PuppyBot Rescue is a one player game that teaches your K-3rd grade students in two areas:
These objectives are drawn from the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education and Pennsylvania's Academic Standards. The game was created by a team of educational researchers and game designers at Carnegie Mellon University and Sesame Workshop.
Playing PuppyBot Rescue can be an easy and effective way for your students to learn important scientific concepts and have fun doing it. As little as 20 minutes of playing has been demonstrated to increase students understanding of balance and stability, one of the educational objectives in the National Research Council's Framework for Science Education as well as in many sets of science standards. How long your students play depends on the time available. Allowing enough time, even over several sessions, for your students to reach the game's higher levels will give them the opportunity to work with the widest range of principles and apply those principles in different situations.
PuppyBot Rescue is built on a research paper by Robert S. Siegler, "Three Aspects of Cognitive Development". The principles of balance in PuppyBot Rescue are compatible with the Motion and Stability Core Idea (PS 2) from the NRC Framework, specifically: PS2.A: Forces and motion (p. 114-116) PS2.C Stability and Instability in Physical Systems (p. 118-120)
Research and development for PuppyBot Rescue continues as more kids play the game. Playing PuppyBot Rescue in your classroom helps your students learn, and helps improve the game. Students playing at home contribute, too. Your students can participate in a real scientific study, explore science concepts, and develop skills all while having fun!
PuppyBot's Balancing Act is a 'sandbox' game where you can add blocks to a supported beam and guess what the outcome will be. A recommended use for this would be either before and/or after your students play the game.
Balancing Act can be an opportunity for teachers or parents to gently walk through problems of their choosing and provide more opportunities for reflection from students. It also offers the chance for children to set up problems for fellow classmates.
