 | I've wanted to gamify my classroom since the beginning of this school year. I came up with a storyline, villains, and challenges, but I could never find the right game board. I kept thinking there should be a digital game board out there somewhere that I could use. I even considered trying to create my own, but, time is not a teacher's friend. Eventually, I gave up on trying to make it work for the first of school, and hoped I'd figure it out as the year progressed. |
| Enter Deck.toys. My new favorite game board. Before I go any further, let me issue a warning. This website was created in Singapore so, if you decide to purchase anything--use PayPal. I learned this the hard way when my Debit Card was shut down multiple times for possible fraudulent activity. Such a pain, but I still think it's worth it! |  |
Let me explain. Deck.Toys is like an online escape room. You have everything you need, in one game, to create a very engaging, yet challenging lesson. You set up your board with an entry point to explain the lesson, then you get creative.
The best part is creating the lessons! I wasn't very creative with my first two lessons (because there is a learning curve). The creativity came later. I would recommend starting easy. For my first Deck.toy lesson, I used a worksheet. I had the kids read a passage and the questions were the points on the board. My second lesson (which was also my evaluation lesson) was a little more complex. The students were given two passages, and had to work through reading strategies. My goal was for them to really be invested in the passages--to really understand how the Sun and Moon were alike and how they were different. I think this lesson met the criteria.
The best part is creating the lessons! I wasn't very creative with my first two lessons (because there is a learning curve). The creativity came later. I would recommend starting easy. For my first Deck.toy lesson, I used a worksheet. I had the kids read a passage and the questions were the points on the board. My second lesson (which was also my evaluation lesson) was a little more complex. The students were given two passages, and had to work through reading strategies. My goal was for them to really be invested in the passages--to really understand how the Sun and Moon were alike and how they were different. I think this lesson met the criteria.
 | Each game post contains instructions. You choose if students can open the instructions with a lock, or without a lock. The locks can be a pattern, a word, or numbers. If you choose to use a lock, they must answer the lock question BEFORE they see the instructions tied to the post. This threw me off a little the first few times. I wanted the lock to be after they did the activity, not before. I realized the locks would have to be set on the NEXT post to prevent them from opening the next activity. This is why I recommend starting with an easy worksheet. Figure out how it all works before you do anything really serious, but please note, you can change things up, even while students are IN the game. |
| Keep in mind, this is not just a place to put questions and have students work through them. This is a place to include an ENTIRE lesson! Each post can be set up as a slideshow (with questions and locks), a video link (and you can use a lock box after to ensure they watched the video), quizzes, and activities. This is everything in one! You could even link to your Google Classroom and have your students complete an exit ticket, or set up a Google Form and have them take a quiz at the end. The possibilities are endless! One of the best features is being able to set up mini-games/challenges in the gameboard. You set up vocabulary cards and decide what kind of activity the students perform. Matching is fun and pretty easy, but I LOVE the maze activity. It's just fun. There are tons to choose from. You really should get online and check them all out. It really is worth your time. |  |
 | I used Deck.Toys for my evaluation lesson this year. It was great, because the kids were working at their own pace, but being held accountable for their learning. They could not move forward in the gameboard without answering questions. This freed me up to work the room. I was able to read a passage to some students who struggle. I was able to pinpoint who struggled with the vocabulary, and I was even presented with a teachable moment to explain how context clues really do help with reading if you just read far enough. It also gave me time to step back and breathe. The students were excited to work, and push through. |
| I don't know about you, but I love the days when my students beg to learn. This really is a great framework that requires accountability, helps teachers differentiate, and is engaging because it is a game. It just needs you to be the creative force behind the lesson. Also, for those non-creative types (that I don't think exist) there is a way to search for lessons. This website is gaining popularity and people are starting to share lessons. Maybe you can find something that fits! It's worth a shot! There is a free version, which I currently use. In the free version you can have 2 Classrooms and 35 students on a deck at the same time. You can watch those students as they work through the board. This program will also give you data at the end to see exactly how many times a student tried the lock before he/she had success, or how many times they worked a puzzle. It will even give a percentage grade at the end. A lesson that grades itself--yes please! In my current classroom, a free version is okay, but I may upgrade to Pro next year. I want more decks! I'd love to have an ongoing deck for a full year. Gamification--here I come! |  |
As a side note, if you need or want more info, and a hands-on learning experience with Deck.toys, come see me April 26th at 3:45 pm. This would be a great test review!
 | This blog post was written by A.C. Williams Elementary School 4th Grade Reading teacher and iCoach, Amy Scaff. |
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