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Gold Rush Games [Flash]
Gold Rush promotes competencies that support Information Fluency. By playing the game-like activities, students are encouraged to...
...think of important concepts and keywords before they search;
...expect answers to be found in snippets and texts;
...scan effectively--reading lightly for keyword recognition and if keywords are found, reading for meaning;
...locate information successfully, informed by immediate feedback;
...make finding information personally rewarding;
...become aware of limits and view them as opportunities for growth.
...become more skilled at focused reading in the presence of distractions.
Gold Rush activities may be used as games, tutorials and assessments. The untimed versions should be introduced first to give readers a space for practicing scanning that is not complicated by pressures of time and visual distractions. Timed versions limit the length of time available to read and incorporate distractions--scanning is required.
The timing and points, together with challenges that range above skill level give the timed versions the feeling of a game. However, these games are not likely to be played for their own sake (like arcade games). The immediate feedback that each game offers is its main tutorial component. Learning occurs by making choices and seeing if those choices are correct or not. If incorrect, information is provided to improve choices made next time. In this way, these tutorial games also provide formative assessment that the student and teacher can use to shape the teaching and learning of digital information skills.
Recommendations for using Gold Rush
For students: In Gold Rush, the goal is to mine as many ounces of gold as possible by scanning snippets or web pages efficiently. There is no minimum goal. In the untimed versions, 1 ounce is earned for each correct answer and bonus ounces are awarded for reading above grade level. In the timed version, 1 ounce is earned for each correct answer and multiplied by how little time was taken to scan the passage and by its grade level. What matters most is improving each time, not comparing results with other players, although that may be inevitable.
Students select a grade level on the first page. The readings are graded using the Flesch-Kincaid reading level scale. Each student is shown the same passages to read, which start at grade 5 to 7 and work up to grade 12. A feedback page at the end reports the amount of gold earned, the highest grade level scanned successfully and an estimate of scanning speed. Each number could be used as a subsequent goal to beat. The online edition of the game does not save scores.
California Gold Rush uses 7 sets of 4 snippets for the scanning exercise, Klodike Gold Rush uses 7 sets of 4 paragraph excerpts from Web pages.
There are two different sets of readings in each series. For unlimited time to scan, students should choose the untimed versions. However, much more gold may be earned using the timed versions. Two different sets of passages, for example Klondike I and Klondike II, allow for extended practice.
To get used to scanning in the presence of distractions, the timed versions incorporate a moving sun that represents one day of mining information. When the sun comes up, the passages are visible; when the sun goes down, the passages disappear. The challenge is to focus on the text rather than the sun as it traces across the sky.
For teachers: In addition to the instructions above, the games may be used in the following ways:
Demonstrate to students as a group how the game works and what the goal is.
Display a sample reading and indicate how to scan a page, first using an untimed example, then an example from the timed version. Before scanning, have in mind important keywords and synonyms that are likely to be associated with a snippet or page that answers the search question. Talk about reading lightly, looking for matching or similar words in the text. Don't read for much meaning at this point. Once a match is found, read the sentence or phrase to determine if the usage has the meaning you are looking for. Finding answers in text is different than predicting answers in snippets, as the following exercise discusses.
Note how it may be easier to scan a passage when it is highlighted. In the game, simply mouse over a snippet or paragraph to highlight it. On a web page, click and drag the mouse to produce a similar effect.
Demonstrate the difference between scanning snippets and Web text. Snippets often don't have complete sentences and many times the keywords appear out of context, drawn from different parts of the same page. Many times only a few other words give an indication what the keyword means in context. The level of meaningfulness may be quite low. Web texts provide a bigger context and often tell a story which makes finding keywords easier. Compare Day 1 California with Day 1 Klondike. Here, it's easier to scan the Web text for meaning because there is a progression to the story. Paragraph 1 introduces the Klondike Gold Rush, paragraph 2 describes who first found the gold, paragraphs 3 and 4 talk about adventurers who came to Alaska because gold was discovered. You can predict that looking for the names of the first miners comes early in the story. In terms of snippets, there is no similar order, which makes the snippet harder to scan from context. But snippets may be easier to read than paragraphs because they have fewer words.
The readings, because they are graded, could also be used to estimate or encourage greater comprehension. This might be useful to identify individuals who may be reading below grade level. Prepare a series of questions based on appropriate grade level passages and have a student answer these after reading each passage. Use the untimed versions if more time is needed. If you suspect a reading problem, consult with a reading specialist.
Have students practice untimed reading followed by timed reading. For example, read Klondike I (untimed) and debrief the experience. What was the experience like? How well did they do? Next read the timed version of Klondike II and debrief. How was this experience different? Were they as successful? What could they do to be more successful under timed conditions? What is the difference between reading fast and scanning?
In the present edition, scores are not saved. If you want students to keep track of scores and progress from game to game, they will have to write down their scores.