TABLE-TOP
GAMES
General term used to refer
to card games, board
games, parlor games, roleplaying games, miniature
war games, tile-based
games and other games
that are normally played on
a table or other flat surface.
HOMEWORK
ASSIGNMENT
Boggle
Scrabble
Monopoly
Cranium
Taboo
Scategories
Candyland
Risk
Catch Phrase
Sorry
Scene-It
Life
Trivial Pursuit
Tri-Bond
Pictureka
Balderdash
HOW CAN THESE BE USED IN A
CLASSROOM??
WORD STUDY
SPELLING
VOCABULARY
DESCRIPTIVE
COMMUNICATION
NUMBERS
COUNTING
READING
WRITING
TRIVIA
GROUPING
STRATEGY
TURN-TAKING
PERSUASION
MOTOR-SKILLS
FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS
SIMILARITIES & DIFFERENCES
VIDEO
GAMES
A generic term for any
amusement or recreation
using a stand alone video
game, desk-top computer,
laptop computer, or the
Internet with one or more
players.
PARATEXTS
Examples of Paratexts:
A system of media
products which emerge
on and about
videogames that frames
their consumption
• Behind-the-scenes featurettes
• Promotions
• Developer Blogs/Interviews
• Official Websites
•Online Ads
• Preview Articles
• Promotional Events
• Fan Sites
• Forum Posts
• Game Demos
• Game-Play Videos/Texts
• Magazine Ads
•Prerelease Scene Shots
• Teaser Trailers
• TV Ads
•Word of Mouth
• Viral Marketing
VIDEO
GAMES
IN THE
CLASSROOM
Here are a few lesson
ideas of how you can
use video games in the
classroom.
LINKS TO LITERACY LEARNING
 Advertising Campaign for an upcoming video game release
 Alternate History- Changing the ending
 Ranking and Reviews
 Compare and Contrast gaming systems
 Compare and Contrast Previews and Reviews
Compare and Contrast Historically Accurate games with
real-world settings
 Discussion on ethical Issues- Bullying, Violence
 Commercial Creation
 Cheat Codes- provide a revised set
 Dialogue- focus on character dialogue vs. game play
 Fact vs. Opinion of a video game
 Spin-off story based on main charater
 Tracking time spent and recording it, then responding to log
 Cost Benefit Analysis Report of Buying vs. Renting
 Graphic Analysis
 Historical Campaign- Propose a new mission
VIDEO
GAMES
IN THE
CLASSROOM
Lesson ideas continued
LINKS TO LITERACY LEARNING
Historical Weaponry- research history of a featured weapon
 Rebuttal to positive/negative review
 Belief poem about video games
 Create a topographical map of game setting
 Plot real-world locations of favorite video games
 Critique musical mix featured in video game
 Newscast Production of their favorite video game’s
news of the day
 Name, design, and describe next generation gaming console
 Writing Detailed Directions- telling how to get from
point A to point B
 Race Relations- How different cultural groups represented
 Logs for posture and/or repetitive stress injury
 Research different video game jobs/professions
 What makes a video game scary?
 Spelling list of video game related terms
 Strategy Guide Writing
 Predict the future- based on current video games
VIDEO
GAMES
IN THE
CLASSROOM
Lesson ideas continued
LINKS TO LITERACY LEARNING
Write about tactics successfully used in gaming
 Research technological progress
 Report on the pros and cons of TV technology
 Create the marketing ads for a particular video game
 Interview peers on video game playing habits
 Write an obituary for a video game character who died
 Sales-pitch to the class on new video game
 Rewrite dialogue for a particular scene
 Defying Gravity and stunts- discuss supernatural powers
 Design a video game survey
 Create advertisement for the Ultimate Gaming Bundle
 Critique interface and menu system
 Research and create criteria for video gaming addicts
 Debate a controversial issue surrounding or found
in a video game
 Journal experiences
 Video game diet- propose set of 4 games that cover the bases
 Reflect on experience of playing game without sound
Come up with creative Gamertags