It's pretty amazing that after all of the cutting-edge technological discoveries over the past 6 weeks, I find myself using some good ol' fashioned low-tech paper & pen(cil) gaming! It just so happens that I have been offered a 5-week Latin substitute position to finish up the year. What follows is the overview of this game:
Objective: Gain skills necessary to pass as a true Roman
Narrative: "The ability to travel time is inevitable...just as Virgin Airlines has planned for the first space-flight, so too, will travel in history become a recreational passtime in the future. For the next 5 weeks, you must go through training in order to work towards becoming Time Traveler Certified."
Rationale: Since I have limited time with these particular students and they are used to class a certain way, the introduction of a wide variety of sources or massively altering what materials students interact with is out of the question. Thus, this game is based on the material from a single chapter in the students' textbook, with a few novel features that should hook them for the last month of school. Class levels 1 through 4 will each follow the same game premise, but their assignments differ according to text's material.
Research: Aside from Tom Chatfield's "boxes" and rewarding the brain, I am grounding this game in differentiated instruction principles outlined in Deborah Blaz's book. The Assignment Grid is a classic example of offering students some choice in their learning by providing options that accomplish similar goals. For instance, the first three assignments deal with public speaking, while assignments 11 - 13 all deal with translating.
Mechanics: Each assignment on the grid awards skill points based on real-world skills (Logic = Grammar, Wit = Vocabulary, Scribe = Writing, etc...). With six skills and a choice of different assignments, roughly 10 completed assignments earns a B. While a few minutes of class time is devoted to direct instruction on certain grammar and cultural points, students are given the remainder of class as well as out of class time (homework) to complete assignments. Students choose an Expertise (WoW profession) about which to research, speak, and compose brief sentences.
Assessment: Formative includes review of completed assignments (checked daily by me stamping their Assignment Grid), Summative are 3 letter grades - Excellence (based on all skill points added and divided by 6), and Growth/Effort grades based on self-assessed (checked by me) holistic rubrics given at the game's end.
Rewards: Achievements based on assignment completion, such as completing all of the Speaking at the Senate assignments. Achievements earned will be announced each week on my teacher site (Character names), and administrators will be invited to the weekly (Fridays) Senate meeting (desks arranged in a half-moon w/ speakers/performers) to hear Expertise talks in both English and Latin, and thoughts on the cultural topic in the text. Latin Teacher magisterp.com MOOC III Week 2 Artisan MOOC III Week 4 Collabrateur
Not only is this clever, it uses a few game principles/mechanics in such a way that it binds the elements of language learning, interest, and engagement together. Are you using any videos outside of class time? Are students handing in physical papers or are they using Moodle/LMS for additional engagement?
Objective: Gain skills necessary to pass as a true Roman
Narrative: "The ability to travel time is inevitable...just as Virgin Airlines has planned for the first space-flight, so too, will travel in history become a recreational passtime in the future. For the next 5 weeks, you must go through training in order to work towards becoming Time Traveler Certified."
Rationale: Since I have limited time with these particular students and they are used to class a certain way, the introduction of a wide variety of sources or massively altering what materials students interact with is out of the question. Thus, this game is based on the material from a single chapter in the students' textbook, with a few novel features that should hook them for the last month of school. Class levels 1 through 4 will each follow the same game premise, but their assignments differ according to text's material.
Research: Aside from Tom Chatfield's "boxes" and rewarding the brain, I am grounding this game in differentiated instruction principles outlined in Deborah Blaz's book. The Assignment Grid is a classic example of offering students some choice in their learning by providing options that accomplish similar goals. For instance, the first three assignments deal with public speaking, while assignments 11 - 13 all deal with translating.
Mechanics: Each assignment on the grid awards skill points based on real-world skills (Logic = Grammar, Wit = Vocabulary, Scribe = Writing, etc...). With six skills and a choice of different assignments, roughly 10 completed assignments earns a B. While a few minutes of class time is devoted to direct instruction on certain grammar and cultural points, students are given the remainder of class as well as out of class time (homework) to complete assignments. Students choose an Expertise (WoW profession) about which to research, speak, and compose brief sentences.
Assessment: Formative includes review of completed assignments (checked daily by me stamping their Assignment Grid), Summative are 3 letter grades - Excellence (based on all skill points added and divided by 6), and Growth/Effort grades based on self-assessed (checked by me) holistic rubrics given at the game's end.
Rewards: Achievements based on assignment completion, such as completing all of the Speaking at the Senate assignments. Achievements earned will be announced each week on my teacher site (Character names), and administrators will be invited to the weekly (Fridays) Senate meeting (desks arranged in a half-moon w/ speakers/performers) to hear Expertise talks in both English and Latin, and thoughts on the cultural topic in the text.
Latin Teacher
magisterp.com
MOOC III Week 2 Artisan
MOOC III Week 4 Collabrateur