Design a Social-Emotional Learning Game for Young Learners
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Design a Social-Emotional Learning Game for Young Learners

Grade 1EnglishMathSocial StudiesTechnologyArt30 days
★★★★★
5.0 (1 rating)
In this project-based learning experience, first-grade students will become game developers, creating educational games that teach social-emotional skills such as confidence and humility to young learners. By integrating narrative structures and cultural understanding, students will foster personal growth while learning essential competencies. They will also develop skills in English, math, social studies, technology, and art, all while collaborating with peers through discussions, feedback sessions, and presentations.
Social-Emotional LearningGame DevelopmentNarrative StructuresCultural UnderstandingFirst Grade
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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we as game developers create an engaging and educational game that not only teaches essential social-emotional skills, such as confidence and humility, to early elementary students, but also incorporates narrative structures and cultural understanding to foster personal growth?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.
  • What essential social-emotional competencies are important for students to learn at an early age?
  • How can we define and set personal goals for emotional growth and development?
  • In what ways is confidence beneficial in learning and interpersonal interactions, and how can it sometimes be counterproductive?
  • What role does humility play in teamwork and learning from others?
  • How do narrative structures, such as character and setting, help in understanding and creating stories?
  • What are the cultural norms that influence how we express emotions and interact in society?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:
  • Students will design a game that integrates social-emotional competencies aimed at kindergarten and 1st-grade learners.
  • Students will define and articulate key concepts of confidence and humility with concrete examples.
  • Students will identify and apply narrative structures such as character, setting, and events in their game design.
  • Students will explore different cultural norms and how they impact emotional expression and social interaction.
  • Students will set personal growth goals related to social-emotional learning and evaluate their own progress.
  • Students will engage in class discussions to practice active listening and share their ideas openly.
  • Students will write game narratives experimenting with phonetic spelling and a range of vocabulary.

Social Emotional Learning Standards

SE1
Primary
Planning: Define and set goalsReason: The project involves students defining and setting personal growth goals related to social-emotional competencies.
SE2
Primary
Metacognition: Set personal growth goals and select appropriate learning, memory, and support strategies to achieve those goalsReason: Students set and track personal growth goals as part of the project, aligning closely with this standard.
SE3
Primary
Confidence: Define confidence using concrete examples to illustrate specific traits and behaviorsReason: Students will explore the concept of confidence as they design narratives and characters for their games.
SE4
Secondary
Evaluate one’s own confidence across a wide range of situations and adjust accordingly as appropriateReason: The project allows students to self-assess and adjust their expression of confidence during its lifecycle.
SE5
Primary
Humility: Define humility using concrete examples to illustrate specific traits and behaviorsReason: Game development requires understanding humility and implementing it through examples in the game narrative.

Common Core Standards - Writing

W1.1
Primary
Writes a specific text type (narrative, information, or opinion) using its appropriate structure and characteristics.Reason: Students must write game narratives demonstrating knowledge of narrative structure as part of the project.
W2.1
Primary
Experiment with phonetic spelling and a range of vocabulary to deepen meaning and engage an intended audience.Reason: Game development includes writing components that should engage intended audiences using varied vocabulary.

Common Core Standards - Reading

R1.1
Secondary
Reads decodable texts at the required levelReason: Incorporating story elements requires reading and understanding narratives, supporting reading skill development.
R1.2
Primary
Identify common narrative structures - character, setting, events and story vocabularyReason: The project focuses on understanding narrative elements to create compelling stories within the game.

Social Studies Standards

C1
Primary
Describe different cultural norms as they are expressed in a range of social customs and traditionsReason: The game will incorporate elements of cultural understanding, aligning with this standard.

English Language Arts Standards

D1
Secondary
Practices and demonstrates active listening by sharing ideas and opinions in class discussions.Reason: Participating in discussions is integral to developing the social-emotional components of the project.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

Kindergarten Game-Expo Challenge

Students walk into a classroom transformed into a mini-expo with different game stations. Each station represents a unique social-emotional competency challenge, sparking curiosity about how games can teach these skills. Students are invited to explore the stations and then brainstorm how they might create their own game to teach kindergarteners these concepts.

