It is the start of the year everyone and if you want to set the tone for "gamifying", you've got to do it at the beginning of the year. So This post is all about setting up player (student) profiles. What I do to start that student buy in!
The first couple of weeks are all about setting up their profile. All these activities tend to be short, small things, but build upon each other. So of course we are learning science stuff at the same time. I don't spend all that time on just introduction stuff (I'll post my lesson plan below so you see what I mean!)
The activities are simple, yet effective! Use, change, delete, and switch stuff to fit YOUR classroom!
Avatar Activity:
Time: 15-20 Minutes
This activity has two purposes:
1. To allow kids to express themselves and be creative.
2. Teach kids how to print (haha).
This activity is very simple. The kids make an avatar that will be their "character". I use the website https://avatarmaker.com/. I've tried to find other avatar making websites, but I like this one because it's not too complicated, allows for quite a bit of variety, is FREE and also doesn't start the character off in underwear. I simple have my students make their avatar to their liking (give them about 10-15 minutes) then have them download the image and paste it onto a google doc (which is another technique I'm trying to teach them). After that, we send it to the printer, students learn how to type in their code to print it off, and then it's given to me. I'll use these as binder dividers in their shared classroom binder. Kids love showing them off and it's something for them to keep throughout the year.
Gamer Profile:
Time: 10-15 Minutes
This activity's purpose is to let me get to know the student on a more personal level. Once the profile is complete, it'll go on the back side of their avatars in their shared binders.
This activity is pretty easy to explain. I got inspiration from RPGs I use to play as a kid (i.e. D&D and Runescape). I ask kids to give me information on THEM and their character. The profile asks questions OUTSIDE of the norm. I really tried to get questions that they wouldn't be asked in other classes. So, really simple. Give them the paper, fill it out, and put it behind their avatar. Completing their gamer profile. You can buy my template or make your own in the online store on this website.
Mascot Creation & Competition:
Time: 15 - 20 Minutes Set Up/Explain; 2-3 days to design and submit (make it outside of class)
The mascot creation is such a fun way for your artistic students to get a hand in making something that will be posted all year. I have a class competition that the mascot will be used for and kids love seeing them. I also print smaller versions of the mascot for the students to have themselves. They put them behind their school badges and wear them all year long.
If you are an old Facebook user (I mean on Facebook for 10+ years), you'll remember these "What's your Celebrity Name" Generators that would be posted around. You know, take the first letter of your last name and second letter of your first name things? Well, I made one for making team names. This allows me to control what is proposed for team names and keep it science based! The kids have so much fun. I do this in three parts.
Part One: Use the generator with your own name. Write it on a piece of paper and keep it secret till everyone is done.
Part Two: Share your name with your table and vote for the table's favorite. Write that favorite on the board.
Part Three: Class vote. Using the names on the board, we do a blind vote for the class favorite. That becomes the class name for that year!
I then have a mascot competition. Now that we have a team name, we need a mascot. I tell students that the only stipulation is that the picture has to be drawn on non-lined paper or online and it has to be your own creation (no artistic plagiarism allowed!). I require each group to submit ONE mascot each, but allow them to submit more than one if they feel good about it.
In 2-3 days, we have all mascots submitted and we do another blind vote. The one with the most votes becomes our mascot! Simple, easy and so much fun! The mascot becomes a part of their student identity and it unifies the class because everyone had a part in making it!
Class Competition:
Time: 15-20 Minute Set Up/Explain
The highlight, the purpose, the big show (and my classroom management), the class-wide competition, The Coffman Cup! This is a competition that goes on all year in my classroom. A friendly competition where students do good things in my class to move their character along the board. These things are heavy on attitude, participation and teamwork, but I do give points for doing well on quizzes, tests and challenges too. Now, the biggest thing you've got to know is that points can only be GIVEN, not taken away. This was something that I learned early on. If you use it as a punishment, your buy in is much less.
I make my life simple by using a tally system. As kids do good things, either I or the students themselves will put points up on the board. They love it, we tend to clap for each other and really make it a big deal. The main prize, a end-of-year party where everything is catered by me. My other classes get to do fun things too, but they have to help clean up a part of the classroom first (i.e. wipe down walls, windows, reorganize student center, etc.).
As mascots move around, they can land on stars which gets them small prizes and they get a sticker when they "pass go" (kind of like in monopoly, you get $200, they get a sticker). This tells them how far they are away from other players on the board. If I see a class if falling behind other classes, I'll give them opportunities to get points. I also will pro-rate certain tasks. For example, bigger classes might get less individual points for completing a challenge then smaller classes. I find this is the fairest way to make it work.
To keep students motivated on the goal (because 180 days in the future is very far off), they also get quarterly prizes. These tend to be simple, small prizes that I ask my classes to choose. Examples I've had have been an "outdoors day", cookies, bring your own snack day, homework pass, etc. I try to do free to me prizes as much as possible and students seem to enjoy them more. I cannot tell you how many times I've had students want to go on a simple walk last year.
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And that's it. Explain the game and set them free. Make sure to have constant reminders on the board like a large game board (as I have) or something that fits your classroom. Maybe something more digital, smaller or in a different format. That's the great thing about gamifying, you can make it fit what YOU want.
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