New suite expands existing middle school library into elementary schools

Legends of Learning announced today it will develop more than 300 curriculum-based science games for grades 3-5. This new elementary science curricula has now become available. The new elementary school games, created by more than 100 game developers, are based on rigorous academic research conducted in partnership with Vanderbilt University.

The new Legends of Learning elementary school games will complement Legends of Learning’s existing middle school suite of more than 800 games and simulations, bringing the depth and breadth of content on the site to more than 1,300 games spanning grades 3-8. The games and platform were developed with direct input and feedback from Legends of Learning’s teacher community, resulting in a platform that is easy to use and educator friendly.

Legends of Learning’s game-based learning platform includes:

• Short games (5-20 minutes) that align to state science curriculum standards to ensure content engages students and helps them succeed in their studies;
• Support for many state standards including Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), TEKS (Texas), GSE (Georgia), and SOL (Virginia);
• An intuitive platform that allows teachers to easily deploy games in class via playlists, and empowers advanced features like in-class assessments and personalized learning; and
• A dashboard to observe student comprehension in real time and assess content mastery.

“Many districts and teachers requested elementary school science games since we launched Legends of Learning,” said Legends of Learning founder and CEO Dr. Vadim Polikov. “We are excited about the addition of grades 3-5. This will make for a comprehensive science content series that provides engagement and boosts academic performance. This unique platform and game content model builds off of research and pragmatic in-classroom experience to deliver that curricula content in a way students enjoy.”

Polikov, a research scientist, believes that research is the foundation for successful game-based learning and long-term education reform. He worked in partnership with Vanderbilt University to conduct a study “Substantial Integration of Typical Educational Games into Extended Curricula,” which measured the performance of more than 1,000 students in seven states and in schools with differing student bodies, socioeconomic factors, and geographic locations. The study demonstrated with statistical significance that academic performance and engagement increase with curriculum-aligned game-based learning.

Legends of Learning is showcasing its platform and games at the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST) conference (Booth #945) in Houston, through November 11. For more information about Legends of Learning visit legendsoflearning.com.

American children need new education heroes, teachers dedicated to using new, engaging methods to teach curriculum. Legends of Learning helps educators make their classrooms fun, engaging, and productive learning environments through research-driven, curriculum-based games. We use ongoing original research to create an edgame platform filled with an epic range of lessons for stronger subject mastery and classroom engagement. All games are based on state curriculum standards. Teachers can don their masks with Legends of Learning at legendsoflearning.com.

Media contacts:

Stacey Finkel

ASPR

Stacey.Finkel@aspr.bz

703.304.1377

Geoff Livingston

Legends of Learning

geoff@legendsoflearning.com

703.859.0089

Are you ready to bring engaging, game-based learning into your classroom? Legends of Learning is a powerful platform that makes learning fun, interactive, and aligned with educational standards. Whether you’re a teacher looking to enhance your lessons, a student eager to explore new concepts through games, or a parent supporting your child’s learning journey, getting started with Legends of Learning is easy and rewarding.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through 10 essential steps to help you set up, navigate, and make the most of the platform. From creating an account to assigning games and tracking progress, this step-by-step breakdown will ensure you’re ready to maximize the learning experience. Let’s dive in and unlock the power of educational gaming!

Congratulations! You’ve created your Legends of Learning account, and you’re ready to expand your science teaching superpowers. Let’s get started!

How To Get Started In 10 Steps

Here’s how to get started in just ten easy steps:

Step 1: Choose A Subject

Select Earth and Space, Life, or Physical Science.

Step 2: Choose A Learning Objective

Each subject has 26-35 different lessons, or Learning Objectives, each covering a specific science standard.

Step 3: Preview The Games

Each Learning Objective has 7-10 unique games. Click on each game to view teacher reviews, vocabulary words, and discussion questions. You can also play the games yourself, and leave your own ratings!

Step 4: Create A Playlist

Click the orange button above the games to be transported to the playlist-building screen.

Step 5: Drag & Drop

Pick your games and drag them into the playlist.

