I ran across Classcraft by accident two years ago. I signed up and thought that I would use it and test it out, but I still held the ultimate decision of whether I would utilize it fully.  

Last year, I had a small group of students who were addicted to role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons, and I decided to use Classcraft to see if it would appeal to this group of students. The result: They loved it! Not only did those students love the quests, I had other students who loved the idea of training pets and dressing their characters up.

I realized then that I was on to something, but how could I convince colleagues that it was useful for education?

The Classcraft Breakdown

Classcraft has a lot to offer. Students create characters and work in Teams. Classcraft offers teachers a way to create a classroom management plan within the program. You can create consequences and rewards for select behaviors. Plus, you can have students go on Quests and have Boss Battles.

Among these, Classcraft also offers several other tools that are great for teachers, such as a Timer, a Volume Meter, a Stopwatch, and a Random Name Generator. I use these tools in my class often. Gone are the days of picking popsicle sticks or drawing from a deck of cards. I can click on a button, and the program randomly chooses a student or a team. I can then reward students for their answer to a question. As an ELA teacher, having students read aloud in class is no longer a struggle because students like getting a reward of XP (Experience Points that they need to level up to the next level).

Quick and Easy Formative Assessments

Classcraft makes it easy to give fun formative assessments. Boss Battles serve as both reviews and formative assessments for me in class. For a Boss Battle, students must answer a certain number of questions correctly to defeat a “Boss.” You can choose to have the questions as multiple choice or short answer. For each correct answer, students deliver a striking blow to the Boss. If students get an answer wrong, they receive damage in the battle. If students fail to win a Battle, then I know where or what we need to work on.

I have used Boss Battles for vocabulary and reading comprehension. The students love the idea of battling each other or battling the Boss, and they do not feel as though they are learning or being assessed. The only thing that concerns the students are that they are receiving XP to level up, and Gold to purchase new gear.

It’s all about the gear

 The students love to show off their gear! They can edit their character on their end, and when class time comes, they want you to show off their character! When you pull a student up on the screen, it pulls up their fully decked out character. The students are proud of their characters. Plus, when I create the storyline for the quests, I try to include things about the Warriors, Mages, and Healers so that the students feel like they are truly participating with their teammates.

Teams are important, too!

Teams in Classcraft are important for keeping community and management. I provide opportunities for them to work in the Teams, and I usually group these myself. I try to make sure that each group has a variety, and I keep them small. For example, in one class I had enough students to have 6 groups of 3 which allows for me to do Jigsaw Reading activities. Plus, the smaller groups allow for a quieter work environment.

One more thing about Teams: Each Team is responsible for each other. Teams share in rewards and consequences. If someone falls in battle (they run out of Health Points (HP), all Team members sustain damage. Mages can protect someone from falling in battle or taking too much damage; however, they can only do so much; therefore, the Team must hold each other accountable for their actions. When you have a class that is fully committed to the game, this is easy, but if you have a class that is not fully committed and invested in the game, you run the risk of Team members not wanting to hold each other accountable. Out of the 4 classes that I teach, I only have one that does not care, so I have to step up the rewards. I’ll let you know how that goes later.

Trying Classcraft for your classroom

Classcraft offers a free version that you can test out, but to get the full experience, you will need to get the premium version which is $12/month. This allows students to upgrade their characters and gives you access to extra tools, such as Quests, Boss Battles, and the noise monitor.

**Disclosure: If you decide to click on the link in this article, note that I will get a free month for you trying it out.

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