ODYSSEY
A Spanish adventure game.
Be brave, be resilient, be prepared.
Please note: This class is an advanced competency Spanish class and is only appropriate for children who have either demonstrated the capacity to thrive in a total immersion environment or have attained a high level of receptive proficiency (comprehension.)
Brief Description:
Odyssey is a brand new experiential learning game of luck, memory, and oral proficiency. The game's nine levels provide nine different travel experiences.
Each travel level involves new dangers, new emotions, and the need to ready one's self for the next trip, the subsequent adventure. Navigating sticky situations, throwing "el Dado del Destino" (the Dice of Destiny), the Viajeros (travellers) must collect cards to complete a packing list, items they will need in their stash for protection and preparation in the next level.
El Dado del Destino (the dice of destiny), reading practice
During each travel level the children will throw El Dado del Destino - each face of the die corresponds to a different travel fate. Discovery of the traveller's fate will require reading and translating a descriptive narrative in Spanish.
La Aduana, Una Petición para Salir, writing practice
After having collected the items on the packing list and rehearsed the interview, the Viajero(a) will need to submit a petition to customs (la aduana), defending his/her readiness to pass to the next level.
The Guardian Interviews, speaking practice
A new and different guardian presides over each level (i.e. a fortune teller guards the Village of Illusions, a poor man guards the Commercial City, a nature guide guards the Thick Jungle, etc.). The final step to pass out of each level is an oral interview with the Guardian who presides over the level. This public dialogue between Guardian (a role-playing child) and Viajera(o) allows the Viajera(o) to demonstrate mastery of the target vocabulary as well as meet the level's requirement for self-expression. By conducting these interviews publicly, children will gain comfort speaking Spanish in front of their peers.
Los Amuletos
The successful completion of each level allows the Viajero(a) to earn an Amulet of Protection to keep and collect in their Bolsas (pouches.) In addition to representing further, advanced vocabulary each amulet offers certain protections and immunities that will assist the Viajera(o) in future game levels, encouraging her/him to advance.
Collaboration: Help Each Other Along
The children will need to pool, loan, and share resources to navigate the perils of the game. They will work together to coach, critique, prepare and encourage each other for the final interview. Everyone must advance to at least the 6th level of the game or no one can win.
Vocabulary Acquisition
Playing the game requires reading and speaking new Spanish vocabulary words constantly. Each travel level introduces new vocabulary. The repetition required by the game facilitates natural and lasting acquisition:
Guardians - archetypes and vocations (i.e. the beggar, the fortune teller, the astronomer)
Emotional and Physical Condition - (i.e. travellers are thirsty in the desert, hungry in the orchard)
Clothing - each new travel adventure requires a new article of clothing (i.e. hiking boots in the forest, a bathing suit at the beach)
Transportation - each travel adventure necessitates a new form of transportation (i.e. a bus, a camel)
Food and Drink - each packing list includes edible items that must be acquired and presented at the time of the final interview.
Day, Time & Location
Tuesdays 4:40, Class begins September 4, 2018 - FULL THROUGH MAY 2019
Class is held in Professorville, near Gamble Garden
Ages
Children ages 7-12 years old
Commitment
This class requires a single tuition payment and an academic year-long commitment from September through May. Vacation days are built into the pre-published calendar. Please contact us for further details.
Odyssey is a brand new experiential learning game of luck, memory, and oral proficiency. The game's nine levels provide nine different travel experiences.
Each travel level involves new dangers, new emotions, and the need to ready one's self for the next trip, the subsequent adventure. Navigating sticky situations, throwing "el Dado del Destino" (the Dice of Destiny), the Viajeros (travellers) must collect cards to complete a packing list, items they will need in their stash for protection and preparation in the next level.
El Dado del Destino (the dice of destiny), reading practice
During each travel level the children will throw El Dado del Destino - each face of the die corresponds to a different travel fate. Discovery of the traveller's fate will require reading and translating a descriptive narrative in Spanish.
La Aduana, Una Petición para Salir, writing practice
After having collected the items on the packing list and rehearsed the interview, the Viajero(a) will need to submit a petition to customs (la aduana), defending his/her readiness to pass to the next level.
The Guardian Interviews, speaking practice
A new and different guardian presides over each level (i.e. a fortune teller guards the Village of Illusions, a poor man guards the Commercial City, a nature guide guards the Thick Jungle, etc.). The final step to pass out of each level is an oral interview with the Guardian who presides over the level. This public dialogue between Guardian (a role-playing child) and Viajera(o) allows the Viajera(o) to demonstrate mastery of the target vocabulary as well as meet the level's requirement for self-expression. By conducting these interviews publicly, children will gain comfort speaking Spanish in front of their peers.
Los Amuletos
The successful completion of each level allows the Viajero(a) to earn an Amulet of Protection to keep and collect in their Bolsas (pouches.) In addition to representing further, advanced vocabulary each amulet offers certain protections and immunities that will assist the Viajera(o) in future game levels, encouraging her/him to advance.
Collaboration: Help Each Other Along
The children will need to pool, loan, and share resources to navigate the perils of the game. They will work together to coach, critique, prepare and encourage each other for the final interview. Everyone must advance to at least the 6th level of the game or no one can win.
Vocabulary Acquisition
Playing the game requires reading and speaking new Spanish vocabulary words constantly. Each travel level introduces new vocabulary. The repetition required by the game facilitates natural and lasting acquisition:
Guardians - archetypes and vocations (i.e. the beggar, the fortune teller, the astronomer)
Emotional and Physical Condition - (i.e. travellers are thirsty in the desert, hungry in the orchard)
Clothing - each new travel adventure requires a new article of clothing (i.e. hiking boots in the forest, a bathing suit at the beach)
Transportation - each travel adventure necessitates a new form of transportation (i.e. a bus, a camel)
Food and Drink - each packing list includes edible items that must be acquired and presented at the time of the final interview.
Day, Time & Location
Tuesdays 4:40, Class begins September 4, 2018 - FULL THROUGH MAY 2019
Class is held in Professorville, near Gamble Garden
Ages
Children ages 7-12 years old
Commitment
This class requires a single tuition payment and an academic year-long commitment from September through May. Vacation days are built into the pre-published calendar. Please contact us for further details.