Step 6: Add Assessments

Open up the “Assessments” tab, choose how many questions to include, and add them before, between, or after the games.

Step 7: Customize

Shuffle the order of games and assessments, toggle the playlist’s duration, and give your playlist a name.

Step 8: Launch!

Hit the big green button! You don’t even have to add your students ahead of time; just send them to play.legendsoflearning.com and give them your teacher code, located at the top of the playlist. (Don’t panic; the “Students” tab will not appear in your account until you’ve launched a playlist and had students join.)

Step 9: Track Student Data

Watch as students progress through the playlist, and see their answers to quiz questions in real time. If you need to stop and review the mid-playlist, click the pause button.

Step 10: Download Results

All student answer data gets saved within the playlist for future reference. Download it as a CSV with the click of a button!

Boom! Your science class is now certifiably legendary.

Reach Out To Legends of Learning For More Information

If you have any trouble with these steps, check out helpful hints on the Hall of Knowledge, or don’t hesitate to contact us at support@legendsoflearning.com.

Earlier this October, we spent a brainstorming lunch thinking about all the different ways Legends of Learning can improve the way today’s students engage with science in the classroom. But what about beyond the classroom?

We came up with this fun little fall project, the STEM Visions Contest, to get students looking ahead to the future. The goal is to use science games to help engage more students in science related topics at school.

It’s so important to get young students engaged in science. As you know, the United States has a workforce shortage in STEM-related fields. Why? Because many students lack enthusiasm when it comes to studying science.

Teachers like you can help them discover the links between what they learn in science class and what they could dedicate their careers to in the future. It begins with engaging students in science topics.

We want to help teachers spark discussions about where students see themselves going, and how science will factor in to their destination.

The teachers who are most successful will win grants from DonorsChoose for their classrooms. But more on that in a minute.

How does the contest work?

The contest will be open from November 6-17. To participate, teachers will deploy games from one of our 90 middle school science learning objectives as part of the science lessons they’re currently teaching. Here are the current top 10 learning objectives on the page.

After students play the games, teachers will ask them the following questions: If they were to choose a career in science, what would it be? Why?

What impact do you hope to make?

Once students have answered these questions and had a discussion about STEM possibilities, teachers will record their answers and submit the best responses via Facebook. They will also need to tag our page in the posts and submit their post’s URL to a Google form. Once the contest is closed, our team at Legends of Learning will review every submission and choose a total of 10 winners.

Ok, so what makes it a contest?

Prizes, of course! First place will receive a $1000 grant on DonorsChoose and a one-year, full-access license to use our platform. Four runners-up will receive $250 on DonorsChoose and 3000 LoL platform coins. Five distinguished teachers will receive 1000 coins.

Introducing a little fun competition can bring out the best in all of us. We can’t wait to hear what students around the country come up with when they’re asked to envision their future careers!

For full details and rules, visit the contest homepage.

Earlier this month, Legends of Learning took home first prize at the Amazon Web Services EdStart “pitch day” in New York City. AWS brought in ten EdTech startups to present their products in front of over 100 industry leaders. Legends of Learning Founder Vadim Polikov and Co-Founder Josh Goldberg made the trip to Manhattan.

In a five minute presentation, Vadim and Josh showed attendees the look of the LoL platform and detailed our standards-based approach and commitment to equipping teachers with detailed data analysis. They fielded questions and took feedback from fellow EdTech experts, who submitted collective scores for each of the presenting companies. The audience was very impressed with the Legends pitch, ultimately awarding the company first place!

There were several other companies present. One company, Cell-Ed, presented their mobile software for teaching adults basic skills they need for the workforce, and won third place. Another, Learnmetrics, took second place when they showcased their powerful learning analytics tool designed to bring out the full potential of students and their schools.

Our team came back to Washington, DC with a few prizes and more than a few ideas for how to keep improving Legends of Learning for students and teachers. They were inspired by all of the bright minds around them, who share the goal of improving education for learners everywhere.

