Civil War Quest

Lesson 12: Testing & Editing Your Quest

Focusing Questions/Themes:
Does your Quest work? Does it lead people to the box?
Does it share your site's story? And is it fun?
Vermont Standard(s):
Design and Production: 5.15: Students design and create media products that successfully communicate.
Understanding Place: 4.6cc: Explore and participate in sustaining or building on unique and valued elements of past and present community heritage
New Hampshire Standard(s):
Visual Arts Curriculum Standard 1: Apply appropriate media, techniques, and processes; Curriculum Standard 2: Identify and apply the elements of visual art and principles of design.
Time:
2-3 hours
Materials:
Copies of the Quest, pen/pencil, clipboards.
A group to test your Quest!
Procedure:
Preparation
  1. Prior to this meeting, recruit your "Quest testers." These might be parents, neighbors, another class. These should be people who were not involved in making the Quest, and also people who don't have a lot of familiarity with your Quest site.
  2. Make copies of the Quest - one for each tester, and one for each participant as well.
  3. Before you begin testing, make sure the group realizes how important this part of the process is. You've all done a lot of work; and this is the time where all that work can either bear tasty fruit (a great Quest) or sour grapes (it is confusing.even annoying!).
Testing
  1. Ask your testers to read the Quest aloud-one clue at a time-and try to follow your Quest.
  2. Follow the testers, at a distance of 5 - 10 feet. You need to FOLLOW so you don't give your clues away. Yet you need to be close enough to hear what the testers are saying.even anticipating what they are thinking!
  3. Watch to learn where your Quest works.and where your testers are confused.
  4. When you are sure that the testers are confused-headed in the wrong direction-stop them, backtrack, and clarify your clues in order to redirect them on the correct path.
  5. Each group should take responsibility for revising their section of the Quest (their movement clue, their teaching clue). However, all participants-regardless of grouping-can help in the editing process. Work together. Enjoy the process. And celebrate success!
  6. At the completion of the testing, thank your testers!

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