BrianMeld Teaching Guide: Spore Hero
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Spore Hero
Are Video game creatures stranger than real organisms?
Using “Spore Hero” to demonstrate evolutionary structures and function of organisms
for Seventh Grade Biology
Written by
Erik Frey
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Table of Contents
Teaching Guide Overview ........................................................................................... 3
Spore Hero Description ....................................................................................................... 4
Using Spore Hero in the Classroom....................................................................................... 4
The Advantages of Teaching with Games .............................................................................. 5
Goals and Objectives ........................................................................................................... 6
Grade Level Standards and Content Area ............................................................................... 6
Where the Game fits into the Curriculum ............................................................................... 8
What Teachers Need to Know Before Beginning .................................................................... 8
Hardware Requirements ...................................................................................................... 9
Lessons Overview ....................................................................................................... 9
Lesson One .......................................................................................................................10
Lesson One Goals and Objectives .................................................................................................... 11
Lesson One Setup ........................................................................................................................... 12
Lesson One Activity/Gameplay ........................................................................................................ 12
Lesson One Follow-up/Debriefing ................................................................................................... 14
Lesson One Extensions .................................................................................................................... 15
Lesson Two ......................................................................................................................16
Lesson Two Goals and Objectives .................................................................................................... 16
Lesson Two Setup ........................................................................................................................... 17
Lesson Two Activity/Gameplay ........................................................................................................ 18
Lesson Two Follow-up/Debriefing ................................................................................................... 19
Lesson Two Extensions ................................................................................................................... 19
Teacher Resources .................................................................................................... 20
References ................................................................................................................ 21
About the Author...................................................................................................... 22
Appendices ............................................................................................................... 23
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Teaching Guide Overview
Middle school students are fascinated by animals.
They love to recount stories about their pets and many post
vignettes to You Tube. Often, teachers capitalize this
connection as an icebreaker at the beginning of the year in
science class. Additionally, students love to draw their pets regardless of their artistic skill.
Seventh grade is also a cornucopia of information about all sorts of creatures as well. By this
time students have visited zoos, perused dozens of books and web sites and have been
exposed to years of animal facts. They are fascinated by the dramatic sizes and shapes of
living things, but more so by the truly amazing abilities that certain organisms posses.
Because of this innate interest and curiosity, it is a pleasure to teach genetics and evolution to
seventh graders. In the past, teachers have used different methods for sparking creativity
among their students by having them design their own creatures. Usually this is on paper or
using clay, then describing what abilities and movements the creature would use. Spore Hero
provides an engaging, creative method for students to experiment with their imagination and
compare their creations to those that exist (or have existed) in the real world.
Students have a natural ability to connect structure and function when exposed to a
visual (phenotypic) representation of an animal. In the classroom a lively discussion ensues
when a drawing of the ancestor of a giraffe is shown next to a modern photo of a giraffe. They
learn according to state standards such as Darwin versus Lamark, (Holdrege, 2003) that the
giraffe did not grow a longer neck over time, but the tiny gene pool represented by longer
necked giraffes had a successful selection for survival. Mythical creatures are useful as well for
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demonstrating the connection between structure and function. A picture of a griffin evokes a
robust reaction from the class as to how this creature would have moved and behaved.
Spore Hero Description
Spore Hero is a Wii based extension of the very popular computer based game
“Spore”. In the spin off, the player creates their character based on both physical attributes
and abilities. The character embarks on exploration, quests and battles. The player (or
players) is the “Hero” that defends the planet against invading aliens that crash on the planet
(reminiscent of Lilo and Stitch). A major feature of the player, or Hero, is the ability to
constantly change or morph by changing appendages, which subsequently affect their
abilities. As the player accumulates blue shards (Spore Hero points and currency), they have
the ability to find a safe area to evolve called a “nest”. In this place, the game is temporarily
paused as the creature can change their physical appearance, which in turn allows them new
and improved abilities (evolutionary functions) when they leave the nest. These added
strengths include new appendages for defense when battling enemies as well as eyes and
different beaks or mouths for eating or completing different quests.