We would like to thank Amazon Web Services for hosting the AWS EdStart pitch day, and supporting Legends of Learning. You can read more about the event on their blog.

Our new NGSS White Paper offers a comprehensive look at the new science standards and the challenges they present to educators on a district, school, and classroom level. The paper seeks to provide a knowledge baseline for educators who are just starting to grapple with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

The main ideas covered include science and engineering principles (SEPs), crosscutting concepts (CCCs), and Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), and resources to help teachers adapt. The paper then addresses some of the challenges that teachers may face as they implement in the classroom.

Finally, the NGSS white paper offers a series of resources to help teachers look for content and methods to bring the standards to their classroom. These resources are independent of the 90 lessons and thousands of games and assessment items on the Legends of Learning platform that map directly to the NGSS’s middle school DCIs.

“For me, the hardest part of implementing NGSS has been that at times I feel like the standards ‘gloss over’ certain topics. Then [I] dive straight into others in a lot of detail,” said April Thompkins, a Legends of Learning Ambassador. “Sometimes when I feel like if I follow the standards as they are written (with the instructional boundaries/limits), my students might not have the background they need. [It’s hard] to learn new material later in the year or in the next grade level.”

Kristin Wajda, another Legends of Learning Ambassador, voices this concern: “I know some teachers that just use the same activities each year because its [sic] easier. With the new NGSS curriculum, I’m hoping that teachers will embrace the change and create new experiences for their students.”

Interested parties can download the NGSS white paper here.

When you’re teaching students about space, Earth’s immediate surroundings are a good place to start. Cover the sun, other planets, their moons, and asteroids with the Our Solar System Learning Objective.

It includes a lesson plan created by science teachers, which you can download in PDF form or view below.

Lesson Plan: Our Solar System

NGSS Standard
ESS1.B-1: The solar system consists of the sun and a collection of objects, including planets, their moons, and asteroids that are held in orbit around the sun by its gravitational pull on them.

Objective

Students will be able to:

• Explain the role of gravity in the solar system.
• Explain the relationship between mass and gravity.
• Predict the patterns of movement of objects in our solar system.
• Accurately produce a 2D model of objects with varying masses that illustrates the relationship between gravity and mass.

Time Required:
85 minutes

Materials Needed

• Teacher computer with internet access
• Projector/Smartboard
• 1 computer/laptop/iPad/Chromebook per student with internet access or BYOD (students can Bring Your Own Device)
• Our Solar System and Gravity handout (attached)
• 15 magnets (varying sizes are acceptable and encouraged if magnets are not the same size)
• A magnetic object, such as a paperclip or the leg of a student’s chair

Teacher Preparation

• Create a 30-minute playlist in Legends of Learning with the following games found in the Our Solar System learning objective (in order):
  • Around and Around (15-minute playtime)
  • The Sun, Moon and Stars: Patterns of Apparent Motion (11 minutes)
• Create a 10-minute playlist in Legends of Learning with 5 assessment questions from the Our Solar System learning objective.
• Make copies of Our Solar System and Gravity Worksheet (1 per student).
• Gather materials for the Engage portion of the lesson.

Engage (15 minutes)

The teacher will show a magnet to the class.

1. The teacher will use the magnet and a paper clip to show how the paper clip is attracted to the magnet.
   • The teacher will ask, “Is the magnet attracted to the paperclip, or is the paperclip attracted to the magnet?”
     • Allow students time to think before accepting any answers
     • Teachers should employ a random way of calling on students if no volunteers are available.
   • The teacher may guide/prompt students to the understanding that
     the paperclip is attracted to the magnet.
   • Using the magnets, and working in pairs or triads, the students
     should explore the classroom for other objects that are attracted to the
     magnet. Ask students to use different distances between the magnet
     and the object and to note the results.
   • Students should also use magnets of two different sizes to observe
     the results.
   • Once students are done (after 5 minutes), they should reflect (verbally or with written text) on the following prompts:
     • What types of objects were attracted to the magnet? Were the objects
       that were attracted to the magnet larger or smaller than the magnet? Is there a
       relationship between size and the amount of attractive force?
2. The teacher will say “The activity you just did was modeling gravity. Gravity is a force of attraction. Why do you think I used a magnet to model gravity?”
   The teacher should employ a randomized process for calling on students. Only a couple (1 or 2) answers should be allowed at this point due to time. The teacher should say, “Gravity is a force of
   attraction. Today you will learn how gravity is used to keep objects in our solar system in constant, predictable patterns of motion, and the relationship between mass and gravity.”

