Better late than never! A few years back I discovered how to incorporate a choice array into Animated Step-by-Steps® that lent themselves to this treatment.
In Helping Mister Potato Head, for example, students are invited to help Mister Potato Head choose the correct body part from a field of three body parts.
Similarly, My Little Wagon encourages students to choose a specific toy (e.g., big red ball) from field of 5 toys. The requested toy is then placed in a little red wagon.
I've recently added another resource to this roster of 'choice-driven' interactive resources.
Cars in a Row is an Animated Step-by-Step patterning game. Given the instructions, "Don't mess with my cars!", Little Sister can't resist re-arranging the original pattern of Big Brother's car display … not once but several times. With each new pattern, students are invited to guess the color car to be added next (chosen from a field of 3 colored cars). Incorrect guesses receive a mildly negative 'huh ugh'; a correct choice drops the correct colored car into place in the 'pattern line'.
You would think this 'choice-driven' component of the game would be simple, but it's actually quite complex to build in a choice array that provides correct feedback … while still providing an affirming consequence, i.e., the correct colored car falling into place.
Here's the secret:
Choice Rectangle/Platform:
The three car choices are placed on a rectangle that has been assigned the action, play sound - silence, i.e., a sound that's really not a sound … it's just recorded silence). To assign the action, Play Sound – Silence, right click on the rectangle graphic … select Action Settings … click the Play Sound box on the bottom of the list … select the sound silence (that you have created and imported). Now when a child touches the rectangle, nothing happens. The animation sequence does not move forward. The rectangle serves as a safe zone.
Incorrect Choice Foils:
The foils (the wrong answers) for the question, "What color car is next?" are assigned a 'mildly negative, huhugh' response using the Play sound action. To achieve this goal, right click on the car graphic … select Action Settings … click the Play Sound box on the bottom of the list …select Other Sound … select the sound 'huh ugh' (or whatever you want to use to denote wrong answer). Assign the sound 'huh ugh' to both foils.
Correct Answer:
The correct answer triggers an animation that drops the correct colored car into the pattern line. The graphic for the 'correct car' should have no assigned sound or action. As a result, it will trigger the next animations in the animation sequence, i.e., changing the grey car into the correct colored car and dropping that car into the pattern line.
Now I must resist the urge to go back and retrofit resources created before the 'aha!' moment.
…’til the next post … (new posts every Monday)
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Email me canadiangoosse@gmail.com
©2019 Carol Goossens’, Ph.D.
Augmentative Communication Consultant
Speech-Language Pathologist
Special Educator
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