Language: Have got . . . / is wearing . . .     Clothes and colours

Skills Focus: Writing

Location: Computer room

Summer is coming and Digital play is taking a break for the summer.  We’ll be back in September with a lot of new activities, articles and lessons.  Our last bog post here today is a dressing up game.  One for the girls.

Girls: Summer holiday

Preparation

• Preteach vocabulary for parts of the body, clothes and colours.  Prepare a basic worksheet for learners to complete. e.g.

• Take your learners to the computer room and get them to play the game and write the description.
• Learners can print off their character.

Post Play

1. Put the characters spread out over the four walls.
2. Read out the learner’s descriptions to their character.
3. The class listens, identifies which picture is being described and go and stand next to it.
4. Put the description by the picture.
5. When all the descriptions are next to a picture get your learners to sit down.  Take down the pictures and ask whose it is.  Hand it back and check if the description by it is also theirs.

HAVE A GOOD SUMMER HOLIDAY!

See you in September

While you’re waiting for us to return, why not post some of your ideas, games played and classroom anecdotes here.

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Topic:  Murder Mystery

Language skill: Reading & listening

Game: Bow Street Runner

“This game is set in London’s Covent Gardens in the 1750s, and depicts a time when crime and vice in the city had hit such levels that the local magistrates began to introduce the first instances of physical policing of law and order.  BOW STREET RUNNER is designed to be historically accurate, and therefore the game’s content and its settings may not be suitable for younger players.”

This games video scene clips recorded using actors makes this series of interactive murder mystery adventures incredibly engaging, authentic and life like.  You actually feel you are seeing what London was like at the time.  The sound effects can be a little disturbing but add to the dark and sinister atmosphere of the gaming experience.  To pique your interest here’s a little trailer for the game:

While you explore the game looking for clues much in the way you play a standard point and click game there are plenty of opportunities for your learners to get some reading practice in as each clue is annotated with information on how the clue may be relevant to both the case and to how London was in the 1750s.  As you journey through the games playscape you come across various characters from the time who each have something to say regarding the case you are following.  You choose the direction of your enquiries and hear and read (there are subtitles) what each character has to say.  Finally you have to present your evidence to the magistrate by listening to his questions and putting forward the evidence you have built up over the course of your investigation.

How to use it with learners

I think this is very much an autonomous standalone game.  Either treat it as a reading activity in the computer room, where learners may use an online dictionary or you the teacher for language support, or seek to expose your learners to more English outside the classroom by suggesting it for homework.  If you choose the later then it may be a good  idea to introduce them to the game in the computer room.  Whichever option you choose you may also like to think about encouraging your learners to make a note of some of the more interesting / useful language that they come across.

Extra game support

There are 5 episodes in total and you may like to have access to the Bow Street Runners walkthrough for use with your learners in contact time or even give your learners the opportunity to have access to it from outside class time.

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Topic:  Jungle adventure

Language skill: Reading and online dictionary work

Game: Hetherdale the game Hetherdale the walkthrough

There is a mystery to solve and its your job as intrepid explorer Dr. Montrose to solve it.  Play the game as you read the story and find out the mystery surrounding the secret jungle city of Hetherdale.

Preparation

1. If you can show the video introduction in class and brainstorm a few ideas on what they think the story is about and what they think they will need to do in the game.
2. Tell them they are going to go online and use three internet explorer windows to 1) play a game using 2) a walkthrough and 3) an online dictionary when necessary.
3. What English words do they predict will be in the walkthrough.  What words do they predict that they don’t know the word in English for.  Get them to explain them to you to translate and write up on a board.

Preplay

In the computer room get them to open three internet explorer windows and direct them to this site.

They can use the links above the picture here to 1) play the game 2) find a walkthrough and for 3) they should find an online dictionary to use.  Ask them if they know any good ones.

Play

They can then play the game using the three internet explorer windows.  Your role is to monitor, help with language and make sure that each learner gets a turn to use the mouse to play the game.

