Aliens

Subject: Italian / Russian / Japanese
Level: Secondary
Age Group: 11-14
Order Number: 9123

Aliens is a flexible resource designed to be used in the teaching of foreign languages - think of it as an application rather than a simple program. It was designed around three basic principles.

Simple exercises like starters or plenaries should be eye catching and entertaining.

A teacher knows exactly what she/he wants to achieve and should be allowed to produce the resource a particular class needs at a particular time, not adapt their lesson plan to a pre-written resource. A resource should be flexible; you should be able to tailor it to the age/ability/motivation of a class. Start with a simple picture or diagram and the program will help you through the process of turning it into a game. Use it to generate as many simple yet entertaining games as you like. Use the games as lesson starters or plenaries (with multi-media equipment). Install it on a stand-alone classroom computer or a school network and use it for revision. You can also give it to pupils to use at home - let them generate certificates to prove how hard they have been working. You can change the 'entertainment level' in a number of ways. Turn the sound on and off. Decide whether to have animated aliens appear on the screen or not. Set a time limit and see if you can beat the computer.

Aliens comes with a small number of pre-written games and a comprehensive, 23 page manual which guides you carefully through the process of writing your own games.