OCEANA A Virtual Democracy

Teacher Guide Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

The Center on Congress at Indiana University Lee H. Hamilton, Director 1315 E. Tenth Street, Suite 320 Bloomington, IN 47405‐1701 Phone: 812‐856‐4706 Email: [email protected] www.centeroncongress.org

Oceana: A Virtual Democracy was partially funded by a grant from the Department of Education, by act of Congress. However, the content does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Copyright © 2012 The Trustees of Indiana University

Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

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OCEANA: A Virtual Democracy Representative government does not perpetuate

Grades 6-8

itself. Each new generation of citizens must be taught the core civic skills needed to sustain it.

Oceana is an online role-playing game designed to allow students the opportunity to engage in representative government and see how their choices affect the world in ways that are usually impossible in real life.

Vocabulary 

Advocate

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Bias

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Civic participation



Citizenship



Consensus



Credibility



Persuasiveness



Policymakers



Representative government

It helps middle-school students develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to become informed and civically engaged in a society of diverse individuals and opinions. In the process, students will get practical experience in analyzing what they read and hear to understand the factors that affect a person’s credibility, bias, and persuasiveness.

Learning Objectives Students will:  Determine the importance of citizen involvement in a

representative government.  Explore methods for becoming informed and involved in public

issues and institutions.  Evaluate the bias, credibility, and persuasiveness of sources.  Build consensus with peers through collaboration and

compromise to determine the best solution to a community problem. Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

Table of Contents Overview & Cast of Characters

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7-Step Model for Civic Participation

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Tips for supporting the game

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Day-by-Day Lesson Guides Optional lesson plans Student Handouts & Overheads

7-15 16-19 20-31

National standards

32-34

Online support tools

35-40

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Overview of the Game Oceana is a fictional world governed by a representative assembly known as the Alliance. Your role in the game is a cadet in the Oceana Alliance Academy. Your first assignment is to investigate acts of vandalism that have been plaguing the city of Halcina.

B i a s : Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

Credibility: The quality of being convincing or believable.

Persuasiveness:

The power to induce the taking of a course of action or the embracing of a point of view by means of argument.

Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

In order to complete this assignment successfully, you will have to interview citizens around town to learn how they feel about the problem and what they consider to be the best solution. Citizens are divided about what that solution might be. Some think you should increase the police force, others will want you to install security cameras around town to monitor activity, and later you’ll find a small group who has a completely different idea about what will stop the vandalism. How can you decide what’s best? The first thing to do is decide which witnesses you can trust. Enter Oceana and get started!

Cast of Characters Colonel Amzen Players’ supervisor, who monitors their progress Jasimi

Players’ injured partner, recuperating in hospital

Officer Vaz

Experienced police officer

Donis

Advocate for Oceana government

Maqi

Owner of Wave Riders

Luchol

Retired captain of the Alliance

Mojani

Police officer, new on the job

Geven

Owner of Geven’s Gadgets

Aeshie

Young girl

Orsani

Hospital nurse

Janil

Jasimi’s mother

Sirene

Eccentric woman in park

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The 7-Step Model for Civic Participation The goal of Oceana is to teach American youth how to become good citizens. The following model of civic engagement serves as an outline of the steps people might follow when faced with a civic problem that requires action by such good citizens.

“We must always be mindful that the survival of our democracy is never guaranteed; its success demands wisdom and action from American citizens.” Lee H. Hamilton

Step 1: Identify the Problem

IN THE ONLINE GAME: Through interactions with game characters,

Step 2: Get Informed

They learn that there are three possible solutions to the problem: more peace officers, security cameras, or a patrolled curfew.

Step 3: Explore Possible Solutions

Students interview many citizens, discovering what solution each advocates and identifying the bias, credibility, or persuasiveness of each witness.

Step 4: Choose Best Solution

Analyzing the evidence gathered, players make a recommendation to the Alliance on which solution they feel is best. In a report they submit online students defend their choice with statements from credible witnesses.

Step 5: Advocate & Accommodate

IN THE CLASSROOM: Students are grouped according to the solution they advocated in the game. What follows is a classroom activity that teaches them to advocate for their own ideas while accommodating other points of view.

Step 6: Build Consensus

Groups use persuasion and compromise to bring others to join their side.

Step 7: Persuade Policymakers

When a group has convinced 67 percent of the class to join them, they have garnered enough support to sway the Alliance to their solution.

Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

players learn that the city of Halcina on Oceana is plagued by acts of vandalism that are both costly and frightening to citizens.

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General Tips & Guidelines The online game portion of the Oceana curriculum is designed for students to complete at their own pace. Because of this you will find some students completing the activities well ahead of others. By walking around the computer lab you can easily monitor student progress, encouraging students who seem to be lagging behind and asking pointed questions of those who are leaping ahead. In addition, it’s best to stop online work about 20 minutes before the class period ends for a daily debrief. Group discussions like these often serve as motivation for students who run through the online activities too quickly and have missed subtleties that they can return to see again another day.

Look for this Symbol This circle, found throughout the day-to-day lesson guides, signals an optional classroom activity that can be used to supplement and enhance the online game experience.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.”

Margaret Mead

Tailoring Instruction for Special Needs When learning tasks are consistently too hard, students become anxious and frustrated. When tasks are consistently too easy, boredom results. Both boredom and anxiety inhibit a student's motivation to learn. Following are some general strategies for ensuring that all of your students are working to their best potential.

Look for this pencil for additional suggestions on tailoring instruction.

