I finally had to tell myself to stop. I never knew that designing a game could be so engaging. I spent hours playing, creating, and developing a game-based assessment and truly had fun doing it. My last blog post referenced how I was having trouble coming up with an idea, but I kept coming back to the idea that I wanted to make my semiotic domain of grammar and language applicable to the real-world, using situations they may find themselves in in the future. I also wanted to allow for the procedural rhetoric to include my classroom concept of trying. Students should be able to try again with minimal to no consequence, so that they continue growing and are not discouraged, especially with grammar skills that are essential for writing. Most writers go through revision, so I like that students can try without consequence and continue to ideate.
Therefore, the assessment I created (available to be played below) is based on the Game of Life, the board game that was created in 1860 by Milton Bradley. Using Twine, I added in tasks that involve basic grammar skills, like punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and more. These skills are important and are required for students to know in the Common Core State Standards that my district and state have adopted. The game allows players to go on a journey, choosing college or career, occupations, etc., but instead of action cards, players have to answer grammar questions based on the path that they choose. They lose and earn money, just as they would in the board game version. There is no dead-end, so students can continue to try and answer the questions correctly. However, once they make a major decision, they cannot go back and change their mind. The game is not quite complete yet, but the concept is there. The idea of this game gets much more complicated when thinking about how to use it to access students’ understanding of grammar skills. Many of the students will pick different paths, earn different amounts of money, and complete the game at different times. The best way for me to grasp what my students understand would be through observation while they are playing. If a student is taking quite some time on a question, I may note that for individual help later. If a student has completed their journey in five minutes, I know they are ready for extension activities. At the same time, I thought about adding a survey at the end, asking questions like “What path did you take?” “What questions were the hardest?” “What questions were easiest?” By doing so, I could get important data on what may need further instruction. A survey like this would also allow for some students to self-access their experience and reflect on what skills they may need more assistance on. When comparing this assessment to my Assessment Design Checklist, it corresponds well with the Common Core State Standards. I don’t know that it could be used to prove that students have mastered these skills, but it could provide opportunities for discussion and reflection. This assessment doesn’t promote recall, as the situations and scenarios are new and vast. I can give feedback to students on their progress, on their completion, and potentially on their feedback about the game. I think it will keep students engaged, as I know I was engaged while making it! While it still needs a lot more levels and steps, it is headed in the right direction!
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Jennifer StirlingThis is my #MAET journey! Thanks for reading! Archives
August 2020
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