Did you know that the first virtual reality (VR) game was actually invented in 1962? In this lesson, pupils will learn all about the 1962 Sensorama and compare it to Meta’s recent VR innovations. Pupils will learn to identify similarities and differences, pros and cons, and their own preferences.


Lesson Code: RBL115
Subject/Topic: STEAM, VR, Design and Technology, History
Functional Text Type: Product Comparison
Preparation Required: Low
Teach this Lesson: Any time

Lesson Plans

Each Rockerbox Reading Ladders topic has five related lessons. Each lesson is designed to last approximately 30 – 45 minutes. Over the course of the lessons, pupils will understand the purpose of reading the texts, have plenty of opportunities to develop their functional reading skills and life skills, and will communicate with others about an interesting topic.

Speedy Sneeze

A sneeze can move as fast as a train!

This Week’s Article

This week’s article is: The Old VR Game

Search code: RBL115

Access and assign this week’s dedicated non-fiction text via your Rockerbox News teacher account. The platform will automatically personalise the activity so that pupils receive the correct reading level and accessibility tools. Monitor pupils’ reading, identify gaps in their understanding, and track their progress.

Step 1. From your Rockerbox News homepage, click ‘Send Stories to Class’.

Step 2: Click ‘Select All’ pupils.

Step 3: Enter the search code above into the search bar. Click to select the article and then click ‘Next’.

Step 4: Add the title ‘Rockerbox reading ARTICLE NAME‘ to your activity and add any instructions you’d like your pupils to follow independently in lesson 2.

Step 5: Submit or Schedule your activity.

For pupils accessing the article offline, download the relevant levels as a PDF from your account by clicking on the article and pressing ‘Print’.

Speedy Sneeze

A sneeze can move as fast as a train!

Article Audio Files (mp3)

Every Rockerbox text has a British accent Read Aloud that can be started by pressing the pink ‘ear’ in your pupils’ Rockerbox News accounts. During lesson two of this plan, you may want to play higher levels of the article for your pupils to immerse them in more challenging vocabulary. Here are the audio files to play or download for later.

Diamond level – No Read Aloud provided at this level

Speedy Sneeze

A sneeze can move as fast as a train!

Functional Text PDFs

The related functional text for this lesson is a: Product comparison. Pupils will need a printed copy of this text at their correct reading level from lesson 3.

Speedy Sneeze

A sneeze can move as fast as a train!

Functional Text Audio Files (mp3)

Diamond level – Audio file not available at this level

Speedy Sneeze

A sneeze can move as fast as a train!

Additional Resources

Lesson 2 – Colourful Semantics and Vocabulary Challenges
Lesson 4 – Sorting reviews
Lesson 5 – Demonstrating new knowledge

In lesson 5, pupils have the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned over the course of the lessons. Remember to also provide opportunities for pupils to share what they’ve learned with others.

Speedy Sneeze

A sneeze can move as fast as a train!