A description of how to use the PPT is on slide 3.
Description
Students work in teams to capture territory by filling it in with their team's color. This activity can be used to practice various different grammar points. Students should complete writing or speaking challenges to advance.
Procedure
- Make 2-8 groups.
- Give the students a writing challenge or speaking challenge.
- Students who complete the challenge fill in a territory with their team's color.
- The team with the most territories at the end is the winner.
Advice
For "challenges", I usually ask my students to write answers in their notebooks, then show the JTL to get them checked. Then students come to me to request a territory, as I run the powerpoint. ((I have a friend who let the students operate the powerpoint themselves. Try that at your own Risk.))
Since challenges can be made from almost any grammar point, the activity is very versatile. But it's best used for review, and not for introducing points.
Also, don't turn the volume up too loud. ;)
Example Challenges
- Ask students a question and they answer: "What time do you get up?"
- Have students translate from Japanese to English: 「ピザが好きですか。」(piza ga suki desu ka) --> "Do you like pizza?"
- Let students roll dice on a random table to make answers: "make" + "book" = "I made a book yesterday."
By the way, if you want to change the colors in your PPT file, just change the colors on the color select screen (just like you would change the color of any shape). The battle slide will update automatically.
Also, there is a secret way to clear the battle slide if you do a demo by clicking on various prefectures. Try clicking on the animals in the water! ;)
NOTE: If you find any bugs, leave me a message in the comments or on the discord.
This is really nice looking and the macro for keeping track of points is cool. In your instructions you might want to add that teams should have the same number of groups. For example in a class with 6 groups there will be 3 teams of 2 groups each. Just to keep it clear for ALTs who've never used Battle for Japan.
Also maybe add a note about using macros for users unfamiliar with them. For example I've found with pptm files when running them I can't close them with a right click on my mouse. I always have to use the escape key.
So, I was asked by my JTEs if we could change the number of teams. I have rudimentary programming skills and literally zero VBA knowledge. So of course, I decided to give it a shot.
I added up to 8 teams and added a user prompt for the number of teams and then it hides the necessary number. However, I can't seem to find a way to skip animations, so each prefecture still cycles through every color. Would there be a way to skip animations in VBA, as I can`t find anything. Thanks for any help you can provide!
@WrathfulGinger You'd have to add to the prefecture subroutines. Click on a prefecture, then click on a color. Then the code could make the prefecture color change and update the score at the same time. I'm pretty sure VBA allows you to change the color of shapes pretty easily.
If you need some help, message me on the ALTopedia Discord. I'm NagaokaMike.
I added 2 rules to help the game progress faster.
If three of your territories touch a territory that is unoccupied, you get it for free. If it is occupied, it forces a battle. This also includes shipping lanes connected by dotting lines.
If a territory is only connected to territories you own (completely surrounded) then it is yours for free.
Anyway you could explain how to do that whole adding a point system in macros? or Even share a version with 6 or 8 teams... I would love to use this but my classes are all to large to do activities in only 4 groups. I can easily add more teams but seriously cant figure out how to do the point system in micros...
Hi BlaizingRose, I'll let Mike know somebody was asking about this. When I do the old version I posted my classes break into 6 to 9 groups but I have those groups work as teams (For example in a 9 group class there will be three teams 3 red, 3 blue and 3 green). Its fun for groups to be allied plus its less clicking. If you really want a version with more colors Delcas posted one with 10 teams using the original version, no macros though so you'd have count the points at the end manually.
This is the link to Delcas's version.
https://www.altopedia.net/activities/1354-battle-for-japan-10-player
@BlazingRose I used to have mostly 6 groups in classes, so I would have two groups "work together". two groups would be the purple team, two groups would be the red team, etc. they shared the same score, but acted independently.
I have since created a version with up to 8 teams (that's as many teams as I ever have) and more colors. I may not have shared it yet, however. I was being blocked from uploading stuff by my network. I'll try and add it soon.
@BlazingRose, if you'd like more information on developing PPT presentations using macros and VBA (visual basic for applications), maybe we can talk on Discord.
I'm sorry it's been a while since I've posted anything. I have been wanting to update this activity for a while, but my network was blocking access to upload files. Luckily, it seems that this has changed, so I'll start posting more updates and new activities. ;)
Updates:
- 2 to 8 groups can play now
- there is an "attack button" in place of dice/rock-paper-scissors
- changing colors is handled through a macro now (much faster than clicking)
- scores show up on the screen
This is so good!!! Thank you so much for making this! I played this with my JHS 3nen today and my JTE and I were surprised because one of our students who hates English and is always alseep for the classes was the most active one during this game and very willingly writing sentences (albeit, they were very generic answers instead of actually looking famous things up from each prefecture, but he was writing!!!). Great game!!
My JTE asked me to change the colors for pink, purple, brown and orange because she found them too similar. Do you know how I can do this? I changed colors of the shapes but the prefectures still pop up in the original colors. I tried playing around with the macros, but I'm not too sure what I'm doing lol
@susannaaponte In the latest version of the game, you can change the colors on the color select screen in basic Powerpoint. Just select new colors. They will automatically update on the game slide.
Happy battling!