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Introduction

Like so many subjects, teaching students to use JIFFEE requires that topics be covered in a logical progression. This outline suggests one such ordering which has been proven in practice, and it also gives you an idea of how much material can be covered based on experience with real students. (For more general helpful ideas, see Tips and Techniques for Teaching Interactive Fiction.)

Bear in mind that the pacing of this outline is based on the following assumptions:

• Students are from middle schools (around age 12-14).
• The school serves an area where English is a second language for many students.
• Class meetings are about 60 minutes long.
• The curriculum requires a presentation at the end, so time has to be reserved for practicing public speaking skills.
• The student:teacher ratio was very low, generally between 3:1 and 6:1. The classes weren't always that small, but we had multiple instructors. The additional instructors do not have to be professional teachers; none of ours were.

For Citizen Teachers doing a Citizen Schools apprenticeship: I try hard to test JIFFEE and keep it as reliable as I can, but if you run into a situation where you think you've found a bug in JIFFEE, please email the relevant game file to me at mike@jiffeegames.com. If it's a real bug I'll do my best to fix it, and if it isn't perhaps I can improve the documentation to help the next teacher.

General Advice

If your students have any exposure to theater, you can apply a number of those concepts to explaining how JIFFEE games work:

• Hiding things backstage until you need them is like setting the location of a prop to "backstage".
• Each JIFFEE "place" is like a different stage set.
• The props in JIFFEE are things that come and go and move around, just like theater props.
• Place descriptions are like the painted-on scenery in theater — they never change.

If you have more than one instructor, alternate who is talking. Anything that introduces a bit of variety reduces the chance of boredom, plus it can be really valuable for the students to hear a second perspective or a second way of explaining something.

Week 1

Before students can hope to create an Interactive Fiction game, they must have a basic understanding of the genre. The best way to do this is for them to play an IF game, and this is also a good way to get them engaged in the class in the first 10-15 minutes.

The sample game at http://jiffeegames.com/games/sunny-day/sunny-day-en.html is a good tool for this. This isn't a test, so the time will be more productive if you give the students a few hints and encourage them trade ideas on how to solve the puzzles.

The day before class:

• Upgrade the OS and Firefox on each laptop to the latest version. (Kids will be kids, and this will plug any known security holes.) If you are administering your own machines (as opposed to using a supported computer lab), it's not a bad idea to do this periodically (every couple of weeks) so that you won't be annoyed by automatic OS updates during class time.
• Turn off all screen-savers and power-management. (This is only really necessary if the machines have passwords that the students are not supposed to have.)
• Make a local copy of Sunny-Day and make it be the Firefox home page. (This is optional, but is useful if you have occasional network problems.)
• If you're using laptops, fully charge all the batteries.
• Make up a large paper graphic showing the weekly topics, making it interesting by showing it as something like a ladder or staircase. You'll check this off each week to give a visual indication of progress to the class.

• Set up student laptops (turn on, start Firefox, start Sunny Day game).
• Set up instructor laptop and projector.
• Write today's activity outline on the board.

