Teaching Teamwork
through Gaming, Reading and Response
World of WarCraft is a MMOG or Massive
Multiplayer Online Game which many schools worldwide are currently using as
educational platforms to support teaching and learning utilising 21st century
skills.
Resources
- Graphic Novel Study:The Arctic Incident. Adapted by Eoin Colfer Andrew Donkin (Artemis Fowl Graphic Novel) (10 copies)
- WoW Trial version
- Parental Letter and Permission Slip and student accounts
- ABC WoW Blog
Maximum Number of Students: 9
Purpose
The purpose
of this unit is to engage students in reading and response activities, which
encourage them to draw parallels between online gaming activities, involving
teamwork in a virtual world. Through quests, students will interact with other
players. They will reflect on their experiences in written form as well as
through discussion and draw parallels between their quests and the readings.
Each of the lessons will include a blog post which will reflect on readings and the gaming experiences students have had.
Each of the lessons will include a blog post which will reflect on readings and the gaming experiences students have had.
Overview
- The project will take place over a 10 week period* as an extra curricular activity for middle school students (to include reluctant readers and/or writers), utilising a, gaming and learning environment combined with reading and response.
- The project will include the use of the online video game and virtual world, World of Warcraft, as well as the graphic novel The Arctic Incident. Adapted by Eoin Colfer Andrew Donkin (Artemis Fowl Graphic Novel) and a blogger.com blog set up for this purpose.
- The following themes will be addressed as key components of the project: reading and responding, teamwork through gaming and social interaction. The ISTE Nets addressed through the project are 1,2,4 and 5.
- The following
* It may be decided to
extend the project for 10 additional weeks at this point.
Procedure
Over a
10 week period, students will engage in weekly quests, discussion and
reflection in the Learning Resources Centre, during extra curricular time.
Parallels will be drawn, in reflective blog posts, between student experiences
in-world and the experiences of the characters in the novel. Readings and/or
blog responses will be assigned as homework each week.
Skills and Processes
ISTE Nets
The ABC uses the ISTE Nets for Students in
guiding teaching with technology. While this program does not pretend to
encompass all Nets for Students, it is designed to target a great many.
Net 1:
Demonstrating creative thinking,
Net 2:
Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats, contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems,
Net 4:
Identify and define authentic problems, plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
Net 5:
Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity,
Net 6:
Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies. Understand and use technology systems.
Net 1:
Demonstrating creative thinking,
Net 2:
Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats, contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems,
Net 4:
Identify and define authentic problems, plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
Net 5:
Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity,
Net 6:
Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies. Understand and use technology systems.
KS3 English
Through the reading and writing elements of the
project students work on the following essential skills and processes in
English, from British National Curriculum
Game Play Language
1.1
Being adaptable in a widening range of familiar
and unfamiliar contexts
within the classroom and beyond.
e Making informed choices about effective ways
to communicate formally
and informally.
Graphic Novel
2.2
a. extract and interpret information, events,
main points and ideas from texts
f. recognise and discuss different
interpretations of texts, justifying
their own views on what they read and see, and
supporting them
with evidence
i. understand how meaning is created through the
combination of words,
images and sounds in multimodal texts.
4.2
a. develop independence in reading
b. engage with whole texts for sustained periods
c. develop reading skills through work that
makes cross-curricular links with other subjects
d. meet and talk with other readers and writers
whenever possible
Blog Writing
1.2
Making
fresh connections between ideas, experiences, texts and words, drawing on a
rich experience of language and literature.
1.4
Engaging with ideas and texts, understanding and
responding to the main issues.
2.3
Write clearly and coherently, including an
appropriate level of detail
g. structure their writing to support the
purpose of the task and guide
the reader
k. consider what the reader needs to know and
include relevant details
o. form their own view, taking into account a
range of evidence and opinions
q. use planning, drafting, editing, proofreading
and self-evaluation to shape
and craft their writing for maximum effect
4.3
a. develop independence in writing
d. move beyond their current situation and take
on different roles and viewpoints
e. evaluate and respond constructively to their
own and others’ writing
f. draw on their reading and knowledge of
linguistic and literary forms when composing their writing
g. develop writing skills through work that
makes cross-curricular links with other subjects
i. write for contexts and purposes beyond the
classroom.
Feedback and Editing:
t. use the conventions of standard English
effectively
u. use grammar accurately in a variety of
sentence types, including subject-verb agreement and correct and consistent use
of tense
v. signal sentence structure by the effective
use of the full range of punctuation marks to clarify meaning
w. spell correctly, increasing their knowledge
of regular patterns of spelling,
word families, roots of words
a the principles of sentence grammar and
whole-text cohesion, and the use
of this knowledge in pupils’ writing
Lesson and Homework Expectations
Week
1 The Psychological Assessment , Prologues, Family Ties and Chix
Read:
the Psychological Assessment on Artemis Fowl,
Prologue and chapters one and two
Discuss and identify unfamiliar words in the prologue.
