Need Help With a Classroom Game

[Texsox]

I am trying to think of a new game to play with my 8th graders. Currently they have a vovabulary challenge to earn stickers and cover a star. Once it is covered, they will win some free time or perhaps a movie day. For our next six weeks I am thinking instead of earning stickers they will earn chances at a game and the prizes will accumulate for free time, etc. My first idea is ping pong balls that they toss/bounce into cups. Perhaps a largish center target for low points, (maybe a bucket) and three smaller targets (perhaps red solo cups) for more points. I was also thinking of getting a suction cup dart gun and shooting at a target.

 

I need vocabulary games and something to cement my reputation as the "coolest teacher ever".

[cabiness42]

I am trying to think of a new game to play with my 8th graders. Currently they have a vovabulary challenge to earn stickers and cover a star. Once it is covered, they will win some free time or perhaps a movie day. For our next six weeks I am thinking instead of earning stickers they will earn chances at a game and the prizes will accumulate for free time, etc. My first idea is ping pong balls that they toss/bounce into cups. Perhaps a largish center target for low points, (maybe a bucket) and three smaller targets (perhaps red solo cups) for more points. I was also thinking of getting a suction cup dart gun and shooting at a target.

 

I need vocabulary games and something to cement my reputation as the "coolest teacher ever".

 

I've played that before. Every time you get a ball in the cup somebody has to drink . . .

 

 

 

[Texsox]

It may have inspiration in an adult game . . .

[StrangeSox]

ha!

 

 

I'll ask my wife if she has anything like this. She uses books or stories to teach vocab, i.e. finding words within the stories the kids are going to be reading so they can learn to use context clues and that sort of stuff.

 

 

I know she was just finishing up a pretty cool video project with The Giver (unrelated to vocab). Let me know if you're interested in some more info on that one.

[Buehrle>Wood]

I feel like you'll get crazed parents complaining that you're teaching their kids how to play beer pong.

[Leonard Zelig]

OK, this may be difficult to describe in text but I will try. I used this when I was a long-term sub last year.

 

You have a vocabulary list - at least one word per student, but more is OK too. I had them write 5 words each day in their note book. Once everybody had the complete list we began the game. You will need to make cards-laminate them, if possible-with one definition and one different vocab term below the definition.

 

Ex:

 

A triangle with one angle that measures 90 degrees.

 

 

supplementary angles

 

 

 

Hand out the cards and keep one for yourself. You will begin the game by reading the term on the bottom of the card. Whoever has the card with that definition will read the definition out loud and then read the term on the bottom of the card. Whoever has that definition reads it out loud and then reads the term on that card. This continues as you go through the entire set of cards. You time them and see how long it takes to get through the entire set. You can have them compete against their own times and/or other classes as well. With you starting the game with your card, you will ensure that you will have the last definition too-this helps so you can start and stop the timer. You can do this for the first or last 10 minutes or so of class. We had a few days of practice runs before starting timing and kept track of best times on the board so they could see how they measured up.

 

It will require a bit of planning with the cards, but if you do it right, you will be able to use any card to start. If you have more terms than students just give some students an extra card-this also allows classes of different sizes to compete against each other too. Having more than one card also require students to pay attention after they’ve read theirs.

 

The classes I used it with really got into the competition and since you are willing to offer them prizes that always helps too.

 

Hope that made sense.

[Texsox]

Thank you, I have used that sort of circle game when I was teaching history. I like that idea. I was just explaining it to my wife who teaches third grade, she's going to use it.

 

And wouldn't it be cool in a few years when they are of legal drinking age for them to grab that ping pong ball and think "Damn, Tex was preparing me for life in college, just like he promised!" I was trying to present it as more of Bozo's Grand Prize Game or a carnival midway game.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

My stats teacher in HS used to do a thing right before the final at the end of every year where we would shoot a little foam basketball in to a trashcan for extra credit on the final. Point value was based on distance, which was marked with desks lined up. So you get like 1 point if you score from the first desk in the row, then 2 pts from the 2nd desk, 3 pts from the 3rd desk back, etc. Was not educational in any way, but it was a fun way to spend half a class earning Extra credit.

[Texsox]

We have Texas Schools Week in March, I may set up the game where kids that qualify can shoot a waterballoon at me. I will have the Boy Scouts build a trebuche (not certain if I spelled that correctly).