Explore (20 minutes)

1. Have your students sign in to Legends of Learning and enter your teacher code.
2. Launch Playlist 1 for your students.
3. As students complete Around and Around, students should fill out the Our Solar Sys>em and Gravity Handout; question #5 will be done during the Elaborate section of the 5E.
4. Assist students as needed during gameplay, and pause the playlist if you need to address content or questions to the entire class.
   • The teacher may need to sit with struggling students in a group of no more than 4 to facilitate learning.

Explain (25 minutes)

1. The teacher will review the answers from the Our Solar System and Gravity handout.
2. The teacher will relate student knowledge to the demonstration at the beginning of class.
3. It is important to remind students that the force of magnetism and gravity are not the same. However, to model the process on a small, observable scale, magnets were used to model gravity.
   • Why was a magnet used? A magnet was used to simulate a semi-attractive force between objects.
   • What objects in our solar system were being represented by the magnet? Any object in the solar system that has mass can be represented by a magnet.
   • Why was the paperclip attracted to the magnet? The magnet is bigger than the paperclip.
   • How does the relationship of size affect gravity? The bigger an object is, and the more mass it has, the more gravity it will exert on other objects.
   • Why does the larger magnet attract the smaller magnet? The larger magnet has a larger “force”.
   • Students should be able to answer the following:
     • Why are the planets kept in constant, predictable motion? The Sun’s gravity.
     • Why do all the planets orbit the Sun? The Sun is the most massive object in our solar system. Larger objects with more mass will attract more objects.

Elaborate (10 – 15 minutes)

• Have students watch the video on gravity.
• The teacher can clear up any misconceptions about gravity and mass at this point in the lesson.
• Students complete question #5 on the Our Solar System and Gravity handout.

Evaluate (10 minutes)

1. Launch Playlist 2 for your students. When they finish the assessment questions, any time left is free play.
2. Analyze student results to determine what concepts need to be a focus for reteaching.

Our Solar System & Gravity

Name: _________________________

Directions:
While playing the second game in Legends of Learning called Around and Around, use what you learn to answer the questions below.

1. Label the planets in the correct order. Please note: The image is not to scale.

2. What are some of the components of our solar system that astronomers have studied? List some in the space provided.

1. A.
2. B.
3. C.
4. D.

3. What is the relationship between gravity and mass?

1. A. The more mass an object has, the more gravity it will exert on another object.
2. B. The more mass an object has, the less gravity it will exert on another object.
3. C. The less gravity an object has, the more gravity it will exert on another object.
4. D. The less gravity an object has, the less gravity it will exert on another object.

4. If two objects in space are close together, which of the following is true?

1. A. Distance has no effect on gravity.
2. B. The farther apart objects are will cause them to have greater gravity.
3. C. The closer together objects are will cause them to have greater gravity.
4. D. Gravity in space depends on how much light is being emitted from the objects.

This portion should be completed during the Elaborate portion of the 5E lesson.

5. Imagine that the solar system consisted ONLY of Jupiter, Mars, and Earth. How would Jupiter’s gravity affect the orbits of Mars and Earth? Draw and label your answer in the space below.

One of our most popular learning objectives on the Legends platform is The Sun, Moon, and Stars: Patterns of Apparent Motion. Keep reading to find the Sun, Moon, and Stars lesson plan, and download it for free!

Sign up for free to access all the features available, for teachers, on Legends of Learning!