Post Play

If they don’t complete the game in class then set it for homework.  It’s a bit risky to hope to continue the game next class.  Some learners may well go home and complete the game without you telling them to or not.  Next class you can ask learners to explain the story to you.  You can ask about:

Who was in it?

What part did they play in the game?

What locations were there?

What happened at each location?

What were the most difficult parts?

Was it a good story?  etc

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Location: Connected classroom

Skills Focus: Reading/ Watching/ Speaking

Video: 8-Bit Twilight Eclipse Interactive

If you teach teen girls and you haven’t heard of Twilight, no scratch that, if you have been living on planet Earth and you haven’t heard of Twilight then get with it.  This teen phenomenon that has swept the world is due to release its third film installment ‘Eclipse’.  To mark this momentous occasion in many a fans diary Digital Blog brings you a couple of fun video activities with a fun ‘game’ look and feel.

Preparation

1. Write on the board “Are you team Edward or team Jacob?” on the board.
2. Elicit an answer and brainstorm the titles of the books/ characters/ any of the plot details/ relationship with Bella Jacob & Edward.
3. Decide which of the two videos you’ll watch below (or which order if you are going to do both.
4. Tell the class they are going to watch some videos of a new ‘Eclipse’ game and they have to predict what the characters say.
5. Connect to this page and use the videos and letterscript below (double clicking on the videos will take you directly to the youtube site).

Play

1. Play the video.
2. Learners copy and expand on the letterscript.
3. Repeat as necessary.

Team Edward video

After your learners have watched the video ask them to expand on the ‘letter script’ below.  Each letter represents the first letter of a word and the symbols and numbers also represent a word.  Punctuation is punctuation.

e.g.  IW♥2BAV  = I would love to be a vampire.

Letterscript

Team Jacob video

After your learners have watched the video ask them to expand on the ‘letter script’ below.  Each letter represents the first letter of a word and the symbols and numbers also represent a word. Punctuation is punctuation.

e.g.  IW♥2BAW  = I would love to be a werewolf.

Letterscript

During both of the videos above there are moments when you are asked to make a choice between two decisions.  It’s a nice activity to pause the video at these points and ask the class which option they would choose and why.  You can then continue playing the video.

NOTE

You could always judge what your learners choose to expand their letters to on individual merit.  There’s no reason why they shouldn’t be allowed to stray from the script if what they produce contains interesting language.

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Location: Computer room

Language focus: Gaming dictation

Skills Focus: Speaking/ listening

Game: World Cup Rescue

The World Cup has been stolen and you (Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo) have been chosen to go and get it back.

Preparation

Depending on how your computer room is set up you need to get at least two learners out of the class and to play the game using the written walkthrough (at the bottom of the page).  I have access to a computer room where there’s a row of computers against one wall and another row against the opposite wall.  I got two learners (The commentators) to go and play the game so they could dictate the game to the two rows.  They play the game and make notes of any language they may need to explain how to play the game to the rest of the class. Tell them that they will be the walkthrough.  They will also be able to use the video below to help them.

Preplay

At the beginning of the game there is a comic book introduction which introduces the storyline and the characters.  You could show this to the class (in a connected classroom) as a preliminary to playing the game.  The game characters take it in turns to speak (speech bubbles) with each turn being taken as you click on the screen.  This means you can look at any language with the class and discuss anything that crops up.

Play

Learners sit at a computer.  If you have the luxury of being able to have one learner to a computer then this is best.  Pairs at a computer is also ok.  Tell them they are going to play a game.  They will have to describe where they are in the game to the two commentators.  The commentators listen, may ask any questions to clarify any aspects of the learners’ game progress and then tell them what to do.  The Commentators may watch the video walkthrough (on two seperate computers) and use any notes to help them, though no-one else should be able to see their screens.

Video walkthrough.

NOTE

The activity has been known to start with the gamers listening to one of the commentators only.  However, as the game progresses different pairs progress at different speeds.  At points it can be quite hectic for the commentator for they may be answering questions on one game while having to ask questions themselves on another.  At these points your role is to ensure that there is a little order.  Prioritise games where progress is slower for the commentators to deal with and encourage faster players to explore a bit.  You can also slow a team down by asking one of them to swap with the commentator (to use their notes and the video).  Also think about letting gamers read the written walkthrough (NOT the video) the link is the author’s name (Edgar) at the bottom of this post.

