PROJECT DESCRIPTION
INSTRUCTORS
SCHOOL SITE
LEVEL
SUBJECTS
ELECTRICITY USAGE
LESS THAN FIVE MATERIALS
TEACHERS NEEDED
BOOK CHAPTER
What is the genius of a cardboard box? How much can we do with it?
Jeremy Manger and Jeff Feitelberg had seen a video about a 9-year-old boy who built a cardboard arcade in his father’s auto parts shop in East L.A, which went viral on social media in 2012. They wanted to jumpstart the new school year by engaging students in a fun, hands-on project that included creative play and engineering design principles. Students explored the simplicity and limitless uses of a cardboard box and then built arcade games out of cardboard and other recycled materials.
The process was the most significant part of this project; its most important goal was to introduce students to project-based learning and the importance of collaboration. The project was designed to teach some of the elements of project-based learning in an authentic and explicit manner: collaboration, critique, drafting, reflection, and exhibition.
Want to see the whole project? Click the button to download the pages from the book that discuss this project!
Want to see the whole project? Click the button to download the pages from the book that discuss this project!
Jeff and Jeremy launched the project by watching “Caine’s Arcade” and visiting a real life arcade. The short film by Nirvan Mullick beautifully portrayed the imagination of a nine-year-old and the power of bringing a community together to play games and have fun.Then, third graders were inspired to create a cardboard arcade of their own.
The classes set out to plan an arcade that they would invite the whole community to on exhibition night. The group started by brainstorming possible games that could be built from cardboard boxes; then they broke into smaller groups or pairs. Game design went through several steps: group brainstorming; designing on paper; receiving feedback and making design revisions; creating a first draft three-dimensional game; receiving further feedback and making revisions; constructing the final game.
A local Chuck-E-Cheese game engineer met with each student and offered critique on their prototype, playing the game, asking questions and even donating ping pong balls and other game accessories. During the process of design and building, younger and older students were also invited to try out the games and give feedback.
Students and teachers co-created a game rubric to help groups stay on track with what they still needed to improve and to serve as a product assessment tool.
As they were working on designing their games, the class was also reading This is Not a Box and Rosie Revere, Engineer, two picture books that captured the imaginative genius of children. Students were encouraged to bring their own stories into the classroom to build community. Writing instruction focused on personal narrative, and specifically sharing stories about play with friends and family. Many discussions focused on the nature of games, and why kids love them, and how or if they help people make friends.
Jeff and Jeremy launched the project by watching “Caine’s Arcade” and visiting a real life arcade. The short film by Nirvan Mullick captured the imagination of a nine-year-old beautifully and the power of bringing a community together to play games and have fun, and inspired third graders to create a cardboard arcade of their own.
The classes set out to plan an arcade that they would invite the whole community to on exhibition night. The group started by brainstorming possible games that could be built from cardboard boxes; then they broke into smaller groups or pairs. Game design went through several steps: group brainstorming; designing on paper; receiving feedback and making design revisions; creating a first draft three dimensional game; receiving further feedback and making revisions; constructing the final game.
A local Chuck-E-Cheese game engineer met with each student and offered critique on their prototype, playing the game, asking questions and even donating ping pong balls and other game accessories. During the process of design and building, younger and older students were also invited to try out the games and give feedback.
Students and teachers co-created a game rubric to help groups stay on track with what they still needed to improve and to serve as a product assessment tool.
As they were working on designing their games, the class was also reading This is Not a Box and Rosie Revere, Engineer, two picture books that captured the imaginative genius of children. Since this was a beginning of the year project, students were encouraged to bring their own stories into the classroom to build community. Writing instruction focused on personal narrative, specifically sharing stories about play with friends and family. Many discussions focused on the nature of games, and why kids love them, and how or if they help people make friends.
The third grade took over the school’s large community space and transformed it into an arcade. Parents and family members played the games and explored the design process that students went through to build them. According to the teachers, displaying the process was important, because while the games provoked curiosity and fun, “it was the design thinking process and joy of building that brought the community together.” The next day, the whole school got to explore the arcade, play the games, and offer their feedback.
