After showcasing fantastic learning adventures created by awesome teachers around the world for the last 11 months, we’re thrilled to introduce Classcraft’s 12th Quest of the Month! Our pick for March is Andrew Hutcheson (@sciencehutch), creator of “The Essential QUESTion.”
This flexible quest can be used with any grade level and subject to introduce students to a learning standard and give them a deeper understanding of the content. It’s designed in a way that teachers can copy and reuse at the start of every learning standard throughout their course. Import this quest here to start using it with your class.
If you use Classcraft, you can submit quests you’ve created to be the next Quest of the Month on our submission page. Quests are personalized, self-paced, choose-your-own-adventure lessons for students. Our goal is to spotlight the amazing educators who inspire us and share creative, teacher-made content with our global community of forward-thinking educators.
What grades and subjects do you teach?
Andrew Hutcheson: Physics and Chemistry grades 10-12
How long have you been teaching?
Hutcheson: 16 years
Where do you teach?
Hutcheson: Flagler Palm Coast High School in Palm Coast, Florida.
What made you decide to use Classcraft?
Hutcheson: It is an educator’s (and student’s) dream for providing a beautiful learning engagement system that empowers and motivates students, builds teamwork while giving the teacher tons of control and customization in a gamified environment that is fun for both the students and the teacher!
What kinds of things are you passionate about?
Hutcheson: I’m passionate about maintaining a positive growth mindset by learning how to make choices towards growing into a more physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy and loving person. This is what I hope to model and teach my students, as we cover the science content.
Why do you love the quest you created? What makes it special?
Hutcheson: This “The Essential QUESTion” is designed for teachers who want to try Classcraft quests without much setup time. It guides students through a process of unpacking any learning standard, in any course. It’s meant to be the one quest any teacher can simply copy and rename each time they start a new unit or learning standard all throughout their course!
It also teaches students how to discover knowledge for themselves and how to create their own essential questions, investigate vocabulary, and make connections to previous learning standards to understand why they are learning this new standard and how it fits into the course.
What did your students think of your quest? How did they react?
Hutcheson: My students really enjoy all our quests and the standard quest is no different. A few parts allow students some choice about what they will do next and some of my more linear thinkers needed some guidance there. Once students have completed the “The Essential QUESTion” the first time, they know exactly what to do the next time you use it for your next learning standard.
What’s one of your favorite things about Classcraft?
Hutcheson: The positive environment Classcraft creates. Over the past four years of using Classcraft, I’ve respected how they’ve been attentive to teacher feedback and requests for new features while staying focused on creating a game environment that stays positive and uplifting for students and teachers alike.
Quest of the Month