Post Activity

• Write the game story in the style of a tv news report.
• Write the news story for a newspaper.
• Interview the characters (Messi & Ronaldo).
• Write press statements (one reporting the theft another reporting the return of the cup).

The Walkthrough

Medusa’s Hideout
First a warning: before going inside, take the stone from behind the pillar on the right and (important!) wear the tinted lenses to avoid Medusa turning you into a stone statue.
Inside, Medusa asks you what brings you there – tell her you are a Personal Items Salesman).

She will ask you now what items you have for her to buy; answer Mirrors (3rd option).

Medusa will  look at herself in the mirror and will  turn herself into a stone statue and all of the other stone statues around will go back to life.

Take Medusa’s collar (necklace).
Talk to the Centaur to find out he has been practicing archery since he can no longer participate in running competitions because he lost one of his horseshoes.  Coincidentally you have one in your inventory so give the horseshoe to the Centaur and he will give you the magic bow in exchange.
In your inventory, combine the arrow with the bow.
Oh, and take off the tinted lenses.
─────────────────────────────────────────────
Troy
Outside the city’s walls, you won’t be able to open the Horse door without the key, so use it and get inside.
Before closing the door, take the stone and throw it to the city gates.  Then close the horse’s door now (do this quickly!!).
A Trojan soldier will come out to take the horse (and you) inside the city; open the horse’s door to come out.
Pick up the spear and move to the right.
Now you’re facing a palm tree with a golden leaf which is what you came here for. Use the bow and arrow on the The golden palm of Troy to get it.
─────────────────────────────────────────────
Underworld
Talk to Charon to learn how  bad the job conditions down there are.  Give him the two gold coins to get to the other side of the river and keep going to the right. 
Cerberus is stopping you from getting into Hades so use the magic lyre to put him to sleep. Go right.
Hades is looking after Poseidon’s trident while he goes to sleep.  If you take it from him, he’ll wake up so replace the spear with Poseidon’s trident.
─────────────────────────────────────────────
Colchis Island
Now, you need to be pretty fast here… or the dragon will kill you!!
As soon as you get in here, use Poseidon’s trident on the well to get a huge amount of water into the dragon’s mouth.  When he’s down, climb on top of him (click on the highest part of his stomach) and take the Golden Fleece.
Don’t leave the island without taking the red cape from behind the well.
─────────────────────────────────────────────
Crete Island
You’re in the minotaur’s labyrinth again.   Go into the central chamber (Through the door to the East )
Take the anvil and put it in front of you (still behind the red line).
Take the red cape, click on the Minotaur and do a little bullfighting with him to make him run into the anvil.
You can cross the red line now and collect the Minotaur’s horn from behind his foot.
─────────────────────────────────────────────
Mount Olympus
When you have completed Zeus’s 5 tasks, he gives the World Cup back to us mortals

Original Walkthrough: Edgar

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Level: Primary

Location: Computer room

Topic: Nightmares

Language focus: Directions, prepositions & game vocabulary

Game: Victor’s nightmare

Victor suffers from nightmares and in order to get some restful night’s sleep he needs to learn how to face his fears and vanquish them.

Preparation

Download and a copy of Victor’s nightmare walkthrough.  Either print a copy for each pair in your class (a reading) or a single copy (relay dictation).

Pre-play

1. In the classroom do hangman for ‘nightmares‘ and brainstorm vocabulary onto the board.
2. Set up a relay dictation in the classroom with the Victor’s nightmare walkthrough that you downloaded.  Learner’s should take turns to relay the sentences.
3. Allow enough time for your learners to relay dictate a few sentences the take the walkthrough down.
4. Ask learners to pick up their dictation and take it to the computer room.