Using Spore Hero in the Classroom
This game will provide students the ability to create animals and bring them to “life”.
They will be able to see how their creation fares in the “world” and what modifications
(evolution) would show survival or extinction. They face various foes that have specific
strengths such as flying, diving attacks. When their creature is defeated, the user has a chance
to restart the level, accumulate more strength and then choose different appendages to be
more successful. To connect to the class, the teacher will explain how these would represent
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a mutation that was essential for survival. In the above example, two extra legs provide an
excellent blocking motion against the diving attack. The game itself is analogous to different
environmental evolutionary scenarios. An organism can be successful in one type of situation
depending on the predator population as well as the characteristics of the environment in
which they live.
The Advantages of Teaching with Games
Spore Hero represents a type of video game that harnesses the power of the
programming strengths of computer hardware and software. The interactive abilities are
remarkable: students have a tremendous amount of control over their characters both in
physical appearance and movement abilities, a new trend in gaming. This provides a strong
connection or buy-in from the student (Aldrich, 2004). Video games stimulate a different
combination of learning skills in the brain. A University of Iowa study (Scroogs, 2008),
showed that doctors proficient in video games made 35% fewer mistakes and were 27%
faster than their non-gaming peers. Hand eye coordination is not the only benefit students can
reap from video games. NASA has used video games and digital simulations for reducing
stress and training through biofeedback for years (Braukus, 2009).Moreover, they support the
sense of a “mind over matter” sense of well-being that is also linked to increased self
motivation for engaging in tasks. Video games designed specifically for science education
are remarkably sparse. Some Second Life sites run by medical schools set up medical
scenarios that students are challenged to diagnose. Others like “NanoMission” and “Immune
Attack” (both funded by the National Science Foundation, Appendix) are in development and
are geared for high school and college science. Many games presented at the Middle school
level are little more than drill exercises using technology. Spore Hero however, has several
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engaging aspects. The student can design, control and name their creature, thus establishing a
sense of ownership. The planet environment is lush, biological and engaging. The various
quests, riddles and activities have an element of fun and whimsy. One example is to prevent
an alien from eating all the red fruit from a tree valuable to the players. The solution is for
one’s character to knock down a pile of fruit so the alien eats it all and gets so full that it
can’t move.
Goals and Objectives
Upon successfully completing the lessons in this guide, students will be to:
1. Explore a range of appearances and abilities of organisms, (real, extinct and created)
2. Understand the relationship between structure and function of an organism
3. Assess the interaction between an organism and its environment
4. Determine the relative strengths and weakness of an organism and its predator
5. Establish an optimum combination of attributes that will result in an organism’s
survival
Grade Level Standards and Content Area
This segment will follow the relevant California State Standards for Seventh Grade
Cellular Dynamics
2. A typical cell of any organism contains genetic instructions that specify its traits.
Those traits may be modified by environmental influences.
As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
c. an inherited trait can be determined by one or more genes.
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e. DNA is the genetic material of living organisms, and is located in the chromosomes of
each cell.
Evolution
3. Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual
processes over many generations.
As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
a. both genetic variation and environmental factors are causes of evolution and diversity of
organisms.
c. how independent lines of evidence from geology, fossils, and comparative anatomy provide
a basis for the theory of evolution.
e. extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and the adaptive
characteristics of a species are insufficient for its survival.
b. organ systems function because of the contributions of individual organs, tissues, and
cells. The failure of any part can affect the entire system.
c. how bones and muscles work together to provide a structural framework for movement.
E.3.b: Students know the reasoning used by Charles Darwin in reaching his conclusion
that natural selection is the mechanism of evolution.
E.3.a: Students know both genetic variation and environmental factors are causes of
evolution and diversity of organisms.
Structure and Function in Living Systems
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5. The anatomy and physiology of plants and animals illustrate the
complementary nature of structure and function.
As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
a. plants and animals have levels of organization for structure and function, including
cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and the whole organism.
