Round & Revel / Teaching through selected examples
Teach the Exception
A good example can do the work of a long explanation.
Original authored print-and-play game. Time is a planning estimate; this edition has not had a live group playtest.
Good for: A patient group that enjoys discovering why an explanation worked or missed its mark.
What you need
- Six private rule cards and all 16 example cards, cut apart
- Public rule menu and one learner test sheet per player
- Paper labels IN and OUT, pens and a covered checking guide
How to play
A shared teaching challenge
Everybody cooperates. Play one round per person, with each player teaching once. Choose a first teacher and rotate clockwise. Shuffle the six private rule cards and use one different rule per teacher. Leave the public rule menu and all sixteen example cards face up. The menu lists every possible rule, so learners have a fair set of hypotheses. The selected card alone is private.
Read the features literally
Each example has FORM, SIZE, SURFACE and EDGE. Words are the complete data: a printed ROUND label determines form even if someone imagines a square specimen. IN means the example satisfies the chosen rule; OUT means it does not. AND requires both conditions. OR permits either condition or both. Exactly one excludes both true and both false. Consult these meanings and reread public text whenever needed.
Choose three teaching examples
The teacher privately studies the selected rule and, if useful, its matching answer list. Select exactly three different examples from the public collection and arrange each under IN or OUT. You may use three of the same label if you think that helps. Learners may see example IDs and every printed feature. The teacher may repeat a feature or label exactly but cannot explain why it belongs, name the rule, point meaningfully at one feature or supply extra verbal hints.
Draw a transfer test
Set those three teaching examples aside, still visible. Mix the remaining thirteen face down. A learner draws four without the teacher choosing them and lays them face up. These are the test examples. Keep the other nine aside for a possible fourth demonstration. Every learner may suggest a rule or explain a possibility before the group discusses its four answers. The learner clockwise from the teacher is the recorder and resolves any final disagreement after hearing everyone.
Lock the first classifications
For each of the four test IDs, write exactly IN or OUT. An unanswered or conflicting entry is incorrect. Lock the first column before showing it to the teacher. The teacher checks privately and records the number correct, without revealing that number or which answers were right. Do not alter the first column later: it is the record of how well the first lesson transferred.
Teach once more
The teacher selects exactly one of the nine unused examples and labels it IN or OUT. This can address a misconception or distinguish remaining rules, but it cannot be one of the test examples or a repeat of an earlier demonstration. No explanation or correctness feedback accompanies it. The learners discuss again and fill a separate final column for the same four test IDs. They may keep every answer or change any of them. Lock the final column before revealing the rule.
Score the lesson
Reveal the rule and check all four test examples using the printed condition. Score 1 point for every correct first answer and 1 for every correct final answer, for 0–8 shared points. These are separate checks: a correct first answer remains worth its point even if the final answer changed incorrectly. There is no bonus for guessing the rule’s name, speed or a particularly elegant explanation. Afterwards, freely discuss which examples helped and which hypothesis they ruled out.
Mistakes and fair participation
If the teacher mislabels an example, accidentally identifies the rule, or exposes test answers before final locking, void the round and repeat with a remaining rule if possible. Do not treat an unsuccessful but truthful teaching choice as an error. If no fresh rule remains, finish that round as practice and report the scored total with its actual maximum. Learners may dictate, point to IN/OUT cards or use large print. All reference material may stay visible, and discussion can be untimed.
Finish and replay
Return all example cards after each round. Keep used rule cards aside so the current session has no repeated rule. After everyone has taught, add the group total out of eight times the player count. There are no individual rankings or tie-breakers. In later sessions the rules can repeat: choosing different initial examples and drawing different tests changes the lesson, although familiarity may make it easier.
A worked example
Use this separate practice rule, absent from the six-card rule pool: IN exactly when a label says DAY. A practice slip labelled DAY is IN; a slip labelled NIGHT is OUT. Suppose four unseen practice slips receive three correct first classifications and four correct final classifications after one extra demonstration. The shared score is 3 + 4 = 7. DAY and NIGHT are not features in the scored example deck.
