Games are always an effective way to get students to learn. They are tricked into learning whatever they are supposed to just to "win" a game. Some of the games I will give you might make a lot of noise because I have found that students get excited and, therefore, loud when playing them. If your administration demands total silence in the classroom, it might be wise to advise them of what is going on and reassure them that learning is taking place. Note: What I suggest will take a lot of effort on your part, but it will pay off in the long run.
A New Take on "Jeopardy"
I modified the Jeopardy TV show to fit my English needs. I imagine it can be used for all types of subjects - it will just take some preparation on your part. For example, I had four categories for vocabulary, i.e, spelling, pronounciation, definition, sentence. The point system was 10, 20, 30, or 40 depending on the difficulty of the words. I divided the room in half and worked down each row with the questions. If the responding team missed the answer, it was "tossed up" for half value to the other team. When the bell rang each member of the winning team received a work pass (awarded next day). (see Teaching Tips). Do not worry if you do not get to all the students because everyone hears the correct answer and therefore learns.
Note: Prepare very detailed rules for cheating. Mine consisted of fining the cheater's team the value of the question, and offering it to the other team as a toss up. Again preparation is the key, but the result is amazing learning.
At a later date, details on how to prepare all games mentioned here can be purchased from the Product Section, which is now under development.
I have found that with younger grades, puzzles can be fun. If you as the teacher use a little imagination and time, you can create puzzles that will teach. Examples: Important dates, capitals of the states, parts of speech, combinations that add, subtract, multiply, or even divide.
History’s important dates
First list questions for each date; then create a table with the correct dates hidden, as well as some “close shaves” to provide some difficulty.
English parts of speech –
good for elementary students
Draw a simple picture or scene. I would draw out a scene with rolling
hills, flowers, sun, house, etc. for the group of parts of speech I wanted to
use. I would divide everything into segments until the actual picture could be seen. Then I would make sure to throw in a “ringer” such as a bird shape in the sky or have the sun’s rays vary in shades of yellow or orange. Be creative. Then color code each part of speech to relate to the picture.
Or if you do not think you could draw this, get a basic coloring book
with large photos that have liberal copying rights and use it to distinguish
your colors. Once completed the students always wanted the pictures displayed. Now, if you have a color blind student. You might number the
parts of speech, also and tell that student to place the number in the
This would probably work better with a single number answer
grouped with the appropriate color. You probably can be more creative than I. Just think out of the box.