Where the Game fits into the Curriculum
Students have completed the chapter on Genetics, Evolution and Structure and
Function. The game will be successful when the class has finished a post-test on the above
topics. A crucial element to tie the game to the curriculum standards is the ability to
evaluate the phenotypic changes that their creature needs based upon feedback from the
game (see Appendix). For instance, students need to be able to differentiate between
phenotype and genotype (Appendix). In Mushroom Valley, there is an area with falling
rocks. Adding wings will enable the character to clear more of the rocks without collisions,
but still have strong feet for running and blocking. The genotype aspect comes into play
when students change their creature in the nest; by experimenting, they may find that
putting wings on their creature’s hands works better than on their back.
What Teachers Need to Know Before Beginning
Teachers need to be competent with Spore Creature Creator 2D
(http://www.spore2d.com/) and the Wii game Spore Hero. In addition, they need to know
tricks and pitfalls that students might fall into. The teachers make it clear the relationship
between structure and function of the animals shown. In addition, the concept of “battling” is
described in the context of survival and thus the passing of DNA to the next generation. It is
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important for teachers to emphasize that their creature are not fighting for gratuitous
violence. These battles are founded on competition for food or territory or dominance as
studied in class according to the standards. The combat is not always to the death, as is
possible to evade a fight (like the stone monster) and still maintain the requisite genotype to
survive, thus propagating a species.
The teacher also needs to be able to demonstrate and explain the Creature Creator on
the laptop as well as describing the controls on the Wii console. The teacher should not take
too much time playing the game, for this age level needs a ratio of 10:2. (Ten minutes of
instruction followed by two minutes of transition.) A timer will be needed to aid the students
as well.
Hardware Requirements
1-Nintendo Game Console and Television/Projector, two controllers, fresh batteries (use
rechargeable batteries
2-Creature Creator on class laptops, 2 students per laptop
Lessons Overview
The teacher demonstrates creating a creature on a laptop with a projector. The menu
of appendages is explained including how and where attachments are made. Students are
made aware of their choices on the limits of the hardware and how it slows the processors.
The site Sporepedia (http://www.spore.com/sporepedia) is explored to show the vast
collection of creatures that are registered, (over 145 million). The teacher will show different
categories discussing the merits of a certain physical attribute that might have evolved,
therefore showing the rough idea of species.
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Students will then make their own creatures, name them and give them certain
abilities. This alone is a very powerful part of game play and it sets Spore Hero apart from so
many video games. They will practice moving their creature and honing powers and skills.
They need to be able to relate their creation to a real life organism or combination of several
organisms. Students work first on laptops with Creature Creator, and then continue through
two Wii stations for Lesson Two. While the Wii consoles are being used, the students from
Lesson One will print their creature and describe its genotype and abilities (powers)
manifested by its phenotype.
Lesson One
Students will start with a favorite animal and make a representative animal using the
Spore Creature generator. This organism can be found in printed encyclopedia or an
online resource for animals. Students will focus on how genotypes (DNA) may have
produced the phenotypes. They will choose any organism, living or extinct and
create a digital representation of it. If they add new or different part, they must be
able to explain which additional organism contributed to their amalgamation. This is
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a combination of genetics, evolution and structure and function of living organisms.
For this lesson students find actual living organisms that resemble Spore Hero
creatures: plant kingdom, Venus flytrap, insects, sea creatures, lizards, snakes,
spiders, dinosaurs, birds and mammals are some examples.
Lesson One Goals and Objectives
After successfully completing this lesson, students will be able to:
a- Modify their Spore Hero creature as closely as possible to resemble
their real-life or extinct organism
b- Name their creature and print out a copy
c- Discuss the question “Is Spore Hero so outlandish compared to real
life creatures?”
d- Compare their Spore Hero creature to their real-life creature
e- Explain how the genotype evolved to produce the physical attributes
of their creature
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Lesson One Setup
Students will watch a demonstration by the teacher on the use of the creature
generator. This will be on the class laptops so groups of two students will work in
sync with the demonstration. The teacher will start with an example of an organism
like a scorpion and then using the Creature Creator, build a scorpion-like organism.
