Spore Hero Teaching Guide



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Spore Hero for 7th Grade Life Science

Written by

Godofredo “JR” Ginex-Orinion

October 2010

Table of Contents

Teaching Guide Overview 3

Spore Hero Description 4

Using Spore Hero in the Classroom 5

The Advantages of Teaching with Games 5

Goals and Objectives 6

Grade Level Standards and Content Area 7

Evolution 7

Investigation and experimentation 8

Where the Game fits into the Curriculum 9

What Teachers Need to Know Before Beginning 10

Hardware Requirements 10

Lessons Overview 11

Lesson One 12

Lesson One Goals and Objectives 12

Lesson One Setup 13

Lesson One Activity/Gameplay (Day 1) 13

Lesson One Follow-up/Debriefing (Day 2) 14

Lesson One Extensions 15

Lesson Two 16

Lesson Two Goals and Objectives 16

Lesson Two Setup 17

Lesson Two Activity/Gameplay (Day 3) 17

Lesson Two Follow-up/Debriefing (Day 4) 19

Lesson Two Extensions 19

Teacher Resources 20

References 21

Appendices 22

Appendix A: Game Control Handout 22

Appendix B: Introductory Checklist for Spore Hero Lesson 23

Appendix C: Data Table for Spore Hero, Lesson 1 24

Appendix D: Debrief for Spore Hero, Lesson 1 25

Appendix E: Data Table for Spore Hero, Lesson 2 26

Appendix F: Debrief for Spore Hero, Lesson 2 27

Teaching Guide Overview

Evolution is a major component in the 7th grade science curriculum in California. Science teachers have developed numerous activities and learning objects through the years to teach this topic. What if I told you there was a new and innovative way to teach evolution that gets your students to successfully understand adaptation due to environmental factors? Imagine teaching this unit by giving the students the opportunity to understand what it would be like to be able to create your own life form, and be able to customize and modify its body parts to better suit its needs and survival. Now, imagine that this teaching unit is actually associated with a video game. If this hasn’t sparked your interest, I’m confident that your students would definitely be interested in participating in a lesson that involved playing video games.

Spore Hero is a video game designed for the Wii console that allows the game player to create, modify, and customize an alien creature’s body to accomplish tasks and survive in multiple environments. This teaching guide is designed to use Spore Hero as a learning tool for educators and students to meet California state teaching standards for Evolution in an innovative, engaging, and creative way. Students can directly apply the concepts of the scientific method, understand controls and variables in experiments, receive immediate feedback from their experiments, and make improvements as they learn about adaptation. The students develop their problem solving skills by completing tasks that require them to be aware of their creature’s physical abilities, and make modifications as needed. This teaching guide includes activities and directions on how Spore Hero for the Wii can be a successful learning tool in your 7th grade science curriculum.

Spore Hero Description

Electronic Arts debuted Spore Hero for the Nintendo Wii gaming console back in October of 2009. The game was actually a spin-off of Spore, a single –player, life simulation game originally developed by Maxis for Windows and Mac operating systems. It was developed from the ground up to utilize the functionality of the Wii Remote, which allows the game player to control the characters in the video game with gesture movements using the Remote and the Nunchuck from motion sensor technology. Its E-rating, provided by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, means that it’s ok for 7th grade students to play. The story starts out with the main character crashing onto a planet full of friendly species of animals. At the same time, an evil creature crash-landed as well and is threatening to ruin the planet. Only your creature has the power to fight the spreading evil and defeat the bad creatures ruining the planet. To do this, your hero must go on missions to earn new body parts and adapt to ever-changing circumstances by adding or switching out new body parts. Through trial and error, the game player must decide which of the body parts to add to your creature and where to place them to make it be able to navigate through the world and defeat the evil creatures it meets.

