Short description:

Through this Goosechase activity, language teachers are presented with the possibilities of the this app for designing their own 'mini-sequences' of activities that can engage learners to explore the target language. 

Authors: Melinda Dooly & Randall Sadler

Contextualization:

The location of the activity is in university classroom and university surroundings.

The target age is adults (18 and older). 

Following the CEFR reference, the activity's target language level is destined for C1-C2 level. 

Lesson aims: 

Specific objectives based on CEFR:

Written reception: 

Overall reading comprehension

• Can understand in detail complex instructions and other nuanced texts.

Spoken production:

Overall spoken production:

• Can clearly communicate ideas and concepts.

• Can argue a case on a complex issue and can formulate points precisely.

• Can give instructions on carrying out a series of complex academic procedures.

Mediation:

• Can link contributions skilfully to those of other speakers, widen the scope of the interaction and help steer it towards an outcome.

• Can ask for explanation or clarification to ensure he/she understands complex, abstract ideas in professional or academic

• contexts.

• Can take on different roles according to the needs of the people and situation involved.

• Can build on different contributions to a discussion.

SWBATS:

• Students will be able to experience, through a learner's position, how the Goosechase app can be sequenced for language reception and production. Our sequence is designed to activate creative thinking, writing skills and to experiment with not only this app, but also Artificial Intelligence.

• Students will be able to extrapolate from this experience to design their own activity sequences in the same app. 

Preparation:

• The Goosechase sequences take considerable pre-class preparation (similar to designing any activity sequence). Approximate time is 1 to 2 days. 

• All sequences should be tested with a cellphone or app before going to class by the teacher.

• Ideally, the students have the app downloaded into their cellphones or tablets before the class. If not, this takes an additional 10 minutes.

• Visual instructions on how to access the goosechase experience are recommended (at least for the first use). Time needed approximately 10 minutes. 

• 5 minutes to answer any questions before launching the Goosechase experience.

Materials:

For completing the activity the students must have the Goosechase app downloaded into an app or tablet. They are given a code to begin the sequence of activities.

Equipment: Learners need (minimally) one phone/tablet per group.

Brief description of Activity steps:

• 1st activity: Warm up ...This is an easy mission to get you started and to begin to know how these goosechase works.

Question: How well were you paying attention in the class last Thursday? Show us: What is the last name of the professor in Illinois who is taking part in this exchange?

• 2nd activity: Do you know who you are? The group presents themselves through a photo as if each person were a character in a fairy tale, romance novel or science fiction, etc.

Steps:

1. Everyone imagines a fictional character in their mind - but don't explain it to the others!

2. Everyone thinks of one adjective to describe their character (again - don't tell the others).

3. Each person in your group writes the adjective down in large letters (using colors) on a white piece of paper.

4. Stage a selfie of the group with each person holding their paper over their head or in front of them.

• 3rd activity: What's in a name? How creative can you be? Let's play with names and epithets.

1. Think of interesting ways to make names with epithets from some of the adjectives you chose (e.g. Fran the Frantic).

2. You can be inspired by the adjectives you have chosen in the previous mission, adapt them or come up with completely new ones.

• 4th activity: Find some magic! Your next mission is to find a MAGIC OBJECT somewhere in the faculty. How to do this mission:

As a group find an object that could have magical powers (be imaginative). It may be a flower (natural spirits and all that), it may be an old school chair (lots of wisdom), an interesting photograph, statue or painting (who knows what comes to life when no one's looking ...). Once you have all found and agreed on your magic object, take a photo of it and upload it here.  

• 5th activity: Your magical object ...  You have chosen your magical object. So now you need to give more details For this mission:

1. Give the magical object a name (Does anyone remember Lumiere the magical candle in Beauty and the Beast?).

2. Explain your magical object's powers and how they work (briefly).

• 6th activity: People watching ... For this mission you should:

1. Go find a place to sit (preferably outside) where there are other people.

2. Sit in silence for 2-3 minutes and observe different actions that are taking place.

3. Name some of the actions you see (3-5 VERBS). Try to find cool synonyms for every day activities (e.g. stroll instead of walk). If you need help, consult the link provided for an online thesaurus.

4. Add some awesome adverbs (e.g. strolling enthusiastically)

• 7th activity: Set your setting. For this mission you are going to be location scouts!

What to do:

1. Go find a place on your campus (not too far from your current building) where no one in your group has ever been before.

2. Decide what 'ambience' or emotions this place evokes (spooky, silly, happy, lonely, romantic ...). 

3. Take a group selfie in the location that 'captures the mood of the place'.

• 8th activity: Bonus Round! Have you guessed what the end mission (final output) of these short missions will be yet?

A. Form a choir

B. Write a story

C. Become Hollywood stars

D. Do a magic show

9th activity: Name it! Back to our main missions! Do you remember the location you just found? We're going to work on it a bit more. What to do:

1. Decide a cool fictional name that fits your location. Be creative ... if you were in a corner of the classroom you might call it the dream catcher corner).

2. Add at least 5 interesting words that fit well with this setting. (For example, 'the dream catcher corner: small, mysterious, magical, purple, twinkly)

10th activity: What did you say? All stories must have some dialogue. But what if we used random, slightly wacky sentences?

Your mission is to go the nonsense sentence generator (link below) and play a bit. Find a sentence you think a (slightly wacky) hero (whatever gender) might have as a common expression. Here's an example we generated that we think any profound hero might utter: "Nihilism revels in authority." You should decide on 1 to 3 sentences. Have fun!

11th activity: What's your group flavor? For this mission, you must decide as a group the type of genre for writing that best fits your group. If you need inspiration, go to the link for a list of possibilities.

12th activity: Time to write! Using all of the mission output you are going to write a story of no more than 400 words! Not to worry - this will be quick.

Steps: 

1. Go to an AI engine (e.g. chatgpt). If one of you has an account use it. If not you can access Chatgpt at: https://chat.openai.com/

2. Give a very good description of what you want the Chatgpt to do.

3. It should include all of the elements from your mission.

-3 characters (with names and epithets)

-adjectives to describe the characters

-a setting (appropriately labelled) and description

-verbs and adverbs

-a (named) magical object (with description)

-genre of writing

-the sentences chosen for dialogue.

4. You can refine your instructions until you get a version you like.

5. Go the link below to post it on the Padlet. Be sure and add all the names of your group members.

6. When you finish, type 'DONE' in the answer box below.

Examples of materials and app in use