The class can help along by describing how many appendages the scorpion has,
where they should be attached, where the pincers need to be attached and building the
tail as well. Removing parts is as easy as grabbing module and deleting using delete
key or throwing in trash.
Lesson One Activity/Gameplay
The class will learn to name the creature, choose parts from the menu, save
and test their creature. This program is similar enough to the Wii, so the class will be
engaged at this point. Students take turns creating their creature and need to decide
what parts will give certain powers to their animal. Wings for flying attacks and
mobility, legs for movement and kicking, mouths for biting and grabbing and tails for
attacks with venom.
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Students will follow the menu items on the laptop and move their cursor to
modify the placement of the legs, tail and pincers. After a part is attached, use the
arrow keys to rotate the view to see all sides of the creature. With over 400 parts and
multiple morph spots, the designer has a tremendous control of the physical aspects of
building their creature. This degree modification can be compared with thousands of
generations of mutations and genetic change representing millions of years. Morphing
features represents evolution and it enables different abilities and powers.
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Lesson One Follow-up/Debriefing
Students will obtain a printout and describe their creature to the class. Creatures
presented. In the discussion, students will point out the relative strengths and weaknesses of
their peers’ animals. They also discuss the process that they used to create their special
creatures, with mouths to eat and talk, colors of their body and interesting appendages with
creative attributes. This will create a natural desire to move to lesson two, engaging in
adventures and battles especially when placed in high quality visual environments.
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Lesson One Extensions
Use Spore Hero Creature Creator to create crazy, wacky animals, include sea
creatures and insects, by using the options and menus of the program. Then, the class will use
their researching methods to find a real life organism that most closely resembles the
fictitious creature. This will apply to an extension of the classification of living things.
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Lesson Two
Lesson Two will focus on the relationship between structure (phenotype) and
function. The Wii game will now allow the student to utilize the features and abilities
of their creatures in different action settings. At first, this entails exploring the
environment and collecting blue shards for energy and points. Then their creature will
be able to perform tasks and embark on quests. At some point, the creature will be
challenged by an alien to combat. For all of the above activities, the creature (Hero)
will rely upon the physical attributes with which it has been created.
Lesson Two Goals and Objectives
After successfully completing this lesson, students will be able to:
a- Determine how these specialized attributes allow them to succeed against
each other
b- Describe how these battles reflect real life? Which moves are real?
c- Explain the rational behind the confrontation: is it food, territory?
d- What powers and advantages are relevant to victory and how does the
phenotype to support this?
Example: The 10 in centipede shares territory with a tarantula and both are 400
million years old. They are both predators. Spiders have two curved fangs that inject
venom, but the scorpion if victorious will feast upon the spider. However, the
whistling spider has no web, hunts prey, is as large as a hand, has powerful venom
that can kill a dog, and can kill scorpion. It also has a powerful, venomous tail and
powerful pincers for holding prey.
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Lesson Two Setup
Students will explore natural enemies and predators in real life and determine which
abilities lead to a successful battle, including animals that retreat to survive. In
addition they will explain why one animal can defeat another, but succumb to a
different one. In the examples below, the spider defeats the wasp, but is later defeated
by the scorpion. Looking at scenes from nature help students make correlations
between attribute and function as well as sparking interest and debate when they make
their creatures and put them into action.
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Students will find classic predator matchups that they can simulate using creatures
from Spore Hero. Some examples are: Cobra versus mongoose, polar bear versus
bull walrus and giant squid versus sperm whale.
Lesson Two Activity/Gameplay
Using the creatures they have generated, students will start exploring the different
levels of The Spore Hero planet including following the quests and gaining power
from the blue shards. When they encounter a predator and engage in battle, they
should predict the outcome based on the attributes of each combatant. After the
outcome, they have an opportunity to take their creature back to their nest and
depending on the amount of power and other abilities they have collected, students
can modify their animal and try they battle again. The Wii controls are a powerful
aspect of the game. The student can control their creature’s movements, attacks and
defense with a combination of the “A” and “B” buttons and simple hand
movements. Particularly effective are the “dive” and “charge” moves. No arrow
keys are needed. For more advanced moves, the “2” button is pressed timing it with
a block or attack. This adds a quicker or more powerful movement of their creature.