Using Spore Hero in the Classroom

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In Spore Hero, the survival of animal species is directly related to their ability to adapt to their changing environment. Spore Hero gives students the power to fully manipulate body parts such as mouths, eyes, claws, appendages, wings, and hands. The placement, size, quantity, and location on the part on the body are all important factors to consider when “designing” their creature. The feedback of their decisions and designs is immediate when navigating through the virtual environment. The content standards addressed by this learning unit are of the California Life Science standards set for the 7th grade level (CDE, 2000). Some additional higher-level science content standards are addressed as well; ecological issues, trait dominance, environmental pressures on organisms, mutations, shrinking or elimination of unused body parts.

The Advantages of Teaching with Games

Games and simulations are effective learning tools for students. Aldrich (2004) stated that simulations can directly add valuable cyclical and systems content. They can teach at these levels to tap so much more of student’s capabilities. He described “the transformation in experience will be as right and dramatic as going from watching black and white movies to watching color movies” (Aldrich, 2004).

One reason why games are effective in instruction is that they constantly engage the learner’s attention in what’s going on at the moment. Prensky’s (2004) statement regarding digital learners level of mastery is directly related to their level of engagement with the content. Video game designers are aware of the gamers’ attention, and judge the effectiveness of a game by seeing how well it keeps the gamer glued to the video game. Video game designers ask themselves, “How can we get our users to keep playing this game for hours?”

One way this works is according to the regime of competence principle. Gee referred to this feeling as a notion of “simultaneous pleasure and frustration” and how life simulation video game design constantly challenges the player’s abilities and makes the tasks just difficult enough to complete. Gee (2003) stated that it is this that drives the gamer to continue playing. We can translate this into the engagement that we want in our lessons and in our curriculum. Video games already have this inherent ingredient. All we need to do is to tap into that potential.

Goals and Objectives

After successfully completing this lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify phenotypes (physical characteristics) that are the most useful in navigating through sections of the game by playing the game, completing a data table of observations, and writing a short conclusion of their experience.

• Explain how the extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes if a species is not able to adapt to survive by playing the game, reflecting on their failed attempts, and writing a short conclusion of their experience.

• Explain Darwin’s reason for suggesting that natural selection is the mechanism of evolution by citing examples of Darwin’s statements in the game experience.

• Identify phenotypes (physical characteristics) that are the most useful in battling other creatures in the game by playing the game, completing a data table of observations, and writing a short conclusion of their experience.

• Explain how the statement “survival of the fittest” applies in the game situation for lesson two by challenging other creatures to battles and modifying body parts to be more successful in battles.

Grade Level Standards and Content Area

These standards were obtained from the California Science Content Standards for 7th grade (CDE, 2000).

Evolution

3. Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual processes over many generations. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know both genetic variation and environmental factors are causes of evolution and diversity of organisms.

b. Students know the reasoning used by Charles Darwin in reaching his conclusion that natural selection is the mechanism of evolution.

c. Students know how independent lines of evidence from geology, fossils, and comparative anatomy provide the bases for the theory of evolution.

d. (not covered)

e. Students know that extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and the adaptive characteristics of a species are insufficient for its survival.

Investigation and experimentation

7. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:

a. Select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data, and display data.

b. (not covered)

c. Communicate the logical connection among hypotheses, science concepts, tests conducted, data collected, and conclusions drawn from the scientific evidence.

d. (not covered)

e. Communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and oral presentations.

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Where the Game fits into the Curriculum

• Students must be aware of Charles Darwin’s statements regarding evolution of species.

• Students must be aware of the functions and shapes of different body parts (eyes, appendages, mouth, etc.) and what advantages some organisms have regarding the placement of these parts, quantities of the parts, and removal of the parts from their bodies.

• Students must know the difference between genotype and phenotype

• Students must know the principle of dominance in traits

• Students must know how body shape and type are advantageous to organisms

What Teachers Need to Know Before Beginning

Prior to implementing these lessons, teachers need to be familiar with the use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck controllers. Please refer to Appendix A for the game controls. Teachers must play the game for at least 2 hours prior to starting the lesson, which is about as much time as the students will be playing the game. This is to familiarize the teacher with the environment that the creature needs to navigate through to obtain the body parts and complete the tasks in the lessons.