The Sun, Moon, and Stars Lesson Plan

Learning Objective:​ The Sun, Moon & Stars – Patterns Of Apparent Motion

NGSS Standard

MS-ESS1.A-1 ​ Patterns of the apparent motion of the sun, the moon, and stars in the sky can be observed, described, predicted, and explained with models.

Objective

Students will be able to:

1. Explain the locations of the Earth, moon and sun and describe their relationship
2. Explain the movements of the Earth, moon and sun by developing models
3. Explain the different phases of the moon by manipulating models

Time Required

90 minutes

Lesson Getting Ready

Materials Needed:

• Teacher computer with internet access and projector
• Student computers/laptops/tablets with internet access (preferably one per student but at least enough for small groups of 3 -4 students)
• Plastic spoons
• Oreo cookies (or a similar substitute)
• Black Sharpie pens and colored magic markers
• Construction paper
• Paper towels

Teacher Preparation

• Create a 10-minute assignment on Legends of Learning with the games found in The Sun, Moon and Stars: patterns of Apparent Motion. Example Apparent Motion: Orbital Command
• Create a 20-minute assignment on Legends of Learning with items found in “The Sun, Moon, and Stars: patterns of Apparent Motion”. Example: Sun Shooter
• Separate Oreo cookies, Sharpies, and plates for each group (at least 8 cookies per group)

Introduce Topic

Engage: 10 min

1. The teacher will play the video “5F Sun, Earth Moon The Science Video”

1. As students watch the video, they will write 3 or more new facts that they learned about the earth, moon, and sun in their science journal
2. The teacher then leads a discussion about the video and the relationship between the sun, moon and Earth
3. The teacher will instruct students to answer 3 questions from the video.

• • How many days does it take for the moon to orbit Earth? (28 days​)
  • How many days does it take Earth to orbit the sun? (365 ¼ days​)
  • How many hours does it take for Earth to complete one rotation on its axis? (24 hours​)

Explore: 10 min

1. Students have to sign in to Legends of Learning and enter their teacher code.
2. The teacher will send their students ther selected assignment.
3. Students will complete Apparent Motion: Orbital Command as the teacher assists students as needed. Stopping gameplay to address the questions asked in the game may be needed.

Expand On The Lesson

Explain: 10 min

1. The teacher will demonstrate the orbital and rotational relationship of the Earth, moon, and sun by having students in groups of three demonstrate this concept using their bodies to represent each celestial body. If there is limited room in the classroom, the teacher can simply demonstrate this with one group of three students by moving desks enough to clear a space large enough for the demonstration. Optimally, the teacher will be able to use hallway space so several groups can demonstrate this concept. Each group will get a sheet with the following diagram, which demonstrates the direction of rotation. (see Appendix A in the lesson plan)
2. As students demonstrate the rotational movements, the teacher assists students as needed as well as pausing the activity to ask questions to assess knowledge.

• • a. In which direction does the Earth rotate on its axis? Does the Earth rotate in the same direction as the Moon? or the Sun? i. The Earth rotates counter-clockwise on its axis. Yes, yes.
  • b. Does the moon orbit around the Sun or the Earth? Why does the moon orbit where it does? i. The Moon orbits around the Earth. This is because of its proximity to the Earth. Although the Sun has a greater gravitational effect due to its size, the moon is close enough to the Earth so that it is caught in its gravitational pull.
  • c. What is a solar eclipse and how does one form? i. A solar eclipse is when the sun is blocked, either partially or fully, by the moon. This occurs when the Moon’s orbit causes it to pass between the Earth and the Sun.

Elaborate & Evaluate

Elaborate: 40 min

1. Students will separate into small groups (three or four)
2. The teacher hands each group a zip-lock bag with at least 8 Oreo cookies and plastic spoon, a blank piece of construction paper, and markers.
3. The teacher then hands each group a sheet with the following diagrams: (see Appendix B in the lesson plan)
4. Using the information on these sheets, students will construct a moon phase chart on the construction paper using the Oreos with various amounts of icing scraped off to represent the various lunar phases. The cookies are then arranged in a linear fashion on the construction paper to mimic the eight phases of the moon. The markers will be used to draw representations of the sun, Earth, directional arrows, and titles of each lunar phase. A student example is provided below.

