Games

This page has games and play resources that can be used for introducing or reviewing concepts covered in class.

Games & Tools for Previewing or Reviewing

• Would You Rather... - need questions & options and follow-up questions

• Kahoot! - need to prepare questions & answer options

• Lockbox Challenge (4 minute video) - Example Lesson Plan | Example Student Challenges/Activities | Example Answer Key

• Pictionary & Charades - need clue cards/list - In the context of playing games like Pictionary or charades, students are prompted with a clue in the form of a term, concept, phenomenon, or theory. As they decide how to get their teammates to guess the clue, they engage in deep processing. Depth of processing refers to the extent to which a stimulus is processed—that is, to what extent is the meaning or importance of a thing processed. In order to participate in the game, they are required to engage in deep processing and to make connections between the essence of the clue and existing knowledge. Perhaps more important, they have to consider shared existing knowledge of their classmates and ask themselves, “What is the essence of this clue? What can it be broken down to so that I can make it analogous to existing knowledge of my peers?”

• Spinner/Wheel Generator - wheelofnames.com

• Dice Roller

• Poll-Maker - can be used for "Would You Rather..." polls - need poll questions & answer options

• Rank & Justify - need anchor chart paper & task | Example Student Rankings & Justification Anchor Charts - from 4 Review Activities That Promote High-Level Thinking and Student Discussion About Your Content by Meredith Akers

• Continuum Challenge - from 4 Review Activities That Promote High-Level Thinking and Student Discussion About Your Content by Meredith Akers

• Station-Based Study - allows students to get a quick and wide view of important events that happened during the time period [or important people, different cultures/regions, different genres, etc.]. The approach offered students multiple entry points into the unit topic and a survey of relevant information that positioned them well to engage with unit topics with greater depth... My book study consisted of seven tables or “stations” of books [or other resources]... Each table was designated with a specific theme related to the time period—for example, Holocaust, Women, African American, Battles and Tech/Weapons, At Sea, In the Air, and Historical Fiction. I asked students to complete a worksheet, documenting textual evidence or summaries of their learning about each category.

• Taboo - this blog post by Cristina Cabal explains how to create and print the Taboo cards

• Categories/Scattergories | see example slides

  1. Timed reading & first annotation (7-10 mins) - annotate for processing and recording your thoughts - works best if students are already used to doing lot of annotation and discussion, so students were more comfortable with it

  2. Explain scattergories and give first category

  3. Timed annotation & small group discussion (2 mins) -- groups have 2 minutes to identify and discuss examples from the reading that fit the category

  4. Share and explain: groups share and explain the examples they came up with

  5. Repeat steps 3 & 4

Jeopardy

Other Games