Lesson
Plan: Using SimCity in
an ELA Curriculum
Subject
area: English Language
Arts
Grade
level: Fourth – fifth grades
Time: One 45 minute class period
Lesson
objective: Students will be
able to identify decisions that are made to build a city and manage it
operations, and consequences of making informed decisions using evidence and
results from an interactive game.
Common
Core State Standards/Learning Outcomes:
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
Description
of Learning Tasks and Instructional Activities:
- Utilizing an already developed town in SimCity shown on the classroom SMART Board, explain the objective of the game as building a city and making smart decisions to grow it.
- Give examples of decisions that will impact the economy, growth of the population and environment.
- Display and distribute a summary of decisions that will be made in class.
- Make decisions to grow and manage the city.
- From the paper text and onscreen game, students will:
- o Define and comprehend new vocabulary terms and phrases.
- o Identify clues within the text that help the reader make inferences.
- o Cite evidence from the text to support answers.
- o Follow directions to make informed decisions.
- o Identify gaming elements that provide important information.
- o Predict outcomes of decisions based on information.
Required
resources: Classroom
computer, SMART Board, SimCity software
Assessment:
Pre-assessment: Students will engage in a 30 second writing
exercise identifying decisions that are made to build a city and manage it
operations.
Post-assessment:
Students will engage in a 30
second writing exercise identifying decisions that are made to build a city and
manage it operations. Expectation for exemplary
rubric score is double the output of the student’s pre-assessment demonstrating
understanding of new concepts and vocabulary.
Debriefing
In order to ensure that students connect their gaming experiencing
to real life situations, the teacher will lead them through a class discussion
on the decisions they just made in the game and the results that followed. Students will be asked to share some real
world decisions they have seen in their neighborhood and identify some of the
implications. Some examples could be the
opening of a new store, building of a park or the repair of a local street. Students will then deepen the connection and
call upon their creativity by writing one decision they would make and detail
the associated potential consequences.
Through this instructional scaffolding, the students will link their
gaming experience to thinking strategically and solving problems in other real
world situations.
Cognitive Skills
By playing a complex game like
SimCity, students will develop numerous cognitive skills include processing
information quickly and strategically, synthesizing visual information,
formulating logical reasoning, solving problems, and maintaining attention to
details.
New Literacies Skills
Students playing SimCity develop 21st century skills
in processing information and communicating utilizing today’s technology. Not only do students become proficient in
information technology skills, they develop critical thinking skills to make
informed decisions. Students will also
gain valuable experience in getting, evaluating and processing non-printed information
through playing SimCity. Such new
literacies skills are critical as students are surrounded by an enhanced
learning environment at school and at home.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have never played SimCity. After reading through your lesson plan I will have to play it. I like that this is "Social Studies" kind of game. It's hard to find fun games like this for Social Studies. The added bonus for me is that it's a good way to practice student's critical thinking and decision making skills. Students will get to see how their decisions can have positive or negative effect on their city.
ReplyDeleteFatima-- This is indeed a great game to get students thinking critically, making decisions strategically and spending prudently. If you add an element of competition, the students are sure to engage in this activity enthusiastically.
DeleteWow! This is such a cool lesson plan with many fun engaging activities. Well thought out and organized. I think you've captured the "debriefing" very well. The role of debriefing is critical in the facilitation of student game-based learning. Exemplary!!! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks, Professor Hsu. I agree that the debriefing is a critical part to ensure the students (and parents, administrators and colleagues) do not view this as just a game but rather an enriching learning experience. Many people may not equate "fun" with learning and connecting a game experience with achieving learning goals is critical. By the way, I had fun with this assignment and I learned quite a bit!
Delete