Cross-curricular project · cycle 3 (ages 9–11) · CM1 · CM1-CM2 · CM2
Make, play, pass it on
The cooperative game B@O made by pupils at the FabLab: they make the whole game, play it up to expert level, then lend it to families. They become the ambassadors of online safety at home.
1 Why this project?
Cycle 3 pupils are already online, often alone. Families say they feel helpless, and schools rarely have a concrete resource to open up the conversation at home. The answer: a project in three verbs.
Make
Pupils make 4 complete copies of the game at the FabLab: tiles, cards, figurines, gauge, storage. Every object is a maths, language or science problem.
Play
In class, up to level 3 “expert”: every action must be justified aloud to “Bao the referee”. Oral argument becomes a game mechanic.
Pass on
Pupils become mediators: a game evening run by them, instructions written by them, the 4 games lent to families in rotation all year round.
Real maths and language work
Measuring, drawing, calculating a scale, writing, justifying: a badly measured tile doesn’t fit, a badly written rule makes the game impossible.
Media literacy through production and reception
Making the game means understanding and putting the risks into words; playing it trains the 5 protective actions.
Families reached through their children
Prevention messages come through children’s voices, not through top-down lecturing.
2 Four machines, one complete game
A · Scroll saw
35 “Internet jungle” tiles, gauge stands, sliders.
Drawing with instruments, the square (perpendicularity, equal sides), perimeter and area, symmetry.
B · 3D printer
5 animal figurines modelled by the pupils.
Solids and volumes, scale, printing times, weighing the filament.
C · Vinyl cutter
Cards, pictograms of the 5 actions, label sheets, gauge graduations.
Coordinates on a plane, decimals to the millimetre, proportionality — and spelling: the text is printed!
D · Sewing machine
Storage pouches, game mats.
Patterns (the net of a cuboid!), seam allowances, lengths.
At expert level, each player must justify their action aloud to “Bao the referee”: oral argument becomes a game mechanic, peer-assessed.
3 12 weeks, 6 sequences, ~22 sessions
All class sessions last 45 minutes maximum; longer activities are split into 2 × 45 min. The class is divided into 4 making groups (6–7 pupils), each responsible for one complete copy, with rotating roles: site manager, quantity surveyor, scribe, quality controller, spokesperson.
Discover
play the sample game, “take it apart”, write the specifications
2 wksDesign
paper mock-ups, 3D modelling, writing the 34 situations, review committees
2.5 wksMake
4 rotating workstations at the FabLab, in half-classes (2 × 45 min per week)
4 wksAssemble
quality control, labelling, family instructions (first draft)
1.5 wksPlay and debate
levels 1 to 3, peer refereeing, closing media literacy debate
2 wksShare
“In the Internet jungle” family evening, launch of the rotating loan
2 wksSession details
1Sequence 1 — Discover and analyse the game2 weeks · 3 sessions
- 1.1 “Let’s play!” (45 min) — discover B@O at level 1 and identify the 4 key media literacy topics; 4 game tables. Written record: “what the game taught me”.
- 1.2 Game autopsy (45 min) — list all the components, their functions and materials (scales, ruler, calliper). Written record: labelled sketches and an inventory table.
- 1.3 Specifications (2 × 45 min) — write the manufacturing specifications together and share out the work between groups.
2Sequence 2 — Design and prototype2.5 weeks · 4 sessions
- 2.1 Paper mock-ups (2 × 45 min) — prototype tiles and cards, decide on formats, calculate quantities for 4 copies.
- 2.2 3D modelling (2 × 45 min) — model one figurine per pair (combining solids), front, side and top views.
- 2.3 Writing the situations (45 min) — write the 34 tile texts (first draft), by media literacy topic, with a length template.
- 2.4 Review committee (45 min) — revise the texts (peers then adult), approve the pictograms, prepare the gauge. Written record: texts signed off “ready to cut”.
3Sequence 3 — Make at the FabLab4 weeks · 16 slots of 45 min in half-classes
Rotating workshops: each half-group goes through the 4 workstations (2 slots of 45 min per station). First slot: safety reminder (5 min, reading the machine sheet) then making (40 min). Second slot: making (30 min), tidying up and logbook (15 min).
Systematic records: logbook, print sheet (expected/actual time and weight), label check sheet, dimensioned pattern and assembly sheet written for another group.
4Sequence 4 — Assemble and check1.5 weeks · 2 sessions
- 4.1 Assembly (2 × 45 min) — stick the labels on “following the numbers shown”, assemble gauges and sliders; compliance checklist kept by the quality controller.
- 4.2 Family instructions (2 × 45 min) — rewrite the rules as simple instructions (one page per level) and a page on “the 4 dangers and the 5 actions”.
5Sequence 5 — Test, play, debate2 weeks · 4 sessions
- 5.1 Technical test (level 1) — check that the physical game is playable; fault log and corrections.
- 5.2 Level 2 play — reading the tiles aloud, discovering the Power cards; game log.
