Rod Falk

Mr Rod Falk ("Coach")

School
La Veta Schools

How will I introduce Scalable Game Design in my school?

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Scalable Design/Frogger Lesson Plan Rod Falk

1. Learning Objectives: In this unit, students will create a simple but complete version of Frogger game while learning Agentsheets software program. Students will apply design process to identify objects “agents” and interactions “operations”. Throughout this unit, students will be introduced to basic computational thinking, including basic object interaction, stacks, creating object instances, rule based programming, and message sending.

In this lesson, students will create a new Agentsheets worksheet, a frog agent and will be able to move the frog agent in all directions.

2. Standards: ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) NETS (National Educational Technology Standards) • # 1a apply existing knowledge to generate new products • #4b plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. • #4d use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions. • #6c troubleshoot systems and applications.

ISTE NETS are referred to by CDE Performance Standards for Teachers #7- Technology Please check with your district’s technology department to see if there are additional standards at the district or school level.

Materials: • One computer per student, either in computer lab or 1 laptop per student in regular class. • Agentsheets program loaded on all machines. • Internet connectivity for each computer and/or tutorial as separate document on each computer

Level 1 Day 1: Share unit objective, end product requirements and grading rubric Optional: Have students play with Frogger as a lead in activity Initially teacher to model each step rather than have students use the tutorial unassisted

Day 2 Create frog agent, Create a worksheet Frog able to move in all four directions

Day 3: Create street and car agents, Add streets and cars to worksheet

Day 4 Generate: Cars, trucks, turtles, and logs will need to be generated with truck maker, log maker and turtle maker agents Car agents generated and programmed to move on road, left to right Note on test run - stack up.

Day 5 Generate: Trucks, turtles, and logs will need to be generated with truck maker, log maker and turtle maker agents Absorb: Trucks, turtles, and logs will need to be absorbed (erased) with truck absorber, log absorber, and turtle absorber agents.

Create tunnel agent - Generation and absorption of cars Remind students not to spend too much time on artwork- can always modify the agents later

Day 6: Collision: Trucks collide with frogs. We will use a simple form of collision to deal with trucks colliding with frogs.

Collision of frog and truck Create bloody frog agent, add sound Extension – regeneration of frog after death (optional instead of hitting reset button)

Level 2 Day 7:

Generate: Logs will need to be generated with log maker agent. Absorb: Logs will need to be absorbed (erased) with log absorber agent.

Create river agent, log agent, Make the log move on water, left to right Log generator (bridges) generates and absorbs logs

Day8 Make frog unable to swim, type in “I cannot swim” or make splash sound Transport computational thinking pattern – use video or model for students with log and frog.

Day 9 \Generate: Turtles will need to be generated with log maker agent. Absorb: Turtles will need to be absorbed (erased) with log absorber agent.

Create turtle agent, Make the log move on water, right to left Turtle generator (palm trees) generates and absorbs turtles

Day 10 Transport computational thinking pattern. Check for understanding- see if student can create the turtle agent and set up transport independently

Day 11-12 Final assessment – each student uploads game to scalable game design arcade, can play each other’s games. Extension activities: • Lives for frog. • Frog regeneration tied to lives, for example, can only play 3 times before “game over” like arcade game • Scoring – for example, more points for landing on a more difficult to reach grotto (typically in the upper right corner) or for the least amount of traveling (steps taken)

Journal - Summer 2010

June 8

Place agent images in a class folder when concentrating on programming. Use terminology from get-go: Gallery, agents, depictions, behaviors, etc. If program seems to be coded correctly, the worksheet may be the problem. Creat a new one if you are going to redraw it anyway. Set a goal for day. ( When something is gray, anything goes.)

June 9

Layer erase tool was new to me. The debugging rotation was helpful. Importing agents with code you need and copying that to other agents will be helpful.

June 10

 Fractis Sim 1. Objective: Students will be able to add fractions with denominators of 2, 3, 4, 6, 12 in combinations that add up to one. a. Act. 1 Introduce game and let students play (pretest.) Record and graph results.

b. Act. 2 – using graph paper, make fractions bars with above denominators that add up to a unit fraction. c. Activity 2 – on the graph paper use the fractions 1/6, 1/4, …, 1/12 to make unit fractions d. Play the game again and graph results to see change in scores (posttest.) e. Reteach, if needed.