Integration Models

Note: Use our Lesson Planning Worksheet in your Planning
HIGH INTEGRATION
(using Sail to Victory as catalyst for learning the War of 1812)
Estimated Time: Several days to a week using interdisciplinary learning
Students explore and play Sail To Victory online as a group or on their own. Before, during, and after playing the game, students further their online learning with facilitated activities, lessons, and homework. The activities or lessons suggested in Educator Resources correspond to scenes students will experience in into Sail to Victory.
Examples
- Before students begin playing Sail to Victory, the educator can first introduce the War of 1812 by exploring the Leaving Home scene in Explore Old Ironsides. Students then integrate a lesson suggested in Educators Resources (students play a character and stage a debate of whether or not to join the navy, support the war, etc.)
- An educator can integrate discussion during Sail to Victory play, perhaps prompting students to share what they have learned about the ship, a sailor, or what they predict will happen as they begin to learn the ropes aboard Constitution during the War of 1812. Have students read the Journal of Ordinary Seaman Jesse Williams, or learn about another sailor in Sailor’s Stories.
- During game play, the educator can prompt students to explain a choice they have made, define a vocabulary word, or pose a question to the room – “What did you choose to pack in your sea bag?” The educator can also integrate another lesson: students play a role of a sailor or the purser and choose what to include in their own sea bag.
- During game play, when a student first visits “The Head” scene in Sail To Victory, they stop and complete the Overheard at the Head activity suggested in the A Sailor’s Life for Me Educator Resources.
- During game play, have students watch the battle narration of USS Constitution‘s battles with HMS Guerriere, HMS Java, and the HMS Cyane and HMS Levant. Explore Sailor’s Stories or collections items and primary sources to supplement student’s knowledge of the battles during the War of 1812.
- After game play, the educator can engage students in a conclusion activity, increasing students’ understanding of the War of 1812 by connecting game experiences to more formal curriculum knowledge and skills. Students can work with primary resources, images, or Sailors’ Stories to complete a research project based on a single sailor, a family left at home, or a merchant who was alive during this time period.
MEDIUM INTEGRATION
(using Explore Old Ironsides or Meet the Crew as a catalyst)
Estimated Time: Several classes, one full day
An educator uses scenes in Explore Old Ironsides to introduce the War of 1812, USS Constitution, and A Sailor’s Life For Me. Educators explore specific scenes with students in order to introduce activities and lessons that teach specific elements that they want to highlight in their school’s curriculum, or specific objectives or subjects they want to teach. Moderate integration can also include students playing Sail to Victory with fewer facilitated activities or lessons (see High Integration).
Suggestions
- Use the Educators Resources Search Feature to find specific topics, age-appropriate activities, or types of resources (artifacts, primary resources, etc.). The activities and lessons that you find supplement a specific Explore Old Ironsides scene. View the individual scene, which will help further your selected lesson with other suggestions.
- Play through “Sail to Victory” on your own time, and note specific games or topics that you would like to highlight, using our “Lesson Planning Worksheet”.
- Here are some suggestions of our favorite “Annotated Scenes”:
- Captain’s Cabin (Topics: Science and Using Artifacts to Teach)
- Sailors Eating (Topics: Math and Health)
- Wheel (Topics: Engineering, Technology, and Navigation)
- Gun Deck in Battle (Topics: Literature and Writing, and Primary Sources)
- Battle (Topics: War of 1812, and Primary Resources, and Using Artifacts and to Teach)
- Sailors Aloft (Topics: Creative Writing and Hands-On Learning)
LOW INTEGRATION
(using Explore Old Ironsides as an enhancement to activities or lessons)
Estimated time: 1 class period
An educator uses a single lesson suggested in the Educator Resources to introduce a concept or objective and/or to further a concept already presented by the educator. Students can Explore Old Ironsides or Meet the Crew individually or as a team, and the educator uses a quick activity to reinforce a topic, introduce, or conclude their exploration.
Suggestions
- Use a Sailor’s Story to meet a sailor who served aboard Constitution and learn that sailor’s life story.
- Our picks: David Debias or Captain Isaac Hull.
- Use an interactive game, complete a craft activity, or play a group game to exert some energy or have some fun together – all which reinforce 21st Century Skills and teach an element of history about Constitution in the War of 1812.
- Interested in teaching a specific topic with quick classroom activities? Search our suggested activities, or visit our favorite Annotated Scenes:
- History: Battle
- Engineering, Technology, Science, or Math: Wheel or Dinnertime
- Health: Sailors Eating
- Sociology: Burial at Sea or Flogging
- Literature and Writing: Midshipmens’ Quarters, Battle, or Captain’s Cabin