NAME OF ACTIVITY:  Traffic Jam

GRADE LEVEL: 3-12

EQUIPMENT:  9 marked areas on the floor or 9 carpet squares, etc.

HIGHLIGHTS:  Cooperation, Critical thinking

INSTRUCTIONS:  Mark 9 squares using Chalk, masking tape, shoe polish, carpet squares or whatever is available to create the following pattern:

   1              2           3            4               5          6            7             8            9
          **Note: you do not need these numbered.  I numbered them to explain the solution**
     To start, have one player on each of the squares with arrows, and facing the direction that the arrow indicates.  So, each team is facing the unoccupied, middle square.  The object of the game is to legally move the players on the left side, to the right; and the players on the right side, to the left.  Following are the rules that must be followed during this activity:
                    Illegal Moves
     1.  Players may not move backwards. nor turn around.
     2.  May not move around anyone facing the same direction that you are facing.
     3.  May not move more than one person at a time.
                     Legal Moves
     4.  A player must move to an unoccupied space in front of them. (remember, no moving backwards)
     5.   You may move past a player facing the opposite direction to get to the empty space behind him/her.
     6.  You may not move past more than 1 player (remember, they must be facing the opposite direction).

HELPFUL HINTS:  Personally, I use this as a station with other cooperatives.  If there is less than eight players to a group, they put an inanimate object in the game to represent a player.
     When a group gets stuck (traffic jam) to where no one can move, then team must start again.
     Groups will start out very unorganized, eventually a1 player will lead the team to the solution.  I try to stay out of the critical thinking process, unless I see that the team has no cooperation or direction.
Solution:  Ok, I'll try to describe the solution by using the numbers under the squares above.  You may want to try this on paper with pennies and dimes or some other objects to represent the players.  Keep in mind that the player on the square described, can only move in one direction.  The arrows on the squares only show the direction of the player starting on that square.  After the game starts. players can only move the direction they were facing at the beginning of the game.
square 4, 
square 6, square 7,
square 5, square 3, square 2, 
square 4, square 6, square 8, square 9, 
square 7, square 5, square 3, square 1, 
square 2, square 4, square 6, square 8, 
square 7, square 5. square 3,
Square 4, square 6,
square 5,
     Notice the pattern  L side- 1 move , R side-2 moves, L side-3 moves, R side 4 moves, L side 4 moves, R side 4 moves, L side 3 moves, R side 2 moves, L side 1 move.

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