Evaluate: 20 min

1. 1. Launch Assignment 2 for students
   2. Students will play the game of their choice and be assessed on their ability to answer the questions provided in the game correctly.
   3. The teacher will analyze student results to determine what concepts need to be a focus for reteaching.

Possible Extension Activity

Have students participate in the World MOON Project, a globally collaborative project that allows students all over the world to observe and report on lunar phases. http://worldmoonproject.org/

Get more Free Lesson Plans for Educators!

• Lesson Plans: Three Clicks and Done!
• Our Solar System Lesson Plan
• The Sun, Moon, and Stars Lesson Plan
• Weather Prediction Lesson Plan

One of the most valuable features on the Legends of Learning platform is our playlist functionality. Playlists give teachers total control of their classroom, letting them determine who gets what games, see real time analytics, and even pause programs for mid-class discussions.

To help teachers maximize the power of this important feature, we’ve developed the following tip sheet, outlining five of the best uses for playlists. View it below, or download it here.

Game-based learning produces strong performance results and engagement. Playlists help teachers manage and deploy games for their classrooms to achieve those results. They are an incredibly versatile tool that provides strategic lesson plan architecture, real-time data and control, and performance analytics.

To help teachers we’ve compiled a list of the top seven (and a half) ways teachers can use playlists with their students:

1. Introduce science content – LoL playlists can provide a great introduction to new concepts. Each game contains a significant amount of content, so students can visualize new science concepts in a fun, interactive environment before listening to a lecture or opening a textbook.

2. Mid-unit refresh – After a few days of teaching the same topic, it can start to get stale for students. Reinforce and invigorate your lessons by deploying a playlist in the middle of the unit. Keep it fresh with a little fun!

3. Homework – Looking for take-home exercises that don’t involve a worksheet? Now you can build a playlist and set it to launch at a future date, for a set period of time. Your students might even want to do their homework!

4. Monday warm-up – It’s amazing how much students can forget content over the weekend. Use games and quiz questions in Legends of Learning playlists to ease them back into the swing of learning science for the week.

5. Assess progress – One of the best features playlists offer are assessment questions. This item lets you gage student knowledge and progress anywhere in a playlist; before, after, or in between games. You will know whether students are getting the larger lesson or not in real-time.

6. Stations – If your students are rotating through stations, between labs and other activities, playlists are a perfect addition; you can build them to last as little as ten minutes. This is a good option for classrooms that do not have one-to-one device access.

7. Test Review – Study guides, jeopardy, and practice tests help students prepare for tests from many different angles. Playlists add another element, mixing engaging gameplay with strong subject matter review.

7.5. Past unit recall – In that same vein (thus, the 7.5), if your students need to review foundational concepts you taught them months ago, launch a playlist for their blast from the past! This can be particularly useful for highlighting NGSS Crosscutting Concepts (CCC), which you can read about on our blog.

You can learn more about playlists on our help site. Log in today, and create a playlist for your next lesson!

Caitlin Unterman, a middle school science teacher in Forest, VA, is one of Legends of Learning’s most active teachers. Now you can hear how Caitlin uses Legends of Learning in her classroom during a special webinar on October 23rd at 4pm EST.

She has used the platform since day one, and hasn’t looked back. Caitlin will discuss deploying games in the classroom, building playlists, test preparation, and performance analytics. Participants will learn:

1) Implementing game based learning for topic reinforcement
2) Replacing study guides with game based resources
3) Assessing content mastery through gaming

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of our strongest ambassadors. Register for Caitlin’s webinar today!

About Caitlin Unterman

Caitlin Unterman was the VAST Earth Science RISE Award winner in 2016 and Lynchburg’s Teacher of the Year in 2015. She also loves horses and owns several of her own. She is an employee of Bedford County Public Schools.