Oceana: A Virtual Democracy



Adjusted Discussion Questions. During large group discussion activities, direct higher level questions to the students who can handle them and adjust questions accordingly for student with greater needs. All students should answer important questions that require them to think, but the questions are targeted toward each student’s ability or readiness level.

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Peer Tutoring. Occasionally a student may have personal needs requiring one-on-one instruction that goes beyond the needs of his or her peers. After receiving this extra instruction the student could be designated as the "resident expert" for that concept or skill and can get valuable practice by being given the opportunity to re-teach the concept to others. In these circumstances both students benefit.

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Day-by-Day Lesson Guides Day One: Pre-Game Activity Assemble Student Field Books Introduce the Oceana game for your students by reading aloud the overview on page 4. Explain that, in their role as Alliance Cadet Investigators, students will be required to submit a written report of their findings and recommendations. To help them keep track of the evidence for their final report, they will be given a “field book.” Lead a brief discussion about the types of journals students have owned, used, or seen others use in real life, movies, or television. Prompt students to think about the notebooks used by reporters or detectives in movies and TV shows they’ve seen. Distribute the Oceana Alliance Field Book worksheets (see Appendix page 31 for instructions on duplicating) and have students assemble their notebooks in the following manner: 

Make sure the pages are in the correct order by checking that the right-hand sides contain the odd-numbered pages from 1 –11, with the cover on the top of the stack, page 3 beneath it, and so on.

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Fold the stacks in half along the short sides so that the cover is on top and the rest of the pages fall in the correct order.

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Staple the booklets and have students add their names.

Make sure students use their Oceana Alliance Field Books to make notes every day while they explore the game!

Optional Classroom Activity Bias, Credibility, Persuasiveness The first pages of the field book will introduce your students to these terms before beginning the online activity. See page 17 for the full lesson plan.

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Day-by-Day Lesson Guides

Day Two

Introduce the online game Project the map of Halcina (found on page 23 of this guide) and have students follow along on page 5 of their Field Books as you read the “Memo from High Command.” Remind students that they will be playing a role-playing game in which their actions will affect the lives of all the people living in the city of Halcina. Have them turn to pages 6–7 of their Oceana Alliance Field Books and look at the concept web that has been started there. Explain that students will be gathering evidence, opinions, and data as they explore this game, and the concept web is designed to help them organize the information they gather. They can see that the web is about the vandalism problem, with spokes leading to possible solutions they will explore in the game. Students will add branches to the web as they proceed throughout the game. Help students log in to Oceana and remind them to take notes in their Oceana Alliance Field Books as they progress through the game. Monitor students’ progress as they explore the narrative.

Daily Debriefing Questions

Make sure students use pages 6–11 in their Oceana Alliance Field Books to take notes as they play the game!

About 20 minutes before end of class, bring students together for a debriefing session. Encourage them to take notes during these debriefings in their Oceana Alliance Field Books. Tailor these prompts for your classroom’s needs. 

What is your role in the Oceana game? What task do you have to fulfill?

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What happened to your partner, Jasimi? How does her injury affect your job?

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Name one character other than Jasimi you met in the game today. What did you learn from this character?

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Name one character you met who was biased. How could you tell? Does that bias affect the character’s persuasiveness? Explain.

Concept Webbing

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Some students need help understanding how concept webs can help them organize evidence and make decisions. See page 18.

Name one character you met who was credible. How could you tell? Does that credibility affect the character’s persuasiveness? Explain.



Have you learned enough to make a decision about what the Alliance should do? If not, what more information do you need to make your investigation complete?

Optional Classroom Activity

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Day-by-Day Lesson Guides Days Three, Four, etc... Completing the online game Working independently at an online game like Oceana means that students work at their own pace. Some will move through the game quickly, while others will take a more deliberate approach. Reading speeds and innate ability to navigate a 3D space also play roles in the time it will take to complete Oceana. As students get closer to the end of the online game, you might want to have them stop before writing the final report to the Alliance. Some suggestions for independent work are provided on this page for you to offer faster students while their classmates catch up.

Optional

When most of the class is ready to write the report, you can use the online game wrap-up prompts on this page to get students ready to write their reports.

Independent Activity Halcina PSAs Students waiting for their classmates to finish the online game might work alone or in small groups to create public service announcements for Halcina. See page 19.

Online Game Wrap-up When most of your students have completed their investigations in Oceana, you might want to lead a discussion before they write their reports. Ask students to turn to pages 12–13 of their Oceana Alliance Field Books during this discussion. NOTE: See page 25 for extra method cards . 

The Alliance expects you to choose one of three methods to try to stop the vandalism in Halcina. You don’t have to share your choice with the class, but mark it on your Field Book.

 

The Center on Congress

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Which citizens in the city did you find the most credible? Why?

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What evidence made the biggest impression on you? Why?

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Did you ever change your mind during the game about what you thought would be the best method? Tell us about it.

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Think about why you DON’T support the other two methods. Jot down at least one reason why you are against each of the other methods.

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Facts of Congress (60-second cartoon clips) centeroncongress.org/ facts-0

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Did Jasimi’s actions affect your decision at all? In what way?

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Democracy Kids (interactive games and articles) http:// www.democracykids.org/

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Lunch Break with Dr. Broccoli (Cartoon talk show) centeroncongress.org/dr-broccoli-0  

NOTE: A grading rubric for assessing the final online report is provided for your convenience on page 24 of the Appendix.

Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

Website Look for more ideas to keep students busy while they’re waiting for their classmates to finish Oceana at the Website of the Center on Congress. The Center offers many resources for both teachers and students.

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Whole-Class Activity

Day after online game ends

Persuade the Policymakers By completing the online Oceana game and submitting their final report, your students have explored the first four steps of the Model for Civic Participation. In order to complete their understanding of this process that is so vital to a representative democracy, however, students must leave the computer and work together to address the final three steps:

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Advocate & Accommodate

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Build Consensus



Persuade Policymakers

The following pages outline a classroom activity that will immerse your students in the democratic process.

Activity Overview Your students made a commitment to one method for deterring vandalism in their final online report to the Alliance. Using these choices, three groups are created in the class: those who chose peace officers, those who chose security cameras, and those who chose to support a curfew. Within those three groups, members will next collaborate on persuasive techniques that will encourage more classmates to join their group. Teams will use persuasive arguments and a strategy for placing the peace officers, cameras, or curfew teams around the city to best protect against vandals, competing for peer support. While advocating their own agendas, students quickly learn that they will have to make accommodations to entice others to leave This activity is designed to last their own groups, because in order to build consensus a group two class periods, but many must have a majority (67 percent) of the class on their side. The groups become so engaged and group that reaches this goal has Persuaded the Policymakers to passionate about their ideas that you may need a couple institute their plan. more class periods for them to reach consensus. See the next four pages for the full lesson plan. A true representative democracy at work! Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

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Oceana: Persuade the Policymakers Recommended Usage: After all students have completed the online game

Time 2–5 class periods

Game Preparation 

Determine how many students make up a 67 percent majority in your classroom and post it in large numerals prominently in the room. This is the membership GOAL to which all groups will aspire throughout the game.



Prepare three signs on large paper or poster board, labeling them Peace Officers, Security Cameras, and Curfew. Post these signs in three separate areas of the room. Create a fourth sign labeled “Undecided” for use later in the game.

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Optional: Prepare the Oceana slide show. This series of slides is designed to help keep groups focused and on-task during this complicated activity.

Objective(s) Students will collaborate with members of a group, accommodating diverse points of view in order to reach a consensus on the solution to a problem Students will understand the seven-step model for civic participation

Materials  Oceana Alliance Field

Books  Maps of Halcina (pages 27

-28), one for each group (tape two sides together to make one large map)  Deterrent Tokens, eight

per group (duplicate 2–3 copies of page 29. Save blanks and other symbols for use later)  Chance Cards (see page

30), cut out and shuffled  Non-permanent adhesive,

such as light tape, tacky putty, or Velcro tabs  OPTIONAL: Duplicates of

the method cards from Field Books, found on pages 25–26  OPTIONAL: Classroom

slides to guide the activity (found at: http:// www.centeroncongress.org/ oceana-virtual-democracy) Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

Introduce the activity Read the following introduction to the class:     What was your role in the Oceana game? (a cadet in the   Oceana Alliance, sent to investigate the problem of   vandalism in the city of Halcina). When you left Halcina at the end of the game, you made a recommendation of one method to stop the problem of vandalism.

   

It would be great if Halcina could use all three of these methods, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, Halcina isn’t a rich city. There isn’t enough money in the government budget to use all three of these methods, or even to blanket the entire area in peace officers, cameras, or curfew patrols. The policymakers—the members of government who make these decisions for Halcina—have to be very careful about how they choose to solve this problem. They want to make sure they have chosen the best method. In order to convince the policymakers that the solution you suggested is the best one for Halcina, you must have a majority of your classmates on your side. In this case, a majority is _____ students. Write this number in the box on page 14 of your Oceana Alliance Field Books. 11

Advocate: Negotiate your position 1. Students take their Field Books and pencils, moving to the area

with the sign matching their choice of deterrent. Count the members of the groups to make sure there isn’t already a majority in one area. 2. Have students read page 14 of their Field Books, and then turn back to pages 12–13 and take turns sharing their decisions with the group:  two reasons they are for that method  one reason they are against the other two methods  which method they are most strongly against/least flexible on negotiating. 3. Group members then negotiate and vote democratically (by majority) to determine the best two reasons for their deterrent method. This is recorded in the group form on page 15 of the Field Book. 4. Have them repeat the negotiation procedure to determine the best reasons for NOT choosing the other two methods.    

If it looks like one group will  reach the majority too  quickly, you might want to  assign students to the three  groups evenly instead of  allowing them to self‐select. 

Advocate: Mapping Strategy  1. Pass out one large map of Halcina to each group. Point out that the city has been divided into 20 grid squares. Locations of past vandalism have been marked with an X. Explain that, with the Halcina budget, the government can only afford to provide deterrents for eight of the 20 areas in the city. Each group must decide the best possible location for their peace officers, cameras, or curfew squads to protect the city from vandals. 2. Give each group the eight deterrent tokens for their method (cameras, peace officers, or curfew clocks), as well as tape or another type of non-permanent adhesive. NOTE: Groups may need to move these tokens around during subsequent rounds of the game. 3. Each group negotiates the placement of their plan on a map of the city. When the group agrees on the best placement of all eight deterrents, they should affix them to the map.    

Advocate: Group Presentations  1. Each group selects one or two representatives who will present the group’s plan to the class. Remind students that this position is a very important one. They should be certain that their representative meets the following criteria:  Is comfortable speaking in front of a group  Understands the positions agreed upon by the whole group  Is passionate or committed to the cause.

