Game Over Gopher is a standard tower defense game based around defending a carrot from hungry gophers. The use of a coordinate grid comes into play when the user needs to put ruby drills on the correct coordinate point in order to get more rubies that can be used to purchase more turrets and upgrades. In order for students to effectively defend the carrot, they will need to place their ruby drills accurately and quickly, building fluency in plotting points on a coordinate grid.
Grade Level: 5th
PSSM Content Standard: Algebra
CCSSM Content Standard:
CCSS.Math.Content.5.G.A.1 Use a pair of perpendicular number lines, called axes, to define a coordinate system, with the intersection of the lines (the origin) arranged to coincide with the 0 on each line and a given point in the plane located by using an ordered pair of numbers, called its coordinates. Understand that the first number indicates how far to travel from the origin in the direction of one axis, and the second number indicates how far to travel in the direction of the second axis, with the convention that the names of the two axes and the coordinates correspond (e.g., x-axis and x-coordinate, y-axis and y-coordinate).
CCSS.Math.Content.5.G.A.2 Represent real world and mathematical problems by graphing points in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane, and interpret coordinate values of points in the context of the situation.
Math Content: Coordinate Grids
Evaluation
(Eventually, all these questions should be addressed. For now (during Unit 4), you need only address the first three questions)
What is being learned? What mathematics is the focus of the activity/technology? Is relational or instrumental understanding emphasized?
The users gain fluency in plotting points on a coordinate grid. Most of the understanding being developed is instrumental because the user is just plotting points over and over again using the same procedure, but the game does give the user an example of how coordinate grids can be used in real-world situations, namely, as a way to specify the location of something.
How does learning take place? What are the underlying assumptions (explicit or implicit) about the nature of learning?
The learning takes place by giving the player the desire to get quicker, more efficient, and more accurate while plotting points in order to do better in the game. The more times the player correctly places their ruby drills, the easier it will be to win.
What role does technology play? What advantages or disadvantages does the technology hold for this role? What unique contribution does the technology make in facilitating learning?
The game serves the role of having the player practice plotting points on a coordinate grid so they become more efficient and accurate.
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