They are a fun way to learn something new. For instance, recently I purchased a new laptop. With Windows 10, I discovered the XBox Microsoft Solitaire Collection. There is a game called Pyramid in the pack. To play pyramid, you have to collect cards that equal thirteen. Suddenly, I was doing math. I was memorizing that 9 and 4, 8 and 5, 3 and 10, and 6 and 7 all make thirteen. These numbers are now drilled into my head. Did I have to work hard to memorize them? Not really. The game taught me to look for those combinations. Another game that I learned with numbers like that was Kakuro. It’s a Sudoku style game that works off the number nine. You match numbers that equal nine in the squares. Again, it was a challenge, but I quickly learned which combinations equal nine.

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending Southern Oregon Ed Tech Summit. Our keynote speakers were a team from Fullerton School District in California. They presented a program called iPersonalize. Students are in a game to battle Generals Ignorance and Indifference. They want to learn things so they can progress in a game! My final session dealt with gamifying the classroom. It gave practical tips for creating a game around your curriculum. The presenter repeatedly stated, “Don’t change your curriculum to match, change your game.” So, that’s what I’ve done. I’ll take you through the process of what I plan to roll out today in my eighth grade classroom full force and what I’m half-way rolling out in the rest of my classes.

Last year this time, I discovered ClassCraft, an online game platform designed by a teacher for teachers. I played around with it a little bit, but didn’t work with it solidly until this year. I was impressed with how students worked to get a digital pet trained, or to gain gold so they could equip their avatar. The daily events brought a unique bonding to each class and a levity to the learning environment. However, now into April, the desire and appeal has seemed to have worn off. So, I took what I learned this past Friday and put it into use.

Choose a Theme

My theme was easy–ClassCraft is designed in a medieval or fantasy realm. I all ready have characters: Mages, Warriors, and Healers. I all ready have groups even. So, I made a list of everything medieval or fantasy I could think of from castles to peasants, battles to guilds, quests to knights. As I worked with that list, I then tried to think of my subject area–Spanish. Spain was a huge player in the medieval period! So, the king of ClassCraft became King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. From there, I did a bit of research and discovered they had five children. So, their children become the princesses and prince of the realm.

Choose Levels

In ClassCraft students gain experience points (XP) for working hard, finding errors in notes, helping another student (all teacher assigned). Once they earn 1,000 XP they level up. However, what I discovered was some classes advanced far more quickly than others. Their level in ClassCraft doesn’t necessarily reflect their knowledge and ability with Spanish. So, I was stuck–until I heard the last presenter.

She gives XP as badges. These XP are earned by completing various style of challenges or quests. For vocabulary, a student may decide to do an additional quest above and beyond the normal work in class. The student has three choices: first level draw the vocabulary and label, second level creatively illustrate the vocabulary, and third level create a movie of the vocabulary. Level one is worth 50 XP, level two 100 XP, and a level three 200 XP. As students gain that experience, they are learning. By the time they have gained 250, 500, or 1,000 XP in badges they will earn different levels and with those levels special privileges.

I decided to take the classes all ready in ClassCraft and divide them into their logical divisions. So, a warrior has the three levels of peasant, knight, and baron. The Healer has apprentice, nurse, and doctor. The mage is divided into apprentice, wizard, and high mage. The lowest level will be able to use one 3×5 card of notes on a test. The middle level will gain one page of notes, and the last one will have demonstrated mastery all ready and not have to take the test at all!

Choose Daily Events

In ClassCraft, each day begins with a random event. However, the teacher can choose which events are in the repertoire. My events had basically been the standard ones. I hadn’t really adjusted them to fit my classrooms. So, I began to think how could I change them? I came up with thirteen new random events that fit among my story line or theme. Students will face the dragons of Ignorancia and Apatia. I pondered what the cure would be for ignorance and apathy. So, for Apathy, students will immediately go to a Kahoot game of my choice. (Kahoot is a fun interactive game that gets kids and adults involved and excited; hence killing apathy.) Another option will be to have a random student sing a song. For Ignorance I have students prove their knowledge in a boss battle or have a random guild write as many sentences for a vocabulary word as they can in five minutes. The princesses grant a reward, and Princess Maria goes crazy and everyone loses HP.

Add Challenges

I now need to come up with the challenges. I will use Vocabulary as one, but I need to look through my learning targets and create leveled activities that students can choose from to have their challenges to earn their XP. These challenges should have student “choice and voice” to show what they’ve learned. These aren’t grades. They could be, but right now, I’m not going to.

