Have your students signed up for individual accounts? If you have a school-wide subscription to BrainPOP, students will be able to use our SnapThought ® tool to play the Nitrogen Cycle Game!

The SnapThought tool allows students to capture meaningful moments in their game play with opportunities for brief written reflection. Once students are logged in, the SnapThought tool will appear below any games that offer this capability.

During game play, students can click the SnapThought tool up to five times. A thumbnail, or “snapshot” is generated and stored on the bottom left of the screen.  At any point in the game, students can click their snapshot(s), type a brief reflection, which may be a response to an open-ended prompt, and save or submit to the teacher’s account for you to review and respond to.

You can use the SnapThought tool to facilitate discussion around game play and strategies, or have students submit their snapshots to you for assessment or accountability. Here are a few ideas and prompts for using the SnapThought tool in the Nitrogen Cycle Game.

  • Take a snapshot before you begin playing. What do you already know about the nitrogen cycle? Write down some keywords related to the nitrogen cycle, along with one relevant question that you may have.
  • Once you reach turn 3, the directional arrows disappear. At this point, decide which card you will use for your turn, along with which team’s nitrogen pieces you will move. Before playing the card, take a snapshot. Explain your strategy, including how you know which direction your selected piece will move.
  • As you near a Goal Zone take a snapshot. Explain where you might want to move your nitrogen piece, or your opponent’s. 
  • After playing the game, take a snapshot. What is something new that you learned about the nitrogen cycle?