Wildcat Workshop @ Chester Arthur School
GRADE 8
GAME ON!
Essential Questions
What roles do games play in our society?
Why is conservation of natural resources and wildlife important?
How can I use design thinking to create something that is useful and meaningful to others?
What does it mean to be a good digital citizen?
Key Projects
Board, card, and/or outdoor games inspired by nature that can be used by visitors and rangers at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge
Digital games in code.org inspired by nature that can be used by visitors and rangers at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge
May 2023
We've been building games in code.org Game Lab that are inspired by nature. Student teachers in the Drexel University DragonsTeach program visited and encouraged us to look closely at beetles, pill bugs, and earthworms.
We began coding a new sprite property in Game Lab: velocity. We brainstormed why a property like velocity might be useful in game design.
We had a second visit from student teachers from Drexel DragonsTeach. This time we were examining leaves and discussing how their shapes, sizes, and other characteristics might help them in particular climates.
April 2023
We began putting what we'd learned about using Game Lab to modify an existing game so that it had a nature-inspired theme.
We explored Tinkercad Sim Lab. We searched for ideas using a Google Image search and also found some YouTube videos to get us started.
March 2023
We briefly paused our game design work to create geometric designs in Turtle Stitch. We used repeat, move, and turn blocks to tell our digital turtles what to draw. Then, we used our new laser cutter to carve our designs into wooden medallions.
We returned to Game Lab to begin creating and animating sprites. We also used dot notation to change sprite properties. Sprite properties keep track of the information a program needs to know about a sprite, like size and location.
February 2023
We practiced what we knew about drawing shapes and using variables to create a checkerboard animation. We had to use x and y coordinates to create the board and place the checker. Then, we needed to create, use, and update a variable for the y-position of the checker to make it move down the board.
We also began exploring how and why we might incorporate random numbers into our game code.
We watched a video about the history of video games and the contributions of Jerry Lawson, an African American engineer who led the development of the first cartridges for a gaming system.
January 2023
We kicked off our digital game design project. We began learning about how to draw shapes on a coordinate plane in Game Lab on code.org. Game Lab allowed us to use both blocks and text to write our code and learn JavaScript. We also began exploring how and why we might incorporate variables into our game code.
We played Interland to review important Digital Citizenship ideas about passwords, being kind online, and protecting privacy.
We also invited grade 6 students in to test our games and give us feedback. We use this feedback to further revise our game designs and written rules.
November 2022
Students continued constructing their games. Students decided on what components of the games they would work on and what tools they would use. Here are some examples:
Game name, logo, marketing materials (Adobe Express, Canva, Google Draw, Google Slides)
Game pieces, board, cards (Tinkercad + 3D printer; Easel + Carvey, wood, etc.; laser cutter, acrylic, etc.; cardboard, paper, markers, glue, tape; Makey Makey, materials that conduct electricity; circuit materials, bulbs, etc.; Google Draw, Google Slides)
Rules, gameplay, backstory (Journal, Google Docs, Adobe Express, Canva)
Game box, bag (Adobe Express, Canva, Google Draw, Google Slides; cardboard, tape, glue; Easel + Carvey, wood, etc.; laser cutter, acrylic, etc.)
Example game logo designs
Example game card designs
Example game rules
October 2022
We reflected on the idea of migration and some examples of migration in nature. We thought about how some organisms might migrate because they needed different resources as they seasons change. We also thought about how a specific example of migration (red knots) along the East Coast of the United States could give us a game design idea. Red knots stop in the Delaware Bay along their migration path to eat horseshoe crabs. Unfortunately, human activity has caused horseshoe crab populations to decrease, which means that red knots may not have the energy they need to continue their migration journey. If we treated the game hopscotch like a migration pathway, what would happen if we lost certain spots on our path?
September 2022
We started creating quick game prototypes using a variety of game pieces and materials in the workshop. We mixed in plastic bugs and other animals for additional inspiration. We’re coming up with titles, backstories (if useful), rules, senses of how gameplay could proceed.
We also paused to share our games with other groups. Members of other groups gave us feedback in the form of "glows" ("I liked...") and "grows" ("I wonder if...").
We switched from thinking about the technical components of games to learning a little about insects to begin brainstorming game ideas. The games we build this year should be inspired by nature in some way. We learned about structural and behavioral adaptations of insects by (1) looking at examples of horned beetles and bees and (2) applying what we learned to look for adaptations in a video about more insects; and
We've been using plastic bugs in addition to a variety of game pieces (e.g., timers, dice, spinners, cards).
We also opened up the Makey Makey kits to start thinking about whether we might incorporate them into our game designs.
August 2022
We kicked off our yearlong project: creating games (board games, outdoor games, card games, digital game coded in JavaScript) inspired by something in nature (adaptations, migrations, ecological relationships). First, we connected around games we like to play. A lot of us play the same games. Then, we discussed some features of games that we think are really important. Students brought up things like:
needs to be challenging but not too challenging
unpredictability / mystery
gameplay
points, rewards and/or achievements
visual appeal
doesn’t lag / glitch