Play

1. Before your learners sit down put victor’s nightmare walkthrough on the wall and show your learners.
2. Explain to your learners they are going to play a game and use the walkthrough they copied to start the game.  When they have finished what they copied they can take turns (like they did in the classroom) to use the walkthrough on the wall.  This time they don’t have to write it down – they just tell their partner who plays the game.
3. First pair to finish are the champions.

Post Play

Back in the classroom learners use the Victor’s nightmare walkthrough to make a game dictionary.  After having played the game they should be able to visualise parts of the game using the walkthrough and be able to translate sections.

Alternative reading activity

1. Do the pre-play activity above.
2. Take your learners to the computer room and handout a copy of victor’s nightmare walkthrough to each pair.
3. Learners work in pairs with one playing the game and the other reading the walkthrough to them.
4. After 5 minutes say “change!” and get pairs to swap roles.
5. When first pair finishes get them to look some of the walkthrough words up in a dictionary OR do the game again from memory.

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Level: Pre-intermediate

Location: Connected classroom

Skills focus: Speaking & pronunciation

Language Focus: Countries and nationalities

Game:  Geography game

Preparation

1. Hangman for ‘countries/ and/ states’.
2. Brainstorm a few and elicit the name of a person who comes from there.  Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know”, if you don’t know the answer yourself.

Play

1. Divide the class into teams of 3 or 4.
2. Tell them they have to identify a country (the game asks them to find the country) and say what you call a person who comes from there.
3. Play the game.  A learner from each team comes up and points to the country on the map.  If you know the answer (whether learners get it right or not) click on the country.  If you are not 100% sure but there is a general consensus then click on that country.  Otherwise choose the country the winning team chooses.
4. Learners get a point for getting the right country and minus a point if they get it wrong.  They then get the chance to earn a bonus point for identifying the person who comes from there.  If the team gets the bonus question wrong it is open to the class and the team that gets it right first (hands up no shouting it out)  gets the bonus.  There are no minus marks for this.
5. Play the game until all the countries have been eliminated (guessed right).  Teams add up their points and a winner is declared.

Post Play

Learners draw two columns.  First column is country and the second is person.  Give them a chance to try and remember the country and person from the game and fill in the columns before playing the game again.  This time play the game open class (no teams) and the class completes the columns.

Alternatively focus on pronunciation.  Learners may need a little practice on vowel sounds or word stress.  If you play the game twice then you may want to do some pronunciation work between the two.  In this way you can note down mistakes the first game and focus on them in the second game.

Note

Sometimes its a little difficult to be able to say who comes from that place (especially if the game is on the states of a country).  In these cases you can accept a common answer each time (African, American, Australian, European etc) or ask a general knowledge question about the country.  You will need to do a bit of extra research and preparation for this though.  Some suggested general questions may include:

What colour is their flag?

What is the currency of this country?

What’s the name of a football team from here?

What language do they speak?

What’s the national animal?

What is the life expectancy for this country?

What are the names of three animals from there?

What are the names of three food products grown there?

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Questions

Do you recognise any of these games? Are you playing any of them? How do you play them? How well are you doing? Are any of your friends playing them? How well are they doing? What tips have you got for playing? What’s good about these games? What’s bad about these games?

Now some questions for those playing the games:

1 CAFE WORLD

What level are you at? How much do things cost? What gifts would you like? What do you get medals for? What happens when you expand your cafe? Who are your neighbours? What does your cafe look like? What’s the best cafe you’ve seen? How often do you play? What is your buzz rating? What tips have you got for playing cafe world?

2 FISHVILLE

What different types of fish have you got? Which fish are the best to have? How have you decorated your fish tank? How have you changed the environment? How much money have you got? What do you plan to do next? Who do you send gifts to? What does the music sound like? What can you buy in the store? How could you make the game better?

3 FARMVILLE

What level are you at? How have you organised your farm? Have you got any limited edition items? What animals have you got? What crops do you plant the most? Who are your neighbours? How often do you plough (plow) your crops? What happens when your farm gets overcrowded? What can you buy in the market? How would you change your farm if we had time?

4 FARM TOWN

How much money have you got? What does your avatar look like? What have you got on your farm? Have any of your neighbours got cool farms? What jobs do you do on the farm? What gifts are there? How much fuel have you got? Have you ever visited the Farm Town forum? What does the bank do? How often do you play?