Implement

So, today as I go into class, I am going to implement the process. I will share with the students what we are going to do. I may try to use my morning time to put together a video to show them. If I do, I’ll update and add it right here so you can see. Above all, I need to start with something small and reasonable to me and build from there.

So, what about you? Are you interested in gamifying your classroom? Can you think of ways to bring play back into school? Yes, believe it or not, the way we learned in school is changing. No longer does Kindergarten and first grade have play stations. Because of this, I want to enable junior high and high school students to play and learn at the same time. It’s time to bring play back into the classroom.

This first one is just flat adorable. How many of us adults know the facts of these countries and can find them on a map? My 6th grade Spanish students will be introduced to the Spanish speaking countries this week. They are to prepare a quick report of fun facts, geography, food, and history with the class on one country. I want to share this video with them so they get an idea of what type of a report it could be–it doesn’t have to be dull and boring!

One of the biggest challenges of my job is to show students that learning a language is important and that they can travel outside of the Southern Oregon Coast. They think that they can get by speaking English, no matter where they go. This next video shares why it’s important to be multilingual in a very unique way. Who doesn’t want to have a great personality?

What do you think? How many languages do you know? How many could you understand?

The first student to fall and have to bring a surprise brought in homemade cookies for the class. The next brought in a box of CapriSuns. The students appreciated these surprises, and it made for a fun day. After that, the students have become even more creative. They have brought in surprises that were free.

A seventh grader took me back in time to when my grandpa was still alive. My grandpa fought in WWII on a navy ship in the Pacific. One day, a lone fighter jet followed the airplanes back to the ship and let loose one bomb and skedaddled back to his base. That one bomb hit the munitions dump and blew things to pieces. My grandpa received shrapnel in his hand and had a scar to prove it for the rest of his life. A little seventh grader brought that story to life by bringing in a shell casing from a WWII ship gun.

This last week, after a boss battle that caused several students on one team to fall in battle, a student shared one by one how she appreciated each student. She told of fun times in volleyball, good times to come in basketball, and shared experiences through the years. With each telling, she looked the person directly in the eyes and relived the memories.

Both of these last two acts cost nothing but time and thought. The one took the time to double check that he could bring something to school. His treat brought history alive for his class and his teacher. The other cost a bit of humility to get up in front of the class and talk from the heart. It also took a bit of thinking to decide what would be meaningful for each and every student and the teacher. These are both gifts that can be shared this holiday season.

As we think of Black Friday and the gift giving season, think of those gifts that cost nothing. Sometimes this are worth more than those that cost a fortune. What can you give today that is free? Will you take the time to share memories of times past to make history come alive for a younger generation? Will you tell someone what you appreciate about him or her? These are simple and yet profound gifts. Gifts that anyone can give.

However, I can’t stop being mom. Seven o’clock each morning, I have left and gone south past the high school to drop my eighteen-year-old off at work in a field where he is changing irrigation pipe. My thirteen-year-old earned a part in the local adult theater group’s Christmas play which means extra trips north throughout the week.

I have been so busy with school and family that several book events have fell to the side. Wednesday while at school, I had a moment to check email and saw a Twitter notice of a blog post. It was my post on Vox Dei’s webpage! I had forgotten it was to air that day. As my eighteen-year-old says, “Face palm!” The next day, I had another similar experience. I checked email just before lunch during my prep period and found a Twitter announcement of my cover reveal for The One Who Sees Me. How could I have forgotten that! I knew I needed to get a better grip on my calendar.

Saturday loomed big in my vision. I had to be ready for the book signing and release party of Dragon’s Future. My husband and eighteen-year-old would be off at a men’s retreat which left my nineteen-year-old and thirteen-year-old at home.

Grandprize packet of swag and a signed book went to a high school senior.

My thirteen-year-old and I enjoyed the Cranberry Parade at the local festival, and then we headed to the art gallery and used book store which was hosting the signing. After frantically trying to find parking, I was able to elicit help from some friends to carry books and supplies to the gallery. My three hours were fun and profitable. Many came through to purchase books, and I even met a journalist for the local paper who wants to do an author interview. We’ll see what happens.

In the meantime, I am ready for another week of school. I will try my hardest to be better at budgeting my time between family, school, and author work. It is a challenge this year, but it can be done.

