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Arcade Construction

In this provocation, students design and build an arcade game.

Objective:

  • Students work individually or in groups to design and create a functional, simple arcade game that will be a part of a classroom arcade.

  • Students can explain how the game works and demonstrate its playability.

  • Students post directions for their game.

Problem-solving and strategic thinking:

  • Students will use materials to plan a design and build an arcade game.

Standards/Objectives addressed:

  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.C.4: Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in another.

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Background knowledge needed:

  • What is an arcade

  • How to play a game

  • The video Caine’s Arcade is a great resource to watch.

Materials:

  • Recycled materials, taper, scissors, markers, paper, boxes, wire, string, various classroom materials

Prompts – questions or statements to elicit engagement:

  • Tell me about your game.

  • Can you explain how to play your game?

  • Why did you choose to use those materials?

  • What if you changed…?

Vocabulary:

  • design, build, arcade, game, rules, goal, lever

Reflection prompts:

  • When you were building the game, what problems did you have to solve to make it work?

Extension:

  • How could you make your game more interesting to play?

  • What could you do to attract people to your game?

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