Didactic games, motivation, key competences, teaching methods, Inquiry Based Learning.

This paper introduces two didactic games, which focus on the memorable reproduction of knowledge, including the simple/complex thought operations, and the support of key competencies. The specified didactic games contain a short annotation, a set goal, defined rules, playing cards and a game plan. By implementing these games, the pupil learns to use effectively their memory, cognitive and social strategies. The demand to explore didactic games as extra support for pupils when undertaking scientific research, emerged from the results obtained in the SGS project research. The research found that pupils have a problem with asking research questions correctly, as well as correctly naming the chemical glass, recording the procedure and the results of observations. In a game called "Do I Know What You Are?" the pupil learns how to systematically ask dichotomous questions to opponents in order to identify an unknown substance or separation method. The board game called “Party chemias” includes several activities that can be implemented separately, such as expressing chemical terms by description, drawing and describing the scientist and his significant discoveries. Furthermore, game players (pupils) can compile a meaningful sentence by using a chemistry curriculum term and through verifying the vocabulary of chemical terms via an alphabet letter. The results showed that playing didactic games increases pupils' interest in learning and promotes the permanence and depth of acquired knowledge.