WoW:
Discuss and identify unfamiliar words in the prologue.
WoW:
Partner up with another member of our group. Go
off together on an adventure possibly involving a quest. Share your experiences
so far in WoW and teach each some of what you have learned.
Blog:
Blog:
Each
student is to write a short blog post which includes an explanation of one
unfamiliar word from the reading, an opinion about the main character Artemis
Fowl and on element that the book and WoW have in common (quest, lore, mythical
creatures, special powers such as healing). Please make sure to add
labels to you blog post and separate each label using a comma.
Week
2: The Scrolls of Capalla, Going Underground and Fowl is Fair
Here
is the work for this week.
Read:
Read the Scrolls of Capalla, and chapters 3
and 4. Think about the warning in the scrolls and how it is related to the
living situation of the fairies.
WoW:
Group
quests (If under level 15) and/or dungeon (If you are level 15 or higher). If
running a dungeon, use the dungeon finder in your toolbar. For more information
on how to participate in a dungeon,
click here.
Blog :
Record a post that explains what you perceive to
be the relationship between the fairies and the mud people(humans). Describe
your first group quest/dungeon, and how the various characters and their
relationships in your group made a difference.
Week
3: Dungeons
Read:
There
is no reading this week.
Wow:
Dungeons:
You should all be at level 15 or higher by now. The time has come! We can
participate in Dungeons together! Talk to Sebastian and David and any others
who have already participated in Dungeons, and if the necessary players are
available (tank, a healer and three DPS), form a dungeon group, if not use the
dungeon finder to find a dungeon you can participate in. Remember teamwork is
the key to success. You must coordinate amongst yourselves and work together to
be successful.
Blog:
Blog:
Your
job this week is to reflect on your experience in the dungeon you participated
in. What did you find challenging about it? How did teamwork help you to meet
your objectives? Give an example when answering each question.
Week
4
Read:
Daddy’s
Girl and chapters 5 and 6
Wow:
Wow:
Visit
points of interest for achievement points using griffin masters and flight
points, the gnome built tram, boats and dock masters. Go off in pairs and
explore using the map. Then spend some time working together to complete quests
and leveling up. Partner up and help each other find and complete quests or
work as a part of a dungeon if you are level 15 or above.
Blog:
Blog:
Is
Opay Kobal considered dangerous? Why? Who are “The People” that Capitan Short
refers to? When Capitan short says “Thank Frond” who might Frond be? Who do you
think Luc Carrere is working for? Did you encounter any dangerous characters
while exploring? Who were they? What did you find out about them?
Please make sure that you use correct punctuation and spell check your work carefully. You are expected to write at least two paragraphs for this blog post.
Please make sure that you use correct punctuation and spell check your work carefully. You are expected to write at least two paragraphs for this blog post.
Week
5 Chapters 7 and8 Facing the Bad Guys and Communication
Read:
Chapters
7 and 8. Who are the “bad guys”
WoW:
Continue
working together on group quests and/or dungeons.
Blog:
Reflect
on your experiences during the journey. How were you able to better plan your
routes and overcome adverse conditions as a team? How might your journey have
differed if you had struck out on your own?
Week
6: Lore
Read:
To
Russia with Gloves and Trouble and Strife
Wow:
Wow:
Search
out different non-player characters in WoW. Try to find out as much as you can
about each one. Can you find any of these ones?
Blog:
Blog:
Read
through the descriptions of some of the
most important non-player characters in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. Think
about what you have learned about the characters in the novel. Plan and write a
short (1-2 paragraph) lore description for one of the main
characters in Arctic Incident.
Week 7 Character To do Lists and Autobiographies
Read:
Read through General Scalene’s Documents which
were recovered from the upstairs of the Second Skin Nightclub.
WoW:
WoW:
Continue working on your group quests and
dungeons this week.
Blog:
Blog:
Using what you learned from reading General
Scalene’s Documents. create a “To Do” list for one of your own
characters. Make sure you have at least 7 items on the list. Now think
about your character again. What traits does it have? Create a short
biographical description for it. What would you include about your
character? You can use the bio from General Scalene’s description to give you
some ideas.
Week 8: Betrayal
Read:
Chapter 9 No Safe Haven
WoW:
Your job today is to be a different kind of hero. You are to search out
other players in need of help, possibly those whose XP level is lower
than yours. Make an effort to work with them and help them out of
difficult situations. See how many other players can you help out during
the lesson?
Blog:
In Chapter 9 a betrayal takes place. Why did Briar Cudgeon betray Foaly?
Have you ever encountered betrayal in WoW? Describe the situation and
how you dealt with it.
In this same chapter Holly lost almost all her magic. Describe how she got it back and how teamwork was involved.
The following are the additional lessons for the second round of the club. We are still working with the novel for most of these lessons.
