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Interactive
Classroom Simulations
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What Are Simulations?
Why Use Simulations?
Classroom Organization
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Interact Simulations Our Kids Have Enjoyed
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What
Are Simulations?
Simulations are creative, complete units of
instruction that incorporate traditionally taught material into a simulated environment in
the classroom - anything from a constitutional convention, to turn-of-the-century Ellis
Island, to establishing an undersea habitat .
Students are organized into small groups and role-play either
actual persons or characterizations of persons in history...or in social, economic, or
political situations of today...or explorations of their place in the future.
Goals are set for individuals, as well as for the groups with
which they work. The goal setting in conjunction with the competition with the other
groups keep the students very involved in the learning.
Students have gone nuts for simulations over the past
six or
seven years. No sooner is one finished, and the kid's are asking for the next one.
The ITC teacher manage to do six or seven simulation units each year. Simulations have
proven to be one of the most successful additions to their curriculum planning.
Interactive Units of Study
| Writing Programs | Individual Learning Projects
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Interactive
Units of Study
Interactive units are similar to simulations in that the students are organized into small
groups which have goals and interact in some way, but in a normal classroom environment.
Examples include SMALL TOWN in which the students read sections from Wilder's famous
play...or in CYCLE where students participate in skits which demonstrate the problems in
various cycles of life as seen in literary selections. Up | Top of the
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Writing Programs
Writing programs, such as STEPS and POETRY 1-2-3, teach expository essay writing,
poetry writing, journal keeping and "note-taking and note-making" (i.e.
reflective notes made on classroom notes). They provide students with extraordinary middle
school preparation as well as producing excellent personal growth in self-confidence. Up | Top
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Individual Learning
Projects and Contracts
Individual Learning Projects (ILPs), are designed for individuals
or small groups who
work independently of the rest of the class on nine special activities which include
research, essay writing, speaking and investigation of some aspect of the communities.
They are most often use by "pull-out programs" in classes where four or five
students are given special assignments on day a week. The contracts are generally used for
remediation and/or make-up work for individual students, although they can be used for an
entire class (they're great materials to have on hand for substitutes!) Up | Top
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Why Use Simulations?
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Classroom Organization Since an interactive classroom is based on various ways your
students interact, you need a smooth way of organizing your class so students can flow
easily into whatever configuration is called for in a particular simulation or interactive
unit without any confusion or loss of control on your part. Following are the four basic
grouping options we use in simulations.
I. Individuals in Large Groups
Put students in evenly numbered
rows with boys and girls in alternate rows (as much as possible). This arrangement is used
when all students are having a common learning activity such as a lecture or film that
likely precedes on of the cooperative learning activities.
II. Study Pairs
Students form these by turning pairs
of rows to face each other. Note that in the diagram, the pairs have some space around
them to give them the illusion of privacy.
III. Triads or Quads
Even rows turn to face each other and then spread apart to
form threes and/or fours. Again, these groups have a little space around them to give them
the illusion of privacy.
IV. Activity Groups
Combine the trios and/or quads into small Activity
Groups of six to eight members.
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Interact
(www.interact-simulations.com)
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A wonderfully rich source of interactive
classroom simulations. They have over 300 simulations covering most all content areas for
grades K - 12. We manage to do eight to ten simulation units a year, and rarely do we use
any simulation "as is" or "out-of-the-box". Remember, simulations can
be "tweaked" to meet your needs and curriculum goals.
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Here are some of the Interact simulations
ITC teachers have had terrific success with....
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Social Studies
Pilgrims: Crossing of the Mayflower and
settling of the Plymouth colony
Discovery 3: Early American Colonization
Independence 2: American Revolution:
1763-1776 Independence 2: American Revolution:
1763-1776
Pioneers: Westward expansion of the United
States in the mid-1800s Pioneers: Westward expansion of the United
States in the mid-1800s
Civil War: American Civil War: 1861-1865 Civil War: American Civil War: 1861-1865
Transcontinental: American
transportation systems of the late 1800s
Gateway: Turn-of-the-century U.S.
immigration
Equalities: Civil Rights movement of the
1960s
Pacific Rim: Studies of the countries
bordering the Pacific Ocean
American History Activators: Six
activities, each lasting approximately 30 minutes -- a great way to get your 'simulation'
feet wet.
Science
Invent: Inventions, Simple Machines
Science Fair: Science Fair Science Fair: Science Fair
New Atlantis: Oceanography New Atlantis: Oceanography
Roberto's Rainforest: An exploration
and discovery of rainforests
Mathematics
Math Quest: Problem Solving techniques
Lost Tribe of the Tocowans: Multiplication
and Division
A-Maze-ing Shapes: Plane Geometric
ConceptsA-Maze-ing Shapes: Plane Geometric
Concepts
Project Polaris: Estimation and Measurement Project Polaris: Estimation and Measurement
Language Arts
Poetry 1-2-3: Writing and analyzing poetry
Midsummer: Exploring the writings of
William Shakespeare Midsummer: Exploring the writings of
William Shakespeare
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