to engage students’ curiosity as they learn. That’s one reason Science Friday partnered with the Grand Gamers Guild to create Endangered Rescue: Chambered Nautilus, a compact, escape room-style puzzle game that pairs an 18-card deck with a companion website. Players take on the role of science journalists hosting a symposium about the chambered nautilus. Along the way, they’ll solve puzzles, search an aquarium for clues, and discover the extraordinary science behind one of the ocean’s most mysterious cephalopods.
This guide offers practical ways to introduce the game to learners, support players throughout, and adapt play for different ages. It also includes an optional read-aloud introduction, a glossary to use alongside the game’s own instructions and companion website, and even trivia to test your knowledge when you’re done.
Don’t worry; this guide doesn’t contain any puzzle answers or spoilers. However, it does contain lots of great tips for sharing games with learners!
Choose a flat surface with room to lay out cards and take notes. Arrange the group so everyone can see and reach the cards. Keep the deck face down, with the large card numbers showing, and remind players to wait until instructed before turning cards over; do not shuffle the cards. The game’s companion website works on a phone, tablet, or computer, though a larger screen makes shared reading easier, especially for larger groups. Check that everyone can follow both the cards and the screen with relative ease.
Have several sheets of scrap paper and writing tools available. Keep notes where everyone can see and contribute: on the table, on a clipboard passed around, or on a whiteboard. Keep previously used cards organized and accessible throughout play, as you may need them again. If card orientation is ever confusing, point out that the side with the large number is the back. On the flip side, each card’s number is also printed in small type somewhere on the front.
Explain that players share the role of science journalists hosting a nautilus symposium at an aquarium. You may use the “Set the scene” section below to do so, if you find it helpful. Players will solve puzzles as they prepare for and host the symposium. Explain that it won’t always be obvious what to do right away, but sometimes working out where to start is part of the fun. Plus, there are hints if they need help.
The companion website includes a timer that can be paused as needed. Use it if your group enjoys a challenge, or skip it to encourage players to focus on figuring things out together rather than finishing quickly. You may not even want to mention the timer, as that can sour the experience for some players.
Familiarize the group with the website’s four tabs:
To help players understand the premise of the game, read this short script aloud or adapt it with your own words:
“Welcome to the aquarium! Within the many glass tanks that line these halls, colorful fish dart between the corals and many-legged crabs scuttle across sandy bottoms. However, today is not just any old day and you’re not just any old visitor; you have an important job to do! People from all around are coming to hear experts talk about the chambered nautilus at today’s symposium, and you’re the science journalists in charge of hosting the event!
The audience is arriving, the speakers are preparing, and you’ve got a few things to sort out before taking the stage. But even a carefully planned event can hold a few surprises…
We’ll tackle the day as a team, sharing discoveries and working through challenges together. Keep your eyes open and your notes handy. It’s almost time for the symposium to begin!”
Give learners time to examine the cards. Details that initially seem decorative or superfluous may be useful, so encourage players to inspect cards closely. Clarify unfamiliar words, objects, or situations when they prevent players from understanding the task. You may want to have them list everything they can see on a card, encouraging them to identify oddities or patterns as they list what they see. If working with players with low vision, encourage others to share their observations aloud.
Make sure that players have opportunities to share ideas, make suggestions, and explain their reasoning. Try asking broad questions that can help the group reflect without giving away what to do next. Some examples include:
It’s important to leave room for developing or partial ideas and unsuccessful attempts. When a player proposes an answer, invite them to share their reasoning, even if you know that it is not the route to solving the puzzle. An idea doesn’t have to be right to help the group; saying it out loud might help someone notice a detail or come up with another idea.
Normalize asking for help as an ordinary part of play. Start by encouraging your players, if you have more than one, to consult each other and share what they see, what they know, and what they wonder.
If players still seem stuck, the website provides hints. Let the group agree on requesting support, then uncover one hint. See where that takes the group before considering revealing another. A little help can make a tricky puzzle feel less overwhelming and get ideas flowing again.
Keep an eye out for players who seem frustrated or who are losing interest or focus. Here are some suggestions for how to help with that:
Getting stuck is a normal part of playing, and sometimes a little support or a change of pace is all players need to feel ready to try again.
Different puzzles give different players a chance to shine; a puzzle that stumps one player might click easily for another. Just because a player struggles with one puzzle doesn’t mean they won’t absolutely excel at the next. Encourage contributions from everyone, and ask enthusiastic solvers to give time for others to look, think, and speak.
Some players may need help reading, understanding unfamiliar words, or writing down ideas. Encourage players to interact with the game in a way that works for them. Remind the group that they are working as a team and should support one another.
Give older or more experienced players more time to explore puzzles before offering them assistance. When they arrive at an idea, ask them to share their line of thought with the group. Talking through an idea can help the whole group make connections and notice things they might have missed, while also giving less experienced players a chance to follow along and learn from their teammates.
When playing with different ages, take turns reading, handling cards, taking notes, and entering answers. Try to avoid assuming that the oldest players will have the best insights; good ideas can come from anyone. Invite quieter participants to contribute without putting them on the spot by asking low-stakes questions, encouraging them to write their ideas down first, or using “turn and talk” strategies.
Encourage players to make space for everyone to contribute and agree on an answer before submitting it. After an answer is accepted, read the website response together before moving on. These passages develop the story and introduce science that can be missed in the excitement of reaching the next puzzle. Leave room for questions, a brief discussion, and celebrating what the group accomplished.
Once you’ve finished the game, wrap up by asking:
If time allows, give players a chance to share something surprising they learned and a moment when someone else’s idea helped them. Encourage players to share what they learned with friends or caregivers, too!
The game’s website companion shared lots of interesting information about the chambered nautilus and other cephalopods. If you want to keep the fun going, challenge your learners with some trivia. Grab our 15-question slide deck to use with a group, mix and match to adapt it for your learners, or import the questions into a platform like Kahoot!
If your learners are excited about games (or cephalopods), share Science Friday’s Design a Game Challenge with them. Let them use what they’ve learned about cooperative play to invent something new. You might also enjoy the Hack Your Brain series of games and puzzles that teach learners about neuroscience.
As players learned while playing the game, the chambered nautilus is endangered. Save the Nautilus is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting them. Started by 11-year-old Josiah Utsch and his friend Ridgely Kelly, the charity’s mission is to raise awareness about the nautilus and fund research to better understand this 500-million-year-old creature.
One of the biggest threats to the nautilus is overfishing. People often use the shells for jewelry, clothing, and home decor. Chambered nautiluses grow slowly and reproduce infrequently, so widespread fishing can significantly damage their populations. Despite international protections, thousands are still sold each year.
Learners who want to help protect the nautilus can take action. Save the Nautilus encourages people to write letters to retailers like eBay, Amazon, and Etsy, asking them to stop selling nautilus shells. More information and a sample letter are available on the Save the Nautilus website. Help players craft their messages using persuasive writing tips for young students and older learners.
Use these definitions when a word is unfamiliar. No puzzle answers are included as glossary entries. Download a printable copy for easy reference during the game.
Credits:
Lesson by Taylor Walders
Developmental editing by Sandy Roberts
Digital production by Sandy Roberts
Taylor Walders (they/them) is a science communicator based in New York.
The chambered nautilus takes center stage in a puzzle adventure game from Science Friday and Grand Gamers Guild.
Join SciFri Educate on October 8 for a Cephalopod Week live Q&A about the ancient relative of the octopus and squid.
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