« Pitching Rhetorical Spaces
Quantifying SL: What’s the benefit? »

Rhetoric Board Game in SL

One of the most important tenets of my class is making sure that students understand how the elements of the rhetorical situation influence each other. Students learn to unpack the rhetorical decisions made by others and then to construct their own responses to situations (real and constructed). In an effort to help my students internalize these concepts I’ve built a simple rhetoric board game. Here’s how it works:

As you can see from this screen shot, the board is a simple star graphic with my version of the rhetorical situation drawn out like a star with the five basic elements on each point: goal, medium, context, voice, audience. Also at each point is a pole with a simple hovertext script in it which says “Medium =,” “Voice=” etc. These scripts are easily editable to display the choice that the students on each team choose. A few students will stand behind their point on the star (in the black and pink area) and discuss a choice for their element. Because of the distance, they can only see the choices of the teams to the right and life, thus only making three of the five visible to any team at any one time.

 

 

When all the teams have picked something for their element they will all move into the middle of the star where all five elements are visible. Then, as a group, they will brainstorm solutions to the rhetorical situation. For example, if the teams made the following choices:
  • Goal: To persuade
  • Voice: Expert
  • Audience: college students
  • Medium: brochure
  • Context: the cafeteria

They may decide that this brochure would contain information about healthy eating, about how to flirt in while eating in the dining hall, etc.

In the second round of the game we’ll have only four teams so that one element is left blank and the students will brainstorm about ways that different choices for the missing element will change the resulting communication.

Some will turn out funny; some will be serious. The game functions as a sort of “rhetorical mad lib.”

A simple hovertext script and some very basic building and texturing and you can make an interactive, collaborative learning experience in SL. What have you built for your students? Are there classroom games you’d like to see used in SL? Let’s start a conversation.

 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 13th, 2007 at 7:27 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Rhetoric Board Game in SL”

  1. Joe Clark / JS Saltwater Says:
    February 14th, 2007 at 7:26 pm

    What a great idea! Thanks for sharing this.

  2. Chris Duke (Topher Zwiers) Says:
    February 19th, 2007 at 7:45 am

    Brilliant idea, for a couple of reasons. I posted an entry on my blog regarding your game… pointing those around me to your idea… http://muveforward.blogspot.com/2007/02/intellgirls-rhetoric-board-game.html

    If there are other writing faculty interested in using this activity, is it possible for them to contact you and get a copy of the “board?”

    I enjoy your blog and the work you do….

    -Chris/Topher

  3. ANDREWHIHELLO Says:
    February 1st, 2008 at 1:37 pm

    I just want to find new friend’s I’m 14 years old and i’ from uzbekistan

    Hello peoples

  4. Sensbachtal Says:
    February 2nd, 2008 at 2:22 pm

    Just wanted to say Hello to everyone.
    Much to read and learn here, I’m sure I will enjoy !

Leave a Reply