As little as ten years ago, video games were considered a risky addition to the classroom. However, over the last decade games have seen tremendous growth as out-of-class entertainment and in-classroom learning tools. For many students, games are their primary form of entertainment, and teachers have begun to see the potential for games as avenues for problem-solving and experience-based learning.

The power of video games, and the reason for their exceptional growth, comes from video games being the first form of media that is dynamic. Traditional forms of media, such as books, movies, and music are defined as being consumptive. These forms of media are unchanged by their consumers; everyone who reads a book reads the same story and gets the same ending. What video games do differently is react to the user; as individuals play a game, the game changes. This results in emergence, where the story unfolds as a result of player choices. Players playing the same game get different stories and get different endings. In short, games provide experience.

This experience can be leveraged to great effect in the classroom. Experience drives communication and through games students can engage in experiences that can then be communicated through speaking and writing activities.

In this week’s Teacher’s Corner, we look at several video games that can be used for classroom purposes. Each of these games can be played individually by students in a fully equipped classroom or can be played together in a more traditional classroom setting. In fact, even in a computer lab, the preferred method of playing all these games is as a class or in small groups. This allows for the decision making inherent in games to become a communication activity as well. The activities listed below are only a few ideas that can be used with each of these games. These games are all freely available, though two are only available online so an Internet connection will be required.

Trace Effects

Trace Effects is a video game specifically designed for language learners. The game chronicles the story of Trace, an accidental time traveler, who must find and assist a variety of individuals to complete the time machine’s mission. Over the course of seven chapters, players explore America and interact with characters to help Trace return home to the future.

Trace Effects is available online, or a DVD-based version can be acquired via the local U.S. Embassy’s Regional English Language Office.

Trace Effects comes with an extensive Teacher’s Manual. Before using the game in class it is recommended to review the manual which contains a substantial number of classroom activities that can be used with the game.

In the game Trace Effects, players must interact with other characters through dialogue choices. The characters in videogames not controlled by the player are referred to as Non-Playable Characters (NPCs). Players interact with the NPCs through dialogue choices ranging from polite interactions to more direct americanenglish.state.gov or less formal speaking. Players are challenged to use the most contextually proper response to earn the most points. These dialogue choices are selected from a menu and then spoken by the character of Trace. Characters respond to Trace via audio only.

This use of audio-only responses provides an opportunity to work together in small groups and play a digital version of the classic classroom game of telephone.

Trace Effects Activities

Trace Telephone

1. If playing in a computer lab, ensure that each computer has a set of headphones. If playing as a class, have one set of headphones connected to the computer
2. Have the students form pairs or small groups. Divide the responsibilities of the pairs/small groups. One player should be in charge of the controls, while the other player wears the headphones.
3. Let the groups begin a game of Trace Effects. The player with the headphones must communicate the responses of the other characters to their partner or group.
   a. If playing as a whole class, have one student come to the front of the class to be the reporter. Then the remainder of the class can shout out/vote for what should be selected next in the dialogue chain.

Optional Expansion
For more advanced classes, the challenge of using reported speech can be added to the activity. If playing as a whole class, have one student come to the front of the class to act as the reporter. This student must successfully change the dialogue of the NPC (Non-Playable Character) to reported speech. If successful, the same student continues to be the class reporter. If the student does not use the correct reported speech, the reporter must sit down and a new student comes to the front of the class to assume the role. The student who correctly reports the longest series of dialogue responses wins!

What happens next?
This simple activity takes advantage of the Trace Effects Intro and Outro videos. For this activity, students will need a sheet of paper and a pencil.

1. Begin by having the students start a game of Trace Effects, or start a new chapter of the game.
   a. In the online version of Trace Effects, players continue from their last completed chapter. In the DVD version of the game, players can select any chapter to play.
2. Have the students watch the intro video. Once the video is over, have them write down their predictions for the chapter. For more advanced classes, have the students turn their predictions into paragraph form and write a short story.
3. The ending of Trace Effects is somewhat vague. After students have completed the game, have them make one final set of predictions where they write a more elaborate ending for the game.
   
   a. Writing a new ending can be built into a competition. Students, alone or in pairs, write an ending to the game and submit them. Names can then be removed from the stories and returned to the class. The class then reads the stories and decides which story is the best ending.
   
   a.i. Alternately, students can write endings for each of the characters in the game. In the future, what happens to Trace, Eddie, Kit, Andre, and others? This can americanenglish.state.gov provide the students the opportunity to write more specific endings or practice a particular grammar point such as the future progressive.

