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BrainMeld Teaching Guide: Rollercoaster Tycoon 2
A Guide for the More Adventurous Math Teacher!
Written by Alicia Young
Overview
Grade Level & Subject Area
Why Use Video Games in the Classroom
Objectives
Applicable CA Content Area Standards
Number Sense
Algebra and Functions
Measurement and Geometry
Mathematical Reasoning
Computer System Requirements
Lesson One
Objective
Activity
Materials
Preparation
Procedure:
Vocabulary and Concept Building (15 minutes)
Saving and Closing Program
Getting Started (10 minutes)
Building the Crazy Castle Theme Park (30 minutes)
Building the Ride
Gathering the Data (15 minutes)
Bonus Time Activity
Saving and Closing Program
Follow Up
Objective
Procedure
Extension Activities
Lesson Two
Objective
Activity
Materials:
Vocabulary and Concept Building:
Procedures
Bonus Time Activity
Saving and Closing Program
Follow Up
Objective
Procedure
Extending the Pattern
Extension
Additional Game Play:
Mathplayground.com:
Hands On Experiences:
Art/Drawing:
Teacher Resources
References
About The Author
Appendix
Information Sheet
Math Problem Solving
Answer Sheet
Overview
This guide incorporates the exciting area of video games with effective classroom experiences using a popular video game called “Roller Coaster Tycoon 2”.Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 is a widely popular simulation video game played on PC’s. In the game, players create a theme park in the style of Sims, then choose the location, the attractions, the vendors, and the décor as well as provide food, drink, restrooms and souvenir stands. In addition to setting up the park they must be responsible for running the park, including hiring maintenance, mechanics and entertainers and making decisions about marketing.
Your third grade students will enjoy using the game to learn and reinforce third grade math standards, specifically solving multiplication word problems and working with area and perimeter. The guide includes two comprehensive lessons as well as multiple extension activities.
Grade Level & Subject Area
Lesson one is specifically geared toward third grade students who are familiar with multiplication and are ready to apply their multiplication skills in a problem solving format. The second lesson is designed to reinforce lessons on perimeter and area. The lesson could also be used by 4th, 5th and 6th grade students to review and apply multiplication concepts as well as to give them review practice in finding area and perimeter.
Why Use Video Games in the Classroom
Why use video games in the classroom? Why do anything in the classroom? To help students learn! The primary goal of any classroom activity is to facilitate learning. Do you want your students to be excited about learning? Do you want to tap into their natural learning styles? Our students today are “digital natives”, they’ve been playing video games since they were small, and they are marvelous at it! A smart teacher finds the most powerful and effective way to teach the curriculum and this teacher’s guide will show one way to use this source of power to teach required, standards base content.
It is revolutionary, to be sure, but video games are fast becoming the new frontier to engage students in learning. Why? Because they’re engaging, motivating and fun! However, having fun isn’t the goal of the classroom, learning the required material is…every teacher knows that. Startling new research has shown, however, that a brain that is having fun is learning more efficiently.
Want to motivate your students? The answer is yes! Motivated students learn easier and retain more information. Current teachers, however, complain that they have trouble reaching their students, that they seem unmotivated. Marc Prensky, in his article “The Motivation of Gameplay or the Real 21st Century Learning Revolution “” (2002), states “Why is motivation such a big problem? All learning takes effort, and like crime, people rarely do it without motive”.
Are you ready to take your students on a learning packed adventure! Don’t worry, it’s all here for you!
Then let’s go!
Objectives
- Students will address the California Content standards to practice multiplication, problem solving, area and perimeter in an engaging fashion.
- Students will use Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 to create a simple amusement park and obtain data from the concession stands. They will then use those figures to solve multi step word problems using addition and multiplication.
- Students will use Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 to create polygons. They will then figure out both the area and the perimeter of these shapes.