5 HAPPY AQUARIUM

How do you play this game? What have you got in your fish tank? What does the music sound like? What different types of fish have you got? Which fish are the best to have? How have you decorated your fish tank? How have you changed the environment? How much money have you got? What do you plan to do next? Why did you start playing this game?

6 HAPPY PETS

What pets have you got? What does it look like? What furniture is there? What have you bought from the store? What would you like to buy from the store? How do you control ‘hunger’ and ‘cleanliness’ in the game? How many of your friends play too? How much money have you got? What are you saving up to buy? How would you like to change your pet?

7 MAFIA WARS

What jobs have you had? What different businesses are there? What can you buy at the store? What do the crates do? What badges of merit have you earnt? What can you find in the treasure chests? What’s a racket? What characters have you met in the game? What equipment have you got? What weapons can you use?

8 PETVILLE

What food can you feed your pet? What level are you at? What can you see on the game screen? What does your house look like? What does your pet look like? What is your pet wearing? Who are your friends in the game Why do you like petville? What do you buy with your money? Why do you like petville?

9 YOVILLE

What does your apartment/ house look like? What does your avatar look like? Who are your neighbours? What different places are there in Yoville? What do you do there? What jobs have you done? What can you do at the speedway? What do you spend your money on? What else can you spend your money on? What would you add to the game?

10 RESTAURANT CITY

Who are your employees?  How many have you got?  How popular is your restaurant?  What awards have you won?  What interesting ingredients are there?  What recipes have you used?  How do you earn gourmet points?  What level are you at?  What level do you want to reach and when?

These are all questions that your learners may enjoy asking each other if they are playing any of these facebook apps.  Of course, there is no reason why they shouldn’t then write and ask their own questions.  Remember – if you play any of these games yourself tell your learners about it.  Theye may be very curious about your opinions on it.

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Level: Primary

Location: Computer room

Language focus:  Has got/ is wearing/ colours/ clothes vocabulary/ physical descriptions/ parts of the body

Game: Hero machine

Preparation

1. Either play with heromachine  yourself and both write a physical description of the hero you produce and take a screenshot and print the hero OR download and print a copy of the Superhero Relay Play material (relay dictation text and superhero picture).
2. Read the set up at the bottom of this post.

Preplay

1. Play hangman with ’s u p e r h e r o’
2. Brainstorm some superheroes
3. Elicit some physical descriptions of some of the superheroes on the board (focus on some of the language focus items for this game)
4. Write the name of the superhero you have a picture of up on the board and elicit possible physical descriptions.
5. Learners do a relay dictation of the written description.

Play

1. In the computer room learners use the written description fro the relay dictation to reproduce the superhero.
2. When they have finished learners stand up and compare each superhero on each screen with the printed picture of the superhero.
3. Learners make their own superhero and write a description using the relay dictation text as a model.

Post play

1. Learners print their superheroes out (screen capture at school or at home) and put them on the classroom wall.
2. Taking it in turns they read out the description and others identify the picture.
3. Alternatively learners look at the pictures and predict the description.

How to play with Heromachine

You need to familiarise your learners with hero machine a little so you may either want to present the game in a connected classroom or direct learners through it in the computer room.

1 Choose a body template.  You could do this in the connected classroom by asking the class what you should choose.  e.g. a man or a woman?  Short or tall?

2 As soon as you choose one of the four templates you are given a few loading options.  For the full range of clothes, objects, weapons, companions and body parts etc choose the complete option (the one I usually choose).

3 When your option has loaded click on the little arrow to the right of the lower small window (the one on the bottom) on the right just below where it says ‘component and genre’.  This allows you to open up the different body parts, clothing etc.  Just click on one to add it to your superhero.  Use the slide bar underneath to see more.

4 Use the palette below to add details to the physical appearance of your superhero, access more details by using the slidebar and colour your superhero.  Usually each single detail you have has two aspects to it so you can have two or one colour for each detail you add to your superhero.  For example, you could have green trousers with red stripes.

