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"Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day…" - 5 new articles
I Love These “Game Poems” & Think They Would Be Great Models For Students Creating Their Own
I love this! Game Poems curates an innovative collection of small, poetic videogames, or “game poems.” That is, short interactive artworks that borrow language and framing from traditional videogames (e.g., they may utilize a player-controlled avatar or make use of classic videogame iconography), while also presenting themselves as poems in some way (perhaps by engaging with creative material constraints, playing with poetic text, or simply following in the lyric tradition of short-form personal expression). The ones I tried out were very cool, though I didn’t click on all of them and can’t vouch they are 100% classroom appropriate. I could see a teacher showing several, students identifying common characteristics, and then creating their own (assuming they or the teacher were technologically proficient to do so). I’m adding this info to The Best World Poetry Day Resources – Help Me Find More. For what it’s worth, I asked ChatGPT for suggestions of tools students could use to create these kinds of “game poems.” Here’s what it said: ⭐ BEST MATCHES FOR “GAME POEMS”
Best overall tool for interactive poetry 💡 What it is: A free tool for creating choice-based interactive stories and poems 🎮 Why it fits game poems: Readers click choices Text changes based on decisions Can feel like a game, dream, or maze 🧠 Skill level: Beginner-friendly (no coding required) 🌐 Runs in browser or desktop 📤 Output: Shareable web page Perfect for: Second-person poems Emotional decision poems Identity, memory, or “what if” poetry ➡ Students can create poems where reading = playing 2. Scratch Best for younger students / visual interaction 💡 What it is: Block-based coding platform (MIT) 🎮 Why it fits: Poems can be revealed by clicking, moving, or colliding Text, sound, and animation combine Feels very “game-like” 🧠 Skill level: Elementary–middle school friendly 🌐 Browser-based 📤 Shareable links Perfect for: Concrete poetry Spoken-word poems with motion Mood poems with sound and visuals ➡ Think: poem as a playful interactive scene 3. Bitsy Best for minimalist, artsy game poems 💡 What it is: Ultra-simple pixel game creator 🎮 Why it fits: Poems appear as players move through rooms Objects trigger lines of poetry Very “indie game” aesthetic (like gamepoems) 🧠 Skill level: Beginner 🌐 Browser-based 📤 Shareable HTML file Perfect for: Journey poems Memory poems Place-based or vignette poems ➡ This is probably the closest vibe to gamepoems.com 🟡 SECOND-TIER (Still Strong)
Lowest barrier, surprisingly effective Use hyperlinks between slides as “choices” Click objects to reveal lines Add sound and images ➡ Not a real game engine, but great for classrooms with tight tech limits 5. Canva (Interactive Presentation Mode) Students create poem “levels” as pages Buttons link to different paths Strong visual design ➡ Less game logic, more visual storytelling 6. Genially Interactive content creator Clickable objects, layers, reveals Free tier works well for poetry projects ➡ Excellent for exhibition-style game poems 🧠 HOW TO FRAME THIS FOR STUDENTS You might give them a prompt like: “Create a poem that must be played, not just read.” Constraints help: Reader must make at least 3 choices Poem must change based on interaction Language matters more than winning      It’s Fred Korematsu Day – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources On Japanese-American Internment
Every January 30th is officially Fred Korematsu Day in California. Here’s some background on it from YES Magazine: In 1942, 23 year-old shipyard welder Fred Korematsu refused to join over 120,000 West Coast Japanese Americans who were rounded up and taken to incarceration camps under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order No. 9066. While Korematsu’s family was at the Topaz incarceration camp in the Utah desert, Korematsu was appealing his conviction. In 1944, the Supreme Court voted in a 6-3 decision against Korematsu, claiming the incarceration was justified for military reasons. It wasn’t until Nov. 10, 1983 that his conviction was overturned. Fred Korematsu continued to speak up for civil rights throughout his life. He believed that “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.” That message remains alive in the mission and teachings of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education. In 2010, the state of California established January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day.
 February Is Black History Month – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources OpenClipart-Vectors / Pixabay
February is Black History Month in the United States. You might be interested in The Best Sites To Teach About African-American History. You might also find scores of other “Best” lists related to Race & Racism useful.  I Just Don’t Understand How Some Major Education Organizations Cannot Speak Out Against Trump Administration Actions Alexas_Fotos / Pixabay
I’ve learned a lot from Edutopia and ASCD/ISTE over the years, and have also often contributed articles to both. They’re providing great resources to educators, but I’m very disappointed that neither has spoken out against the Trump administration’s attacks on teachers, students or their families. Come on, folks! Teaching is political – now, more than ever! Addendum: They should read today’s Chalkbeat article, Growing number of education groups criticize impact of ICE operations on students  Feb. 2nd Is Groundhog Day – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources hatlerbratton / Pixabay
It’s Groundhog Day on February 2nd. You might be interested in The Best Resources For Groundhog Day.  More Recent Articles
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