Even the sounds and graphics are soothing. What is the importance of human connection? As Eleanor Abbott looked around the hospital ward, what she saw was heartbreaking: row after row of beds occupied by children. R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.5, R.7, R.9, W.2, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.5, L.6, RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.4, RI.6.7, RI.6.9 W.6.2, SL.6.1, SL.6.2 L.6.4, L.6.6, RI.7.1, RI.7.2, RI.7.4, W.7.2, SL.7.1, SL.7.2, L.7.4, L.7.6, RI.8.1, RI.8.2, RI.8.4, W.8.2, SL.8.1, SL.8.2, L.8.4, L.8.6, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j (grade 8 only), 8d, 8f, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 12d, 12e, 12f, 12g, 12i, 12j. Meet our Write-a-Story Contest Winner! You don’t play to win; you play to play. At this time, we can only accept entries by email. It will be remembered as a game that helped millions stay connected and uplifted during a very difficult time. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a simulation game—that is, a game that closely simulates, or imitates, real-world situations and activities. scopemag@scholastic.com Scope contests are open to legal residents of the U.S. And Canada age 18 and older who are the teacher, parent, or guardian of a student in grades 4-12. Optionally, have students listen to author Mackenzie Carro read the article while they follow along. Send your essay to Games Contest. All contest entries can be e-mailed to: actionmag@scholastic.com. But despite the joy that games like Animal Crossing can bring us, experts agree that playing video games shouldn’t be the only thing you do to cope during a tough time. Entries must be submitted by the teacher, parent, or guardian, not the student. They were homesick and frightened. All contest entries can be e-mailed to: actionmag@scholastic.com. In the ward, there was nothing to do but wait—for the nurse to come by, for the next family visit, for the weeks or months it could take to recover to pass. On this page find information about our current contests, including entry forms and deadlines. In a well-organized essay, compare Animal Crossing with Candy Land. Polio is a disease caused by a contagious virus. It turned out to be the perfect moment in history for a game like Candy Land. Her new home is beautiful, but what Angelina loves most are the new friends she’s made: Phoebe, Whitney, Tia, and Prince. But even as people start drifting away from their virtual villages and back into their real neighborhoods, Animal Crossing will be remembered as more than a fad. In 2008, in the midst of the Great Recession, both video games and video gaming equipment experienced a spike in sales. Our synthesis activity is a great way for students to digest two complex texts through text marking, analysis, and writing. They could visit a world where the worst thing that could happen was to get stuck in the Molasses Swamp for a turn or two. Now they were on their own in the strange and scary environment of the hospital. We asked your students to write an imaginative, compelling, original short story that starts with one of three first lines written by the famous author Jason Reynolds. Over the years, many new editions have been released, with updated looks and new characters like Princess Lolly and Lord Licorice. How are they similar? One writer from The New York Times described the game’s aesthetic, or look, as a “warm hug.” And during a time when something as simple as going to the store had become scary and dangerous, the “warm hug” of Animal Crossing was exactly what many of us needed. The dazzling world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a video game by Nintendo that took the world by storm last spring. Worried parents kept their kids at home, hoping to prevent them from catching the virus from friends or classmates. Post this prompt in your classroom or virtual hangout: Share Vocabulary: Words and Definitions (available in your. “You hang out with animals and collect things. But it is one of the most successful. “Scope provides a fresh batch of insight and inspiration with every new issue. There are no dangerous storms to outrun, monstrous creatures to kill, battles to win, or high scores to obtain. There is another aspect of Animal Crossing that brought players comfort: You can play it with other people. Share the following critical-thinking questions with students and let them choose one to respond to. Today, more than 70 years after Candy Land’s debut, about 1 million copies of the game are sold each year. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is not the first simulation game—it’s not even the first version of Animal Crossing. He had moved from his home in the city of Chiba to Kyoto, the city where Nintendo’s headquarters are located. Many parents purchased Candy Land to keep their children’s boredom at bay. It transported them from the bleak world of the hospital to a delightful world of sweets. They like to fish at a nearby beach together, wander around the local museum, and hang out at their favorite café. During the Great Depression in the 1930s, when millions of Americans lost their jobs, families entertained themselves at home with affordable board games like Monopoly and Sorry! The texts also refer to the Great Recession, polio, and Covid-19, as well as several other games, such as Monopoly, Sorry!, and Clue. One of the game’s creators, Katsuya Eguchi, said the game was partially inspired by a bout of homesickness. He has a list of “chores” that he likes to complete every day in the game. Fall in Love With This Synthesis Activity. For one thing, the game is easy. The first version of Animal Crossing was released in Japan in 2001. Abbott, who was a teacher, decided the kids needed something to do, something that would take their minds off their illness and relieve their boredom. Action features contests to get your students excited about writing. It took longer to wipe out the virus in some other parts of the world, but today there are only a few countries where it continues to spread. Writing Contest Make a Difference Essay Contest Grades 4–8 Close Date: 11/13/20. Three little league players visit with two young children recovering from polio in a hospital in New York in 1955. Support your ideas with text evidence. We received over 1,500 entries this year to our annual Write-a-Story Contest! Have a volunteer read the As You Read box on page 25 in the magazine or at the top of the digital story page. The first article is about Animal Crossing and the second article is about Candy Land. It quickly became Milton Bradley’s best-selling game. Both articles combine narrative and informational passages. Scope’s writing contests are just the thing! In real life we may not be able to gather in large groups, but in Animal Crossing, groups all over America held virtual backyard barbecues, birthday parties, graduation ceremonies, and even weddings. In the mid-1900s, polio was one of the most feared diseases in the U.S., with major outbreaks occurring every summer. So what is it that has made Animal Crossing such a smashing success? Three winners will each get a $25 gift card. Two fascinating nonfiction articles explore how games can help us through difficult times.  