Caitlyn+LEDP

To Change the World; Entertain it.

High School Social Studies: While studying the World Wars.

Goals: - Understand how war comes about, and how both sides can think that they are on the “right” side of history. - Understand how small choices can have consequences - Explore and develop an understanding of a different world small amounts of teacher involvement. - Have students create real learning out of educational video games.

Learning Principles: “Psychosocial Moratorium” Principle – Learners can take risks in a space where real-world consequences are lowered. Identity Principle – Learning involves taking on and playing with identities in such a way that the learner has real choices (in developing the virtual identity) and ample opportunity to meditate on the relationship between new identities and old ones. There is tripartite play of identities as learners relate, and reflect on, their multiple real-world identities, a virtual identity, and a projective identity. Probing Principle – Learning is a cycle of probing the world (doing something); reflecting in and on this action and, on this basis, forming a hypothesis; re-probing the world to test this hypothesis; and then accepting or rethinking the hypothesis. Multiple Routes Principle – There are multiple ways to make progress or move ahead. This allows learners to make choices, rely on their own strengths and styles of learning and problem solving, while also exploring alternative styles. Discovery Principle – Overt telling is kept to a well-thought-out minimum, allowing ample opportunity for the learner to experiment and make discoveries.

Duration: This game and lessons will take place over a series of 2 weeks, playing 30 minutes each day in class, and the ability to play at home provided, if students do not have a computer. Students will be expected to have finished the game the Monday of the third week, and a flyer explaining that yes this a homework assignment with my email provided if they have more questions will be sent home to the parents.

Materials and Requirements: -Reflection Notebook -Undertale and the ability to play

Welcome to my game:

Parent Handout: Dear Parent(s), Your student __________, and his/her class, are starting a unit on the WWI and WWII. In order to for your student to have a better understanding of the process of war (before war, during the war, and after) they will be engaging in a new learning experience which includes the use of the video game __Undertale__. While the game is not officially rated it has been suggested as T for Teen. This is a notice to inform you that your child may have to play the game at home to complete it before Monday the ________, as they will only have 30 minutes to play in class. If you have any concerns about the game, your students ability to finish the game, or of any other nature, please email me at __baas4334@pacificu.edu__. Otherwise please sign the attached paper marking that you have received this notice, and send it back with your student. Please refrain from telling your student the name of the game they are playing, until they play for the first time Monday the ______. Afterwords I encourage you to talk to your students about it.

Respectfully, Caitlyn Baas-Ford

Project Design:

Student Handout: It all starts today! We embark on a journey into the land of Undertale. Project Requirements: -You will be given a code to play the game Online, you will play in class for 30 minutes everyday (after today). You may also play at home if you are afraid that you won't complete it by Monday the ____. If you have concerns about whether or not you can finish, please come alk to me. -Each day you play, you must have your reflection journal with you. Please record where and when you die, your favorite moments, and reflect on that day’s game time. -I would encourage you not to reset. However if you feel you must soft reset (go back to a previous save), please record when and where, and why. And your reactions after the fact. -I am the only one who will see your journals, and your grades will not be based on your ability to play the game. However, I will be able to tell if you have restarted your savepoint, even if you do not write it down, please be honest with your journals, as honesty will affect your grade. -I WILL check your journals EVERYDAY - DO NOT PERFORM A HARD RESET -Hard resets (restarting your whole game) is against the rules. -If you have hard reset your game, it may result in you no longer being allowed to play the game, and instead receiving a different assignment. -You must play the game for yourself. -If you get to a problem you cannot solve, contact me first, and we will solve it together. -Please try to avoid talking about it too much with your friends, to avoid any spoilers. -On Monday the ______you will be put into groups that I will assign that day. -You will first discuss your time in your group and answer some questions. -Then the class will have a large group discussion.

The hidden assignments: -The first day of class students will have the majority of the class to start the game. -Kids will unknowingly sort themselves into three groups. True Pacifist, Neutral, and Genocide runners. - They won't be allowed to talk to other students as they play, which will stop them all from finding out about the three different runs until they are already on the path. -I will also try to avoid kids knowing the name of the game before they start by mailing their parents directly. -For students on the path to completing true pacifist I will let them know how to get past the neutral ending, but otherwise I wont interfere until they ask me. And will be selective in the help I give. -On the Monday where they discuss their game play I will pair them on based off the route they chose, which I know from their journal readings. -During our large group discussion I will show the other possible game endings.

The Last Step: During that last day of discussion we will move from discussing the game, to discussing the story of the human v. monster war in the game. And then I will try and push student to connect the last two week of World Wars to Undertale. Example questions are as follows: -Why did people chose the Genocide run? -In the war between humans and monsters who won? -Why do the monsters try to hurt you? -Do you think that the humans thought they were in the wrong when they won the war? -Do you have to kill anybody to leave the Underground? -Why choose Mercy? -How did you learn to spare people? -What did you do in the game that you might not have in real life? -If you could play again would you? What would you do?