I recently finished up Season 2 of Stranger things (!!!!), and Dungeons & Dragons is a big part of the show. Of course, I was never allowed anywhere near the game when I was growing up, due to its dark nature, but watching the show I have been quite fascinated by it. Mostly I just wish I could time warp back to middle school and play the game with Dustin and be his best friend. Anyone else ;-)? So when Dirk Esterline shared an open invite to join the CI Adventures group that he started on Facebook and explore the ways to use Role Playing Games (RPGs) in language classes, I was all in. CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CI ADVENTURES GROUP! To people that are immersed in the RPG community, an RPG game is pretty intense and requires a lot of planning to put together. Characters are not just named; they are brought to life by establishing their individual strength, intelligence, coordination and personality. The world is well defined, and the adventure is meticulously scripted, leaving opportunities at critical moments for characters to make decisions and respond to the challenges they face. 
I'm not going to pretend for one second that I know anything about Role Playing Games--although Mafia (which you ALL know I LOVE) is definitely "RPG lite". What I WILL do is encourage you to join the CI Adventures facebook group. There, we will together find ways to make RPG work for those of us language teachers that live and breath RPG and those of us that are intrigued but need to simplify it a little more to mkae it work for us. Dirk has already scripted out and begun using with his classes a really cool Pirate Adventure, and it would be fantastic way to end your year!! In addition to the Pirate adventure, Dirk has put together and posted a ton of resources about RPGs in the CI Adventures group and how to get started using them in WL classes. And if you are a member of the DriveThruPRG community, he has an even more in-depth resource available there. Can't wait to see what comes of this collaboration! All it takes is a person--thank you Dirk for getting this group going! 
Role Playing Games in language classes
May 8, 2018
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