TEEN PREGNANCY:
LESSON: Game Designer's Challenge
Part One
The team’s assignment is to brainstorm the design for their own online game. The game’s main purpose must be to attract teens and make them aware of the facts of teen pregnancy while they’re engaged in playing. (At this point the team doesn’t need to have the facts they’re going to use. Their challenge is to design the basic structure for their game.)
Part Two
Now it’s time for the design team to choose the set of facts/statistics that they will be integrating into their game. This will require a bit of research. Give the team some hints as to how to get started:
Part Three (Optional)
Some teams will want to take their games beyond the brainstorming stage and design a prototype of their new game.
Part Four
As a final activity, the teams can each be given a chance to present their game design to the class. During these presentations, each team should be asked to highlight some of the statistics/facts that they felt should be incorporated into their game. Team members should also ask the class to answer some of the questions they would be using in order for a player to make a move, involving the group vicariously in their game while at the same time requiring the class to revisit some of these statistics.
Compile a list of facts and stats about teen pregnancy. Offer the structure of an online game that integrates some statistics/facts about teen pregnancy from the list compiled. Answer correctly the questions that are posed by classmates regarding facts and stats about teen pregnancy.
LESSON: Game Designer's Challenge
Overview
For its 9th annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in 2010, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy designed the Stay Teen Block Party as one way to engage teens in examining some of the facts about teen pregnancy.
The Stay Teen Block Party is an online game that engages teens by requiring that they answer a question by making a game move, in this case involving some different colored blocks.
Teens often enjoy brainstorming their own ideas for online games and now this lesson gives them their chance while meeting a class requirement at the same time! What could be better!
For its 9th annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in 2010, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy designed the Stay Teen Block Party as one way to engage teens in examining some of the facts about teen pregnancy.
The Stay Teen Block Party is an online game that engages teens by requiring that they answer a question by making a game move, in this case involving some different colored blocks.
Teens often enjoy brainstorming their own ideas for online games and now this lesson gives them their chance while meeting a class requirement at the same time! What could be better!
Level:
Middle / High School
Objectives:
Create awareness of some of the facts about teen pregnancy.
Brainstorm an online game that would highlight key facts about teen pregnancy.
Time: 1 class period
Preparation and Materials:
Objectives:
Create awareness of some of the facts about teen pregnancy.
- Research and compile a list of statistics concerning teen pregnancy
- Select a subset of statistics/facts from the list that in the student’s view would have the greatest potential impact on a teen audience
Brainstorm an online game that would highlight key facts about teen pregnancy.
Time: 1 class period
Preparation and Materials:
- White Board
- Paper and Markers
Procedures
- Introduce the class to The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
- Discuss with the group that the Campaign conducts an annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Each year there are special activities but one activity that you want to point out to them occurred in 2010.
Activities
- Show the class the online game Stay Teen Block Party. Discuss with them how the
game was structured and illustrate some sample game moves.
- Ask the class to break out into small groups. Each small group is going to form a game design team.
Part One
The team’s assignment is to brainstorm the design for their own online game. The game’s main purpose must be to attract teens and make them aware of the facts of teen pregnancy while they’re engaged in playing. (At this point the team doesn’t need to have the facts they’re going to use. Their challenge is to design the basic structure for their game.)
Part Two
Now it’s time for the design team to choose the set of facts/statistics that they will be integrating into their game. This will require a bit of research. Give the team some hints as to how to get started:
- The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Kaiser Family Foundation
Part Three (Optional)
Some teams will want to take their games beyond the brainstorming stage and design a prototype of their new game.
Part Four
As a final activity, the teams can each be given a chance to present their game design to the class. During these presentations, each team should be asked to highlight some of the statistics/facts that they felt should be incorporated into their game. Team members should also ask the class to answer some of the questions they would be using in order for a player to make a move, involving the group vicariously in their game while at the same time requiring the class to revisit some of these statistics.
Assessment
Compile a list of facts and stats about teen pregnancy. Offer the structure of an online game that integrates some statistics/facts about teen pregnancy from the list compiled. Answer correctly the questions that are posed by classmates regarding facts and stats about teen pregnancy.