'Inside Out' Movie Experience

Kick off the project by screening a short segment of the movie 'Inside Out,' highlighting the emotions portrayed. Students then participate in a discussion on how emotions can influence decisions and learn about the idea of creating their own emotion-driven games.
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Portfolio Activities

Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.
Activity 1

Emotional Explorer: Creating Character Profiles

In this activity, students will start by understanding and defining key social-emotional competencies such as confidence and humility. They will explore these concepts first in a group setting and then individually by creating character profiles as part of their game development. This will help students see how emotions and traits influence character development in narratives.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Introduce students to key emotional competencies: confidence and humility, using a class discussion.
2. In small groups, have students brainstorm and list traits associated with each competency using examples from stories or real life.
3. Each student picks one competency to focus on and develops a character profile incorporating traits related to that competency.
4. Use drawing or digital tools to create a visual representation of their character.
5. Share character profiles with classmates, offering constructive feedback.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA character profile sheet with visual representation and descriptions of emotional traits.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with SE3 (Confidence) and SE5 (Humility) by defining and illustrating these competencies.
Activity 2

Narrative Navigator: Building the Game World

Students will use their understanding of narrative structures to develop the setting and events of their game. They'll delve into how characters interact within the setting and with each other. This enhances comprehension of story components and their application.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Discuss the concept of setting and events in stories with the class, highlighting examples from familiar narratives.
2. Individually, students will sketch or digitally design their game's setting and main events using story elements like beginning, middle, and end.
3. Students will integrate their character profiles into this setting to see how characters interact with the environment and each other.
4. Each student presents their game world's setting and events to the class.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA storyboard or a digital sketch of the game world, featuring developed settings and event sequences.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with R1.2 (Narrative structures) and SE1 (Goal setting).
Activity 3

Cultural Connections: Weaving Societal Norms into Play

Students will explore cultural norms related to emotion expression and social customs. By incorporating these themes into their game, they learn about diversity and the role culture plays in shaping interactions.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Class discusses cultural norms and social customs from various cultures, aided by multimedia resources.
2. Students choose a cultural theme to integrate into their game, ensuring representation and sensitivity.
3. Research and collect relevant cultural elements to incorporate into the game.
4. Incorporate cultural elements into the existing game plot and characters, ensuring accurate representation.
5. Present how their game reflects cultural norms and discuss its potential impact on players.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA culturally-enriched game scenario and description reflecting diverse norms.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with C1 (Cultural norms) and SE2 (Strategic goals).
Activity 4

Game Developer's Workshop: Prototyping and Testing

In this final stage, students will build a simple prototype of their game and involve peers for testing and feedback. Incorporating peer input is crucial for refining the game design and ensuring it meets educational goals.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Using simple materials, students construct a basic prototype of their game, reflecting all previously developed components.
2. Form peer groups for game testing sessions, swapping prototypes to gather diverse feedback.
3. Record feedback using a feedback form focusing on emotional competencies, narrative structure, and cultural accuracy.
4. Incorporate constructive feedback into the final adjustments of the game design.
5. Present the revised game to the class, highlighting the learning objectives it achieves.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA refined game prototype incorporating narrative, cultural, and emotional elements for young learners.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with SE4 (Confidence evaluation), W1.1 (Narrative writing), and D1 (Class discussion).
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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Social-Emotional Game Development

Category 1

Social-Emotional Competencies

Evaluation of understanding and application of confidence and humility within character development and overall game design.
Criterion 1

Confidence Understanding

The ability to define and illustrate confidence through character traits and behaviors in the game.

Exemplary
4 Points

Demonstrates a thorough understanding of confidence by integrating complex character traits and behaviors. Provides multiple, concrete examples in the game narrative.

Proficient
3 Points

Shows a clear understanding of confidence with appropriate character traits and examples. The game narrative contains clear illustrations.