Printable materials
Print the example deck and menu for the whole group. Cut private rule cards apart and keep their faces hidden while choosing one. The separate answer guide belongs to the current teacher only and must stay covered from learners.
Example 01
FORM ROUND; SIZE SMALL; SURFACE PLAIN; EDGE SMOOTH.
Example 02
FORM ROUND; SIZE SMALL; SURFACE PLAIN; EDGE NOTCHED.
Example 03
FORM ROUND; SIZE SMALL; SURFACE STRIPED; EDGE SMOOTH.
Example 04
FORM ROUND; SIZE SMALL; SURFACE STRIPED; EDGE NOTCHED.
Example 05
FORM ROUND; SIZE LARGE; SURFACE PLAIN; EDGE SMOOTH.
Example 06
FORM ROUND; SIZE LARGE; SURFACE PLAIN; EDGE NOTCHED.
Example 07
FORM ROUND; SIZE LARGE; SURFACE STRIPED; EDGE SMOOTH.
Example 08
FORM ROUND; SIZE LARGE; SURFACE STRIPED; EDGE NOTCHED.
Example 09
FORM SQUARE; SIZE SMALL; SURFACE PLAIN; EDGE SMOOTH.
Example 10
FORM SQUARE; SIZE SMALL; SURFACE PLAIN; EDGE NOTCHED.
Example 11
FORM SQUARE; SIZE SMALL; SURFACE STRIPED; EDGE SMOOTH.
Example 12
FORM SQUARE; SIZE SMALL; SURFACE STRIPED; EDGE NOTCHED.
Example 13
FORM SQUARE; SIZE LARGE; SURFACE PLAIN; EDGE SMOOTH.
Example 14
FORM SQUARE; SIZE LARGE; SURFACE PLAIN; EDGE NOTCHED.
Example 15
FORM SQUARE; SIZE LARGE; SURFACE STRIPED; EDGE SMOOTH.
Example 16
FORM SQUARE; SIZE LARGE; SURFACE STRIPED; EDGE NOTCHED.
Private rule 01
LARGE. IN exactly when SIZE is LARGE. Keep the selected rule hidden; teach with labelled examples only.
Private rule 02
STRIPED. IN exactly when SURFACE is STRIPED. Keep the selected rule hidden; teach with labelled examples only.
Private rule 03
LARGE ROUND. IN exactly when SIZE is LARGE and FORM is ROUND. Keep the selected rule hidden; teach with labelled examples only.
Private rule 04
SQUARE OR NOTCHED. IN when FORM is SQUARE or EDGE is NOTCHED, including when both are true. Keep the selected rule hidden; teach with labelled examples only.
Private rule 05
ONE OF TWO. IN when exactly one is true: SIZE is LARGE; SURFACE is STRIPED. Both true and both false are OUT. Keep the selected rule hidden; teach with labelled examples only.
Private rule 06
ROUND SMOOTH. IN exactly when FORM is ROUND and EDGE is SMOOTH. Keep the selected rule hidden; teach with labelled examples only.
Public rule menu
The hidden rule is one of these six: LARGE: IN exactly when SIZE is LARGE. | STRIPED: IN exactly when SURFACE is STRIPED. | LARGE ROUND: IN exactly when SIZE is LARGE and FORM is ROUND. | SQUARE OR NOTCHED: IN when FORM is SQUARE or EDGE is NOTCHED, including when both are true. | ONE OF TWO: IN when exactly one is true: SIZE is LARGE; SURFACE is STRIPED. Both true and both false are OUT. | ROUND SMOOTH: IN exactly when FORM is ROUND and EDGE is SMOOTH. The teacher cannot name the chosen rule.
Learner test sheet
Teacher ___ | Test example IDs ___ ___ ___ ___ | First IN/OUT choices ___ ___ ___ ___ | Final choices ___ ___ ___ ___ | First correct ___ + final correct ___ = ___
Host material: Open the separate Teach the Exception answer notes. Contains solutions. Keep this guide away from players.
Round & Revel. First edition, October 2026. Uses only the listed printable materials and ordinary supplies.