I will also give away a large swag (that’s book related merchandise) package:

Besides all of this, I get to keep up with Facebook congratulations, Twitter tweets, and other miscellaneous social media contacts of well wishes and trying to get the word out to the world that Dragon’s Future is a real book!

The problem is that besides being an author I am a wife, mom of five (three of whom are still at home), and a teacher. That means that I also have housework that needs to be done, organizing kids so they don’t run a muck, and picking up a van from the school for a leadership conference that starts tomorrow. I think I have my work cut out for me and I had better go make breakfast, wake up the kids, and get started! Thanks everyone for the support you’ve shown me so far and “may your dragon fly true!”

So what did I teach? I shared some basic information, some more advanced, and just gave my opinion on their art as they worked. The information was on pencils and transfering images.

Pencils: Pencils come in a range of softness. The hardest ones are marked H (think H for hard) . They range from H all the way up to 9H with the higher number being the hardest. Hard pencils create very light lines, or inscribe (etch) lines into your paper if you press down hard. I love the 9H to create a bare hint of grey, almost white. I use it to make my lightest marks. The soft pencils are teh B’s. These are the ones I love to use for most of my drawing. Again they range from B to 9B with 9B being the softest. Soft pencils will leave a dark line with barely any pressure, especially your 4-9B ones. I build up my B pencil marks to crreate my darkest darks. An HB pencil is right in the middle on the hard to soft range. It is also what most people know as a #2 school pencil. I use this one when I am marking out my image.

Image transfering: There are several ways to transfer an image.

Mock Carbon Paper: The easiest for me, is to take a 6B or softer pencil and scribble on the back of my reference photo. Then I tape my photo to my paper on just one side. I usually tape it on the top. Then I use a mechanical pencil without the lead showing, just the plastic or metal tip, and draw the lines I need to have an outline of my picture. I lift up on the bottom of the reference phot and check to see that all the l ines are marked in. If not, I add a little more graphite to the back, without untaping it, and continue to trace. When I am done, I have a light outline in graphite on my paper and I can untape my reference photo and begin drawing.

made using the “carbon copy” method

Grid: Another way of transfering the image is to use a grid. I use a 1/2 inch grid, but my ladies used a 1 inch grid and it worked just fine. To create a grid, you mark your top and bottom of your pape with 1/2 or 1 inch lines and then use your ruler to connect the lines. Then mark the same on the sides of your paper and connect the lines. In effect you are creating a graph paper. You do the same to your reference photo. This enables you to draw in small squares what you see in the square. Much like those children coloring books where you were to copy in the square what you saw. You can also draw a square on a page protector using a marker. Then your reference photo can slide in and out of the protector and you save yourself the step of creating the grid on your reference photo. Using a grid also enables you to enlarge or shrink your dring from your reference photo.

You can see the grid she used to draw her lynx.

Free-hand drawing: A third and harder way for some people is to look at your photo or object that you want to draw and free-hand draw it. You look for the main shapes and outlines and place them into your drawing. This is excelent for plein air drawing or when you have a live object. I used it when I did my pastel hawk as well. I also use it when I use my carbon copy image to fill in places that were missed.

She started with a grid, but drew the flower free-hand.

As you can tell from the pictures, the class was a success. I will be teaching similar techniques and information to children on July 7, from 1-2 pm at Art by the Sea Gallery in Old Town Bandon, Oregon.

In our Bible time, we had been encouraged to share what we needed God to fix. I was too insecure to share with these boys how my book, Dragon’s Future, was suppose to go on pre-order, but then we found out that my publisher doesn’t put first-time authors on pre-order! What were we suppose to do? My book manager didn’t like any of the options left. So, I didn’t say anything. The boys shared how they needed chicken wings, a brother needed a job, and Camp Fircroft needed to get the sheetrock finished in time for camp. The boys snickered at the seemingly small thing of God caring about chicken wings, but I prayed about it anyway.

Most Americans believe in a god. The variables are whether that god cares about people or not. A few believe that there is only one God and that He cares deeply about His creation–even the little things. This was brought into sharp focus yesterday afternoon as I sat staring at the computer screen. Somehow, my publisher made an exception to the rule! My book, Dragon’s Future, is on amazon on pre-order! I hadn’t voiced my thought to anyone. I had told my manager that I would go with whatever she decided. I had no hope of my book going onto amazon; yet, there it was! I now get to tell those eight- and twelve-year-olds how I should have been more like Hunter who wasn’t afraid to ask for chicken wings.

