EDUCATOR HANDBOOK version 1.0
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION TO BLOXELS: p.2 Getting Started p.13 Introducing Bloxels To The Classroom BLOXELS CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: p.26 Choose Your Own Adventure Challenge p.28 Fractured Fairy Tale Challenge p.30 Fraction Character Challenge p.32 Reflection Animation Challenge p.34 Plant Survival Challenge p.36 Evidence For Evolution Challenge p.38 Presidential Run Challenge p.40 Egyptian Pyramid & Mummy Quest p.42 Digital Citizenship Superhero Challenge ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: p.44 Brainstorming Kit p.45 Lesson Plans p.46 Kids Site p.47 More Links p.48 Twitter Love 1 BUILD Use the blocks on the gameboard to build the layout of a room in your game. 2 CAPTURE Snap a picture of the gameboard. Your creation will instantly turn into a real video game. 3 DESIGN Customize how it looks. Change the colors, the textures, the characters and more. 4 PLAY & SHARE Play your game. Challenge your friends to beat it. Add rooms, or start all over! 1
GETTING STARTED Welcome Educators! Welcome to Bloxels, a hands-on platform for kids to experiment, build, and learn through video game creation. Bloxels leverages student enthusiasm for video games to create an environment where learning is fun, interactive, and informative. Bloxels employs elements of an animated story character, environment, and trials, combining them into a video game to design, code, play, share, and collaborate alongside peers. The platform is a great introduction to high-tech environments that will surround them in the workplace later on in life. Bloxels simplifies creating by breaking down the art to a simple 13-bit pixel game. First, the students will create, either with toy-based building on the Bloxels gameboard and then captured using the device camera, or with screen-based building directly in the app. Next, with content now created, adding interactivity to the assets, such as animations, movements and more is simple to get started. With that, the power of Bloxels comes to life, and the hard work pays off. Not only can students see the results of their own game, they can share their games with students around the world, experiencing the joy of others playing their game! DOWNLOAD THE GUIDEBOOK bloxelsbuilder.com/guidebook 2
INTRODUCTION TO BLOXELS & GRADE RECOMMENDATION So, what's the deal with these blocks? Bloxels is not just another tech-enabled toy. It s a hands-on, brains-on, creativity and technology experience. By starting the game building process with the Bloxels gameboard and colored blocks, players are challenged to put down their screens and think strategically. Each block has many possibilities, so creating requires some imagination and calculation. Yet, it s as simple as building with blocks. The on-screen experience combines design, logic and experimentation. It s about more than playing video games. It s about building at dynamic, interconnected world through the stories you re telling. It s about seeing your ideas in action, testing them and making them better. It s a little science and a lot of fun. And it provides an online experience without actually being online. Grade Recommendation Most activities are scalable in complexity, so it s appropriate for all grades. However we ve found grades 3 through 6 are best equipped to dive into the Bloxels experience and be challenged by it in an educational setting. We ve also seen Bloxels used to drive learning in areas such as computational thinking well into middle school. However, Bloxels encourages collaboration, so players of all ages parents, relatives, teachers, kids and their friends can build and play games together. Bloxels can also be added to larger projects, providing an added layer of computational thinking and visual media literacy to almost anything! 3
WHY BLOXELS IN THE CLASSROOM? 21st Century Skills, STEAM, STEM, Maker, Common Core, TEKS, Design Thinking Bloxels is unique in that it can be employed by all subjects, and makes using 21st century skills fun, while hitting all the standards that count along the way. Additionally, procuring Bloxels is an investment across the curriculum, enriching both the Humanities through culture and narrative, and STEM disciplines through technology and spatial reasoning. Unlike other game building tools you ve tried, with Bloxels students can make a game that can be built and played in minutes, rather than hours but still has enough depth to keep them interested (and learning) for many more. 21st Century Skills Through game design, Bloxels intentionally synthesizes and employs the skills needed for students to be active participants in the 21st century landscape. Through collaboration and critical decisions, students will benefit from having the equivalent of a next generation sandbox, a place to create, challenge, and innovate. These rich educational outcomes are the direct byproduct of giving kids a medium that is authentic and native to their experience at home and with friends. The United States Dept. of Ed. and the Partnership for 21st Century Schools forecast that your students will inherit a world that champions the following skills: 4 Thinking critically and making judgements. Solving complex, multi-disciplinary, open-ended problems. Creativity and entrepreneurial thinking. Communicating and collaborating. Making innovative use of knowledge, information and opportunities.
