With the school year well underway, teachers everywhere are working hard to establish connections with learners and leaders! Whether a classroom teacher or school-based professional, building community and empowering student-driven success remain a priority. In preparation for the year ahead, the K!rew partnered with Kahoot! Ambassadors to brainstorm ideas that level up awesome learning! First on the agenda: all-new game modes for live play on Kahoot!. We checked in with teachers from elementary, middle, and high schools to share top tips for bringing Submarine Squad to classrooms – for any content area, curriculum, or classroom dynamic!
Submarine Squad sets your class off on an adventure under the sea! Use knowledge and collaboration to escape the hungry fish and protect your submarine. In the Submarine Squad, the entire class plays together toward a common goal of fun and learning. While individual students answer questions correctly to boost the submarine, the whole class follows read-aloud instructions to escape from the hungry jaws of the advancing fish. Teacher content included in the kahoot improves learning outcomes, while the mechanics of this newest game mode foster social interaction and inclusive collaboration skills. Read on to learn how teachers everywhere have embedded Submarine Squad into their daily classroom routines!
How did you introduce your students and classes to the all-new Submarine Squad game mode on Kahoot!?
As students become familiar with the Kahoot! platform, building on prior knowledge of processes, patterns, and goals is hugely helpful! High school language teacher, Glenn Cake, suggests starting with an observation round. He created a kahoot to review common french expressions and greetings. With the content and kahoot ready-made, students observed a round of Submarine Squad on just the host’s screen, almost like a practice mode. Glenn then introduced conversation and prompts for questions or clarifications students may have had toward gameplay. Keke Powell, a second grade teacher in San Antonio, Texas shares that curiosity is key when introducing a new player format. She says, “I just let them go and be problem solvers. Excitement ensued immediately! They were eager to learn and explore.”
What content area is best when sharing kahoots in live game modes?
The team versus computer dynamic on Submarine Squad reinforces awesome collaboration, while maintaining the excitement and drive of competition – except this time, everyone is on the same team! Glenn suggests using Submarine Squad to review cumulative content and goals. As Glenn starts the school year building on French conversational vocabulary, his students emphasized fluency and language acquisition through different levels and rounds of gameplay. Similarly, Keke’s second grade students solidified mathematical skills with a review of even and odd numbers. The repetitive review and ongoing presentation of questions and content helped her students to increase fluency – this time, with numbers!
#KahootTip No matter the content area, game modes are best suited for quiz question types. Using multiple choice formats ensures fair game play, as all students and players are engaging with question types that follow similar lengths, paces, and durations!
What did your students think of Submarine Squad?
“My students are hooked [on game modes]. Once we started playing, they begged me to keep going!”. Keke shares that her classroom was loud…but in a good way! Without knowing, her students’ eagerness for reviewing math skills was contagious. Anticipation grew with each level of Submarine Squad, as the students developed and communicated a more advanced strategy and approach.
Between each level of gameplay, players are prompted to look up for a “Red Alert!”. The screen presents read-aloud prompts for players to follow. Some players are designated speakers, while other players implement these prompts on independent devices. The Red Alerts provide a collaborative element to game play. Keke shares, “I’ve never seen a digital learning game like this before […], it’s a great way to practice leadership skills for all students!”.
How might Submarine Squad support classroom instruction – for teacher planning and student learning?
According to his high school students, Glenn explains: “Kahoot! has always been a welcome event in my classes. Submarine Squad offers yet another unique and engaging way to reinforce and support content presented in class.”
Submarine Squad, similar to Color kingdoms and Treasure trove game modes, is a “fun and engaging way to deliver formative assessment”, Keke provides. “The arcade-style format causes a low stress environment and students don’t even realize how well it’s helping them master the skill I want them to focus on.” Mohammed Abo Hassen, English Foreign Language teacher in Bahrain, shared that his students recognized Submarine Squad to be more than just an independent learning activity. Instead, they appreciated the opportunities to learn and practice independently, play as a whole-group toward a common goal, while also competing against the Computer characters, too!
Teacher takeaways
Enriching academics, coupled with engaging delivery, ensures student-driven awesome learning. Submarine Squad enlists both team-focused and independently-driven learning. Students experience questions at an individual pace progressing through concepts and content in a self-directed format. Throughout the game, Red Alert prompts inspire collective reasoning, community building, and collaboration. Points remain an incentive to the game, this time driven from conversation and team-building, versus accuracy and correctness. Glenn reflects, “ Submarine Squad […] helps students achieve their ultimate goal, learning and mastery of subject content!”.
Submarine Squad is available for all Premium+ and Kahoot! EDU users. To play Submarine Squad, login today to upgrade your account.