Week 9-Trouble and Strife
Read:
Read Chapter 10 - Trouble and Strife
WoW:
Building your network. Join up with others in
the class and go off together to one of the large cities or villages. Approach
other players in the game and ask them some questions. Some possible questions
topics for conversation are jobs, school or grade level, where in the world
they are from, what they like to do most in WoW etc…Be careful not to ask
anything that is to personal or would make them worry about their online
safety. You should try to share some of your group’s information as well. Again
be careful not to share too much, and nothing too personal.
Blog:
In this chapter Holly says “It’s always darkest
before the dawn.” What does this mean? What is she trying to tell Artemis?
Look at both of Foaly’s text messages, which he
sent to Artemis. Choose one are rewrite it in standard English.
Week 10-Mulch Diggums
Read:
Look at the Mulch
Diggums document that was discovered in the penthouse suite of the Crowley
Hotel.
WoW:
It is time to do a bit of Maths. Approach a
Griffin Master. Select a route and
ensure to make a note of the time it took you to get there. Now the
difficult part begins. Work your way back, on foot this time. Try to stick to
the roads and stay out of trouble. Time your journey back. Work out how much
faster it is to travel on Griffin to that destination than on foot. Compare
this with the information gathered by other members of your group.
Record your findings in the blog.
Blog:
· Reread the NOTE: What do you find strange about it?
·
What kind of character
is Mulch Diggums? How would you describe him?
·
Take a look at his
shopping list. Think about what items your WoW character might shop for. Write
up a short (4-5 item) WoW shopping list for your character. You will need it
for the next lesson.
Week 11- Mulch Ado About Nothing
Read:
Read chapter 11 - Mulch Ado About Nothing.
WoW:
It is time to go shopping for the items on your
list. Where might you find them? Work together to find the items and complete
your list.
Blog:
· William Shakespeare wrote a comedy with a similar title to this.
What was the name of the play?
·
At the end of Chapter 11
Mulch says that dwarfs hate ice. How are dwarfs in WoW different from dwarfs in
the novel?
·
Look at the information
gathered by each member of the group last lesson. Work out the differences in
time for each location. Were there different answers for the same locations
from different people? If so why might this be? Was this was a fair test, yes
or no? If not how might we make it more fair? Explain your answer.
Week 12-The Boys are Back
Read:
Read Chapter 12 The Boys are Back.
WoW:
Preparing for Dungeons- spend some time this
lesson preparing for a dungeon. We will be participating in one together next
week. Talk to some of your friends who have been on dungeons before, get some
advice. Spar with each other and practice your skills.
Blog:
At the end of this chapter it is said that Commander Cudgeon has been
given a spine transplant. What does that mean? Is Cudgeon being brave when he
says he is going to talk to the reptiles or not? Explain your answer.
Week 13-Into the
Breach
Read:
Read Chapter 13 Into
the Breach.
WoW:
Dungeons: We are going on a dungeon together today. Using
the dungeon finder select the dungeon your teachers has indicated and prepare
for an adventure.
Blog:
On the second page there are several sound effects. There is
a special name for these kinds of words
in English as well as in Spanish. If fact they are very similar. Go online and
find out what that is. Define it here in your own words.
When the breaks into Koboi Labs it is similar to a dungeon
in WoW. What role does each player in the novel play? If they were WoW
characters, what class and/or race would each of them be?
Week 14-Father’s Day
and An Epilogue of Two
Read:
Read Chapter 14 Father’s Day and An Epilogue of Two
WoW:
Being a Tour Guide
Choose one of your favourite destinations in WoW, take a
friend there and show them why this is a special place. Use the MAC options to
record the experience and your discussion. Put the movie in Student Shared
Docs.
Blog:
Artemis and Holly were far from being friends at the
beginning of the novel. How had their relationship changed by the last chapter?
What do you think caused this change?
At the end when Dr. Po asks Artemis if he has found anyone
worthy of his respect, he answers, “Yes, I believe I have.” What does he mean?
Week 15-The Elements
of a Quest
Think back to some of the quests you have been on. What type
of language did the quest givers use? What sorts of rewards did they offer? Go
back into the game if needed and read through a few quests.
Next write a quest that requires teamwork to succeed.
Consider the reason for the quest, the language needed, the tone of the quest,
who the quest giver is and the roles required to complete the quest.
Don’t forget to include geographical information and offer a reward.
Weeks 16, 17 18 - Machinima
This week you will plan a storyboard for a machinima. You will
save a copy of your storyboard as a picture and upload it to the blog. Don’t
forget to include narration as well as audio. You will also want to find a way
to work in some of your tour guide video.
During the lesson, work out
what it is you will demonstrate in your video and practice, as you
gather ideas for the storyboard. When
you are finished planning, and practicing use the mac option to record your
video.
Your next step is to import the video clip(s) you recorded
into iMovie and edit them. Once exported
we will upload them to our YouTube channel and you will be able to embed them
in your blog post where you posted your storyboard.
* The finished video
should not last longer than 2 minutes, so choose your scenes with care and edit
out the parts that are uneccesary.
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