STEAM AND STEM In 2009, President Obama launched the White House's Educate to Innovate initiative, creating over $700 Million in public-private partnerships. This was in response to forecasts that technology jobs will increase up to 22% by 2020. Whether STEAM or STEM, Bloxels offers an arena where students can hypothesize, deduce, iterate, and innovate. Put simply, students will design interactive, high-tech visual art (games) that can be shared with students from Sudan to Sweden, or Chile to China. Bloxels provides students the tools necessary to demonstrate the Next Generation Science Standards inherent to any productive school environment. The possibilities are endless: How about an animation of Wave Properties? Or maybe a game that demonstrates the relationship between Matter, Forces, and Interaction? Bloxels provides teachers and students with endless possibilities for innovative exploration. Design Thinking and Maker Movements From Understanding and Developing to Prototyping and Publishing, Bloxels is a powerful tool to be used by teachers committed to highly experiential curriculum. If you have a commitment to a show, don't tell philosophy, you will find Bloxels to be a source of endless possibility. Bloxels is unique in that it provides hardware in the to form of blocks, and asks students to design interactive computer games, and finally can even lead into block-based coding, making Bloxels a natural fit into any Design Thinking or Maker curriculum. 5
Standards Bloxels is a flexible classroom tool that can be used with formative projects and summative project-based standards assessment. As a result, Bloxels works best when deployed into interdisciplinary environments, synthesizing several standards across the curriculum. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Next Generation Science Standards nextgenscience.org Common Core State Standards corestandards.org International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards iste.org/standards 6
COMMON CORE STANDARDS Here are some of, but not all of, the standards that Bloxels teaches to: Common Core, English Language Arts (K-12) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Common Core, Mathematics (K-12) CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.B.4.A When counting objects, say the number names in the standard order, pairing each object with one and only one number name and each number name with one and only one object. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.B.3 Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract. Examples: If 8 + 3 = 11 is known, then 3 + 8 = 11 is also known. (Commutative property of addition.) To add 2 + 6 + 4, the second two numbers can be added to make a ten, so 2 + 6 + 4 = 2 + 10 = 12. (Associative property of addition.) CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.RP.A.2.D Explain what a point (x, y) on the graph of a proportional relationship means in terms of the situation, with special attention to the points (0, 0) and (1, r) where r is the unit rate. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.OA.C.5 Generate a number or shape pattern that follows a given rule. Identify apparent features of the pattern that were not explicit in the rule itself. For example, given the rule "Add 3" and the starting number 1, generate terms in the resulting sequence and observe that the terms appear to alternate between odd and even numbers. Explain informally why the numbers will continue to alternate in this way. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.2 Draw (freehand, with ruler and protractor, and with technology) geometric shapes with given conditions. Focus on constructing triangles from three measures of angles or sides, noticing when the conditions determine a unique triangle, more than one triangle, or no triangle. 7
ADDITIONAL STANDARDS Next Generation Science Standard MS ETS1-1: Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions. MS ETS1-2: Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. ETS1.A: Defining Engineering Problems. Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria). Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes the constraints into account. TEKS TEKS for Science, Standard 3 Scientific investigation and reasoning: The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions. TEKS for Technology Applications, Standard 1 Creativity and innovation: The student uses creative thinking and innovative processes to construct knowledge, generate new ideas, and create products. 8
DEPLOYING BLOXELS FAQ Bloxels provides the perfect project-based curriculum through its thoughtful integration of several learning standards. Any teacher will want to take some time to walk through the world that will open when used in the classroom environment. How many Gameboards do I need for my classroom? We generally recommend one gameboard per student, although an extra gameboard will allow the student to build faster. Because the gameboard can be cleared and used over and over, even for the same game, the student will not be limited by having only one gameboard, and sharing a gameboard works as well. How many devices do I need for my classroom? Students working in groups should have a single device per group, this keeps them focused on building together as a group. A second device can be useful for testing games while being developed, but is not necessary. Ideally, students would have their own Bloxels board and divide up into teams of three; each team would have three different student roles: character builder, layout builder, and decoration builder. DOWNLOAD THE 'BLOXELS BUILDER' APP bloxelsbuilder.com/download 9
YOUR FIRST HOUR WITH BLOXELS You ve opened the box! Now what? Here is a guide to your first hour with Bloxels. The next section covers your first demo to your entire classroom. Step 1: Unpack the Gameboard(s) The 13x13 Gameboard provides the canvas for your students, a sandbox where their imaginations will unfold. Students will arrange the blocks within the boundaries of the board in order to create Characters & decorations (using the blocks as art) and Layouts (where the blocks have specific meanings). Step 2: Examine the Blocks When building game layouts, each block has a specific meaning. There are eight different block colors. A color guide is available for each student in the 13-bit Builder Guidebook, which may have been included with your purchase or can be printed for use in the classroom. = Power-Up = Enemy = Water = Exploding Block = Hazard = Story Block = Terrain = Coin 10
Step 3: Install the FREE Bloxels Builder App Visit the app store on your tablet or device and search Bloxels to download the latest version of Bloxels, or visit bloxelsbuilder.com/download for information on device support. Step 4: QuickPlay & Familiarization Want to dive in and see how the game plays? Hit Quick Play on the homepage page for the app. Pick a Character, Layout, and Decoration, and just play! You ll get a feel for the controls, and if you look close will start to understand how layouts and artwork combine to make a game from the 13x13 gameboards grid. On this screen you can also test capturing game layouts (using the color guide on the previous page), or a game character (where the colors are used simply as art). Step 5: Watch the Tutorial Videos Bloxels has simplified the game build process to enable students to build games in minutes, where most game building software can take many hours if not days to have a playable game. However, Bloxels still requires some practice to familiarize yourself with the creation interface remember, this is a software development tool, not a game! Unless you want to figure it all out on your own, now is the time to watch our tutorial videos to familiarize yourself with the Bloxels Builder App, and don t be afraid to watch them with your students as well. VIDEO TUTORIALS kids.bloxelsbuilder.com/all-tutorials 11
Step 6: Build Your First Game Now that you have a better idea of how it works, click Customize from the quick start mode to start building in the full editor. You should set out to understand the 5 main areas of the builder, 1 2 3 4 5 12 Games, which use assets built in Animations Backgrounds Characters Boards "Boards" are essentially a library of assets that can be utilized in other areas of the application. You ll also notice in all of the areas that we ve included pre-designed assets for you to use and edit to your liking. Step 7: Design and Iterate! Now that you ve built your first game, take some time to try something interesting, such as making a component very challenging, unique, or even themed. This should help you start thinking of activities for the classroom, and you can find links to some of the activities we ve created at the end of this document. Step 8: Share and Play Now that your game is ready to play, be sure to share it on the Bloxels Infinity Wall. The Bloxels community all over the world will have the opportunity to play your game. You can also use the coordinate system to identify a blank area where your classroom can share it s content, for example check out -250, 700. If that area is still open, claim your spot by sharing a few tiles and get ready to start building because your students will be helping you fill up the tiles soon! Assign each student to a Bloxels gameboard, ensuring that there is a device, or tablet, to be shared amongst each student, or when working in groups teams of 3 or 4.