Teachers must understand the comfort level of the students with regards to technology and console gaming. If some students are unfamiliar with either experience, it would benefit the inexperienced student to be placed in a group with students who are familiar with this technology. This will make them more comfortable playing the game.

Hardware Requirements

• Televisions with RCA inputs for the Wii console system

• Enough Wii consoles for every television available

• Wii controllers with nunchucks (1 set per console)

• Enough copies of Spore Hero for each console

• Projector with RCA inputs for presentation in class

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Lessons Overview

• Lessons should take 4 class periods over a period of 4 days, with a period length of 50 minutes, totaling 200 minutes on instructional time

• A 20-minute tutorial will be administered before instruction actually begins. Refer to Appendix A for game controls. This will be a handout to be given to all the participants. Each student is to spend at least 5 to 10 minutes getting used to the controls, and may have to rotate with other students if they are working in groups of 3 or four to accommodate if there are not enough consoles for each student.

• Appendix B is a checklist of tasks they need to complete before they actually start the lesson. This checklist is designed to familiarize the students with common tasks that they need to perform throughout game-play, and is necessary to be successful in the lesson.

• The teacher will spend about 3-5 minutes at the start of each lesson to present the tasks that the students need to complete for the lesson. The teacher will then oversee the student’s progress in completing the worksheets provided, and provide assistance if needed.

Lesson One

The purpose of this lesson is to identify the geological and environmental factors that would determine the best combination of physical characteristics, and identify those physical characteristics as well. This lesson will start the discussion on how a species may develop adaptations to their environments for survival.

Lesson One Goals and Objectives

After successfully completing this lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify phenotypes (physical characteristics) that are the most useful in navigating through sections of the game by playing the game, completing a data table of observations, and writing a short conclusion of their experience.

• Explain how the extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes if a species is not able to adapt to survive by playing the game, reflecting on their failed attempts, and writing a short conclusion of their experience.

• Explain Darwin’s reason for suggesting that natural selection is the mechanism of evolution by citing examples of Darwin’s statements in the game experience.

Lesson One Setup

The teacher will review Darwin’s theory of Evolution with the students, along with the definition of the word phenotype. The teacher then needs to divide the students into groups of 3 or 4, depending on the availability of the consoles. Each student should be given a copy of Appendix A before the start of the lesson, and the teacher should have the students complete the checklist provided in Appendix B. The teacher will hand out Appendix C at the start of the lesson, and the students will complete the table and turn both Appendix B and C in at the end of the lesson.

Lesson One Activity/Gameplay (Day 1)

1. The students in each group will identify the order in which they will be playing the game for the lesson before starting. Students are to rotate enough times so that each person has an opportunity to play the game for at least 10 minutes.

2. The first player fastens the Wii controller to their wrist, and makes sure that the connection to the Nunchuck is secured.

3. Start the game from the beginning by clicking on “START” on the Spore Hero start up screen. Follow the simple directions on the screen, double-checking the connections on the controller and that you have enough space to maneuver when playing the game.

4. Select “PLAY NOW” and point to any “EMPTY” save game space to begin the opening sequence.

5. Navigate through Mushroom Valley, complete different tasks, and obtain as many body parts as possible.

6. Periodically update your creature with new body parts as you obtain them. Collect at least 10 new body parts, and complete the answers to the data table as you travel about Mushroom Valley. If the students complete the data table in the time allotted for the period, they are to continue navigating and progressing through the game.

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Lesson One Follow-up/Debriefing (Day 2)

The follow-up for Lesson 1 includes going over the information the students filled out in Appendix C and having an in-class discussion about the questions posed in Appendix D. The teacher should navigate through the game on a projection screen, following the directions from Day. The teacher should then open the discussion by identifying the possible uses of several body parts that the teacher obtained to start, and to identify the possible benefits and pitfalls of keeping that body part on the creature. The teacher must also discuss how the environment the creature navigates through will dictate which parts are beneficial and which are detrimental to the creature. This discussion should take up the two-thirds of the class period, with the teacher always posing questions for the students to answer to continue the flow of the discussion. Students are then asked to complete Appendix D for the remaining third of the period, and turn it in at the end of class.

