Blog Post 6 - Integrating Gaming and Simulations Into My Classroom

 Blog Post 6 - Integrating Gaming and Simulations Into My Classroom🎮🎲

    A game that I use consistently in my classroom is Jeopardy. This is an AMAZING way to make reviewing information fun and engaging. The application I use is Factile. I use this so regularly that I've even purchased a subscription for it and I make games when we're getting ready for a test or at the end of a unit to assess what the students do and don't know. Pictured below, you can see the games I have created for my 6th grade classroom so far.

Game Bank

    For the purposes of this post, I’m going to be using my ‘Bud, Not Buddy’ game to show examples of how the game works and how to navigate the website. When you make and edit a game, you get to create your own personalized Jeopardy game. You’ll start by creating categories that align with the content being taught in class. Then, you can create your own questions and answers to questions.

Category Edit

Question Edit

    Once the game is completed, it’s ready to play with your students! There are multiple different ways to play the game. In my classroom, I use the “Factile” option as it is the mode that replicates Jeopardy. With this version, students can also use a QR code on their personal devices to have their own buttons to “buzz” into the game. The game can tell which students have buzzed in first. However, you can select not to use this option.

Game Modes

Student Buzzer

    Students are able to choose a character such as a fruit, sea animal, dinosaur, etc. Once students have their team mascot, the game begins. The board with the players is displayed. Each time a question is selected and answered, it becomes darker in color so students can tell which questions have already been played.

Game Board

    Once a question is selected, the question is displayed on the board and Jeopardy music starts to play! It goes on for 30 seconds. When the music stops, times up! Time to answer the question. You can change the time allotted for each question and whether or not the music plays. I find it’s a fun way to keep the kids engaged, and they like to hum along with the music!

Sample Question

    In my classroom, this game is typically used as a review because the students have to provide answers to questions. Due to being able to create your own games and questions, this game can be used in any content area. There are also games that other teachers have created that you can copy and edit to tailor them to your own lessons to make prepping for this activity quicker and easier.

Public Games

    An example of a learning target I would use for a game in our classroom would be, “I can collaborate with my team members to analyze questions and compose answers to questions utilizing our collective knowledge of the novel.” This activity would support the learning objectives by students participating in discussions with their groups, taking the input of all group members into consideration, and providing the best answer to the question all while focusing on a particular content area. I also have set up opportunities for students to gain extra points if they include specific details in questions. However, they don’t know if there are extra points until the answer is revealed! This keeps them on their toes and they tend to be more specific in hopes to pick up some extra points. Middle Schoolers tend to love competitive games so this is a great way to keep them interested and engaged.

Bonus Points

    In my classroom, I play a little differently than typical Jeopardy. In a regular Jeopardy game, there’s only one person that gets to answer a given question. In order for all of my students to be involved in answering questions, I split them into 4-5 teams depending on class size. Each team gets a whiteboard, marker, and eraser. Each team has the opportunity to answer every single question. They collaborate with their groups and engage in meaningful conversations about the content in order to come up with an answer to the question. After 30 seconds to a minute depending on the question, each group will hold up their boards so I have a chance to see them and read the answers out loud to the class. Next, I display the true answer on the board. If groups got it wrong, we take the time to address those inconsistencies and have a class discussion that gives them clarity on what the true answer is and why it is the answer. Teams are awarded points for each question they answer correctly. At the end of the game, the team with the highest amount of points wins! Typically the team members will be given a sticker or a piece of candy to celebrate.

    
    When this game is first introduced at the beginning of the year, I start off by asking how many students have seen Jeopardy on TV. To my surprise, there are always lots of students that have not seen the show! I’ll show them a clip of the game show so that they understand how the game works. We engage in a class discussion about the process to check their understanding of it and allow students to ask any questions they might have. We talk about how in our classroom, students will be divided into groups as opposed to individual teams. I also address the fact that all students will be given the opportunity to answer each question. I ask students why it is important that they all get the chance to answer the questions so they have an understanding of why I have changed the rules. Typically we use a 100 point question as a practice run when we first play the game to make sure that students understand what is expected of them. Students tend to pick up on the game quite easily and as we play throughout the year, I don’t have to re explain.

    Setup is easy and it does not take much time. The most time consuming part of this application is the creation of the game, but the website is so easy to use that typically it does not take more than a prep period! Once the game is made, it can be used over and over again. Questions can be edited if need be but if you’re a teacher that uses a lot of the same content each year, those changes are minimal and they do not take much time. Setting up the classroom is easy as well. After students are divided into groups, I’ll have the groups separate and go to different desk clumps around the room. (I have the desks set up in groups already but moving the desk is an easy task for a room full of 6th graders!) Students know where the whiteboard, markers, and erasers are so they know to send a group member over to grab a set for their team. All that’s left to do is log into my Factile account on the board and press play! Cleanup entails students putting their materials away and pushing in chairs. Easy!

    Differentiation of this lesson comes in the grouping. I strategically place students into groups where their strengths and weaknesses compliment one another. For example, I have many students that have an IEP. a particular student is extremely intelligent and can verbalize answers to questions in great detail. However, when he is asked to write, he has a very hard time putting those words on paper. So, I’m always careful to put him in a group with students who will be comfortable with doing the bulk of the writing. This way, he is still able to review the material and participate in a meaningful way in the group discussions without having to worry about the physical act of writing. I also circulate the classroom as the students are engaging in their discussions and answering the questions to make sure that all students in the group are participating and being involved in the decisions and answers that students make. If I notice that students need more time to answer a question, I give it to them. I adapt as we play this game to allow for student success. I also posted the link to play this game on Google Classroom so students are able to play again on their own terms. This allows for students to go back and move at their own pace.

    I am an English and Reading teacher. So, nearly everything I do in my classroom is literacy based. Due to the nature of my content area, a lot of the Factile games I create are focused around a novel or content area that I have covered. The questions will have students recalling information from the texts for questions worth lower points, and analyzing information from the text to come to conclusions for questions worth higher points. If a majority of the groups got a question wrong, I know that there’s something I need to reteach to the entire class. If only a set of students gets a question wrong, I address the issue with that group and discuss the answer to the question, allowing other groups to chime in and expand their own understanding. Students are also writing out their answers, so they’re practicing crucial writing skills needed to answer a question. Students can also play this game independently when the link is shared. They can play the game in any mode that they would like to, allowing them to practice utilizing the digital application and learning how to navigate and use the tools. Students can even take this a step further and create their own games! I have had students come up with their own games for fun and share them with friends. This enhances their digital literacy skills as they’re the creators of their own knowledge and they’re able to use it to create their own assessment tool!