- 5.3 Level 3 play + referees — justify every action; “Bao the referee” approves the explanations or not (refereeing grid, peer assessment of speaking).
- 5.4 Closing media literacy debate — “What in the game really exists in our digital lives?”; group poster “Our 5 protective actions”.
6Sequence 6 — Share with families2 weeks · 3 sessions + event
- 6.1 Family materials (2 × 45 min) — instructions v2, loan logbook, invitations, posters.
- 6.2 Dress rehearsal (45 min) — each group rehearses explaining the game; presentations filmed and peer-assessed.
- 6.3 “In the Internet jungle” evening (90 min, outside school hours) — pupils run 4 game tables and present the key messages.
- Rotating loan — each copy goes to a family for a week with a “game travel diary”.
4 Curriculum skills in a real-life setting
Mathematics
The 6 core skills (search, model, represent, calculate, reason, communicate): perimeters and areas of tiles, volumes and scales of figurines, proportionality (quantities × 4), decimals, durations, data handling.
Language (French)
Reading the rules (a composite document), writing the 34 tile situations and the family instructions, presenting and justifying orally — up to peer refereeing at level 3.
Science and technology
The curriculum’s full project process: identify a need, design (sketches, choice of materials), make, test, improve (trial and error).
Media and information literacy / digital skills (EMI / CRCN)
Through making (creating content, operating machines, respecting copyright) and through play (choosing the right action and justifying it). 5 areas of the CRCN digital skills framework, levels 1–2.
Already firmly anchored in official guidance
| Cycle 3 curriculum | Mathematics, French, science and technology (appendix 2): each project task is linked to an exact wording of the curriculum, with the year (CM1 / CM2) and progression benchmarks. |
|---|---|
| Common core decree no. 2015-372 | The 5 areas involved, from language (D1) to representations of the world (D5), including personal and civic education (D3). |
| CRCN decree no. 2019-919 | 5 areas of digital skills, levels 1–2 in cycle 3, in preparation for Pix certification. Developed through production (making) and reception (playing, deciding, justifying). |
The game’s gauge runs from +10 to −10: negative numbers belong to cycle 4. They are approached as reading positions in context, like a thermometer, with no calculations on negative numbers.
5 Media literacy: the game’s key topics and the CRCN
Making develops media literacy through production (you have to understand a risk to write about it and illustrate it); playing develops it through reception and decision-making (choosing the right card and justifying it). The debates after the games are a third phase: metacognition.
| Game topic | CRCN skill | Developed through making | Developed through play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberbullying | 2.2 Sharing and publishing; 2.4 Finding one’s place in the digital world | Write realistic tile scenarios (mockery online, exclusion from a group, a photo being shared) | Report, Block and Screenshot cards, joker “Talk to an adult”; justification at level 3 |
| Critical thinking | 1.1 Searching for and monitoring information | Design “fake news, hoax, disguised advertising” tiles: check the source, the date, the intention | Ignore card (don’t pass it on), reading the tiles aloud and discussing them |
| Internet safety | 4.1 Securing the digital environment; 4.2 Protecting personal data and privacy | Write “shared password, stranger asking for an address, trick link” tiles | Block, Report and Disconnect cards; the path of tiles as a metaphor for browsing |
| Digital addiction | 4.3 Protecting health, well-being and the environment | Write the Goal cards, design the well-being gauge | Low battery card; Goal cards (+3 points for offline activities) |
| Cross-cutting | 3.2 Developing multimedia documents; 5.2 Working in a digital environment | 3D modelling, vector drawing, page layout; creating your own pictograms rather than copying images from the Internet | — |
6 Tailored to your class
The plan is the same for everyone; what changes is the target game level, how much the design work is guided and which skills are called on.
- Game: levels 1 and 2 mastered; level 3 introduced at the end of the project with scaffolding (gap-fill justification sheet, adult referee).
- Science: guided design — the teacher provides templates and patterns, pupils use them and describe how things work.
- Maths: proportionality using linearity properties with whole numbers (quantities × 4); scale is approached qualitatively.
- Language: short tile texts, sentence frames; prepared reading aloud; oral justification supported by sentence starters (“This card helps because…”).
- Organisation: each 45-min block has only one aim; assessment grids simplified to 3 criteria.
- Game: mixed tables — CM2 pupils play at level 3, CM1 pupils at levels 1–2, then join level 3 by first acting as referees alongside a CM2 pupil.
- Science: CM2 pupils design (sketches, choice of materials), CM1 pupils describe, measure and make: the complementary curricula structure the cooperation.
- Maths: same tasks, differentiated methods (linearity with whole numbers in CM1; unit method, coefficient and scales in CM2).
- Language: cross-review committees CM2 → CM1; reading aloud given to CM1 pupils, refereeing justifications to CM2 pupils.
- Assessment: two-way grids (CM1 expectations / CM2 expectations) on the same work.
- Game: level 3 (expert mode) fully practised, with peer refereeing.
- Science: full design process — look for solutions through sketches, match a constraint to a choice of material, organise the making of a model.