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In addition, complex combinations are simple to execute as a result of the hand-eye
design of the Wii controllers. Blue Shards allow a creature to regenerate. Using the
“C” key gives the player a view from the creature’s point of view, helpful when
exploring and looking for detail.
Lesson Two Follow-up/Debriefing
When a level has been completed, the class will have a discussion and an assignment
to write a short synopsis of the action that took place. They should be specific in
describing what well and what needed to be improved. Like real biology, a creature
can’t have everything. There are trade-offs and biological compromises. Students
should include modifications they made to their character and the action that led to
that decision. The teacher will set up small groups to facilitate enough time to allow
meaningful discussions.
Lesson Two Extensions
Students choose matchups between different classmate (or group) creations and
predict the outcome. They play the game and discuss the outcome. These exercises
do not have to be based on real life scenarios. For example a Stegosaurus and an
elephant would exhibit vast differences in life style, ability to feed and communicate
as well as theoretically engaging in a battle. Have the class discuss what
modifications both might need to be victorious. Explore the morphing possibilities in
the nest to see the limits of the program.
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Teacher Resources
Giant centipede versus tarantula:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf8pAwGsuF4&feature=related
Polar Bear versus Bull walrus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob_oD1IsYbE&feature=related
Computer animated spider versus scorpion!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yhUu5omEJU
Sporepedia: Encyclopedia of Spore Creatures:
http://www.spore.com/sporepedia
100 million Spore creations:
http://www.sporeillustrated.com/
Creature Creator Tutorial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFDFlMYp37U&feature=related
Smart Games for Science, National Science Federation:
http://www.supersmartgames.com/blogcategory/General_Sciences/
Note: all videos need to be screened and just the video shown. Comments on YouTube are
highly inappropriate, but the content of the video is fabulous.
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References
Aldrich, C. (2004). Simulations and the future of learning. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
Braukus, Michael. (2009). Video Games may Lead to Better Health Through NASA
Technology. National Science Foundation. Retrieved May 2010 from
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/releases/2000/00-063.html
Holdredge, Craig.(2003). The Giraffe’s Short Neck. The Nature Institute. Retrieved May,
2010 from http://www.natureinstitute.org/pub/ic/ic10/giraffe.htm
Scroogs, Amber. (2008). Studies show video games stimulate brain function.
Retrieved May 2010, Daily Reveille; http://www.lsureveille.com/opinion/studies-showvideo-games-stimulate-brain-function-1.918569
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About the Author
Erik Frey is a science, math and music teacher and fan of Leonardo da Vinci and 7th
graders. He lives in La Mesa with his wife Jane, a musician and their three kids. He believes
that science is art and that we are perpetual students. He is excited about the wealth of new
technology that will be available to his 8 year old son (when he’s not playing baseball).
Originally a New Yorker, California is definitely the place to be and develop digital
educational materials for middle school, online and in the classroom.
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Appendices
http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/43820.page :
Definition:
Phenotype
This is the "outward, physical manifestation" of the organism. These are the physical parts,
the sum of the atoms, molecules, macromolecules, cells, structures, metabolism, energy
utilization, tissues, organs, reflexes and behaviors; anything that is part of the observable
structure, function or behavior of a living organism.
Genotype
This is the "internally coded, inheritable information" carried by all living organisms. This
stored information is used as a "blueprint" or set of instructions for building and maintaining
a living creature. These instructions are found within almost all cells (the "internal" part),
they are written in a coded language (the genetic code), they are copied at the time of cell
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division or reproduction and are passed from one generation to the next ("inheritable"). These
instructions are intimately involved with all aspects of the life of a cell or an organism. They
control everything from the formation of protein macromolecules, to the regulation of
metabolism and synthesis.
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