5 Finally if you learners make any mistakes they just have to click on the item they want to change and then make the change.  This could be changing a hairstyle, clothing or the colour.  Have fun!

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An engaging game with English audio introduction, middle section and ending. The game is challenging enough for the students to want help (in English) to finish it, therefore lending itself to be used as a listening activity during gameplay.

Alternatively, you could do something with the walkthrough to turn it into a reading. How would this work? Give the walkthrough to the students, and if they get stuck, then they can read the walkthrough to find out how to proceed in the game. The best way to do this is to have the different sections on slips of paper or cards and to give them out as requested.

Audio introduction:

“Wow! I can’t believe you and I travelled all the way to Guatemala to find the hottest hot pepper in the world just so we could make some really great chile. You’re right – I can believe it.

The old harbinger mucho gusto is supposed to grow in a secret chamber somewhere in the middle of the temple.

But we’d better be careful – Harlows the tour guide said this place was filled with booby traps.

WALKTHROUGH:

1. When Shaggy and Scooby first enter the temple, they find themselves in a doorway, looking at a rolled up whip and a dead explorer.
There is a vine on the left going down to the next level.
Stand next to the whip and press space to pick it up.
Walk to the vine, press space. The characters shoot down the vine.

2. Walk to the bedroll and pick that up.
Walk as far forward as you can without walking onto the broken cracked floor.
Go to the pole stuck in the wall. Select the whip in the inventory by pressing ‘I’ and using the left and right keys to select the whip.
Exit inventory and press space. The characters should go into auto and use the whip as a swing to get across.

3. Get the metal pole.
Select the metal pole, and press space when you are near the door.
The Characters should use it to poke the button on the other wall.
Careful to not step on the cracked floor, try to get to the bottom of the set of stairs. Be quick, or the stairs will disapear.
Press space when at the bottom of the stairs.
Characters in auto, go up stairs.

4. Take the disc type thing on wall (it’s a shield) by pressing space
Go to the loop on the wall. Don’t walk in front of the doors, or a knife will come down and scare ya. Press space when metal pole selected.
Characters will put pole across door.
Walk safely across.

5. Go up to, not on, scorpions.
Lay blanket over the top of them
Go to the wall and press the button.
Run to the edge, and spikes should come up.
Lay the shield over the spikes.
Run up stairs, by going to bottom and pressing space.

6. The wall should move towards you.
quickly move to the broken vine thing on the wall.
Look at it, and press space.
Characters should pull it revealing a carpet thing and slide down.
Go through doorway.

7. Shaggy and Scooby find the plastic peppers and need to set a trap.

8. Walk to the wall next to you with the characters and pull the lever.
Walk to stairs on other side of room.
Ignore the rope, you can’t pick it up just yet.
Go up the stairs.

9. Get the shield and the torch.
Hold the shield under the beam of light.
Walk through the door.

10. Pick up the stone circle
use the torch to get under the tiles.

11. walk to the rope under the tiles
press space when the bumped up tile shows you that you are next to rope.
Shaggy should poke his head out.
Press space again to get rope.

12. Walk back to the other room with the decorated tiles.
Stand at the top of the stairs, and press space
If done right, character should throw rope through hoop.
get the stone circle and tie it to the end.

13. go back underneath tiles, and get to just behind the monster.
press space to poke your head out.
Press space again, to burn his bum.
keep doing it until he stands on the trap.

14. Go back to the tiled floor
Kick the stone.
Capture the monster

15. Find the recipe for the chile. Enjoy your meal!

More Scooby Games here: http://www2.warnerbros.com

TIPS

If you play the game as a listening with students, then give them clues from the walkthrough. Here are some example questions you could ask / clues you could give:

QUESTIONS (to act as clues when students are playing the game)

1. Be careful of the dead explorer. He has a knife!
Can you see anything on the wall to help you get down to the next level?

2. Watch out! The floor is not solid! It’s broken!
How can you get round the corner?
Can you see the pole sticking out from the wall?
Have you got anything to help you swing round the corner?

etc…

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