INTRODUCING BLOXELS TO THE CLASSROOM Each classroom is unique, as is your technology setup and the number of Bloxels gameboards you have per student. While 1 tablet and 1 gameboard per student is ideal, we realize it s also unlikely. We generally recommend a setup of 3-4 students per tablet and no less than 2 gameboards per 4 students. There are usually 4 assignments that can be spread out over a group of 3-4, split between a group of 2 or handled by a single student. The assignments include (1) layout designer (2) character designer (3) theme designer and (4) story designer (yes, you can add text!). Consider these roles when planning your Bloxels experience, and tweak as your classroom grows and evolves with Bloxels! 13
BEFORE THE DEMO A few tips for using the Bloxels App and for demoing how it works. 1 2 3 KNOW THE APP Get familiar with the different areas of the Bloxels App and how they work together. Building level layouts, art, characters, backgrounds, and animations and then bringing them together for a full game experience. KNOW THE TYPE OF GAME YOU ARE CREATING There are many different types of video games. With Bloxels you can create platformer style games. You can convey this to your students as a Mario style run and jump game. MEMORIZE YOUR DEMO FLOW Be prepared and know what you want to say. Know the App, Know the message and know how you want to show off the power of Bloxels. Share your layout Capture your layout Configuring your game Decorating your game Adding a character Playing your game 4 DO YOUR HOMEWORK Play with the Bloxels board and app. Read through the guidebook and watch the tutorial videos at bloxelsbuilder.com. Overall, just be familiar with Bloxels and how it works and what it can do. 14
DEMO DAY PREP Getting ready to demo Bloxels in your classroom. 1 2 SET UP YOUR SPACE Make sure you are on a white table and have good lighting. Do a test capture with a level layout on the Bloxels board and with the Bloxels app. Assure that capturing your board is accurate. Capturing the gameboard at an angle generally works best. CREATE A LAYOUT Have a game layout ready for the demo. Make sure to use all 8 colors and know their meaning. You can see what each color represents in the guidebook. BUILD THIS LAYOUT 3 CHARGE YOUR DEVICE Make sure the device you are using is fully charged so that you do not run out of battery. 15
INTRODUCTION & CLASSROOM DEMO Use this format for what to do and say when demoing Bloxels. DO THIS Discuss what all you can do with Bloxels. SAY THIS Bloxels is a tool that allows you to create your own platformer video games using physical blocks, a Bloxels board, and the Bloxels App. You can create game layouts, pixel art for your game, animations, backgrounds, and also your own character for the game. You create everything on the Bloxels board and then bring it into the Bloxels App by just taking a picture with your tablets camera. 16
GAME LAYOUTS Sharing your pre-made game layout Hold up your pre-made game layout that has all 8 colors used. Make sure everyone sees this. PRE-MADE LAYOUT DO THIS SAY THIS We will first create a game layout for our run and jump video game. Each color represents a different video game element. Green is your terrain or ground, your character can run and jump on this. Red is a hazard, this can be a lava pit or spikes but it hurts your player when touched. Blue is water, your character can swim in this. Purple are enemies, these can be flyers, walking enemies, or ones that shoot fireballs. Orange are destructible blocks that can be destroyed. Yellow are coins to collect. Pink are power-ups that can be bombs, a jetpack, extra health, invincibility, or a number of other things. White is a story block that allows you to put text in your game and tell a story. COIN POWER-UP HAZARD WATER TERRAIN EXPLODING BLOCK ENEMY STORY BLOCK Point out all of these elements on the pre-made game layout. 17
CAPTURING GAME LAYOUTS How to capture your game DO THIS Open the App and go to Create. Select the Build New Game button. Discuss what all you can do with Bloxels. Show the Map View in the editor with all of the plusses and explain that you can keep adding rooms/boards to make your game bigger. Select the middle room and tap the camera button in the bottom right. CAMERA BUTTON SAY THIS Open the Bloxels App and select the Create button. Tap the Build New Game button. You can now see all of these plusses that you can add rooms/boards to. This allows you to create bigger worlds. Tap on the map to select a room. Now tap the camera button in the bottom right of the app. Show this camera window explaining to Fit the Board in the Window Fit board in the window and capture your level. All you have to do is fit the board in the capture window and it will take a picture and bring yourgame layout into the App. CAPTURE THE GAMEBOARD AT AN ANGLE FOR BEST RESULTS *NOTE: It s not always easy to show off something you are doing within the App to a group. You can offer to have everyone crowd around the table to see the capture process in action. If available, having your device hooked up to a t.v. would help your students see what exactly is being done in the app. 18
CAPTURING GAME LAYOUTS Continued... After you ve captured the Gameboard, you ll see it appear in the app next to the capture window. This is where you decide if it was captured correctly. Then you ll be given these options: YES Click to proceed NO Click to capture again COLOR ADJUSTMENT Use to adjust for your room s lighting 19