Applicable CA Content Area Standards
Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 can be used to teach and practice several key California Content Area Standards. Teachers from other states can check with their own state’s requirements to find which standards or essential learning goals the lessons meet. The following standards are from the State of California’s website: California State Standards:
Number Sense
2.0 Students calculate and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division:
2.1 Find the sum or difference of two whole numbers between 0 and 10,000.
2.4 Solve simple problems involving multiplication of multi-digit numbers by one-digit numbers (3,671 x 3 = __).
2.7 Determine the unit cost when given the total cost and number of units.
2.8 Solve problems that require two or more of the skills mentioned above.
Algebra and Functions
2.0 Students represent simple functional relationships:
2.1 Solve simple problems involving a functional relationship between two quantities (e.g., find the total cost of multiple items given the cost per unit).
Measurement and Geometry
1.0 Students choose and use appropriate units and measurement tools to quantify the properties of objects:
1.2 Estimate or determine the area and volume of solid figures by covering them with squares or by counting the number of cubes that would fill them.
1.3 Find the perimeter of a polygon with integer sides.
Mathematical Reasoning
1.0 Students make decisions about how to approach problems:
1.1 Analyze problems by identifying relationships, distinguishing relevant from irrelevant information, sequencing and prioritizing information, and observing patterns.
1.2 Determine when and how to break a problem into simpler parts.
2.0 Students use strategies, skills, and concepts in finding solutions:
2.1 Use estimation to verify the reasonableness of calculated results.
2.2 Apply strategies and results from simpler problems to more complex problems.
2.3 Use a variety of methods, such as words, numbers, symbols, charts, graphs, tables, diagrams, and models, to explain mathematical reasoning.
2.4 Express the solution clearly and logically by using the appropriate mathematical notation and terms and clear language; support solutions with evidence in both verbal and symbolic work.
2.6 Make precise calculations and check the validity of the results from the context of the problem.
3.0 Students move beyond a particular problem by generalizing to other situations:
3.1 Evaluate the reasonableness of the solution in the context of the original situation.
3.2 Note the method of deriving the solution and demonstrate a conceptual understanding of the derivation by solving similar problems.
3.3 Develop generalizations of the results obtained and apply them in other circumstances.
Computer System Requirements
(From the Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 Website: )
- Operating System: Windows
- Hard Disk Space: 100 MB Free
- CD-ROM Drive
- Video: Windowscompatible video card
- Sound: Windows compatible sound card
Lesson One
Objective
To practice multiplication using information from the food and souvenir stands to solve mathematical word problems.
Activity
Materials
- Two pencils, one PC and copy of Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 for every 2 students.
- One PC, copy of Roller Coaster Tycoon and a LED projector and screenfor the instructor
Preparation
- Run Setup of Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 into each computer that you will be using. Note that this is a CD-Rom game - the students will need to have the actual CD-Rom with them when they play.
- Copy one information chart and one word problem sheet for each student. (These are found in the Appendix).
- Check to make sure the LED projector is working. Obtain any needed assistance so that you can operate it
Procedure:
Vocabulary and ConceptBuilding (15 minutes)
- Have the class sit on the floor close to you. Explain the following vocabulary word: Tycoon (noun). A wealthy and powerful businessperson.
- Explain to the class that they were going to be playing Roller Coaster Tycoon 2. As a class, they were going to pretend to be a wealthy (rich) businessperson and were going to build part of an amusement park.The purpose of building this little park was to get information about prices of things they were going to sell at the park and that they were going to be using those prices to solve some multiplication word problems.
- Explain that they will have a “business partner.” Partners will share a computer, take turns and help each other out. Pair up the class and have them sit at their computers. Label one partner “A” and one partner “B”.
Saving and Closing Program
If you are unable to complete the whole lesson in one class, have the students stop and save their work by: choosing the second icon on the upper left side (the one that looks like a floppy disc) and choosing save. They then type their partner and theirs name into the box with the words Crazy Castle. Example: Ted and Amy’s CrazyCastle. They then can choose the floppy disc icon again and choose the option to “close game”. Next they’ll actually be looking at the beginning screen and can simply walk through the door in the bottom right corner of the screen to exit!
Getting Started (10 minutes)
- Instruct the students to open their disc drive and place the CD in it and push the button to close it. Be very specific as to which partner is to do what. ‘Partner A pick up the disc and remove it from the case. Partner B pushes the button to open the drive” etc.
- The instructor will need to model each of the steps using a PC with a LED projector. The teacher will do each step with the students to guide them as they set up their park.
