hand held learning

Using Video Games as a Spur for

Creative Writing…. and lots more!

Katie Hitchcox, Evelyn Bookless, Emma Adams

Kellett School Hong Kong

Why Computer Games in the Classroom?

To extend ethos of play as a learning tool established in early schooling

To ‘tap in’ to the dominant media in the experience of students aged 6+

To give an alternative authentic context for writing

To use 21st Century resources in our classrooms - “Good teachers use Good resources”

Background

2006 - Writing identified as a key area for development2007 - Initial module developed using Rollercoaster Tycoon in Year 52008 - Rollercoaster Tycoon module developed and refined2009 - Year 1 - Moshi Monsters, Year 2 - Nintendogs& Year 6 – Samorost and Guitar Hero2010 – Year 4 – Endless Ocean

Inspirations

Derek Robertson

Ollie Bray

Kim Pericles

Tim

Rylands

Year 6 - Samorost

An introduction to Samorost

What is Samorost?

Teamwork

Drama Writing

Year 5 – Rollercoaster Tycoon

Guitar Hero as a stimulus for biographical writing in

P6

Parent Perceptions

Year 4 – Endless Ocean

Identify words/ phrases/ figurative language that adds to imagery.Choose and combine words, images and other features for particular effects

Poetry

RecountsTo plan, draft and write a newspaper article that contains both factual and opinion-based content.

…. and Maths too…

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Number of Fish

Coral forest Lagoon Rock Bluff green garden wild channel

Location

Endless Ocean Fish Recordjapanse jack makrel

hunp head wrase

golden trevally

leaporrd whipray

atlantic nothen right whale

sea godie

big eye trevally

dwaf saw

weddell seal

bowers parrotfish

spiny lobster

scalloped hammer head

bow mouth gutar fish

???

sail fin tang

moorishidle

Orienal Butterfly Fish

Pyramid Butterfly Fish

Empror Anglefish

Tear Drop

Long Nose Butterflyfish

Blue Tang

Collect data and put it in a table to help explore an idea and find out more about it

DepthLocation

Bicolor Parrotfish Blue TangLong Nose

ButterflyfishTear Drop Empror Anglefish

38 ft Coral forest 3 25 5 3 2

38 ft Lagoon 13 9 3 0 0

82ft Rock Bluff 0 3 16 0 2

32ft green garden 0 5 5 0 9

60 ft wild channel 0 0 0 3 0

  TOTAL 16 42 29 6 13

Nintendogs as a Stimulusfor Non-chronological Report Writing in P2

What are Nintendogs?DS Game - Virtual dogs

Training

Care

Competitions

How we integrated “the dogs” into our classrooms

A topic that needed to be more exciting

We played and planned

Resources

Launch and integration

Collaboration, Peer teaching & Enjoyment

“Doggie Updates” - webcams

Lessonswallwisher.com to collate ideas about taking care of

dogs

Lessons2Simple 2Connect Mind Mapping

OutcomesCollaboration and opportunities for S&L

Lengthy & well-written reports, across different abilities

Appropriate headings and facts – children knew what the wanted to say.

Real-life context

They didn’t want to stop!

End of unit writing

Cross-curricular links

Mathematics – use of money and budgeting

Reading – Fiction and Non-Fiction

PSHE – care of animals, responsibility

Art

Topic on Dogs

Year 1 – Moshi Monsters

Daily Challenge

Maia’s Story In their words…

Future Plans!

Early Years – Phonics,

Audio Stories with

iTouch

Y6/7 Transfer Unit

Inanimate Alice

Learning Support/Numerac

yBrain Training

with Nintendo DS

References

Samorost - http://amanita-design.net/samorost-1/

Moshi Monsters – www.moshimonsters.com

Derek Robertson - http://ltsblogs.org.uk/consolarium/

Tim Rylands - http://www.timrylands.com/blog/

Kim Pericles - http://kpericles.edublogs.org/

Kellett Blog – http://www.kellettschool.blogspot.com

Slideshare - http://www.slideshare.net/clived/games-at-kellett

Using a d.s in the classroom http://www.ideastoinspire.co.uk/nintendodsdsi.htm

What the children are using: http://www.miniclip.com/games/en/

www.electrocity.co.nz www.storybird.com

Photos: Ewan McIntosh, Kim Pericles, Clive Dawes,

Contacts

Katie Hitchcox – khitchcox@kellettschool.com

Evelyn Bookless – ebookless@kellettschool.com

Class blog: http://p2-9.blogspot.com/

@evbook

Emma Adams – eadams@kellettschool.com

@assistantpinhk