• Give a one-sentence bio of each teacher.
• Play the name game (your name plus one favorite thing). If the students don't already know each other, this is a nice warm-up to get them focused.
• Overview of the class:
  • What is Interactive Fiction? Be really clear that these are not video games.
  • Spend 2 weeks playing to get used to IF.
  • Spend 8 weeks writing your own game.
  • Show the progress graphic.
• Have the students read the description of the kitchen (the first screen of the Sunny Day game), and then take turns coming to the board and writing down one thing they can see in the kitchen. Continue until everything is listed, which is a rather long list. The point is to get them used to reading for detail, which is an unfamiliar concept for a lot of them.
• Have the students vote on how many doors there are leading out of the kitchen. This is another exercise in reading for detail, and you'll be surprised how many get it wrong. Make sure everyone sees all the doors before you continue.
• Draw a compass rose and explain it. If this is new for students, a helpful mnemonic is "Never Enter Santa's Workshop."
• Show them some commands: "look at", "open", etc.
• Have the students try out those commands, e.g. looking at the kettle and opening the frig.
• List the basic commands: directions, "look around", "get", "put", "look at".
• Have the students try moving around a little, using "go north", "go east", etc. Show them that they can abbreviate by just typing "n", "s", etc.
• To them started, draw a map of the first three rooms on the board. If the students are not comfortable with mapping conventions, be very explicit about what you are doing and why, e.g. "I put a line here pointing 'up' to show that moving 'north' from the kitchen moves you to the dining room."
• Have a little contest to see who can do each of the following things first. As each item is completed, have the first student to do it come to the board and write their name next to the item:
  • Play the piano.
  • Find the shovel.
  • Carry water into the dining room.
  • Tell what time it is.
  • Find two places where food is stored.
• Have them tell you where all the other rooms are as you finish mapping (on the whiteboard) the downstairs of the house. Continue to reinforce mapping conventions. Give some counter-examples of how not to draw a map (e.g. lines running off in random directions) to help them understand your message. Also show how the map can be used to find your way from your present location to some desired destination — this is obvious to any educated adult, but it's not obvious at all to younger students who have never been exposed to the concepts.
• Have each apprentice make their own copy of the map for next week (on a piece of paper). Remind them to put their names on the maps.

• Have one student come to the board and update the progress graphic, e.g. by coloring in the completed class session.
• Collect the maps for safekeeping.

Week 2

The second hour is a continuation of the first, to give them additional practice playing IF. Two hours seems like a lot of time to devote to this (in this example, about 20% of the total class time), and it is, but if you cut this short the students won't really understand what it is they're supposed to be doing.

Before class:

• Look up the NYSE closing price for BRK.A at http://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE:BRK.A.

• Pass out their maps from the previous class meeting.
• Remind them of any end-of-class goal that you've set, e.g. presenting their game to the class or parents.
• Today's challenges are (put the list on the board):
  • Find the 3rd staircase (anecdote: I originally wrote "2nd" and the kids found my error).
  • Find the Chinese inscription.
  • Find the bees.
  • Read the map (the one in the game, not the ones they're making).
• As a group, map the upstairs on the whiteboard. To keep the class more engaged, have individual students come up to the board to add rooms.
• As a group, map the backyard.
• Solve the puzzles to win the game.
• Provide hints as needed to ensure that the class finishes the game by the end of class.
• When the kids find the treasure, have them compute how much it is worth using the most recent BRK.A closing price.
• Have one student update the progress graphic.
• Remind the class that at the next meeting, they'll start writing their own games.

Warning: This paragraph is a spoiler. To win the game, get the shovel from the basement, go up to the attic and read (don't pick up) the treasure map, use the pitcher from the dining room to get water from either the kitchen or bathroom, water the plant in the bedroom, when the bees go to the plant take the key from the bedroom, then go dig up the backyard, unlock the chest, open it, and read the stock certificate.

Week 3

This is where the students get to start writing their own stuff. The focus is on technical issues this week, i.e. just getting something to work, so don't worry about the details of the writing.

Since this is where the real "material" starts, you may be tempted to stand at the board and lecture. Resist that temptation! It's OK to talk frequently, but don't talk for long. Alternate short periods of a couple of minutes of instruction with short periods of practice.

Before the class:

• Have the laptops/computers ready-to-go when the students walk into the room. You want to capture their attention immediately, before they can get distracted.

During class:

• Put an outline of today's activities on the board.
• Pass out blank paper for maps.
• Do a map game:
  • Have each student pick out a spot at the board (so they can all draw at the same time). If you have more students than board space, divide them into groups. Make sure you have enough markers or chalk for everyone.
  • As the teacher calls out facts ("the mountain is north of the prairie"), each student adds that to their own map. They are allowed to compare with other maps and make corrections if needed. Let them use either labeled bubbles or pictures to represent the places.
  • Continue calling out facts until you're satisfied that the students understand how maps work and how to draw them.
• Have each student design their game layout and draw a neat map of it. Remind the students to include a compass rose on their map. Suggest three or four locations to start with, as they can easily add more later.
• Talk a little bit about the difference between the editor window and the browser window. Don't belabor it because experience is a better teacher, but do give them a hint to help them along.
• Talk a little bit about the difference between a "command" (something the user types while playing the game) and an "instruction" (something they add to the game using the editor window). Again, don't belabor the point because it's a bit subtle at first, but do try to help them with the concept.
• Create the first location. You can use the examples from the Quick Start Guide.
  • On the whiteboard, or better yet on a projector, show three examples of the "places.describe" instruction. The projector is much easier to read than handwriting, especially if you increase the font size to make it easier to distinguish special characters.
  • Walk through the process of opening the editor, typing in the instruction, saving, starting the browser, and reloading the game.
  • Point out the necessity of having strings all on one line.
  • Walk through a syntax error and show how to use the Error Console.
  • Remember to show them the single "traits.set" instruction that sets the player's initial position.
  • Allow the students a few moments to make up their descriptions and type them in. To avoid overwhelming them, I usually don't worry about grammar and spelling at this point. (But don't worry, we'll cover that later.)
  • Expect wide variation in computer abilities. Some students will already be proficient at editing a file with cut-and-paste, others won't even know how to add a blank line. Provide any additional instruction, either individual or group, as needed.
• Test the first location. Expect to help them with debugging.
• Add a second location, and test.
• Connect the first two locations, and test.
  • Give three examples of the "places.connect" instruction.
• Collect the maps for safe keeping.
• Have one student update the progress graphic.

If some students are progressing faster than others, they can create additional locations, or you can guide them to write richer and more detailed descriptions.

If the whole class is moving more quickly or slowly than this outline, don't worry about it. Stay with the suggested order-of-presentation, but be flexible with the pacing.

Week 4

This week the focus will be more on the writing. Encourage the students to be creative and give them as much freedom as you can, subject to whatever standards are appropriate for your situation. The standard I use is basically: Games are not allowed to contain anything that is illegal (e.g. illicit drugs), is obscene, looks like a weapon, or is immoral (including harm or threat of harm to any creature that can feel pain).

During class:

• Put an outline of today's activities on the board.
• Pass out the maps.
• Create a couple more locations, connect them all together, and test.
• Review your short and long descriptions, and be sure they are detailed and interesting. Apply whatever writing standards and guidelines you feel are appropriate for the class. Encourage the students to spend some time thinking about what they want to say before they start typing.
• Check every long description to make sure it mentions every exit from that place. Failing to do this is very frustrating for a player.
• If time permits, have the students add more places and connections. Don't forget that in addition to the 8 compass directions, you can also use "in", "out", "up", and "down".
• Collect the maps for safe keeping.
• Have one student update the progress graphic.

Week 5

This week is for adding "props", i.e. objects that can be picked up, moved around, and examined. (The analogy to props in a theater production is very deliberate.)

During class:

• Put an outline of today's activities on the board.
• Pass out the maps.
• Explain what a prop is.
• Show how to add a prop.
  • Explain what the three strings (present, carrying, examination) are used for.
  • Show three examples of the "props.describe" instruction.
  • Have everybody add one prop.
• Do a quick user-testing exercise, where pairs of students switch places, and each one tests the other one's game against the paper map. Once you've explained what you'll be doing, let everyone redraw their own map neatly so they won't be embarrassed by it. (Once they have a new map, they should throw the old ones away to avoid confusion.) Students will finish at different times, and as they do they can move directly to the next item.
• Use the rest of the class to keep adding props. This is another opportunity for the students to stretch their imaginations. Keep on top of what the kids are doing, though, and be ready to quickly steer them back on-track if they lose focus. This week can be very loosely organized if you have motivated students, but be prepared to adapt the amount of structure you provide to the mood and needs of your specific students.
• If some students want to add more places, that's fine too. Just keep them thinking and writing.
• Collect the maps for safe keeping.
• Have one student update the progress graphic.