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2. Introduce group presentations: Explain that the purpose here is for each group to try to convince classmates to abandon their first method choice and join the group making the presentation.  Students should listen carefully and politely and with open minds to each presentation. If they hear arguments that truly do change their opinion about the best way to stop vandalism, they will be given the chance to move to a different group.  IN ADDITION, if any student begins to feel that he or she cannot support just one solution—if two or more sound equally good to them—then they can move to a new, UNDECIDED area of the room. (Post the fourth sign for this group.) 3. Each group’s representatives then take a turn in front of the class, advocating for their deterrent method and explaining:  Two reasons why they believe their method is the best  One reason why each of the other methods is NOT the best  Their map strategy for protecting Halcina in the best way possible. Make sure all students have the opportunity to view these map strategies. 5. NOTE: If any of your students completed a Halcina PSA announcement while waiting for the rest of the class to complete the online game (see page 19), allow them to produce these during this presentation time as well. 6. After each presentation, take a few moments to allow for any students to move from one group to another. Remind students that they can also move to the Undecided group area. 7. Each group does a quick count of members to see if they have reached the 67 percent consensus. If not, the game moves on to the Accommodation step.  

Accommodate: Adjusting Strategies  1. Groups work to come up with an alternative plan to entice more classmates to their side. This may involve compromising some of their ideas by combining methods or even devising brand-new solutions. But all group members must agree on these compromises—they shouldn’t give up their strongly-held ideals just to gain votes. 2. NOTE: Students in the Undecided group should be working on their own solutions now, too. 3. Offer groups the use of some of the non-standard deterrent tokens from page 22. They might use the stars, apples, clubs, or blank squares to stand for any alternative method they devise. HOWEVER, remind students that they are still limited to eight total deterrents for their plan.    

Building Consensus  1. The representatives for each group (which may now be more than Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

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2.

3.

4.

5.

the original three) meet at a central “bargaining table” to explain their new accommodation strategies and attempt to merge groups or gain new members. Representatives take turns explaining their group’s changes in policy. Other representatives counter, refuse, or agree to the terms they hear from their colleagues. There should be a lot of shuffling of group members during this stage. This procedure continues, with representatives bargaining for more members without giving up the stances that their groups feel most strongly about.  NOTE: Each method group gets one chance to RECALL their representative and override the compromises that their representative makes with the other method groups.  Groups may also choose to REPLACE their representative with another person at the time of recall with a majority vote among other group members. As students in the class listen to these negotiations, they should feel free to move to any group that they choose, based on the accommodations that they hear. Groups keep a running member tally so that they will know when/if they reach the goal of 67 percent.

     

Chance Cards! If negotiations lag during the bargaining table round and you think that students aren’t going to reach consensus anytime soon, try drawing one of the Chance Cards provided and read it aloud to the class. Each of these cards is designed to get students to rethink strategies by shifting the parameters of the game. Continue drawing cards at regular intervals, forcing teams to make more accommodations, until a consensus is reached.

Persuade the Policymakers: End Game  The first group to achieve 67 percent of the classroom population wins. Their method is approved by the Halcina legislation.  

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Oceana Wrap-up Discussion Questions This discussion is provided as suggested prompts for debriefing the entire Oceana unit, from the online game to the final classroom activities. 

Why was it important to seek the opinions of all of the citizens of Halcina (in the online game) before you chose a method for stopping the vandalism? Even though we elect people to represent our interests in our government, why is it important for citizens to be actively involved?



In the first part of the classroom activity, you worked with your original group to advocate—support—your group’s chosen deterrent method. Did you find it easy to advocate for your group’s position? Why or why not? How is what you did similar to what our elected representatives do in the U.S. government?



When a majority vote wasn’t reached, however, you moved from advocating to accommodating. In other words, you tried to find ways to meet the wishes or needs of others so that they would join your group. What was the hardest part of the accommodating process for you?



What compromises did you make? Did the winning group have to give up something important to them in order to build consensus?

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How do you feel about the final plan for stopping the vandalism problem in Halcina? Do you think the plan will work the way it is now? Why or why not?

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What lessons can you take from this activity? How can you become informed and involved in your own representative government?

“It is not the function of our Government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the Government from falling into error.”

Robert H. Jackson

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OPTIONAL LESSON PLANS

The lessons on the following pages were suggested to accompany the day-by-day lesson guides on pages 7– 9. These are optional activities. Feel free to use them in any way you like.

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Bias Credibility and Persuasiveness

Time 20-25 minutes

Objective(s)

Optional Classroom Activity Recommended Usage: Day One (see p. 7)

Procedures As students complete the game activities, they will be interacting with a lot of characters promoting conflicting opinions, evidence, and suggestions. Because of this, students must learn to evaluate the witnesses for their bias, credibility, and persuasiveness. In this ThinkPair-Share activity, students get practice in evaluating characters for these traits through three well-known folk tales from around the world. 

THINK: Have students turn to the glossary on page 2 in their Oceana Field Books and briefly jot down their own personal definitions of the terms bias, credibility, and persuasiveness. NOTE: This glossary is a private reflection area; make sure students know this won’t be graded. They can adjust the definitions as they learn more throughout the unit.



PAIR: Working with partners, ask students to read the three folktales on pages 3-4 and discuss the main characters in each, trying to determine if each illustrates bias, credibility, or persuasiveness. Have them write their findings on the bottom of page 4.

Students will compare and contrast the traits of bias, credibility, and persuasiveness

Materials and Preparation  Oceana Alliance Field Books (pp. 2-4)  OPTIONAL: Large-print versions (see below) 

Look for a larger-print version of these three stories in the Appendix (pages 21– 22) to use for students with special vision or learning needs. These pages can also be projected for a whole-class discussion.

Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

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Emperor’s New Clothes: The swindling weavers

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Blind Men and the Elephant: The seven blind advisors

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The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf: The boy

SHARE: Bring the class together and conduct a quick discussion of the meaning of the terms, using the folk tales to make each point: 

Why were the weavers so persuasive? Why did the emperor and his people fall for the trick?



Why would you say each blind man was biased? What besides personal experience might influence someone’s bias?

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If the boy had never tried to trick the villagers, would his credibility have changed?

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Why does an investigator need to consider bias, credibility, and persuasiveness when conducting interviews?

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Optional Classroom Activity Recommended Usage: Day Two (see p. 8)

Concept Webbing

Procedures Students’ Oceana Alliance Field Books contain an unfinished concept web that students can use to keep track of the various conflicting opinions and evidence they discover in the city of Halcina.

Time

To help students understand how to use concept webs—and why they are useful—you might want to create a fast-paced concept webbing activity on the board or chart paper, like this one:

5-10 minutes



Draw an oval in the center of the board or chart paper and write the label Family Vacation inside. Explain that concept webs are good ways to visualize the important points of a topic. They can also help you to assemble facts for an argument. Say for example that your family is planning a summer trip. What are some things your family might do?



Draw lines off of the center oval and add suggestions as students call them out (such as beach, visit relatives, camping, and so on). After you have 4–5 ideas, ask: What are the pros and cons of some of these choices? Add branches from each choice as pro/con ideas are suggested. (Notice that some pros/cons might fit two choices.)

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Ask students to explain how visual aids like these might be useful in helping their families choose a vacation. Explain that the concept web on pages 6–7 in their Oceana Alliance Field Books can likewise help them determine the best solution to the vandalism problem in Halcina.

Objective(s) Students will understand the value of using graphic organizers like concept webs to organize information and make decisions.

Materials and Preparation  Chart paper, chalkboard, or whiteboard

Sun allergies Snorkeling Getting a tan Beach?

Fresh air, exercise

Family Vacation

??

Camping? Mosquitos Hiking

Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

Visit Grandparents?

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Optional Independent Activity Halcina Public Service Announcements

Recommended Usage: For students who finish early (see p. 9)

Procedures Since students proceed through online games at varying rates, this activity can be used with students who have finished ahead of their classmates.

Time Varies

Objective(s) Students will demonstrate persuasive techniques and an understanding of media propaganda.

Materials and Preparation Varies, depending on the type of project students/groups choose to create. These might include: 

Poster board and art supplies

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Recording devices

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Music or instruments



Computers with presentation software like PowerPoint

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Old magazines, etc.

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Assorted props for skits

Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

By the time they have completed the Oceana computer activity, students will have chosen one of the three potential methods to deter vandalism: more peace officers, security cameras, or the institution of a curfew. In this activity, they work independently or in pairs/small groups to create promotional materials for their choice.  Talk with students as they finish online. Explain that in order to promote their method, they’re going to have to convince others that the method they chose is the best deterrent against vandalism. To do that, they need to create some type of public service announcement (PSA) to “sell” their choice among the citizens.  Tell students they can create any type of PSA that they like. Some suggestions include: 

Print: Posters to display around “town”

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Audio: Radio announcements (jingles, songs, poems, etc.)



Video: TV advertisements, which might consist of a spokesperson making a speech or 1–3 students acting out a brief skit like they have seen in election ads.

 Provide students/groups with time and materials to begin creating their PSAs.

These projects may be used in the final classroom activity that completes the Oceana Unit. See page 13 for more information.

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Oceana Appendix The following section contains all the worksheets, handouts, and projection copies you will need to complete the classroom activities for Oceana. You can find discussion prompts and ways to facilitate the use of these items within the guide.

Table of Contents 1

Three Folktales worksheets: Large font

2

Map of Halcina for projection

23

3

Grading Rubric for Online Game Report

24

4

Persuade the Policymakers Method Cards

5

Two-page map of Halcina for Persuade the Policymakers group work 27–28

6

Persuade the Policymakers Deterrent tokens

29

7

Persuade the Policymakers Chance Cards

30

8

Instructions for printing the Oceana Alliance Field Books

31

10

National Standards Alignments

32–34

11

Online Support Tools

35–40

Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

21–22

25–26

20

What kind of witnesses are they? The Emperor’s New Clothes Many years ago there lived an emperor who loved beautiful new clothes so much that he spent all his money on being finely dressed. One day two swindlers came to the emperor's city. They said that they were weavers and they knew how to make the finest cloth imaginable. Not only were the colors and the patterns extraordinarily beautiful, but this material was MAGIC... it appeared invisible to anyone who was incompetent or stupid! The emperor gave the two a great sum of money to weave their cloth for him. They set up their looms and pretended to go to work, although there was nothing on the looms. They asked for the finest silk and the purest gold, all of which they hid away, continuing to pretend to weave cloth. Afraid that other people would think that they were stupid, the emperor and all his attendants pretended to see clothes that weren’t there, even when the emperor marched in his underwear through the streets of the town. It wasn’t until a young child cried that the emperor had no clothes that the people realized they'd been duped.