SPENT

While Trace Effects represents a more traditional educational videogame, Spent is an example of ‘serious games’. These games are designed to help players experience and understand a situation that is unfamiliar to them. Often this type of game places the player in ‘another person’s shoes’.

Spent is a serious game that highlights the challenges facing the working poor in the U.S. The goal of the game is to live for thirty days on a very limited income. During the month, players are faced with challenges on how to spend their limited finances.

Through these choices, students have the opportunity to engage in class discussions that may otherwise be too abstract to have. Should they take their children out for a day of fun for $45 or use this money to pay an outstanding bill? This is just one of the many choices that players need to make in Spent.

When using a game such as Spent in class, two types of player behavior tends to emerge. Some students will play the game to simply win and will make all the choices needed to do so no matter how extreme. Other players engage in a more empathetic play style and assume the roles of the characters in the game. This tension between the two play styles can provide a rich groundwork on which to build class discussions as the class negotiates for and then votes on choices to make in the game. Therefore, it is recommended to play Spent as a class.

SPENT ACTIVITIES
Spent can be used as a story writing platform. The following are two examples of using Spent as a platform for writing.
Dear Diary – Today I Lost My Job

1. Have the students, alone or in groups, play Spent.
2. As the students play, have them record all the choices they make in a notebook. Encourage them to note the day, the choices they had, and the choices ultimately made.
3. Once students have completed the game (successfully or unsuccessfully) have them write the story of their experience. Encourage them to create names and personalities for the character with background, current circumstances, and thoughts/feelings.
   a. While the game begins with the player having lost a job, specifics are not given. Have the students elaborate on this idea – how did they lose their job?
4. Students can also keep a live journal of the game and create diary writing assignments. The game does not run on a time limit, so students can pause before or after choices and write a diary entry to elaborate on the feelings and experiences encountered in the game.
5. After the game ends, have students finish the story: What happens next? Does the fortune of their character make a turnaround or do they continue to see misfortune?

If I Had…

1. After students have played Spent, have them discuss their experiences with a classmate and analyze the choices they made.
   a. This can also be completed as a class exercise and the class can review the choices made by the group.
2. As students discuss their choices, encourage them to use the Third Conditional - (if + past perfect, ... would + have + past participle) If I had not lived so far from work, I would have saved money. Have them share their experiences.
   a. As an optional expansion, after students have shared their story with a partner, have them report their partner’s experience to the class.

Serious games such as Spent may seem too morose for the classroom. Keep in mind, however, that with teenage students it can be challenging to discuss these topics. Games are able to provide a focal point to more serious topics, such as poverty, that can make it easier for discussion to occur than if the students were asked to talk about themselves or their own contexts.

QUANDRY

Quandry is a web-based game that allows players to intervene in conflicts in a fictional colony of human settlers on another planet. The game requires the player to hear both sides of a disagreement, separate between facts, solutions, and opinions, as well as use facts to convince supporters of opposing viewpoints. Each episode of the game contains a series of comic book-like panels which narrate the story. All of the text in these panels can also be played as audio, giving English language learners exposure to listening as well as reading.

During the course of an episode the player, acting as captain of the colony, hears both sides of an argument. With both sides of the argument represented, the captain takes the argument to the Colonial Council. This council then decides on the best course of action.

QUANDRY ACTIVITIES
The Council Decides

1. Quandry can be played as an entire class activity. During playtime, students can sort through the facts, solutions, and opinions of the colonists.
2. Once two possible solutions have been found, stop gameplay and have the students form pairs or small groups. The students can then discuss the pros and cons of each solution and decide the best course of action.
3. After each pair/small group has come to a decision on the correct course of action, tally up support for each of the solutions. The solution with the most support wins.

