What kinds of games do you play in the classroom? Board games, whole-group games, review games, general energizers... share here!
Reading games...usual catalog reading center games, Rummy roots (helps with prefixes, suffixes), Hangman, Scrabble, Spelling Bee... Other games...9 square puzzles, Foam pentomino puzzles, Are You Smarter than a 5th grader? Pictionary DVD (free time/reward party) Smartboard games
In math (we regrouped for math): a version of bingo that the kids loved! They got a blank bingo card with lines under it. One version is they randomly filled out the card with numbers 1-24. I'd put 3 number cards (0-9) on the screen and they had to use all three numbers to get an answer that they could cross off. Ex: 3, 6, 2: 3x6-2=16, 3+6+2=11, 6/2 +3=6, etc. So everyone could have a different answer. We also did this for equivalent fractions and fractions to decimals. We also played Set, Simon Says (esp. w/angles, lines), Pentominoes, and Muggins. In my homeroom class, we'd do review games like Jeopardy or I'd make a Power Point game with questions and answers (each question had a point value, they worked in groups). I also did vocabulary bingo & charades (esp. with grammar). I've done Grammar Improv with older kids, but didn't try it with my 4th graders - but it is a lot of fun too!
The Bingo game came from a Brad Fulton workshop I went to. Here's his website: www.tttpress.com - if you ever get a chance to go to one of his workshops, I highly recommend it!
We also play Eggspert, which allows students to "buzz" in. It's great for review in all different areas.
I use the Jeopardy template (http://www.jmu.edu/madison/teacher/jeopardy/jeopardy.htm) to make up our review games for tests. It takes some time to get it ready to use, but it's worth it!
I LOVE EGGSPERT!!!!! Now I am reviving this thread because maybe we'll have some new thoughts this year! Some great ones already! It's been two years since this thread has had LIFE!!!
My kids love Bingo ( can find boards on line that work for many lessons), board games, and especially Jeopardy. They are seventh graders but I think any age group like those games. Also, my school has been exploring gender based education and at a conference I attended this year a basket ball type games was suggested (for an all boys class but I used it in my coed class also and it worked!) where you have teams, each team has a white board (or whatever material you choose) and you give a problem. They solve it and on your word they raise their answers. IF they get it correct a team member shoots the ball at the basket. The most points win. SUPER simple and they LOVED it! The ELA teacher across the hall did it too. They would beg to do that game. Really nothing to it but a little competition. Also you could let them clean out their notebooks by using paper to shoot at the waste basket. You can really put about any spin on it. There was also a snowball game (used for girls but again I used in my coed classes) and you write a problem (or they can make the problem themselves), stand in a circle, ball up the paper, throw it into the air in the middle of the circle making it snow!). Then on your count they race in the circle, grab a paper and they have to solve the problem! Thats just a few ....
I typically adapt Jeopardy to create review games before assessments. One quick math game my kids like to play is Name that Number, where 5 single digit numbers are picked, and a 6th Target Number is chosen. I usually pick them out of a deck of cards. Students need to manipulate the 5 numbers and use their order of operations to get as close to the Target Number as possible. They get a different number of points based on how many #s they used in their equation. My kids also love to play Buzz/Bizz Buzz!
I remember playing basketball in math class when I was in middle school. It is a pretty good idea. I love the Name That Number game, too... I have done something like it, but not exactly. Thanks! But what is Buzz/Bizz Buzz?
We play a classroom version of Farkle. We play multiplication War with playing cards. We play Toss Em (or Toss Up) which is great for probability. Spot It is a new favorite. We play multiplication War with dominoes. I also have many dice games that we play. We also play Count Down. Those are all I can think of right now, other than teacher store type board games.
I don't know if it's the same, but we play buzz to practice multiples. For example, if we're working on 3's, the students count around the room (each saying 1 number). If their number is a multiple of 3, or has a 3 in it (like 13) they say "Buzz" instead. If someone makes a mistake, the next person starts over. We try to make it all the way around or to a target number.
http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/gameboard.htm You can print out and/or modify any of these boards. I made a set of generic colored boards that I can use with question cards from any unit.
Trashketball is one of my kids favorite review games. Let's say you've assigned homework and gone over it with them. They ball it up to make a, well, a ball. Put the trashcan in the back middle of the room. Groups line up near the front with their "trashketball" in their hands. You ask a question and if the first person answers it correctly, they get to "shoot". Teams earn points. Variation: I put down 3 lines to shoot from. They can go for the easy 1 point line, the slightly further away 2 point line, or the hardest, the 3 pointer. At first a kid might say something about throwing away homework. But why would I want to keep it? We checked it. I never grade homework. Or maybe it's a practice sheet that you don't need to send home. I will not listen to anyone who jumps on me about throwing away work, so don't bother. I don't need every dadblasted piece of work they do.
Bizz Buzz is a game to help students learn multiples/multiplication. To intro the game, it starts as just "Buzz". A number is chosen (let's say 3) and the class lines up and a student calls out a number starting with 1, and when a student is about to call out a number that is a multiple of 3, they instead say "BUZZ" and the following student says the next number. Ex: "1", "2," "BUZZ," "4"....etc. If a student says the incorrect thing, then it starts all over again at 1. I usually have a target # of 100, so we see how many chances it takes to get to 100. Bizz/Buzz is when you have TWO numbers chosen. Let's say my #s are 3 & 5. If a number comes up and it's a multiple of 3, the student will say BIZZ. If it's a multiple of 5, student will say BUZZ. If it's a multiple of 3 AND 5 , the student will say BIZZBUZZ. Ex: 1, 2, BIZZ (3), 4, BUZZ(5),..........BIZZBUZZ(15), 16, 17...etc. Sorry, kind of a long description
I've had a basketball hoop (with nerf ball) in my class for years. You can use it in so many ways. My kids last year loved "I have, Who has?" So I bought the Language edition this year.
My favorite is called "Who Has?". It's a sort of "around the world" game. You can make it or download a version off the web. You trim sentence strips or use index cards. You need at least 4 cards per student, I think, to make it long enough. I think it was originally meant for math, but I've made my own for all subject areas--and one for the end of the year that had a question for every subject area. The child with the first card reads the question, and the child with the answer card says, "I have...." Then reads the question that is written below for the next player. It's kind of hard to explain. Here is a link to a math version: http://www.mathnstuff.com/papers/games/whohas/whole.htm