PLAYING YOUR GAME How to play your game DO THIS Hit the play button in the bottom right corner of the app. Run and jump through your level, collect coins, defeat enemies and show off your creation. PLAY BUTTON SAY THIS Once you capture your level you can immediately jump in and play your game! As you can see I am now playing the game that was just built on the Bloxels board. Here are the coins from our board, here is the hazard, here is an enemy (point these out accordingly). As you can see building your own video game is as easy as it s ever been. PLAYING THE GAME Playing a Bloxels game is pretty straight-forward, but here s a little help to get started. MOVE LEFT MOVE RIGHT ATTACK JUMP TAP TWICE FOR DOUBLE JUMP ATTACK WITH POWER-UP JUMP WITH POWER-UP 20 PULL BUTTON DOWN TO ACTIVATE POWER-UPS
DECORATING YOUR GAME Decorating your game layout Hit the pause button and back out of your game to the editor. PAUSE BUTTON DO THIS SAY THIS Now that we have created a room in our game we don't want to leave it looking like blocks. You can now create pixel art to add textures and art to your game layout. Tap the decorate tab at the bottom of the screen. Use pixel art from the boards library and the animations library tabs to decorate the level you just built. Decorate the ground, coins, enemies, hazards, etc. Select the background button within the decorate tab and add a background. BACKGROUND BUTTON If I tap the decorate tab at the bottom on the editor I can now use art, that can also be created on the Bloxels board, to decorate everything in my game. Everything in your game can be decorated with pixel art that you create! Select the background button within the decorate tab and add a background. TERRAIN ART HAZARD ART STORY BLOCK ART COIN ART POWER-UP ART EXPLODING BLOCK ART ENEMY ART WATER ART 21
CONFIGURING YOUR GAME Show your students how to configure different elements of your game. You can configure power-ups, enemies and storyblocks. 22 DO THIS Tap the Configure button at the bottom of the editor. Tap & change a power-up. Tap & change an enemy. Tap & add text to a story block. DEFINE THE POWER-UPS To pull up a menu of options for the power-ups, just tap a pink block and choose the one you want. SAY THIS We have created a game layout. We have decorated and added art to some of the level elements. We have also added a background. Now we want to configure some of the objects in the game. When you select a power-up you can make it a bomb, extra health, a jet pack, a map, shrink potion, or invincibility. You can configure different enemy types. When you select an enemy you can make it a walking enemy, a flying enemy, or an enemy that shoots fireballs. This is also where you can add brains to your enemy (see pg. 25). Finally, we can configure the story block. Once you tap a block you can then add text to that block. You can say danger ahead or go save the princess it s up to you and whatever story you want to tell. It s also a checkpoint or you can make it your end flag. BOMB HEALTH JET PACK MAP SHRINK INVINCIBLE
ADDING A CHARACTER How to add a character DO THIS Tap the character icon within the configure tab. Select a completed character that has an idle, run and jump animation. CHARACTER ICON SAY THIS Now we are just missing one thing in our game. It s our character! From the configure tab you can select the character button. Select a character from your library on the left. Select a spot in the game to place the character. Hit the play button and play your game with the new character. You can now drop him in your game and decide where you want to start. You can create these characters with pixel art on your Bloxels board. You can then create animations for their idle, run, and jump. Lets play our game with our character! HOLD THE DEVICE WITH BOTH HANDS & USE YOUR THUMBS TO CONTROL YOUR HERO. 23
SHARING & CLOSING DO THIS Tap the infinity wall icon and show the infinity wall to everyone. INFINITY WALL ICON SAY THIS After you create a game you can share it within the Bloxels app on the Infinity Wall. This is a place to share art, characters, animations, backgrounds, and completed games. You can use creations from other users and earn coins when they use your creations. Bloxels is a complete game building experience. From building a game layout, to decorating everything in your game, to creating characters. With Bloxels, the only question is what story do you want to tell? YOUR PLAYER PROFILE ACCESS LIBRARY TOTAL COINS+GEMS WARP COORDINATES FEATURED AREA A constantly updated area full of really awesome stuff. THE INFINITY WALL The Infinity Wall is where games, characters, animations, backgrounds and even single boards are shared with the Bloxels community. Upload your creations for others to buy with their coins, or use the coins you earn to purchase other user s artwork that you like. * Players must have a Bloxels account to access the Infinity Wall features. 24
BRAIN BOARDS Give enemies in your game Brains! Are you ready to make your game's enemies a whole lot more interesting? Brain Board is a brand new feature in Bloxels that gives creators the ability to give the enemies in their games "Brains"! Use your Bloxels Gameboard to make your enemies faster, stronger, bigger and more. Each color you place on the gameboard when adding a brain affects a different attribute of your enemy mix and match to see what happens! 25
BLOXELS CLASSROOM ACTIVITY CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE CHALLENGE Lesson Description: Students will create classic choose your own adventure stories and bring their stories to life with Bloxels. Grade Levels: K-5 Timeline: Five 40-minute class periods 1 CONTENT AREAS ELA Technology Objectives: SWBAT: create choose your own adventure stories; build stories into Bloxels video games individually or in groups. Academic Standards: CCSS (ELA): W.K-5.3 ISTE (Technology): 1c, 1d, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5c, 6a, 6d, 7c Technology Resources & Materials: Tablets Bloxels Boards & Cubes Bloxels Builder App Book Creator/Google Docs (or another publishing tool) Popplet (or another mind-mapping tool) Bloxels planning paper 26
