Process
Your task is to work in groups of 4 to research the characteristics of 12 different genres and familiar book examples of each. You will use this information to create a computer game for the class to play.
Decide in your cooperative groups who will take on each of these tasks. After you have determined who will take on each role, meet with others in the class who share your same role. Together you will complete your research.
Researcher 1: You will find the characteristics and examples of nonfiction, science fiction, folk tale and myth. Use this researcher worksheet to record your findings. You can use these links, a dictionary or other resources to complete your research.
Researcher 2: You will find the characteristics and examples of mystery, biography, fairy tale and legend. Use the researcher worksheet to record your findings. You can use these links, a dictionary or other resources to complete your research.
Researcher 3: You will find the characteristics and examples of fantasy, historical fiction, realistic fiction, and fable. Use the researcher worksheet to record your findings. You can use these links, a dictionary or other resources to complete your research.
Game Master: You will investigate and evaluate the following computer games your group can use to create the final genre game: Hoops, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Raceway, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Stop the Giant Pink Eraser, Once Upon a Time or Hollywood Squares. Use this game worksheet to record your evaluation of the games. It is your job to make the final game decision for your group based on how understandable the rules are, how easy it will be to create, how much fun it is to play and how much information about genres you will be able to include.
Internet Resources:
Booklists:
Booklists for Children Lists of books by genre
Recommended Books List of novels: fantasy, realistic, historical fiction, nonfiction
Book Wizard Scholastic Books, enter a book title, click on the book in the next frame and see the genre of that book
Genre Booklist Find your genre on this list and click to see titles of books
Genre Characteristics:
Genre Study Characteristics of mysteries, realistic fiction, science fiction and fantasy
Genre Characteristics Characteristics of fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, realistic fiction, and science fiction
Genre in Children's Literature Characteristics of myth, legend, fable, fantasy, historical fiction, and realistic fiction
Genre List Characteristics of these genres with links to examples: science fiction, mystery, folk tale, nonfiction, myth, biography, fairy tale, fantasy, historical fiction, and realistic fiction
Mystery, Fable and Biography Characteristics
Common Elements of Fairy Tales
Games:
PowerPoint Games You can use Hoops, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, or Raceway. Open in PowerPoint and change the wording to your own questions.
Language Arts PowerPoint Games You can use Stop the Giant Pink Eraser or Once Upon a Time
More PowerPoint Games You can choose Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, or Hollywood Squares.
Researchers 1, 2, 3: Once you have completed your research with others who share your role, return to your game group. There you will discuss your findings with the other researchers and compile a list of at least 30 questions (and their answers) which vary in difficuly and represent all genres. You will be required to turn in your worksheets along with this list of questions when your game is complete.
Once the researchers have their list of questions prepared, it's time to get together as a group to learn about the game you will help create. The Game Master will explain how many questions the game requires and how it is played. Work as a group to add the questions and answers to your game.
Save your game and put it in Mrs. Baxter's public folder in the assignment drop box. The class will take turns playing these games to help release Richard from captivity in the library.