Developing
2 Points

Displays some understanding of confidence with basic character traits and limited examples. The game narrative shows simple illustrations.

Beginning
1 Points

Shows minimal understanding of confidence with few character traits and examples. The game narrative lacks detail.

Criterion 2

Humility Application

The ability to define and apply humility through character interactions and narrative scenarios.

Exemplary
4 Points

Effectively applies humility through diverse interactions in the game. Provides clear, comprehensive narrative scenarios.

Proficient
3 Points

Appropriately applies humility in game interactions. Narrative scenarios are clear and adequate.

Developing
2 Points

Applies humility inconsistently in the game. Narrative scenarios are basic and lack depth.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to apply humility in the game with minimal narrative support.

Category 2

Narrative Structures

Assessment of the student's ability to use and integrate narrative structures such as character, setting, and events in their game.
Criterion 1

Character Development

Creation and depth of characters in the game, including integration of social-emotional traits.

Exemplary
4 Points

Creates detailed and multidimensional characters with well-integrated social-emotional traits.

Proficient
3 Points

Develops complete characters with integrated social-emotional traits.

Developing
2 Points

Creates characters with some social-emotional traits but lacks depth.

Beginning
1 Points

Develops simplistic characters lacking clear social-emotional traits.

Criterion 2

Setting and Events

Design and integration of setting and major game events to enhance narrative and gameplay.

Exemplary
4 Points

Designs an intricate setting with engaging and interconnected events that enhance the narrative.

Proficient
3 Points

Designs a clear setting with well-defined events that support the narrative.

Developing
2 Points

Creates a basic setting with loosely connected events.

Beginning
1 Points

Designs an underdeveloped setting with unrelated events.

Category 3

Cultural Awareness

Evaluation of the inclusion and representation of cultural norms and diversity in the game development process.
Criterion 1

Cultural Integration

Evidence of research, inclusion, and accurate representation of cultural norms in the game.

Exemplary
4 Points

Incorporates rich and diverse cultural elements with accurate and sensitive representation throughout the game.

Proficient
3 Points

Includes accurate cultural elements with adequate representation in the game.

Developing
2 Points

Integrates some cultural elements but lacks accuracy or depth.

Beginning
1 Points

Includes minimal cultural elements with limited representation.

Category 4

Collaboration and Presentation

Assessment of students' collaboration during game development and presentation of the final product.
Criterion 1

Collaborative Effort

Participation in group activities and integration of peer feedback in the game development.

Exemplary
4 Points

Shows leadership and active participation in collaborative tasks. Successfully integrates peer feedback to enhance the final game.

Proficient
3 Points

Participates actively in group tasks and incorporates most peer feedback.

Developing
2 Points

Participates minimally in group tasks. Feedback integration is limited.

Beginning
1 Points

Shows low participation in group tasks with no integration of feedback.

Criterion 2

Presentation Quality

Effectiveness in presenting the game, highlighting key learning objectives and design elements.

Exemplary
4 Points

Presents the game clearly with confident communication of key objectives and elements, engaging the audience throughout.

Proficient
3 Points

Effectively presents the game, communicating objectives and elements clearly.

Developing
2 Points

Presents the game with unclear communication of objectives and elements.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to present the game and communicate its objectives and elements.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning
Question 1

Reflect on how creating a game encompassing social-emotional competencies has enhanced your understanding of personal growth goals related to emotional learning.

Text
Required
Question 2

On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate your confidence in defining key social-emotional concepts like confidence and humility after participating in this project?

Scale
Required
Question 3

How effectively did you integrate narrative structures (like character, setting, and events) into your game's design?

Multiple choice
Required
Options
Very effectively
Effectively
Somewhat effectively
Not effectively
Question 4

Explain a specific example where cultural understanding influenced your game's design and the choices you made to reflect cultural norms accurately.

Text
Required
Question 5

Reflect on the feedback you received during the game testing phase. How did the feedback impact your final product?

Text
Required