ACTIVITY: Download more activities and see examples of this activity at bloxelsbuilder.com/lesson-plans Begin by reading a choose your own adventure story to your students. Engage in a class discussion about what type of stories students would like to create on their own. Then, help students sketch out their stories (Popplet Lite for ipad is one good mind-mapping tool). Students may work independently or in small groups. Students should plan story from beginning to end; students will go back and begin to break up the story in the next step. Once the stories are mapped out, students must go back and begin to break up their stories. Note: In a writing class, this is a good opportunity to have students write/type a polished version of their stories using Book Creator, Google Docs or a similar tool. Use Bloxels paper planning sheets to plan how their stories will split. Provide students time to explore and experiment using the planning sheets and the Bloxels gameboards, cubes, and the Bloxels Builder app; it is important that students understand how Bloxels works. If working in small groups, students should divide the tasks up: character developer, level designer, and level decorator (these can rotate). Note: When working with multiple ipads, students can share creations through the infinity wall. Students must use the story blocks strategically to direct the players to multiple pathways. Note: The difference between building a regular game and a choose your own adventure will be in the story blocks and the design of the levels. Lesson contributed by Richard Campbell, Bloxels EDU Ambassador 27
BLOXELS CLASSROOM ACTIVITY FRACTURED FAIRY TALE CHALLENGE Lesson Description: Students will create fractured fairy tale stories, and then bring their stories to life as Bloxels video games. Grade Levels: 3-8 Timeline: Five 40-minute class periods 2 CONTENT AREAS ELA Technology Objectives: SWBAT: create fractured fairy tale stories; build stories into Bloxels video games individually or in groups. Academic Standards: CCSS (ELA): W.3-8.3 ISTE (Technology): 1c, 1d, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5c, 6a, 6d, 7c Technology Resources & Materials: Tablets Bloxels Boards & Cubes Bloxels Builder App Book Creator/Google Docs (or another publishing tool) Popplet (or another mind-mapping tool) Bloxels planning paper 28
ACTIVITY: Download more activities and see examples of this activity at bloxelsbuilder.com/lesson-plans Begin by having students select several different fairy tales and fractured fairy tale books or stories. Students should compare and contrast the original fairy tale they choose with the fractured fairy tale version. Encourage students to focus on point of view; how does P.O.V. change from the original to the fractured version? Students should then choose a new, traditional fairy tale story. Students will fracture this fairy tale on their own, adjusting the point of view of the fractured story s main character as necessary. Students should sketch out their stories using a mind-mapping tool. Popplet Lite or Pic Collage are recommended or students can divide a piece of paper into 6-8 sections to sketch their stories. Students may work independently or in small groups; small groups are ideal with younger age groups. Students should plan their story from beginning to end, focusing on point of view, setting, characters, and plot. An additional option: students write/type a polished version of the story using Google Docs or a similar tool. Provide students time to explore and experiment with the planning sheets and the Bloxels gameboards, cubes, and the Bloxels Builder app. It is important that students understand how Bloxels works. If working in small groups, students should divide the tasks up: character developer, level designer, and level decorator (these can rotate). Note: When working with multiple ipads, students can share creations through the Infinity Wall. Students must use the story blocks strategically to help develop the storyline of the fractured fairy tale. When done, students can publish their stories in Book Creator or Google Docs, and use screen shots from Bloxels as their photos. Lesson contributed by Karie Huttner, Bloxels EDU Ambassador 29
BLOXELS CLASSROOM ACTIVITY FRACTION CHARACTER CHALLENGE Lesson Description: Students will create Bloxels characters using specific fractions of Bloxels colored cubes. Grade Levels: 3-5 Timeline: One or two 40-minute class periods 3 CONTENT AREAS MATH Technology Objectives: SWBAT: create Bloxels characters with fractional proportions of colored cubes. Academic Standards: CCSS (Math): 3-5.NF.A-B ISTE (Technology): 1c, 1d, 2b, 4c, 5c, 6a, 6d Technology Resources & Materials: Tablets Bloxels Boards & Cubes Bloxels Builder App Bloxels planning paper 30
ACTIVITY: Download more activities and see examples of this activity at bloxelsbuilder.com/lesson-plans Begin by distributing Bloxels cubes to the class (do not reveal the boards or app yet), and then tell the class that they re going to be working on fractions today. Tell students to count out groups of the following colored cubes: 10 cubes of color #1 (students choose color) 15 cubes of color #2 (students choose color) 5 cubes of color #3 (students choose color) 6 cubes of color #4 (students choose color) 20 cubes of color #5 (students choose color) Next, pass out the Bloxels boards. Tell students, it s time for the fun part : students should arrange their cubes on their board and create any character or shape that they like. Once the students have created their characters/art, tell them that they need to determine what simplified fraction each color represents of all of the cubes that they have (Note: the total cubes of #1-5 are 60). Answers: Color #1 = 10/60 = 1/6 Color #2 = 15/60 = 1/4 Color #3 = 5/60 = 1/12 Color #4 = 6/60 = 1/10 Color #5 = 20/60 = 1/3 Students should scan their characters into the Bloxels Builder app. If time allows, have students animate their characters, creating different versions. Students will need to determine the new fractional values of the new version (frames) of the character/animation that they create. Lesson contributed by Robert Kalman, Bloxels EDU Ambassador 31
