Student learning · Grades 6–8, Grades 9–12 · 45 minutes
The Feed Game
Students play a card-based recommendation engine by hand and watch their feed shrink to a few topics, then design ways to take it back.
Recommendation systems don't know what is true, kind, or good for you. They predict what will keep you watching, based on patterns in what you did before. In this game, one student plays the Algorithm and follows a printed rule card to choose posts for a Viewer, scoring every reaction. In five rounds, most feeds narrow to one or two topics, and posts designed to spark strong feelings rise to the top. Students then change one rule and discover what they can and can't control.
In this packet
- Handout A: Feed Cards (cut-apart cards)
- Handout B: Feed Tracker (organizer)
- Handout C: Take Back Your Feed (worksheet)
TCEA ELE indicators
- S2.3 I am aware of the potential risks of sharing content online.
- AI1.1 I know how AI systems work and their capabilities in educational contexts.
- S5.3 I am aware of how to apply computational thinking in various subjects.
- S2.2 I can identify trustworthy sources of information on the internet.
Full facilitator guide: mglearn.github.io/eles/activities/the-feed-game.html
Handout A for The Feed Game
Feed Cards
Cut apart. Give the two Rule Cards to the Algorithm. Shuffle the 14 post cards face down. Posts marked Spark earn +1 point when a Viewer watches, likes, or shares them.
Sheet 1 of 2
Rule Card 1 · Scoring
For every post the Viewer sees, score the reaction: Skip = 0, Watch all the way = 1, Like = 2, Comment or Share = 3. Spark post (and not skipped) = +1 bonus. Add the points to that post's topic. You never check if a post is true, kind, or helpful. You only count reactions.
Rule Card 2 · Next round
Round 1: deal 4 random posts. Every round after: deal 3 posts from the topic with the most total points and 1 post from the topic in second place. Tie? Pick the topic with more Spark points. Topic out of cards? Reshuffle its seen cards back in. Feeds repeat.
Gaming · Spark
"This update RUINED the game!!" A creator yells for ten minutes about a change to Pixel Quest.
Gaming
A calm walkthrough: how to beat the hardest level in Pixel Quest without spending any coins.
Gaming · Spark
"Only 1% of players can solve this puzzle. Can YOU?" (The comments are full of people arguing.)
Animals
A cat tries to fit into a box that is clearly too small. It takes four tries.
Animals · Spark
"You won't BELIEVE what this dog did next" with a crying emoji thumbnail. The video is 40 seconds of a dog finding a toy.
Animals
A wildlife rescue volunteer explains how to tell if a baby bird on the ground actually needs help.
Handout A for The Feed Game
Feed Cards
Cut apart. Give the two Rule Cards to the Algorithm. Shuffle the 14 post cards face down. Posts marked Spark earn +1 point when a Viewer watches, likes, or shares them.
Sheet 2 of 2
Sports · Spark
"The WORST call in league history!" A fan slows down a referee's call frame by frame and gets angrier each time.
Sports
A 60-second drill a middle-school soccer coach uses to improve passing.
Sports
Highlights from the Riverside Rockets' comeback win in the last two minutes.
Science · Spark
"Scientists are HIDING this about the ocean!" A video with dramatic music and no sources.
Science
A student shows how to build a working model volcano and explains the chemical reaction.
Science
Time-lapse of a bean seed sprouting over ten days, with the day number in the corner.
Cooking
Three after-school snacks you can make in five minutes without a stove.
Cooking · Spark
"I tried the viral 100-layer pancake and it was a DISASTER." A creator reacts loudly to a kitchen fail.
Handout B for The Feed Game
Feed Tracker
The Recorder fills in one row per round. Rounds 6–7 are for your rule change in the Apply step.
| Round | Topics dealt (write each post's topic) | Points by topic this round | Running total: top topic and second topic | How many different topics showed up? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 (rule change) | ||||
| 7 (rule change) |
Handout C for The Feed Game
Take Back Your Feed
Answer on your own using your team's Feed Tracker.
In Round 1, our feed showed ___ topics. In Round 5, it showed ___ topics. Explain why, using the rule cards.
Why did Spark posts keep getting boosted? What does that mean for posts that are angry, shocking, or untrue?
The Algorithm knew only our reactions. List two things it did NOT know about the Viewer.
Our rule change was… Did the feed widen? What was the trade-off?
One habit I'll try this week to shape my feed on purpose (for example: skip posts that only exist to make me mad, look up a topic I want to learn about, stop sharing before I check):