My mom was and still is a stay at home mom. She was proud to work at homemaking. She willingly created a safe and secure home environment. For that I am very thankful. When needed, she worked to help with the family income, but she always found a way to do it from home. She used her skill with and love of children and opened our home into a daycare. Her example and love of homemaking was passed on to my sister and me. Early on, the Barbie dolls disappeared from the house. They were replaced with baby dolls. Each Christmas I looked forward to see what new doll would be waiting under the tree. One year we received handmade doll clothes that Mom had worked over for hours on end. Another year, my grandpa made a cradle for my dolls and grandma and great-grandma made the blankets, mattress, pillow, and pillowcase to go with it. In this way, the teaching of being a mom was passed on. When I became a mom, I loved the time spent with my kids. I know it came from Mom’s example.

As a stay at home mom, Mom worked at keeping the house clean despite the kids roaming the house. Many a day, I heard her singing as she worked. She embodied the Snow White and the Seven Dwarves’ song “Whistle While You Work”. One song in particular became the dish washing song. To this day when we sing it in church, I see Mom standing at the sink singing. She passed on an attitude of song while you work helps pass the time and makes the chore less of a chore.

Mom loves kids. Growing up, she and her mom would work together to have Good News Clubs in their home. As I was growing up, Mom was Sunday School teacher, youth group leader, and Wednesday night kids’ club teacher at various times in my teen years. When I turned sixteen, she had me help her with the Wednesday night kids’ club. She showed me how to teach the memory verse. To this day, when I work with kids, the strategies that she taught me in 1986 still come into play. When in 1987 a man looked at me and said, “To be a missionary here, you need to be either a nurse or a teacher”, Mom’s guidance whispered in my mind and I said, “I’ll be a teacher.” That has been my profession other than mother for eleven years. Mom lead me to study Elementary Education in college. From there, I gained my high school endorsement for teaching Spanish, my junior high endorsement for Spanish, my K-12 for teaching English as a Second Language, and my Masters of Education. It all started in a basement of a church in rural Northeastern Washington state with Mom asking me to help her lead the kids’ club.

Finally, and foremost, Mom shared with me her faith. That faith has kept me on an even keel through thick and thin. Through rough times and good times. She shared what she had learned from her parents about how God loved the world so very much that He gave His one and only Son. She shared with me how people do what goes against God’s way and how we have turned to our own devices. This keeps us from a perfect God–one who can’t abide any imperfection. Yet, He loved us so very much that He sent His son. I can’t imagine giving any one of my sons to take the punishment of someone else’s kid. Yet, that’s what God did. Jesus took our punishment for going our own way! God now looks at us and sees Jesus. I like to think of it as the scene in Fox and Hound where the hunter looks through the sights of his rifle at Todd the fox and Copper the dog steps in the way. That is exactly how we are with God. My mom shared this faith with me, and I am trying to pass it on to my own kids.

So, a legacy has been passed down to each one of us. We can take a look at that legacy and see is it a good one or a bad one. We can pick and choose from it what we want to hand on to the next generation. It is the circle of life. What legacy will you pass on?

Renewal of vows: Me with my parents

Our district is a small district; it doesn’t have a lot of funds or a lot of students. What it does have is community support. We have people from the community who say, “I know your kid. I read with him in SMART reading.” Or “I know her; I worked with her for ASPIRE.” We see the gym packed for basketball, but just as crowded for winter and spring concerts and graduation.

So, what does this have to do with Book Week? Well, you see you can read because of a teacher. Those teachers put in time, energy, and creativity to make their classes worth it to the kids. They want the kids to succeed. They work their tails off with multiple hats to make ends meet for themselves, but to see your child do the best he or she can. Kids learn to read or learn to love to read based on teachers. My son struggled through first and second grade with reading. It was torture! Then along came Miss Eve. She piloted some computer programs, she learned about brain games, she put energy into my son. By fourth grade, we went to Hollywood to share the success of one of the piloted computer programs. By then, my son was reading above grade level! It was a teacher who helped.

As you go about your day today, remember those teachers who helped to shape and mold you. If you know a teacher, encourage them. The year is almost over, and kids are antsy to be outside. It takes extra energy and enthusiasm to make it through the end. And if you have a chance, swing by and read the article and watch the video done by The World Newspaper. If you watch the video, you’ll see my daughter welding and you’ll catch a glimpse of my Eighth Grade Spanish class. You’ll be introduced to my town.

Pacific High Pirate