BLOXELS CLASSROOM ACTIVITY REFLECTION ANIMATION CHALLENGE Lesson Description: Students will create Bloxels animations using reflections of Bloxels colored cubes across the coordinate plane. Grade Levels: 6-8 Timeline: One or two 40-minute class periods 4 CONTENT AREAS MATH Technology Objectives: SWBAT: create Bloxels animations to demonstrate their understanding of reflections of objects across the coordinate plane. Academic Standards: CCSS (Math): 8.G.A.1-4 ISTE (Technology): 1c, 1d, 2b, 4c, 5c, 6a, 6d Technology Resources & Materials: Tablets Bloxels Boards & Cubes Bloxels Builder App Graph paper Bloxels planning paper 32
ACTIVITY: Download more activities and see examples of this activity at bloxelsbuilder.com/lesson-plans Explain to the class that they re going to be working on reflections today in a really awesome way: using video game animation. Begin by distributing graph paper and Bloxels gameboards only. Have the class set up the coordinate plane on their graph paper to model their boards (graphs should be limited to 13x13). Note: it may be easiest to only use two quadrants at a time (I & II, or III & IV). Next distribute Bloxels cubes to the students. Note: students should be aware that the more colors they use, the more challenging this activity will be for them. Tell students to create a shape in the first quadrant of their graph paper using pencils or colored pencils. Then students should re-create the shape on their Bloxels gameboards. Take time to explain and demonstrate how reflections work. This would be a good time to use a document camera to model using your own Bloxels board and cubes. Once your students have built their initial shape, students should scan the design into the Bloxels Builder app on their tablets. Students should then add the second, reflected shape to their graph paper and Bloxels boards, across the axes. After several minutes, have half of the class circulate the classroom to review their classmates work and to provide constructive feedback. Students should return to their desks and make necessary changes. Students should remove the initial shape from their boards before scanning the second frame (reflection) of their animation into the app. Students should share their animations with the class. Note: This lesson can be adjusted & expanded to study rotations, translations, etc. Lesson contributed by Robert Kalman, Bloxels EDU Ambassador 33
BLOXELS CLASSROOM ACTIVITY PLANT SURVIVAL CHALLENGE 5 Lesson Description: Students can use Bloxels to help learn the anatomy of a plant, as well as what plants need to survive. Grade Levels: K-5 Timeline: One or two 40-minute class periods CONTENT AREAS Science ELA Technology Objectives: SWBAT: research plants, their parts, and what they need to survive; create plant survival Bloxels video games to teach/inform their classmates. Academic Standards: CCSS (ELA): W.K-5.2, W.K-5.7, RI.K-5.7 NGSS (Science): LS1.A ISTE (Technology): 1c, 1d, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5c, 6a, 6d, 7c Technology Resources & Materials: Tablets Bloxels Boards & Cubes Bloxels Builder App Storyboards Bloxels planning paper 34
ACTIVITY: Download more activities and see examples of this activity at bloxelsbuilder.com/lesson-plans Students research and learn about the parts of a plant and the needs of plants (stem, leaves, flowers, roots, fruits, etc.), either individually or in small groups. Students should specifically look at what plants need to survive, the specific plant parts, types of plants, and physical features of plants. Students will then use their research to complete a storyboard, planning a nonfiction narrative about plants. Students should then convert their storyboard onto Bloxels planning paper. Once ready, students will begin using the Bloxels gameboards, cubes, and the Bloxels Builder app to tell their story through an interactive game experience. Note: Designating the following roles to group members may be helpful: character developer, level designer, and level decorator (these can rotate). Sample game assets: Students could make the background a sky with the sun and the terrain could be dirt because that s what plants need to survive. Students could make their coins water, as that is also something they need. Note: Students should use story blocks to narrate their game and add facts about plants. Once done, each group can share their game with the class, and the class can analyze the effectiveness of each other s video games. Lesson contributed by Jill Badalamenti, Bloxels EDU Ambassador 35
BLOXELS CLASSROOM ACTIVITY EVIDENCE FOR EVOLUTION CHALLENGE Lesson Description: Students use Bloxels video games to learn about evidence used in the theory of evolution through changes to life forms over time. Grade Levels: 6-8 6 Timeline: Three or four 40-minute class periods CONTENT AREAS Science Technology Objectives: SWBAT: grasp the concept of evolution; use Bloxels video games to teach how there is evidence in evolution through changes to life forms over time. Academic Standards: NGSS (Science): MS-LS4-1, SP2, SP7, SP8, XC-P-MS-4 ISTE (Technology): 1c, 1d, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5c, 6a, 6d, 7c Technology Resources & Materials: Tablets Bloxels Boards & Cubes Bloxels Builder App Storyboards Bloxels planning paper 36
