Home: Welcome

Love of writing through play

Hi, I'm Michael - I teach writing with games and make games that teach.

Scroll down for more on my approach and Stories RPG, my pod and game for families who want to tell stories together! Click here to join a class and start playing and learning for homeschool credit.

Bio

Educator, game designer, editor, writing coach.

I’m a live-scan certified CA high school English teacher, parent, story-teller, and game designer. I teach kids non-violent conflict resolution, collaboration, confidence, critical thinking, and creative writing using games, inspired by a love of learning, not fear of failure.

I also work in curriculum development, editing, and teacher mentoring. I welcome any chance to talk about my work - feel free to reach out and start a conversation! You can also find me on Twitter, Instagram, Itch, and LinkedIn.

"Luck of Legends has been a wonderful experience for our son. Michael is an incredible teacher - his enthusiasm for creating worlds and characters is contagious, and I’ve been consistently impressed by his skill in drawing out the quiet participants and amplifying the best parts of the more overtly engaged. The class has been a great confidence-builder for our son, who started out shy and bloomed over several rounds of class into an avid storyteller. Michael is also masterful at getting kids to pay attention to the mechanics of their writing in a way that doesn’t feel corrective - rather, he shows them how the decisions they make in their written expression (punctuation, spelling, forms of address, and so on) create specific experiences for their readers over which they have control. It’s so cool to see the kids grow their individual creativity while they learn to support and work with others. Luck of Legends is a real gift - I give Michael and his classes the highest of recommendations."

How Classes Work

How it works

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What Kids Will Need

Each student needs a computer or iPad, reliable internet, access to Google docs, and a quiet place to laugh, act, and be ridiculous. A headset with a microphone helps, but isn't necessary!

The First Class

Each 5 or 6 day session begins with a vote for the game the group will play - anything from magical researchers protecting mythical creatures to monster teens dealing with freshman year at a new school for magical kids. Student then create characters, imagining who they'll become and how they're connected, learning about how we'll play the game. During the second hour, we jump into the world of the game, starting an epic adventure! In the last 10 minutes, we discuss writing prompts for next class, deciding what each student would like to write before the next class to help build the world. If kids struggle with typing, writing - and drawing! - stories by hand in order to upload works great, too!

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Game On!

Each class begins with a read-aloud and celebration of everyone's stories, followed by discussion of how the tales can come together. Each student gets to build their character based on their writing, and then we jump back into the game - saving the last 10 to discuss what to write for next class and for shout-outs.

The Epic Finale

Each story arc comes to an epic close - and often a cliff-hanger ending! Parents receive feedback on their student's growth for 5 Common Core writing and speaking standards, along with a game summary. The work kids do counts towards homeschool ELA credit, as it's guided by a certified California teacher

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Extend the Adventure

Students are welcome to keep exploring new worlds and writing amazing tales together by signing up for another course. We can continue with the stories they've written, explore a different world, or create a new one, together! All the resources for students to play and run the game remain available to them online, so the adventure never needs to end!

Interested? Join here!

Contact

GET IN TOUCH

Questions about my classes or services? Feel free to reach out!

michael@luckoflegends.com