Materials Needed:
Kerplunk board for every group or table (we use www.fivebelow.com for these)
Worksheet for every student
Directions:
Divide the class into groups. It works best if you play at tables, we have 4-6 people per group. Have all groups set up their Kerplunk board without telling them which version of the game you are playing. They should place the sticks randomly through their board and dump all marbles on top before you tell them which version you will play. Version instructions are below:
Sabotage Version: In the sabotage version, the object of the game is to be the group with the LEAST amount of marbles that have fallen. Tables or groups compete against one another. They work on a worksheet individually or as a group. Then for each problem each individual student answers correctly they get to go remove a stick from another table's board. The teacher will walk around and initial correct problems telling students they can go remove a stick. WARNING: Be very specific that they can only remove 1 stick per person per problem AND they can not shake the table or the Kerplunk game while doing so. If the teacher suspects any cheating he/she will reset the victim’s board to the beginning and they get a fresh start having a huge advantage.
Regular Version: In the regular version, the object of the game is to be the group with the MOST amount of marbles that have fallen. Tables or groups compete against one another. Each group works on a worksheet together or individually. For each problem they get correct they can remove 1 stick from their own table’s kerplunk board. The teacher will walk around and initial correct problems to let them know they can remove a stick. The first table to have all their marbles fall wins. WARNING: Be very specific that they can only remove 1 stick per person per problem.
Group Version: In the group version, the object of the game is to be the person in your group of 4-6 with the LEAST marbles that fall on your turn. The students will work in order on their assignment. Person 1 is up first. He/She will take a turn answering a question on a worksheet. Everyone else in the group works on the same problem. Once they finish, they check their answer with everyone in their group. If they are correct, they slide the kerplunk game to the next player. If they are incorrect, they must remove 2 sticks, wait a few seconds (in case any marbles fall), and slide the board to the next person. Next partner 2 goes and repeats the process from above. This continues until the entire worksheet is done or all the marbles have fallen. The person with the LEAST marbles that have fallen while they are working on a problem, removing sticks, or sliding the board to the next person wins.
FAQs and Tips:
As already stated, it is SUPER important you don’t specify which version you will play before teams setup their boards. If they know ahead of time that they want their marbles to fall, they place the sticks differently so it easier for them. They are smart little turds. 😊
We recommend buying the TUMBLE board game from the store FiveBelow instead of actual Kerplunk boards. They are WAYYYYY cheaper and hold up really well.
Be sure to have groups count at the end of the game and make sure they have the correct amount of marbles. Sometimes when they fall they tumble completely off the desks and they get mixed up. To keep it fair, always get in the habit of having them quickly count their marbles before cleanup.
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