things you should know first: Technology Tablets Download free app Puffin Acdemy. More info in the Resources page on your educator dashboard.

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1 things you should know first: Technology Desktops & Laptops Access by internet browser at ssgrin.centervention.com nothing to download. Tablets Download free app Puffin Acdemy. More info in the Resources page on your educator dashboard. Headphones Recommended, as dialogue and tone of voice differentiation are important to the game. Student Login Download login cards from the S.S. GRIN Resources page on your educator dashboard. Type student information into the editable PDF, and print and laminate so students can log in independently. Time First Time Playing The first time students play, block out 45 minutes. It will take them a while to navigate to the website, log in, and start playing. Regular Play The game is most effective when students play regularly, about once a week. After this initial session, you can adjust how long you ll need, but we recommend minutes. Centervention.com 1

2 Eight skills Respect being kind, caring about feelings, sharing, listening, and being responsible for what we say and do Think Ahead considering consequences, identifying good role models, and setting goals for the future Stop and Think thinking about the consequences of our actions and making good decisions when faced with temptation Communication what we say and how we say it to help others understand us, and listening to understand others Check It Out understanding the situation without making assumptions to see things from other s point of view Building Friendship knowing what qualities make a good friend, and taking the initial steps toward making friends Cooperation working together toward a common goal Emotion Regulation understanding how your emotions work and using strategies to manage them Centervention.com 2

3 Introducing kids to S.S. Grin Don t hype up S.S. GRIN as a super fun game (although it is fun!). Kids who play mature games at home may be disappointed. Do frame S.S. GRIN as a game that they get to play, rather than doing a typical lesson or activity. We re going to play an online game that will help us learn some skills that are important for being a good friend. You ll get to create an avatar to represent you in the game and customize how it looks. Your avatar will be a crew member on the S.S. Grin, and you ll work with the other crew members to protect the Friendship Stones from villians on Pacifico Island. Do your best, but don t worry about making the right choice every time. In fact, there aren t really wrong answers and right answers - it s all about practicing. Centervention.com 3

4 logging in: step-by-step The website for the game is ssgrin.centervention.com. You can see the web address above your name on your login card. Type it into the address bar at the top of your browser, and hit enter. If you have a shortcut to ssgrin.centervention.com on students desktops, direct them to that instead. Students screens should look like this: Look at the red button on the middle of the screen. It should say LOGIN. If it says PLAY and there is a message above it that says Welcome back, soand-so, someone else may already be logged in (image right). We always want to make sure we re not playing on someone else s account, so if you see this, click the brown button that says Not so-and-so? Log out. Centervention.com 4

5 Click on the red login button on the middle of your screen. Type in your username that is listed on your login card. Notice that it has a period that you need to be sure to type in the right spot. Next, type in your password that is on your login card. Then click the blue log in button. Once you are logged in, you ll see a boat sailing by a landscape and a banner that says Adventures Aboard the S.S. GRIN on top of it. Once you see this screen, don t click anything. Put your hands on your head so I know you re ready. Students screens should look like this: Look at the top right corner of your screen. If you entered the correct username and password, it should say Welcome, your name. Each time you log in, before you start playing, make sure you see your name in that spot. If you don t see your name there now, raise your hand. Make sure everyone has successfully logged in to their own account. Centervention.com 5

6 Playing the Game S.S. GRIN is a story-based, linear game, so students will all start at the beginning and jump right into the world of Pacifico and start their Adventures Aboard the S.S. Grin. Once you hit start, you ll be prompted to create your avatar, then you ll jump right into the game! You may play at a different pace than your neighbor, so don t worry about what your friends are doing. There will be achievements you can earn in each scene for making good choices, so try to do your best. Click Start on the screen to start playing! Quizzes and mini games At the end of each scene, the S.S. GRIN crew member from that scene will give players a quiz based on what they have learned. Students can earn up to four coins to play arcadestyle mini games after they take the quiz. (The quizzes and mini games do not affect scoring.) Centervention.com 6

7 Saving & logging out There is not an explicit save button; rather, the game will automatically save at the end of each scene, as well as at a few points in the middle of each scene. If you re ready to be done playing the game but you are in the middle of a scene, wait until you see the word saving in the bottom right corner. If you log out at another time, you may have to replay a little bit of the game the next time you log in. Students should log out when they are done playing to prevent classmates from accidentally playing on their account. When you are done playing S.S. GRIN for the day, it s very important to log out so that one of your classmates doesn t accidentally play on your account. To log out, click on your name in the top right corner, then click Logout on the menu that drops down. Centervention.com 7

8 Expected student reactions Frustration In addition to the main social and emotional skills, S.S. GRIN builds resilience and perseverance. Remind students that this game is all about practicing and learning. We don t often get anything right on the first try, but if we keep practicing, we ll get it eventually. Asking for help Students will be more successful with S.S. GRIN in the long run if you encourage them to persevere in figuring out how to move through the game and solve problems on their own. Try to only step in if they are really stuck. Contact us If your students are having a common reaction or frustration, please let us know so that we can give tips on the best way to address it! questions and comments to support@centervention.com Centervention.com 8