- Maths: scales and coefficients of proportionality; multiplying a decimal by a whole number for margins and quantities.
- Language: greater independence in writing; independent justification and counter-argument.
- Assessment: full grids, more self-assessment.
7 Differentiation: REP+, REP and other schools
| Lever | REP+ | REP | Outside REP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staffing and time | Co-teaching in writing sessions; sequence 3 spread over 6 weeks, quarter-classes at the FabLab | Half-class at the FabLab, with AESH support staff and approved parents | Standard half-class organisation |
| Language | Extra vocabulary work (media literacy and FabLab word box, picture dictionaries), speaking before writing, co-written texts; valuing multilingualism (label sheets in the families’ languages) | Sentence frames, review committees with tools | More independent writing, higher expectations for varied syntax and nuance |
| Relationship with families | Use many channels (translated invitation, varied times, parents’ café); the home loan becomes the main channel | Evening and rotating loan in equal measure; support from the parent liaison | Evening as the highlight; families involved as partners (sewing, 3D printing) |
| Families’ equipment | Messages focused on smartphones; very visual parents’ memo | Mixed memo | Messages including consoles, computers, connected devices |
| Self-esteem | Stress that it is “real production”; rotating roles with responsibility; display every success | Same, with growing independence | Comparative critical analysis of the 4 copies; writing an expansion for the game |
8 Families: pupils as mediators
“In the Internet jungle” evening
Pupils run the tables and referee; parents play. The child explains, justifies, approves: the most powerful lever for raising awareness.
Rotating home loan
Each copy goes to a family for a week, with the pupils’ instructions and a travel diary read back in class.
Messages that hit home
Talking about it without fear of losing screen time; the 5 actions; switching off every day; setting things up together.
3018
French national free helpline against online violence towards young people — shown in the parents’ memo.
9 Assessment
Criteria-based, continuous and multimodal assessment: formative (logbooks, print sheets, review committees), self-assessment (“I can do it” grids per workstation), peer assessment (level 3 refereeing grid). Light summative assessment at the end of the project.
| Skill | Observable success criteria | Method |
|---|---|---|
| [M] Constructing shapes — the square | 4 equal sides to ± 1 mm, 4 right angles checked with a set square; the pupil states both properties | Formative + self-assessment |
| [M] Reproducing a shape to scale | The pictogram produced in 3 sizes keeps its proportions; the pupil explains the coefficient | Formative |
| [M] Reasoning: justifying statements | At level 3, the referee approves the justification at least 3 times out of 4 | Peer assessment (refereeing grid) |
| [F] Producing varied written texts | Tile text understandable on its own, length respected, no agreement errors after revision | Formative + review committee |
| [F] Speaking | At the family evening: rules explained without notes in under 5 min, parents’ questions answered | Peer assessment then observation |
| [F] Summarising the essentials | The instructions allow a family to play without help | Authentic summative |
| CRCN 4.2 / 4.3 | The pupil spontaneously names the right action for a new situation and an adult they can turn to | Light summative + observable in play |
10 Practicalities
Already in the project file
- Detailed plan of the ~22 sessions
- Versions for CM1, CM1-CM2 and CM2: target game level, guidance, progression benchmarks
- Differentiation for REP, REP+ and other schools
- Criteria-based assessment grids (formative, self- and peer assessment)
- Mapping of objects × machines × tasks × skills, with the exact curriculum wording
- Points to watch covered (gauge, machine safety, bullying protocol)
What it takes
- FabLab access
- 2 slots of 45 min per week per half-group (ideally back to back).
- Supervision
- Teacher + fab manager or approved parent; saw and sewing under direct supervision, one pupil at a time.
- Materials
- 3 mm plywood, 3D filament, vinyl, fabric — quantities calculated by the pupils (it’s one of the project’s maths problems).
- Class time
- No session lasts more than 45 min; 12 weeks within existing subject timetables.
For head teachers
- Visibility: “In the Internet jungle” evening run by the pupils; 4 games lent to families all year round.
- Rights secured: agreement of the B@O Erasmus+ team for making the game and using the visuals.
- Pupil protection: a listening protocol is planned (head teacher, school psychologist, 3018) before the media literacy debates.
11 Points to watch
Negative numbers on the gauge
Treated as reading positions in context (like a thermometer); no other skill used goes beyond cycle 3.
Machine safety
Scroll saw and sewing machine only under direct supervision of a trained adult, one pupil at a time, hair tied back, protocol displayed. The 3D printer gets hot (nozzle ~200 °C): the adult handles the print bed.
Rights
The B@O game is an Erasmus+ project “Be Aware On line”; the project team has agreed to the game being made in class and to the visuals being reused.
Pupil protection
Media literacy debates may bring real cases of cyberbullying to light: plan the school’s protocol (listening, informing the head teacher, 3018) before starting sequence 5.
12 Want to get started?
Support offered by the school district
Help with tailoring (class level, REP/REP+), contact with the FabLab, joint preparation of the first sessions. Next step: a 30-minute conversation to look at feasibility in your school. Contact your educational adviser.