Standards Correlations

 R.1, R.3, R.4, R.7, R.8, W.1, SL.1, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will compare and contrast information from two texts about the evolution of gaming.

Key Skills

compare and contrast, text features, vocabulary, mood, cause and effect, evaluating a claim, critical thinking, argument writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The first text relates the history of video games. The second describes how people play video games today and what the future might hold.

 

Structure: The texts are informational. Both are mainly chronological.

 

Language: The language is conversational.

 

Knowledge Demands: No prior knowledge needed. 

Levels

Lexile: 600L-700L 

Guided Reading Level: R 

DRA Level: 40

Lesson Plan: The History of Video Games/New Ways to Play

Essential Questions

  • How is virtual entertainment different from real-life entertainment?
  • Why do we like playing games? What makes a game fun?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: Arcade and the Triple T Token (The Coin Slot Chronicles) by Rashad Jennings
  • Nonfiction: Gamer Girls: 25 Women Who Built the Video Game Industry by Mary Kenney

Essential Questions

  • How is virtual entertainment different from real-life entertainment?
  • Why do we like playing games? What makes a game fun?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: Arcade and the Triple T Token (The Coin Slot Chronicles) by Rashad Jennings
  • Nonfiction: Gamer Girls: 25 Women Who Built the Video Game Industry by Mary Kenney

1. Preparing to Read 

Activate Prior Knowledge (5 minutes)

Ask students what the first digital game they played was. It might be a video game played on a console or a game on a smartphone, like Candy Crush. What made that game fun? How does it compare with games they play today? Explain that in today’s lesson, they’ll read about how games like these have changed over time.

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Guide students to locate the articles. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the title of the first article, “The History of Video Games,” and its subtitle (the text below the title). Ask students if they have ever been in an arcade. If they have, ask them to share their experiences. If they haven’t, ask if the idea is appealing to them and have them discuss why or why not. Answers will vary.
  • Read the title and subtitle of the second article. Then direct students’ attention to the informational bubble that states: “Nearly 70 percent of Americans now play video games!” Ask students what their reaction to this statistic is. Among their friends, is it more or less than 70 percent who play video games? Answers will vary.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary boxes. Read the terms (recession, console, opponents, social, virtual) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan: 

  • Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the articles discuss how video games have changed over time and what trends we see in gaming today..
  • Tell students that after they read, they’ll compare and contrast information from the articles to better understand the past, present, and future of video games.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Guide students to read the articles. Once they understand them well, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (20 minutes)

  • Reread the first paragraph of the first article. What mood does author Kristin Lewis create with her description of a 1980s arcade? (mood) By describing a dark room with glowing lights and strange noises, Lewis creates a tense, uncertain mood. 
  • Why did it seem as though video games were “doomed” by 1985? (cause and effect) Video games weren’t as popular as they once were. People had grown tired of playing the same games over and over, and the new games that were coming out were not fun or were too difficult. Also, America was going through a recession at the time, so people didn’t have as much money to spend on extras like video games.
  • According to the second article, the world of video games is now more social than ever. If you wanted to argue against this idea, what information from the first article might you use to make your point? (evaluating a claim) The first article states that in the early 1980s, most gamers went to an arcade to play with friends. Although we can now socialize online with many people in many locations, it might be argued that spending time with people in the same room is in fact more social than connecting with people online.

Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)

  • How does the information in the sidebars help you understand the two articles? (text features) The sidebars provide information about changes that took place in the world of gaming from the 1970s to today. These details support a key idea of the articles: As technology has changed over time, so have video games and how we play them.
  • Based on the second article, you should cut back on gaming if it’s causing you to miss meals or cancel plans. What are some other possible signs that you’re spending too much time gaming? (critical thinking) Signs that you’re spending too much time gaming might include losing sleep or failing to complete homework because of gaming, and allowing video games to distract you from in-person experiences like family gatherings.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Have students work in pairs or small groups to complete our Compare and Contrast activity.  (Click here to view all of your Skill Builders.)
  • Writing Prompt: Imagine that a genie appears and gives you a choice: You can bring back arcades, and they’ll be as popular as they once were in the 1980s. But the types of video games that allow you to play with friends around the world will disappear. You’ll no longer be able to connect with others online to play games. Would you do it? Why or why not? Write a paragraph to explain your choice.

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Debate the pros and cons of gaming.

Learn more about how gaming affects people.

The second article mentions some benefits of gaming and some problems that might arise from too much gaming. Learn more about how gaming affects people, and then choose a partner and discuss whether the popularity of gaming is good or bad for people overall:

  • First, read “Is Gaming Good for You?” from the April 2021 issue of Action.
  • Next, choose a partner and decide which side of the issue each of you will argue: Is gaming good for people in general, or is it more likely to do harm? (You don’t have to choose the side you agree with most; you can choose whichever side you think would be interesting to argue!)
  • Once you’ve chosen the side you plan to argue, look for details and information in all three articles that support it. Write down as many supportive details as you can.
  • When you’re ready, debate the issue: Taking turns and speaking respectfully, you and your partner should try to convince each other that your side is the right one. 

(Teachers: For students who want to read more about video games, you’ll find a rich selection of texts on the subject at Action Digital. Just go to the Action homepage and search “video games.”)

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Use a video as an anticipation guide.

Before reading the articles, view our fun video “Video Games: Then and Now.” The video provides some of the same information contained in the texts, with many colorful images to help students understand. After viewing the video, ask students the following questions: 

  • Does the tennis game Pong look like fun to you? Why or why not?
  • Why do you think Minecraft became so popular?
  • Which of the games mentioned in the video have you played?
  • What makes a video game fun?

Discuss students’ answers, and then tell students that the articles they’re about to read will give them more information about the past, present, and future of gaming.

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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