The Blind Men and the Elephant A king in ancient India had never seen an elephant. He sent his seven best advisors—who all happened to be blind—to the place where an elephant was kept to examine the animal and report back to him. Each blind man walked up to the elephant and felt the part that was nearest to him. When they were done, they returned to the king to explain what an elephant was like. “An elephant is like a pot,” said the man who touched the elephant’s head. “No, indeed it is like a fan,” said the one who touched its ear. “No, no, a spear!” said the one who touched the tusk. “A snake, a snake,” said the one who touched the trunk. “Clearly, an elephant is like a wall,” said the blind man who touched the body, but the one who touched his tail argued that an elephant is like a rope. When the last man, who had only touched the elephant’s legs, said it was like a tree, the king gave up in disgust. Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

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The Boy Who Cried Wolf There once was a shepherd boy who tended his sheep at the foot of a mountain near a dark forest. It was lonely for him, so he came up with a plan to get a little company. He rushed down towards the village calling out "wolf, wolf!" and the villagers came rushing out to help him protect the sheep from the wolf. When the villagers found that there really was no wolf, they were very angry and left again, mumbling in disgust. The practical joke pleased the boy so much that a few days later he tried the same trick, and again the villagers came running to help. This time they were even more angry when they learned the boy had lied. Shortly after this a wolf actually did come out from the forest. The boy cried out "wolf, wolf!" even louder than before. But this time the villagers, who had been fooled twice before, thought the boy was again lying. Nobody came to his aid, so the wolf made a good meal of the boy and his flock.

Bias, Credibility, or Persuasiveness? After examining the three folk tales, try to determine which trait each one matches. Remember, it can be a good or a poor example! The weavers from The Emperor’s New Clothes:

The seven blind advisors who examined the elephant:

The little boy who cried wolf:

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Map of Halcina

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Writing Style

Evidence

Analysis of

Argument

Strength of

don’t know” or gibberish.

presented. May include “I

No clear argument is

0

argument. Mentions BCP of at mentions BCP of a character

choice. Mentions the bias,

punctuation, or spelling errors.

grammar, punctuation, and

spelling.

paragraph creation with

and paragraphs in a formal

fewer than two grammar,

Acceptable sentence and

Writes grade-level sentences

reporting style. Uses good

met in-game. the game.

the game.

of several specific witnesses.

multiple errors. May include are below grade level. Makes or spelling errors.

conventions.

instead of proper writing

several grammar, punctuation, chat/texting abbreviations

structure; no paragraphs; Sentences and/or paragraphs

Little or no sense of sentence

BCP or even any characters (at least in a general way) in

least one specific character in

the game and doesn’t mention

argument with evidence from

credibility, or persuasiveness

gathered in the game OR

evidence to support the

clear evidence to support the

Either provides some evidence Makes no effort to support the

the game experiences.

made to connect the choice to

the choice, and little effort is

A weak argument offered for

1

Provides at least two pieces of

using the deterrent.

anticipated consequences of

doesn’t describe any

for the choice; however,

Makes an acceptable argument

2

Gives at least three pieces of

will affect the game space.

analysis) of how this choice

consequences (cost/benefit

solution to anticipated

choice. Connects the proposed

Makes a strong case for the

3

Rubric for Grading Online Report

The culminating report that students submit at the end of the online game can be used to gauge their understanding of the democratic process of civic responsibility, finding a solution that is supported by citizens and that provides the best chance for success. The following rubric is designed to help you assign a grade of 0–9 points based on: the strength of the argument, the attention to witness reliability, and writing style.

Grading Students’ Online Reports

Method Cards: Individual Which method are you recommending?

Circle one:

Cameras

Curfew

Peace Officers

1. Two reasons you chose this method to fight vandalism:

2.

Cameras/Curfew/Peace Officers

One reason you are against each of the other two methods (circle the method that goes with each reason):

 Cameras/Curfew/Peace Officers 

Which method are you the MOST against?

Circle one:

Cameras

Curfew

Peace Officers

Which method are you recommending?

Circle one:

Cameras

Curfew

Peace Officers

Curfew

Peace Officers

1. Two reasons you chose this method to fight vandalism:

2.

Cameras/Curfew/Peace Officers

One reason you are against each of the other two methods (circle the method that goes with each reason): Which method are you the MOST against?

Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

 Cameras/Curfew/Peace Officers 

Circle one:

Cameras

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Method Cards: Group Group name: Original group members: Describe your plan to stop vandalism.

Details of your method:

Method: _______________________ Two best reasons for choosing this method to fight vandalism:

One reason your group is against the other two methods (circle the method that goes with each reason):

1. 2. Cameras/Curfew/Peace Officers 

Cameras/Curfew/Peace Officers 

Group name: Original group members: Describe your plan to stop vandalism.

Details of your method:

Method: _______________________ Two best reasons for choosing this method to fight vandalism:

One reason your group is against the other two methods (circle the method that goes with each reason):

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1. 2. Cameras/Curfew/Peace Officers

Cameras/Curfew/Peace Officers

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Halcina Map for Group Work: Persuade the Policymakers Game (pages 11–14)—Left side

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Halcina Map for Group Work: Persuade the Policymakers Game (pages 11–14)—Right side

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Deterrent Tokens Each group (peace officers, security cameras, and curfew teams) receives 8 deterrent tokens to place on their map of Halcina during the first round of the Persuade the Policymakers activity, from pages 11– 14 (first three rows below). As they begin the accommodation process, they may need to change their tokens. Blank squares and other symbols are provided for use during these subsequent rounds.

