It’s been a few weeks since I’ve updated you on my gamification progress. I’m happy to say, it’s going well!

In a way, I have “leveled up” by incorporating the standards for my class into my game. Since I’m in Texas, we use the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills). Why do this? Why not?

1. Students need to learn these standards anyway.
2. The whole point of this game is to master our ELAR class.
3. How can you master the class if you’re not connecting the content to the standards?

Find out more:

Level 1: Getting Started
Level 2: Incorporating the Standards
Level 3: Game On
Level 4: Problem-Solving after the First Six Weeks

Mastery of the Class…

Gamification in the classroom is often optional (as it should be). Regardless of gamifying your class, all the standards students need to learn are going to be taught anyway (we have to, silly). So, why should we still tie the standards to these optional activities?

As I mentioned above, it’s about mastering the class. The more of these activities students complete for experience points (XP), the better they get: not just at their game level, but also at the content of the class.

One way students can gain XP in class is to earn badges. Each badge contains a list of activities students must complete to earn it. They also show the TEKS connected to that particular badge (some cover more than one standard).

As you can see in the picture above, the activities show the TEKS. They also increase in difficulty using Bloom’s Taxonomy, which encourages more in-depth skill building.

That’s great… but…

Will students even want to participate if they see that the activities are tied to the standards?

I sure hope so! Not only can students earn badges that are all connected to our TEKS, but they can also go on side quests. Each quest gives them an opportunity to work closely with a standard (or various standards) in order to master those skills.

A few of them even offer opportunities to work with other students! Others are cross-curricular to allow us to incorporate the standards from other classes into our game.

Okay… But what if they don’t do any of the quests?

Great question. The answer is simple: they don’t have to. As I said at the beginning, they’ll already be getting access to all our standards during class assignments. Gamification (at least in my classroom) is simply a supplement to our class.

In my amazing vision, every student want to participate in this game. In reality, I don’t know what will happen. I will do my best to encourage participation, and I hope that students will be able to encourage one another as well (especially their teammates).

All that to say… Fingers crossed.

How exactly does this work for ALL students… You know what I mean.

Gamification is meant to empower every student in the classroom. That being said, there will be a modified version of materials for students who need modifications.

As for the students who need a bit more of a challenge, there are a variety of side quests to complete, some of which offer “bonus” options for more XP and coins.

No one is left out. Every student has the option to ask for help when needed from me, a co-teacher (if one is in that class), or a peer. If they are uncomfortable asking for help out loud, they’ll have access to a Google Form where they can do so privately.

Coming up next…

Level 3 (Game On) for me will be completing all the pieces and launching the Google Site.  I also want to have a sample Game Folder ready for students to see. I’ll let you know what it will include when it’s finalized.

Do you have any comments about incorporating standards into your gamified classroom? What do you hope to see next?