Space Debate
While the context of Quandry is a futuristic, science fiction story, the conflicts presented in the game are relatable to students’ daily lives. For example, Episode 3 “Fashion Faction” deals with the modification of uniforms and whether individuals should be allowed to dress as they like. This can be a platform for student debates about school uniforms

1. Have the students play through Episode 3 of Quandry. In this episode, the colony argues the wearing of modified uniforms at colony meetings as the colony rules state only official uniforms may be worn. americanenglish.state.gov
2. Continue until the “Investigate Viewpoints” section of the episode. Instead of relying on the character response, have students offer their own responses. Write these responses on the board. As students begin to give opinions on the issue, ask the class if this issue is similar to the rule of wearing school uniforms. Ask them which of the responses written on the board can be applied to the argument of school uniforms.
3. At this time, break the students into two groups and inform them they will debate the requirement for school uniforms.
4. On the board write ‘School uniforms are necessary for equality and order in the classroom.’ Tell students this is the subject of the debate. Explain that like the colonists in episode 3, some people feel uniforms provide order and keep the focus of the classroom on education, not fashion, wealth, etc. Others argue that students should be free to express their identity, interests, and fashion through clothes.
5. Assign the two groups a position for the debate. In traditional debate format, a statement is presented and one side argues for the position and the other argues against the position.
   a. For this exercise the statement is ‘School uniforms are necessary for equality and order in the classroom.’ Assign one group to be the supporters of this position and one group to be the opposition to this position.
6. Give the groups time to organize their ideas and generate supporting arguments. Students can return to episode 3 of Quandry to the sections “Arguments For” and “Arguments Against.” These sections of the episode can help them generate ideas.
   a. After students have had 5-10 minutes to organize their ideas, bring the class back together to provide the structure of the debate.
7. Tell the groups the debate format is as follows:
   a. The supporters of the statement will be given two minutes to overview their ideas.
   b. Next, the opposition will be given two minutes to overview their ideas.
   b.i. Remind the students that as their opponents speak, they should take notes on the ideas so they can offer a rebuttal later.
8. Once the opening statements from each group have finished, have the groups review the notes of their opponents’ ideas. From these notes the group should develop a rebuttal argument.
   a. Give the students 5-10 minutes to create a rebuttal. Once both groups are ready, begin the rebuttal phase of the debate. This time, the opposition speaks first.
9. After the rebuttals are complete, have the speakers return to their groups. Give the groups 5-10 minutes to prepare for the question phase of the debate.
   a. In this phase, the groups have the opportunity to question the arguments and rebuttals offered by their opponents. The supporters of the position are the first to ask a question. Have the groups alternate in asking questions.
10. Once the question phase is complete decide which group had the most effective argument. Perhaps the group with the best argument and logic gets excused from homework for one night!

Options
If the class is too large to support this format of debate, have the class spit into small groups and conduct the debate similar to a small group discussion.

The other episodes of Quandry offer other ethical issues, such as sharing resources versus private ownership, which can also be used as the basis for a class debate.

In these two English Teaching Forum articles, learn how to use comic strips in the English language classroom and how to encourage student storytelling through sequential art.

Level

High-Beginner to Advanced

Language Focus

Writing, listening, grammar (primary focus); speaking (secondary focus)

Goals

Students will increase their listening, speaking and writing skills through a comprehensive review of the progressive tense. Students will also practice note-taking skills to complete a jigsaw activity.

Materials

• Teacher: whiteboard/chalkboard, markers or chalk, infographic in Appendix 1, Trace Effects Chapter 1 (http://americanenglish.state.gov/trace-effects) and the Trace Effects Chapter 1 comic (http://americanenglish.state.gov/trace-effects), a timing device.

• Students: pencils or pens, notebooks or writing paper.

Preparation

1. Read through all the materials carefully.

2. This activity uses the Trace Effects video game. If you are unfamiliar with the game, it may be helpful to access the game and accompanying Teacher’s Manual here: http://americanenglish.state.gov/trace-effects

3. This activity uses Trace Effects Chapter 1. It is recommended that you play the chapter prior to introducing it in class.

4. Copy and cut out the Trace Effects Chapter 1 Comic Jigsaw pieces (Appendix 1). Make sure there are enough copies for your students in pairs/small groups.

5. This activity is a review of the past, present, and future progressive tenses covered each week of this month’s Teacher’s Corner. The infographics used in the previous weeks’ materials are recommended if students need a review of the progressive tense.

Procedures

Part 1 – Trace Effects Intro Video

1. Begin the activity by playing the Trace Effects Chapter 1 Intro video. Repeat the video if students need more listening practice.

2. After watching the video have students write a timeline of Trace’s activities in the video using the progressive tense. For example: “Trace was touring the university when he activated the time machine.” “Eddie was eating lunch when Trace appeared.”