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Chance Cards for Persuade the Policymakers Classroom Activity (see pages 11–14) Chance

Chance

A new mandate has been handed down from the city leaders. If a CURFEW is to be enforced, it will not only require citizens to get off the streets at a certain time, but will also put an end to all meetings, dances, and other social gatherings for students, outside of school.

This just in from the news service: there was a disappointing lack of volunteers signing up for CURFEW duty at the opening meeting. Because of this, each curfew volunteer team will only be able to cover half of one grid during their rotation.

Chance

Chance

Tornado strikes Halcina! Last night’s disaster has played havoc with all plans for tightening security in town. So many volunteers are needed for cleanup that the CURFEW teams have been depleted. Curfews can only operate one half of each night.

Chance Breaking news: The national police commissioner of Oceana has just declared a war on piracy. To enforce his new policies, he has pulled one fourth of the POLICE OFFICERS in each city’s force off of local duty.

Newsflash! POLICE OFFICERS in Halcina have gone on strike for increased pay. With the city budget currently available, we will have to reduce the number by two officers per shift.

Chance Tornado strikes Halcina! Last night’s disaster has played havoc with all plans for tightening security in town. Two POLICE OFFICERS were injured during the storm and are on indefinite disability leave.

Chance

Chance

Economic report: The price of SECURITY CAMERAS has just doubled in price. The city will not be able to purchase the number of cameras that they hoped. Please reduce your camera allotment by one third.

Vandals strike again! Geven, the owner of the Halcina Electronics Store, has just reported that his store was vandalized last night. Four SECURITY CAMERAS were completely destroyed. He won’t be able to replace this stock for at least a month.

Chance

Chance

Tornado strikes Halcina! Last night’s disaster has played havoc with all plans for tightening security in town. Four of the town’s SECURITY CAMERAS were damaged in the storm, and experts predict it will be at least three weeks before they can be repaired. Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

Mystery Chance Card! Each team must flip a coin. If the number comes up heads, they may ADD one item (police officer, camera, or curfew team) to their roster. If they flip tails, they must REMOVE one.

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Creating Oceana Alliance Field Books Duplicate the Oceana Alliance Field Book worksheets (provided in a separate file), one set for each student. The notebook is designed to be printed front-and-back on five (5) sheets of paper and folded in half to create a small, 20-page booklet. Use your printer’s duplex feature to print the pages on both sides. NOTE: Many of the pages contain color images. 

Distribute the Oceana Alliance Field Book worksheets that have been duplicated front-and-back and have students assemble their notebooks in the following manner:  Make sure the pages are in the correct order by checking that the right-hand sides contain the odd-numbered pages from cover–page 11.  Fold the stacks in half to create a booklet.  Staple the booklets together.  Have students write their real names in the Cadet box on the cover of the notebook.

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Oceana: Alignment to National Content Standards V. WHAT ARE THE ROLES OF THE CITIZEN IN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY? C. What are the responsibilities of citizens?

1. Civic responsibilities. Students should be able to evaluate, take, and defend positions on the importance of civic responsibilities to the individual and society. To achieve this standard, students should be able to  evaluate the importance of commonly held civic responsibilities, such as  respecting the rights of others  being informed and attentive to public issues  evaluate when their responsibilities as Americans require that their personal rights and interests be subordinated to the public good  evaluate the importance for the individual and society of fulfilling civic responsibilities  identify and evaluate contemporary issues that involve civic responsibilities, e.g., low voter participation, avoidance of jury duty, failure to be informed about public issues

National Standards for Civics and Government

D. What dispositions or traits of character are important to the preservation and improvement of American constitutional democracy?

1. Dispositions that enhance citizen effectiveness and promote the healthy functioning of American constitutional democracy. Students should be able to evaluate, take, and defend positions on the importance of certain dispositions or traits of character to themselves and American constitutional democracy.  To achieve this standard, students should be able to  explain the importance to the individual and society of the following dispositions or traits of character  individual responsibility--fulfilling the moral and legal obligations of membership in society  self-discipline/self-governance--adhering voluntarily to self-imposed standards of behavior rather than requiring the imposition of external controls  civility--treating other persons respectfully, regardless of whether or not one agrees with their viewpoints; being willing to listen to other Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

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 



  



   

points of view; avoiding hostile, abusive, emotional, and illogical argument courage--the strength to stand up for one's convictions when conscience demands respect for the rights of other individuals-having respect for others' right to an equal voice in government, to be equal in the eyes of the law, to hold and advocate diverse ideas, and to join in associations to advance their views respect for law--willingness to abide by laws, even though one may not be in complete agreement with every law; willingness to work through peaceful, legal means to change laws which are thought to be unwise or unjust honesty--willingness to seek and express the truth open mindedness--considering others' points of view critical mindedness--having the inclination to question the validity of various positions, including one's own negotiation and compromise--making an effort to come to agreement with those with whom one may differ, when it is reasonable and morally justifiable to do so persistence--being willing to attempt again and again to accomplish worthwhile goals civic mindedness--paying attention to and having concern for public affairs compassion--having concern for the well-being of others, especially for the less fortunate patriotism--being loyal to the values and principles underlying American constitutional democracy, as distinguished from jingoism and chauvinism

These standards were found at: http://www.civiced.org/ index.php?page=58toc

E. How can citizens take part in civic life?

1. Participation in civic and political life and the attainment of individual and public goals. Students should be able to explain the relationship between participating in civic and political life and the attainment of individual and public goals. To achieve this standard, students should be able to  identify examples of their own individual goals and explain how their participation in civic and political life can help to attain them, e.g., living in a safe and orderly neighborhood, obtaining a good education, living in a healthy environment  identify examples of public goals and explain how participation in civic and political life can help to attain them, e.g., increasing the safety of the Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