Lesson One Extensions

Students should complete an online survey of their experience using a video game to cover content in their life science class. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete, and will ask them questions about their experience. The survey can be accessed at the link below, and should be posted on a teacher page where the students can access it at any time after the lesson.

Video Game Survey for Spore Lesson

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Lesson Two

This lesson is designed to identify what body parts would be the most beneficial for creatures fighting for their survival in nature. Since battling with other creatures is a major component of Spore Hero, the students must spend some time thinking about what physical attributes would help their creature win more fights as they progress through the game’s storyline. Students will then reflect on what body parts and adaptations real living species must have in order to hunt for food, ward away predators, or survive confrontations.

Lesson Two Goals and Objectives

After successfully completing this lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify phenotypes (physical characteristics) that are the most useful in battling other creatures in the game by playing the game, completing a data table of observations, and writing a short conclusion of their experience.

• Explain how the statement “survival of the fittest” applies in the game situation for lesson two by challenging other creatures to battles and modifying body parts to be more successful in battles.

Lesson Two Setup

The teacher will review the statement “survival of the fittest” with the students and have a short discussion of what they think the statement means. The teacher will prime the students by asking them to think about what body parts would be necessary for their creatures to be able to obtain food, fend off attacks from other creatures, and deal punishing blows to other creatures. The teacher tells the students that they are to remain in their same groups, and they are to continue using the creature that they created from the first lesson. The teacher also needs to provide Appendix E at the start of the lesson. The handout will be completed by each student, and turned in at the end of the period.

Lesson Two Activity/Gameplay (Day 3)

1. The students in each group will identify the order in which they will be playing the game for the lesson before starting. Students are to rotate enough times so that each person has an opportunity to play the game for at least 10 minutes.

2. The first player fastens the Wii controller to their wrist, and makes sure that the connection to the Nunchuck is secured.

3. Start the game from the beginning by clicking on “START” on the Spore Hero start up screen. Follow the simple directions on the screen, double-checking the connections on the controller and that you have enough space to maneuver when playing the game.

4. Students are to load Spore Hero and start from where they left off in Lesson 1.

5. Students are to obtain a new body part, use it on their creature, and find another character to battle with. The body part recently obtained must be used in the battle at some point.

6. Students are to repeat step 2, and continue battling until they have obtained 10 new body parts, and have used each one at some point in a battle against another creature.

7. Students are to keep track of their game play experiences in Appendix E, complete the worksheet, and turn it in at the end of the period. If the students complete the task before the end of the period, then they should continue navigating and battling though Mushroom Valley until the end of the period.

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Lesson Two Follow-up/Debriefing (Day 4)

The teacher will start out the debriefing day by playing the game on the projector for the students, battling at least two different creatures using at least two new body parts obtained for each of the battles. The teacher then starts the discussion with the class about what physical attributes would be the most beneficial when battling other creatures. The teacher must mention that many species fight each other for resources and may need to fight each other for survival. Some physical attributes that the teacher may bring up would be camouflage, exoskeletons, venom, and sharp appendages. The discussion should help them answer the questions found in Appendix F. The last 15 minutes of the period will be spent completing Appendix F, and the students will turn the worksheet in at the end of the class.

Lesson Two Extensions

Students may be more aware of the power of video games as learning tools than their teachers. They are usually not concerned about what they may be learning as a result of playing a video game, but maybe their minds have never really been prompted to think about it. The teacher will give the students an assignment that requires them to think of a video game that they are currently playing at home for leisure or entertainment that may have some educational benefit to them. The students are to write a short paragraph about a video game, and what topics or problem-skills they are learning or exercising by playing it.