- They will see the beginning screen appear with three red and white towers. Instruct them to choose the tower to the left, the one with the light shining. As the music plays, instruct them to click anywhere on the screen to bypass the long intro. They will then be looking at a colorful picture of the front of the park. They are to click again the picture of the red and white tower with the light (the one to the left). This will bring up a list of parks to choose from to begin building.
Building the CrazyCastleTheme Park (30 minutes)
- The screen will show different parks that they can choose. There are tabs at the top of the screen, make sure they are on the tab to the left “Beginner Parks”. Have them double click on the park named “CrazyCastle”. After it loads, they will be looking at the beginning screen of an undeveloped theme park called “CrazyCastle”.
- Have them note in the bottom left corner that it shows the date and the weather. Tell them that time passes very quickly here.
- Have them notice in the lower left corner how much money the park is making and how many people are in it.
- Borrowing money
Explain that everything costs money to buy and build in the park. The goal of the park is to create a park that will make money by people coming and spending money on the rides and the concessions. Our goal in class is to create a small park and to use the data (numbers) from the concession stands to complete multiplication word problems. So we are going to borrow money to build our ride and our concession stands. Have them click on the 7th icon from the left on the icons (pictures) on the top left. It looks like a tower with a building crane next to it. This will bring up a separate window. They need to click on the tab to the far right, it looks like a science test tube, this is the research and development tab. They will see two coins on this window to the right in the middle of the right side. They need to click on the coins. This will open another separate window. This will bring up a separate box called “Research and Funding”. The first tab to the left is a gold coin, they need to click on that. On the bottom of the box is a loan tab. Have the students click up on the arrow to increase the loan amount to $35,000, which is the maximum they can borrow. This will ensure that their park will not close down while they are working on it for lack of funding.
Building the Ride
Instruct the students to close both of the boxes by clicking on their x’s. Show them how to navigate around the park by moving the cursor. It is basically the walls of a castle with an open area in the middle with some existing footpaths already built. If they click on the red arrow tab on the upper left side, they can turn their view around and see the other sides of things or look in another direction. Give each partner 1 or 2 minutes to practice navigating around the park.
They are going to choose a location to build their ride. Any open area will do. Instruct the students to click on the 7th icon from the left on the icons (pictures) on the top left. It looks like a tower with a building crane next to it. This will bring up a separate window. They are going to choose the fourth face from the left, this will give them a choice of thrill rides. They are going to install one called “Twist”, this is the first picture to the left. They simply click on it and then click on the area of the theme park that they would like it to be built. It is important that they put it flat on the ground, they will be able to tell as they move it around, if it shows no supports under it , it is flat on the ground.
Once they drop the ride into place, they will see a small white ghost building, this is the entrance and must be placed next to the ride, but not blocking a path. Once they drop that into place, they’ll see a second white ghost building, this is the exit and must also be dropped next to the ride.
- Connecting the ride to the path:
The ride will not work unless it has a footpath connecting the entrance to an existing path and a footpath connecting the exit to an existing path.
Direct the students to click on the fourth icon on the upper right screen, it looks like part of a footpath or sidewalk. This will bring up a separate window, there are two choices for them pick. Direct them to pick one of the two footpaths available and to lay it down by left clicking it, square by square to connect the entrance to the path. They will do the same thing with to connect the exit to the existing footpath.
If they make a mistake, they can right click the footpath in reverse order (last part built) to unbuild it. If they’ve accidentally destroyed part of an existing footpath, they can replace it with the black footpath choice.
Direct them to close the footpath window.
- Opening the ride
The ride will not open until you change its pennant (flag) from red to green. They do this by placing their pointer over the ride and clicking once. A window about the ride will open up, they click on the flag to the right and drag down a bit until it says open and changes color from red to green. If it does not open, it’s likely that the footpaths are not connected completely. Use the green arrow button on the top of the screen to turn the picture around to check. If they have built the ride on supports and not flat ground, it is very tricky to connect footpaths, have them demolish the ride by clicking on the ride and clicking on the trashcan icon. They can then build the ride again on flat ground. For fun, they can turn music on at the ride by clicking on the ride and choosing that option from the window.