ACTIVITY: Download more activities and see examples of this activity at bloxelsbuilder.com/lesson-plans Students will discuss how video game systems have evolved over time (Nintendo, XBox, Sega, Playstation). We will then discuss real-life science examples of how similar evolution has occurred: growth rings in fossil trees/shells, the contents of fossil nests, layers in the rocks, features that are shared by more than one species, extinction of fossil species, etc. Students will then work in groups to infer what these facts (and more) help us determine about evolution. Students should then use Bloxels storyboards and/or planning paper to figure out how they will use the art assets and story cubes in Bloxels to teach these facts. Students should use Boards and Animations to represent the evolution evidence their main character will discover. Then, students should use the Story Blocks to help teach the player of their game what each of these items signify. Once ready, students will begin using the Bloxels gameboards, cubes, and the Bloxels Builder app to create their fossil evidence world through an interactive game experience. Note: Designating the following roles to group members may be helpful: character developer, level designer, and level decorator (these can rotate). Sample game assets: Students can make an Animation showing the different layers of rock (sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous, etc.) A Story Block on the same board can help the player understand an inference made based on rock layering. Further challenge can be added using story block questions; answers can be given by directing players where to go in the game (up is correct, and down is incorrect ). Lesson contributed by Robert Kalman, Bloxels EDU Ambassador 37
BLOXELS CLASSROOM ACTIVITY 7 PRESIDENTIAL RUN CHALLENGE Lesson Description: Students research a president/leader or historical figure, and then use Bloxels to tell a story about his/her life, their time in office, and what made him/her unique. Grade Levels: K-8 Timeline: Five 40-minute class periods CONTENT AREAS Social Studies ELA Technology 38 Objectives: SWBAT: research historical leaders; create presidential run Bloxels video games to teach/inform their classmates. Academic Standards: CCSS (ELA): W.K-8.2, W.K-8.7, RI.K-8.7 C3 (SS): D2.His.3.3-5, D2.His.3.6-8 ISTE (Technology): 1c, 1d, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5c, 6a, 6d, 7c Technology Resources & Materials: Tablets Bloxels Boards & Cubes Bloxels Builder App Storyboards Bloxels planning paper
ACTIVITY: Download more activities and see examples of this activity at bloxelsbuilder.com/lesson-plans Students pick a leader and research them, either individually or in small groups. Students should learn about their life, political achievements, and other historical facts - focusing on things you can demonstrate through the art and dialog of their video game. Students then use their research to complete a storyboard to plan a narrative around the leader. Students should then convert their story onto Bloxels planning paper. Once ready, students will begin using the Bloxels gameboards, cubes, and the Bloxels Builder app to tell their story through an interactive game experience. Note: Designating the following roles to group members may be helpful: character developer, level designer, and level decorator (these can rotate). Sample game for Abraham Lincoln: Abe Lincoln s cabin, collect wooden nickels as coins, and add dialog that tells the story about how he was the 16th president by using a white story block. Once done, each expert group can share their game with the class so that the class learns about each important historical leader/figure. For an added bonus, students can design the flag that was used at the time of their leader s time in office, and incorporate this into their layout/background. Lesson contributed by Amy Perry, Bloxels EDU Ambassador 39
BLOXELS CLASSROOM ACTIVITY EGYPTIAN PYRAMID & MUMMY QUEST Lesson Description: Students research Egyptian iconic images (i.e. mummies and pyramids) and then use Bloxels video games to teach their classmates why these images are so illustrative of ancient Egyptian history. Grade Levels: 4-8 Timeline: Five 40-minute class periods 8 CONTENT AREAS Social Studies ELA Technology Objectives: SWBAT: research ancient Egyptian iconic images; create ancient Egyptian Bloxels video games to teach/inform their classmates. Academic Standards: CCSS (ELA): W.4-8.2, W.4-8.7, RI.4-8.7 C3 (SS): D2.His.1.3-5, D2.His.1.6-8, D2.His.14.3-5, D2.His.14.6-8, D2.His.15.6-8 ISTE (Technology): 1c, 1d, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5c, 6a, 6d, 7c Technology Resources & Materials: Tablets Bloxels Boards & Cubes Bloxels Builder App Storyboards Bloxels planning paper
ACTIVITY: Download more activities and see examples of this activity at bloxelsbuilder.com/lesson-plans Introduce the class to iconic ancient Egyptian images (i.e. mummies and pyramids), either through discussion, video, or reading. Students should be divided into groups based on the specific ancient Egyptian image/feature on which they ll focus. Students should research their ancient Egyptian iconic image to determine why they were so important to ancient Egypt, and how they became representative of this part of history. Students should learn about these historical features, and collect information that can be taught to their classmates. Students should focus on things they can demonstrate through the art and dialog of their video game. Students should then use their research to complete a storyboard to plan a narrative around one iconic image (mummies OR pyramids). Students may wish to collect facts that can then be easily converted into Bloxels story blocks. Once ready, students will begin using the Bloxels gameboards, cubes, and the Bloxels Builder app to teach about the iconic Egyptian image through an interactive game experience. Note: Designating the following roles to group members may be helpful: character developer, level designer, and level decorator (these can rotate). Once done, each group can share their game with the class so that the class learns about each important historical leader/figure. Note: if multiple groups have created games about the same topic, it is a good idea to have those groups give each other constructive feedback to improve their games. Lesson contributed by Robert Kalman, Bloxels EDU Ambassador 41