3. Have the students work in pairs and write down as many sentences as they can about the video.

4. Review the sentences as a group by having the students read their sentences out loud.

Part 2 – Trace Effects Chapter 1

5. Now that students have watched the introduction video have them begin playing Chapter 1 of Trace Effects. Give the students three minutes to play the game.

6. After three minutes, call STOP and have the students stop their game play.

7. Tell the students to write down what Trace is doing at that moment. For example: “Trace is talking to Eddie in the Science Building.” Have them number this as sentence #1.

8. Give the students three more minutes of play time. After the time is up, call STOP.

9. Again, have the students write down what Trace is currently doing and number this sentence #2. Next, have the students return to sentence #1 and change the verb to the past progressive tense. Ask the students, “What will Trace be doing next?” and have them make predictions as to what Trace will be doing in the near future. For example: “Trace will be looking for Kit.”

10. Give the students three more minutes of game time. Once time is over, have them stop and repeat the sentence writing process.

• Depending on class time and student level, reduce the play time to two minutes or increase it to five minutes.

11. Continue the process of writing a present progressive sentence, changing the previous sentence to past progressive, and then writing a future progressive prediction until the students have completed the chapter.

• If your classroom does not have computers for students, play the game as a class on the teacher’s computer stopping the game play when you desire.

12. Have the students form pairs or small groups and review their sentences. Depending on how the students played the game their sentences may vary. Have them compare their sentences and discuss what they did that was the same and what was different.

Part 3 – Comic Book Jigsaw Optional

13. Keep the students in their pairs/small groups and pass out the Trace Effects Chapter 1 Comic Jigsaw (Appendix 1).

14. With the sentences they wrote in Parts 1 and 2 for assistance, have the pairs/small groups place the comic book panels in the correct order.

15. Once the pairs/small groups have finished, review as a class by having students read out the dialogue in the comics in the correct order.

Level
High-Beginner to Advanced

Language Focus
Grammar, speaking (primary focus); listening, writing (secondary focus)

Goals
Students will orally use the future progressive tense to ask and answer questions regarding the United States President’s schedule on an upcoming visit to their country. Students will take notes during the questioning and use those notes to complete a newspaper story.

Materials

• Teacher: whiteboard/chalkboard, markers or chalk, infographic in Appendix 1, President’s schedule in Appendix 2, newspaper story in Appendix 3, a timing device.
• Students: pencils or pens, notebooks or writing paper.
• Infographic: pencils or pens, notebooks or writing paper.

Preparation

1. Read through all the materials carefully.
2. This activity is an information gap activity where student B will ask questions to student A to fill in a newspaper story of the President’s schedule. For more information on using information gaps in the classroom see June’s Teacher’s Corner: Click here
3. In this activity students will be in pairs. Student A will be the President’s Press Secretary. This student will have the President’s official schedule to deliver to newspaper reporters. Student B will be a newspaper reporter who needs information to complete the story. Print enough copies of the schedule in Appendix 2 and the newspaper story in Appendix 3 for each student.
4. Read through the President’s schedule and newspaper story carefully.
   
   a. a. In the President’s schedule student A must fill in the missing information. This information has been left blank so students can fill in information specific to their country.
   b. b. In the newspaper story students must use the verb in parentheses and write the correct verb tense. For example, “The President _____(attend)____________________” can be completed as “The President will be attending”.

Procedures

1. Place the Future Progressive Infographic in Appendix 1 on the board. Point to the green box on the infographic highlighting actions at specific times. Ask the students:
   
   a. What will you be doing tomorrow from 18:00-19:00?
   a.i. In their answers stress the use of will + be+ verb(ing)
2. Ask the students a few more questions about their upcoming schedules using the future progressive tense.
   
3. After the students have practiced progressive tense have the students remain in their pairs or have them form new pairs.
4. In each pair give student A the President’s schedule (Appendix 2) and give student B the newspaper story (Appendix 3).
5. Give student A several minutes to fill out the information in the schedule. Students can use information specific to their town or country to fill out the form.
6. While student A is filling out the schedule, have student B read the newspaper story and begin preparing questions they will ask student A.
7. Once the students are ready, have student B begin asking the questions needed to fill out the information in the newspaper story.
8. Monitor the students as they complete the information gap activity and provide help as needed in constructing questions using the future progressive tense.
9. Once students have completed the activity have them switch roles and fill out new schedules and new news reports. Encourage students to role the play by using formal introductions and act out the role of Press secretary and newspaper reporter.