Teacher Tested, Kid Approved

1. Teacher Tested, Kid Approved Fun Games and Activities for Your Classroom Presented by: Lisa Janezic

2. My Philosophy Take your teaching seriously, But never take yourself, the teacher, too seriously

3. Creating Games in Your Classroom • Create teams by choosing them yourself or by random method: month of birth, color of eyes, color of hair, roll of a die all work well • Create smaller teams rather than two large teams • When possible, allow students to solve problems in pairs rather than alone, this decreases competitive tension • Avoid situations that make individual students feel stupid, if you know certain students will struggle, build in coaching time during which other team members can help

4. Creating Games Con’t. • Allow for “think time” by pausing after asking questions, not all students process answers rapidly- you can tell students they must wait to respond until you indicate it is time to answer • When possible, students shouldn’t know the order in which they will be answering questions, they will stay on their toes and will always be ready to answer • If you are calling on students, return to some students who have already answered questions- they won’t lose interest and are more likely to pay attention • Source: 1990 Education Digest Article, “Game-Based Teaching” by John Magney

5. GAMES Wheel of Fortune White Board Review Egg-citement Sponge/Ball Toss Sparkle Silent/ Recycle Ball Row Races 20 Questions Trivia Pursuit Presentation Overview

6. Prizes and Rewards • Stamps • Stickers • Pencils • Cut-outs • Candy Great Resource Sites: • www.orientaltrading.com • www.crafthobbywholesale.com • www.teachercreated.com

7. Beginning, Middle, and End (Triads) Alphabet Stories Alphabet Books Memo to… Writing Activities

8. Assessment • Student Created Rubric • Pass and Admire • Trade and Grade • Positive Talk • Mystery Grade

9. For More Information • Please visit my website: http://www.lz95.org/msn/faculty/ljanezic/

10. Thank you for attending!Have a Great Day!

11. Triad Stories • Students write a character, action and setting on three separate pieces of paper • Mix up the papers, keeping each category separate • Students then choose one from each category • Sitting in groups of three, students begin a story using the character, action and setting • After a teacher designated time, students switch papers • Students then write a “middle” to the story that they receive • Students exchange on last time and add an ending to the story • The original clues go back to the first student

12. Alphabet Stories • Students write a story of exactly 26 sentences. The first sentence starts with a word, the second sentence starts with a b word, the third sentence with a c word and so on through the alphabet • For x they can cheat and use a word starting with the prefix ex • This can be done as an individual assignment or a group activity

13. Wheel of Fortune • Good for vocabulary review • Teams or rows choose letters • Each correct guess earns 4 points • Each vowel costs 2 points • Winning team gets 4 points for correct guess

14. White Board Review • Have students research and write 10 questions with answers • Each team gets one white board/marker/eraser • Answers are written on white board • Points awarded to the team for correct answers • Great for spelling/vocab/subject area review

15. Egg-citement • Create 10-20 questions • Students work in pairs • Place questions in eggs/baggies/envelopes- number the container • One student from each pair picks an egg • Only one question can be out at a time • Can be a timed race

16. Sponge/Ball Toss • Divide class into two or more groups • Set up three tape lines and basket • Each line has a different point value-farthest line most points, closest line has lowest value • If the student gets the answer correct, they throw the ball at the basket • Team with the most points wins

17. Sparkle • Great for spelling and vocabulary • Arrange students in rows • Students are given a word to spell • Each student says one letter • After the letter is spelled correctly the next student says, “Sparkle”- the person behind him/her is out • If a word is misspelled that student is out • The same word continues until spelled correctly • Winner is last person to survive

18. Silent Ball • Good for vocabulary/spelling • Students sit on desks or stand in a circle • If they talk or throw the ball inappropriately they are out and sit down • Teacher starts game by giving word and tossing ball to student • If the student catches it and gives the correct answer they can toss to another student • The next student after the word is spelled correctly give the definition of the word • Last student left standing wins

19. Recycle Ball • Great for multiple subject review or vocabulary review • Set up two bins of two different colors • Student must bounce the ball and whichever bin it lands in decides the category of the question • Competition can be set up in brackets/elimination rounds

20. Row Races • Students are set up in straight rows • Questions are asked in order of rows • Each correct answer scores a point for the row • Any talking or communication results in row losing chance to earn points

21. 20 Questions • Can be purchased or created (student or teacher) • Each student gets a clue • Student to get the answer correct wins prize • Encourages listening skills

22. Trivia Pursuit • Students play in small teams • Categories can be created by teacher • Categories can have various point values • Useful for cross-curricular questions or multi-unit review • Students can also create questions