BLOXELS CLASSROOM ACTIVITY DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP SUPERHERO CHALLENGE 9 Lesson Description: Students will use Bloxels video games to teach Digital Citizenship to their classmates. Grade Levels: K-6 Timeline: Two 40-minute class periods CONTENT AREAS ELA Technology Objectives: SWBAT: create choose your own adventure stories; build stories into Bloxels video games individually or in groups. Academic Standards: CCSS (ELA): W.K-6.3 ISTE (Technology): 1c, 1d, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5c, 6a, 6d, 7c Technology Resources & Materials: Tablets Bloxels Boards & Cubes Bloxels Builder App Popplet (or another mind-mapping tool) Bloxels planning paper 42
ACTIVITY: Download more activities and see examples of this activity at bloxelsbuilder.com/lesson-plans Have students play Digital Passport video games by Common Sense Media: digitalpassport.org. As students play, they should take notes on important precepts that they need to teach their classmates about digital citizenship. Note: It may be effective to use Padlet for the class to collaborate in notetaking, which the entire class can use. Students will then create a fictional, Digital Citizenship Superhero who will explain and solve digital citizen problem(s). Some examples of problems a superhero could solve include: spreading rumors about somebody else online, someone using someone else s password to impersonate that person, someone saying mean things online, using creative content that is unlicensed for reuse, etc. Students should sketch out their Superhero s story using any good mind-mapping tool, like Popplet Lite or Pic Collage; or students can divide a piece of paper into 6-8 sections. Students may work independently or in small groups. Students should plan story from beginning to end. Use paper planning sheets to move their stories to Bloxels. Provide students time to explore and experiment with the planning sheets and the Bloxels gameboards, cubes, and the Bloxels Builder app. It is important that students understand how Bloxels works. If working in small groups, students should divide the tasks up: character developer, level designer, and level decorator (these can rotate). Note: When working with multiple ipads, students can share creations through the Infinity Wall. Students must use the story blocks strategically to help develop the storyline and teach their classmates important Digital Citizenship precepts. Lesson contributed by Cassie Nix, Bloxels EDU Educator 43
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Brainstorming Kit Storyboards Download and print these storyboarding templates to brainstorm your story before you get started with the creation of your game. Who is the hero? What is the setting? Who is the protagonist? Create your gameplan before you start creating. Gamebox Want to promote your game with you own Gamebox design? Download and print this gamebox template on cardstock, design it with markers (or on your computer before you print it) and share it with friends and family! Sketch Grids Want to brainstorm game layouts and artwork prior to creating them on the gameboard or in the app? Download and print these sketch grids for lots of brainstorming fun! URL: bloxelsbuilder.com/brainstormingkit 44
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Lesson Plans In 2014 our team worked closely with the Grand Center Arts Academy (GCAA) to create the following lesson plans built around the Design Thinking Process made popular by the Stanford Design School. The teacher at GCAA, Andrew Goodin, started experimenting by using our game building tools to teach his students design thinking, and later volunteered to create these lesson plans to share with others. They have since been adapted and modified to support Bloxels and are available for FREE download by signing up at the URL below. URL: bloxelsbuilder.com/lesson-plans 45
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Kids Site Block Party This brand new, weekly variety show hosted by Danny, Joey and Jon features great content from the Bloxels Infinity Wall, tips, tricks, random challenges between the hosts, special guest and more! kids.bloxelsbuilder.com/block-party Play & Share Featured Games Play featured games created by Bloxels players. Click on any game and play it right in your web browser. WARP to any game! Know the coordinates of another game on the Bloxels Infinity Wall? Enter the coordinates and jump to the game! play.bloxelsbuilder.com Tutorial Videos These videos will give you the inside track on making your first game with Bloxels. bloxelsbuilder.com/tutorials URL: kids.bloxelsbuilder.com 46
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES MORE LINKS: Download the App: bloxelsbuilder.com/download Links to download the app on your device and view our device support list. More Activities: bloxelsbuilder.com/lesson-plans Find more activities and lesson plans on our website. Educator Map: bloxelsbuilder.com/edumap See where Bloxels is being used across the globe and submit your location! Our Blog: bloxelsbuilder.com/blog-home Learn about all the great things going on in the Bloxels universe! Newsletter Signup: bloxelsbuilder.com/edunewsletter Sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on news and special offers. Support Portal: support.bloxelsbuilder.com Need help? Browse our support portal for answers to common questions and to email us if you have questions. Setting up EDU Accounts: bloxelsbuilder.com/eduaccounts Need help creating accounts for students? Find helpful tips here. FOLLOW US youtube.com/bloxels instagram.com/bloxels facebook.com/bloxels twitter.com/bloxelsbuilder 47
TWITTER bloxelsbuilder.com/edufeedback 48