Super1/2Wow

How can playing games on DS Lites enhance learning? Well… Firstly, the students can play games that relate to a particular subject area. In this case, the students are playing a game called Zoo Tycoon, which encourages the player to consider the needs of different animals, and to think of ways to care for each species. We are studying Australian animals at the moment, so this game was a fun introduction to the topic. When playing, the students need to consider biodiversity and the relationship between predators and prey. The game also requires the player to solve problems about the space, cost and human resource aspects of running a zoo.

Another benefit from playing games such as this in the classroom, is that students must read the instructions and follow them. They are highly motivated to read accurately, as this increases the rate of success in the game.

One of the best things about gaming, apart from the high level of engagement, is the talk that it generates. Students who master games quickly are able to help students who may be experiencing difficulty. I found that students were clearly articulating their questions and answers when helping each other.

Finally, there are plenty of follow up activities that work well after such an engaging introduction. After playing Zoo Tycoon, the students initiated making their own zoos using tesselating shapes and the plastic native animals. It was great to see the students using the language of classification and 2D shapes in such a child-centred, cooperative activity.

After playing Zoo Tycoon, the students wrote a review of the game. Please read some of the reviews posted below.

By Jimmy:
A New DS Lite Game
I liked playing Zoo Tycoon because you can build and choose levels.
It made me think about zoos.
I thought the game was hard, because I couldn’t buy an animal.

Year 3 caught a bus to the 3-6 Athletics Carnival, while Year 2 stayed back at school for our own K-2 Carnival. We had an energetic day running age races and then playing games with different sports equipment. We practiced our skipping tricks, and had fun on the play equipment. It was exciting to run underneath the parachute.

Everyone went home with ribbons, tired but happy.

We immersed ourselves in art for 2 weeks at the end of Term 2. It was fun to be painting, cutting, shading, moulding, designing, observing, drawing, wondering, colouring, encouraging, complimenting, oh the list goes on….

Our hall looks so colourful now! Much better than boring old PURPLE!

Here we are playing some maths games. Do you play maths games in your class? Which ones do you like?

We are learning about 3 digit numbers, how to add and take away, and how to find places on a map using coordinates.

This term we have been learning about Aboriginal history and culture. Aboriginal children have been making toys and playing with them for thousands of years. Often the toys helped the children practice skills they would later need as adults.

The toys were originally made with natural materials such as bark, animal skins, grass, clay and sticks. To see some of the toys we learnt about, click here.

Here are some photos of the toys we made. We collected some natural materials to make them. We also substituted fabric for animal skins and plasticine for clay! Stay tuned for a video of us playing a traditional Aboriginal game with some of the balls we made. Please share your ideas on other games we could play.

We are learning about volume and capacity at the moment. We have defined volume by saying it is the amount of space an object takes up. Would you like to share your own definition of volume with us?

When we submerged these objects in the water, they pushed the water level up. This is because the objects took up space, and forced the water to move! We compared the volumes of different objects by seeing how far they made the water level rise. An object with a large volume will make the water level rise higher than a small object will.