Teacher Resources

• is a great site to take a look at video game reviews, gameplay controls, and has some tutorial videos and FAQ’s that will help teachers get started with Spore Hero.

• is a forum where teachers can obtain information about Spore Hero walkthroughs, which is a narrative guide on how to navigate and complete the tasks in the Spore Hero game.

• The Sporum – the official Spore forum is a forum where teachers can view discussions, obtain strategies and hints, and find answers about anything that has to do with the Spore series.

• has several tutorials on how to perform certain game actions and gives tips on how to defeat the creatures that the Spore character must face throughout the game.

References

Aldrich, C. (2004). Simulations and the future of learning. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.

CDE. (2000). Science content standards for California public schools: Kindergarten through grade 12. Retrieved on October 22, 2010, from

Gee, J. P. (2003). High Score Education. Wired, 11(5). Retrieved on October 3, 2010, from

Prensky, M. (2004). What can educators learn from computer games about engagement and children? Speech delivered at CoSN, February, 2004. Retrieved on October 3, 2010, from

Appendices

Appendix A: Game Control Handout

Creature Creation

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Navigation and Battle

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Appendix B: Introductory Checklist for Spore Hero Lesson

Instructions:

Students must complete the tasks below and demonstrate each task for the instructor before moving on to the lessons. This checklist is designed to cover simple game tasks that the student will need to do throughout the game. In order to receive credit for the checklist, the student must obtain a stamp from the teacher once the tasks have been completed. This checklist will be turned in at the end of the Spore Hero Unit Lesson, along with the other worksheets for credit.

Checklist:

Top of Form

_____ Break out of the egg

_____ Add a mouth to be able to eat

_____ Break up 5 Blue Meteors

_____ Pick up a fruit and eat it

_____ Fight Espee and defeat Espee for a combat lesson

_____ Meet the Chief, complete the task, and change your name

_____ Add an arm

_____ Add or modify your feet

Name: ______________________________

Period: ______________________________

Stamp for completion:

Appendix C: Data Table for Spore Hero, Lesson 1

Name: _________________________ Group Number: ____________________

List the body parts that your group obtained for the first lesson. Discuss and identify the answers to the remaining areas of the data table. You need not use complete sentences for your answers.

|Body Part |In what ways did you use this |In what environment(s) could this body |In what environment(s) could this|

| |body part? |part be useful for your creature? |body part be bad for your |

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Appendix D: Debrief for Spore Hero, Lesson 1

Name: _________________________ Group Number: ____________________

Instructions: Answer the questions with complete sentences, and as clearly as possible.

1. What phenotypes (physical attributes) did your group find during the first day of gameplay were the most useful for your creature?

2. Draw a simple picture of your creature with what your group determined to be the best combination of attributes.

3. Give two examples of when your creature failed to accomplish a task because you did not have the right body parts. Relate this how the extinction of a species could happen.

4. Restate what Darwin said about natural selection and how this applies to Spore Hero.

Appendix E: Data Table for Spore Hero, Lesson 2

Name: _________________________ Group Number: ____________________

List the body parts that your group obtained for the second lesson. Discuss and identify the answers to the remaining areas of the data table. You need not use complete sentences for your answers.

|Body Part |How could this body part be used |What advantages does this body part |What disadvantages does this body|

| |in battles? |have during battles? |part have during battles? |

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Appendix F: Debrief for Spore Hero, Lesson 2

Name: _________________________ Group Number: ____________________

Instructions: Answer the questions with complete sentences, and as clearly as possible.

1. What phenotypes (physical attributes) did your group find during the second day of gameplay that were really helpful in battling other creatures?

2. Draw a simple picture of your creature with what your group determined to be the best combination of attributes for battling other creatures.

3. Name a specific body part you used in Lesson 2. State why this body part is beneficial during battles, but not helpful or bad for completing tasks or navigating from Lesson 1.

4. State what phenotypes or attributes would be the best combination for an all-around creature, which would be good at completing tasks and surviving battles.

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