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community, improving local transportation facilities, providing opportunities for education and recreation 3. Forms of political participation. Students should be able to describe the means by which Americans can monitor and influence politics and government. To achieve this standard, students should be able to  explain how Americans can use the following means to monitor and influence politics and government at local, state, and national levels  voting  becoming informed about public issues  discussing public issues  communicating with public officials  joining political parties, interest groups, and other organizations that attempt to influence public policy and elections  attending meetings of governing bodies  working in campaigns 5. Knowledge and participation. Students should be able to explain the importance of knowledge to competent and responsible participation in American democracy. To achieve this standard, students should be able to  explain why becoming knowledgeable about public affairs and the values and principles of American constitutional democracy and communicating that knowledge to others is an important form of participation  explain how awareness of the nature of American constitutional democracy may give citizens the ability to reaffirm or change fundamental constitutional values  evaluate the claim that constitutional democracy requires the participation of an attentive, knowledgeable, and competent citizenry 

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Online Support Tools Oceana comes complete with online tools that teachers can use to set up classes and support students as they play. The following pages provide useful information for making the most of the Oceana Teacher Dashboard. You may find it helpful for monitoring player progress, providing ongoing comments, and evaluating their final reports.

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The Oceana Teacher Dashboard Get the game If you are interested in using this innovative civics game about citizen engagement in your own classrooms, please contact the Center on Congress at Indiana University (CCIU) at http:// www.centeroncongress.org/oceana-virtual-democracy. Your teacher toolkit is located online at: http:// oceana.infoinplace.com/ dashboard/

Set up your classes Once you have enrolled in the Oceana experience through CCIU, you will be provided with a teacher username and password to your own set of organizational tools. Follow the link on the left and login to see your Oceana Teacher Dashboard. Add classes using the Name and Description text fields on the right.

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Register students After you have created a class you can begin to enroll your students. Click the green arrow next to a class name to move to the enrollment site (shown below). Again, text fields on the right guide you through the enrollment process.

Tip Navigate back and forth through your dashboard by following the “breadcrumbs” under your school info!

Besides first and last names, the only information you need to include are usernames and passwords. Usernames can be anything you want to make them, but be careful when assigning passwords!

gatio Navi

Password Safety Dos & Don’ts

rum eadc n Br

bs

Strong passwords are important protections for safe online interactions. Although Oceana is a single-user game that doesn’t provide access to the Internet, students should still practice good password safety procedures. If they can figure out each other’s passwords, students might login to someone else’s account and cause mischief. Consider these three factors when choosing passwords for your students:  Uniqueness: Don’t use the same password or sequential numbers for the entire class. Avoid using birthdates, names, or other easily-discovered terms.  Complexity: Include letters, numbers, and even punctuation marks.  Privacy: Keep passwords secure. Memorize them and never share them!

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Monitor student progress in the game You can provide ongoing feedback to your students for every bit of information they input into Oceana as they progress through the game. For example, a big part of the Oceana experience involves interviewing “citizens” of Halcina to assess their potential as witnesses by ranking (on a scale of 1–5 stars) their bias, credibility, and persuasiveness (BCP). Players fill out online cards like this one for each witness. This includes notes in the white text fields to explain their reasoning. Now, through your teacher dashboard, you can check in on students’ interviewing and note taking skills, leaving feedback about the notes they have taken. Open the class and click on the green arrow beside the student you wish to monitor. This will open up his or her “Student Progress” view. Names in the list of game characters on the left side are either grayedout or bolded. Characters in bold have been interviewed by that student. Click on any bolded name to see how the student has ranked that character on BCP, as well as the notes he or she made about the interview. You have the option of providing suggestions or comments to support the student’s understanding of interviewing techniques. Oceana: A Virtual Democracy

NOTE: After saving your comments, be sure to click “submit” when you’re ready for them to be delivered to the student’s SmartPad in-game!

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The final Oceana game report

Review discussion

The culmination of the Oceana online experience is the report players submit to the Alliance. In this report, students determine what they feel is the best deterrent for the vandalism problem in Halcina, based on the evidence they have collected: 

Hire more peace officers;

classroom support



Install more security cameras around town; or

options for this report



Institute a nightly, patrolled curfew.

prompts and other

on page 9 of this guide.

Students write a persuasive essay to their superiors in the game, recommending this deterrent and supporting the recommendation with evidence they gathered. In addition, they should argue for the credibility of the sources of their evidence.

Reviewing online reports Your teacher dashboard provides you with a handy means to assess these final reports. When students finish the report and click “submit,” a green check on the class list tells you an essay is ready for grading. The report is automatically loaded into the same area of their account progress area that you used to provide feedback for their earlier work.

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Assess and give feedback Assessing and choosing what sort of grade (if any) you wish to provide your students is left entirely up to you. You can enter letter grades, percentage scores, or anything else that fits your grading system. There is an optional grading rubric on page 24 of this guide for your convenience. It is based on a simple 0–9 point system and can fit any grading scale you wish to use. Ample space for giving written feedback is included in your teacher dashboard as well (see below). When you are finished, click “submit” to share your feedback with the student. They can review your comments and grade in their game SmartPad.

A handy text box is also provided for you to enter a grade. You can insert numerical scores, letter grades, or any option that fits your classroom needs. When you check the wholeclass view, the grades are displayed, making it easy to see any incomplete or ungraded essays.

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