If you haven't already been doing this, start reading all the code that the students are writing. Make sure you read the stuff written by the all the kids, even the quiet ones that never have to ask for help. If a student is having emotional problems it sometimes comes out in their writing, and this is an opportunity to get them the help (e.g. from a school counselor) they might need. (Citizen School CTs: You are not expected to do such counseling yourself, but you can notify your school liaison of anything you think they should be aware of.)

Week 6

The topic for this week is customization. If you're running behind schedule, you can skip this entire lesson and move directly to Week 7.

During class:

• Put an outline of today's activities on the board.
• Pass out the maps.
• Briefly review what has already been covered: places, connections, and props.
• Give an overview of what customization is all about.
• Show how to use an override to block an exit with a specific message.
  • Show three examples of the "traits.set" instruction on the board or projector.
• Have all the students add at least one blocked exit to their game.
• Show how to use an override to block picking up ("get") or putting down ("put") a prop with a specific message.
  • Show three examples of the "traits.set" instruction on the board or projector.
• Have all the students add at least one to their game which cannot be picked up.
• Show how to create a one-way passage between places.
  • Show three examples of the "traits.set" instruction on the board or projector.
  • Show how a one-way passage can logically be combined with a blocked exit at the other end.
• Have all the students add at least one one-way passage to their game.
• Collect the maps for safe keeping.
• Have one student update the progress graphic.

Week 7

This week we introduce verbs, which allow the player to do more than just move around and pick stuff up. In addition to teaching the technical aspects of how verbs work, as a teacher you will have another job this week: guiding and moderating the students' ambitions, since once they catch on to the flexibility of defining their own verbs they will come up with ideas far beyond what can reasonably be accomplished in the time available. You'll need to help them select a subset of their initial ideas and guide them to setting reachable goals.

Expect progress to be noticeably slower this week, because verbs are inherently more complex than the nouns we've been working with up to now. I've tried different approaches and have concluded that it isn't just a matter of more complex syntax; verbs are just plain harder because they involve a lot of interaction between different things and a lot of conditional action. There is a level of abstraction involved here which adults can usually handle but which is still quite a challenge for kids who haven't even hit high school yet. You'll have to strike a balance unique to your students to challenge without frustrating.

If you can avoid sounding like you're on a soapbox, you can use this as as an example of how things worth doing often are harder but that that shouldn't stop you from learning to do them.

One specific topic that may be helpful to talk about is the distinction between "the description of a place" (which is constant) and "the location of a prop" (which varies). Sometimes students will include something like "there is a big ugly monster in the corner of the room" and then get confused when they try to make the monster move around.

During class:

• Put an outline of today's activities on the board.
• Pass out the maps.
• Do a little grammar lesson about the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs. Some of the students may not have seen this, and others who have seen it may be pretty shaky on the concept. To add verbs in JIFFEE, they need to understand the basic difference. For some groups, you may even have to review the basic structure of a sentence (subject-verb-object).
• Introduce intransitive verbs to move the player or display a simple message.
• Introduce functions to do multiple actions in response to a verb.
• Collect the maps for safe keeping.
• Have one student update the progress graphic.

Week 8

In a ten-week Citizen Schools apprenticeship, week 8 is the last week to add anything significant to the games. Don't be surprised if the students are disappointed that the couldn't add everything they wanted to the game, so don't be shy about pointing out how much they have accomplished and can be proud of.

During class:

• Put an outline of today's activities on the board.
• Pass out the maps.
• A guest speaker talked about how he got into computer science and answered questions from the students. This is obviously optional, but we wanted to maximize the number of adult role models our students had contact with. It is also a good opportunity for the students to practice explaining what they're doing to an adult (in this case an adult with specialized subject-area knowledge so he could understand what they were trying to say).
• Review the "verb" material we covered last week.
• More sophisticated verb handling, with transitive verbs and multiple conditions. You may or may not get very far with this, and if all you get to do is review and work on more intransitive verbs that's OK.
• Each student chooses one verb to work on, and the instructors work one-on-one with them.