Choose one of the prompts below to write your essay: TM ® & © 2019 Scholastic Inc. All Rights Reserved. Two nonfiction articles explore how games can help us through difficult times. The Core Skills Workout is a series of skill-based activities that will help your students "bulk up" in the comprehension skills they need most to become strong, analytical readers. Read the article as a class. Next to the trees is a yellow-striped hammock, where she takes long naps in the sunshine. Nor should you do it for hours and hours every day. In our delightful video, Jason Reynolds takes you through the process of writing a short story and provides tips on character development, revision, and more! “I’m happy there,” she says. That’s because, thanks to frequent quarantines, it wasn’t just kids in hospitals who needed something to do. Where is this delightful place? The year was 1948, and the children—as well as Abbott herself—were being treated for polio at a hospital in San Diego, California. In the game, each player creates a village on their own island of talking animals. TM ® & © 2020 Scholastic Inc. All Rights Reserved. Please attach entries as Word documents or PDFs, put the contest name in the subject line, and include the e-mail address of the entrant's parent or legal guardian. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a simulation game—that is, a game that closely simulates, or imitates, real-world situations and activities. We all love playing games because they’re fun, but did you know they can be good for us too? Playing video games can be good for you—in moderation. And they can win awesome prizes! Players moved along a winding path of colored squares, picking cards to see which color to move to next. A delightful video game helped millions of Americans through a challenging time. It’s also gentle. Subscribers receive access to the website and print magazine. By the end of the month, Animal Crossing had become the top-selling video game in the United States. Subscribers receive access to the website and print magazine. This success isn’t so surprising when you think about what was happening last March. Across the front of its box, in cheery, looping script, was the game’s slogan: “A sweet little game for sweet little folks.”. Angelina’s friends Phoebe, Whitney, Tia, and Prince are, respectively, an ostrich, a fox, an elephant, and a frog. Take 12-year-old Quinn, an Animal Crossing fan from Silver Spring, Maryland. SKILL BUILDING AND WRITING (20 MINUTES), Simple, spectacular ideas for using Scope in your classroom. Millions of Americans had just been told to stay home because of the outbreak of Covid-19. It was all kids. Eleanor Abbott would surely be pleased to know that her “sweet little game” has delighted so many generations of children. We couldn’t go to a movie or grab a slice of pizza with friends. Entries must be submitted by a legal resident of the U.S. age 18 and older, who is the teacher, parent, or guardian of the student. See our Contest Page for details. As Dr. Rachel Kowert, a psychologist who studies gaming, explains, “Games are great at fixing our mood and reducing our stress and anxiety.” That’s because when we play, our brains release feel-good chemicals called endorphins. It’s a peaceful game.”. How about ways to recognize their work? Looking for authentic writing opportunities for your students? 3. Most of the kids in the polio ward with Abbott had never spent much time away from their families. Figurative language: rhetorical questions, metaphor. The Core Skills Workout comes with every issue and will support your reading program no matter what your scope and sequence. Divide students into groups to respond to the following close-reading questions. Animal Crossing is not the first game to become popular in a difficult time. In its most severe form, the poliovirus attacks the nervous system and can lead to paralysis, difficulty breathing, and in extreme cases, death. Please note: We cannot accept Google docs. Still, not every game becomes a hit. Some familiarity with the games Animal Crossing and Candy Land what they are will aid in comprehension. Thanks to Candy Land, kids stuck at home could travel through the Peppermint Stick Forest, pass under the Gingerbread Plum Tree, and slide down the Rainbow Trail. They deepen friendships.Multiplayer games that offer the chance to socialize and collaborate with others, like Animal Crossing and Dungeons and Dragons, can strengthen bonds between friends. But what would you tell her to do? Anytime she wants, she can shake down a crisp, red apple for herself. Items marked (PDF Form) feature editable areas. Please attach entries as Word documents or PDFs, put the contest name in the subject line, and include the e-mail address of the entrant's parent or legal guardian. Please note: We cannot accept Google docs. Eleven million copies were sold within 11 days of the game’s release on March 20, making it the biggest launch of any Nintendo Switch game ever. Vocabulary: some higher-level words, such as chaotic, mundane, respectively, and serene. Essential questions: How do we cope in times of crisis? Have students complete Preparing to Write: The Power of Play (available in yourÂ, Alternatively, have students choose a culminating task from the Choice Board, a menu of differentiated activities. People of any age can get polio, but it affects mainly young children. How are they different? One reason is that games—whether it’s Animal Crossing, hide-and-seek, or Clue—can make us feel better. He feels a sense of accomplishment when he waters his flowers, catches a few fish and some bugs, and checks in on his villagers. Studies show that video games that require you to react quickly and accurately to things happening on-screen can improve hand-eye coordination. You've read our True Teen Stories in Action—now it's time to write your own. 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