Learning+Environment+Project+-+Ancient+Greece+Jeopardy

Cristina Osborn
 * Learning Environment Design Project**
 * Ancient Egypt Jeopardy!**
 * 6th grade unit review**



This Jeopardy! PowerPoint game was designed to be a test review on Ancient Egypt for my 6th grade Sheltered Social Studies class. My English Language Learner (ELL) students were at an Intermediate level of English proficiency.
 * Background: **

I learned about this activity in my teaching program at PSU. You can design your own game using PowerPoint or search for “Jeopardy template” online to find many available to download for free. It is very easy to change the content once you have the layout.

The main screen in this game is the slide with the categories and point values. I chose four categories that my students would be tested on: geography, religion, King Tut, and writing. There are 3 questions for each category ranging from 100 to 300 points. The questions become more difficult as the point value increases. Students are able to choose the category and point value as long as it has not already been selected. Once all point values have been selected and questions have been answered, the game is over. The group with the most points wins.
 * Game Description: **




 * Learning Objectives: **Students will review for the unit test by working together to answer game questions.

Since this a review for the entire unit, I would test for **all** of the unit objectives (that were based on state standards) throughout the game. It should not be a surprise to students what is on the test. I often used a Pre-Test and Post-Test with the same questions so students could see how much they learned.

Examples of Unit Objectives in each category:

Students will be able to:
 * Locate Africa, Ancient Egypt, and the Nile River on a map.
 * Identify the steps in the process of mummification.
 * Identify an important leader in Ancient Egypt (example: King Tut).
 * Identify an important discovery that allowed hieroglyphs to be translated.


 * Materials Needed: **
 * Computer
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Projector
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ancient Egypt Jeopardy! PowerPoint
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Scorekeeper
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Timer or bell

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Note: It would really help the students if you could model how to play this game first. I created a couple Jeopardy games for different units and it definitely got better the second time around. I might create a mini Jeopardy game not related to the unit necessarily to demonstrate how the technology works (not all of my students had watched Jeopardy or even had a TV), role play to show how students should participate in groups and rotate roles, how to find answers in their notes, and how to decide which question to select.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Directions: **

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I could not find my old lesson plan, but this is based off how I remember the game working well with my class and also what we’ve learned in this class.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">1. Depending on the size of the class, divide students into small groups. Ideally, each student will get to answer at least one question. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 2. My students were already used to forming “teams” and were assigned a team color. This made the transition go faster. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 3. Assign roles to group members, and have them rotate roles each turn. This definitely takes some practice, but it is important that students have an opportunity to participate throughout the game. It also encourages cooperation and positive communication.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">My students were also used to taking on some of these roles prior to playing this game. That really helped so we could focus more on the content, rather than struggling with group work.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Example roles:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Leader- Helps the group decide on an answer to select
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fact checker- Looks through the notes
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Spokesperson - One person answers the question
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Recorder- Writes the selected answer on a piece of paper

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. Have the first team select a category and point value. Allow the group members to quickly decide if they want to earn “easy” points or select a question that they are confident they’ll answer well to earn higher points. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 5. Students in all groups discuss possible answers in a given amount of time. (I think the amount of time you give depends on how long the class is, how many students there are, and how much time they typically need to process information.) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 6. Team representative gives answer. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 7. Reveal answer on PowerPoint and discuss. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 8. Award points, if applicable. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 9. Click on home button to return to the main screen. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">10.Repeat process with the next team until all questions are answered. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">11.The team with the most points at the end wins! <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">12.Give the unit test the next day and hope students remember!


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Principles of Learning: **
 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Identity Principle **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Gee, p.64):Students were required to take on a new role each turn. Some students preferred not to talk in front of the class a lot, so the Spokesperson role, for example, gave them the opportunity to play with a different role that they might not be used to in the classroom.


 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Semiotic Domains Principle **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Gee, p.42): “Learning involves mastering, at some level, semiotic domains, and being able to participate, at some level, in the affinity group or groups connected to them.”

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">In order to participate in the Ancient Egypt Jeopardy! Game, my ELL students had to be able to function in a group and use specific language that had recently been taught to them. As second language learners, the concept of Ancient Egypt may or may not have been new to them, but the language used to discuss it most often was.


 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Transfer Principle **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Gee, p.142)**:** Students had the opportunity to reflect on and refer to what they have previously learned and apply it to trivia questions to earn points for their team.


 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Amplification of Input **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Gee, p.64)**:** Students also had the opportunity to earn points based on their ability to answer more difficult questions as a group. Easy questions earned 100 points and the more difficult questions earned 300 points. My ELL students were very excited to earn high points for their team!

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I used this game a few years ago before I knew about Principles of Learning. I remember that my students really enjoyed playing this game, I think partly because they were able to talk and work together and also because it involved technology. It is not always easy getting middle schoolers to study for a test! This game was such a hit. I think with more experience, I could improve not only the game, but also the test by making sure each question was based on a Unit Objective that was met during a lesson. I also think much of the work I did in the classroom was not just “book work,” but helping create a culture of community in our classroom. If students are always fighting in the classroom, they won’t work well as a group for this game. I often tried to incorporate the use of games in my lessons because games are a really fun way to bring people together.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reflection: **

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">On a side note, one thing I did not do when I first created this game was to cite where I took images from. I updated my game with the information just to make sure I was covered, but I also think it’s a good idea to model to students the importance of showing where you got the information from.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gee, J. (2007). //What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy.// New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">References: **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Resources: **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Google images
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Microsoft Clip Art
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Microsoft PowerPoint 2007
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">www.jeopardy.com