As I continue down the wondrous journey of teaching my students literary elements and various Language Arts strategies utilizing video games I enjoy and play, the outcomes speak for themselves. I am assured that I am on the right track in engaging my students of the digital age. Playing with Fire is my most recent creation, thanks to the kind and generous creators and developers at Campo Santo for allowing me to pursue such an endeavor.
The bottom line is that my students love video games. If I can bridge the gap between education and these artistic forms of media, and it brings a sense of joy, I'm all in!
The Process
The process I use within my classroom is pretty simple. When working with Playing with Fire, the first 10 minutes of class are dedicated to the following process:
-show graphic organizer (or make copies if another teacher wishes)
-have students copy the organizer
-show video clip
-students provide the requested information
-class discussion on gathered information
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Early Analysis
As my students begin their journey of Playing with Fire, inspired and based off the video game, Firewatch, by Campo Santo. Below, you'll see one of my students trying to make sense of what they've observed and discussed after the first few video clips.
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Visible Thinking in Action
One of my favorite activities with my Playing with Fire guide is this particular one at the end. The story's main protagonist, Henry, has a wife who is suffering from the early onset of dementia. The video provided shows how my teenagers to utilize high-level thinking skills to make the abstract meaningful.