Make Your Own Board Games - Part 2

Make-A-Game Student Projects
Have your students create board games that test their knowledge about all of the information they learned this year. This is a fantastic activity for the last few weeks of school because the kids are very engaged in making the game (and they are still learning). You will be AMAZED at your students' creativity. I could not believe how cool the games were that they created. Here is how I plan for this project.

1. Gather Supplies - Poster paper for game boards, Markers, Rulers, dice, spinners, objects for game pieces, etc.
2. Class Period One - Place the students in groups of 2-4. Assign project. Allow students to brainstorm ideas for their game. Students assign jobs within their groups (game board artist, game card creators, rules writer, etc.) and decide if they need to bring in any additional materials.
   
3. Class Periods Two & Three - Students create game. If they have time, they will test their games out by playing them and make any changes necessary.
   
4. Class Period Four - Groups test their games and present the game to the teacher. The teacher makes suggestions and groups make any final changes.
5. Class Periods Five & Six - Groups exchange games. Students play each other teams' games and peer assess.

You could simplify this project by providing the groups with a blank game board (see my last post for examples) and just having the students color in the game boards, make the game question cards, and write rules for the game.

I have also assigned this project as part of a jigsaw project. Students in a group were assigned different alternative energy sources to research. They shared their research with their group members. Then, as a group they made a game to review the information they learned about the various sources of energy. After creating and playing their games and the games created by other groups, students were assessed of their knowledge of energy sources. Here is my game project and the RUBRIC I used to assess the games.

The possibilities for classroom games are endless. Check out some of the products below that will help you create amazing games for your class. Enjoy.

Make Your Own Board Games

Another idea for the last few weeks of school: Make and play board games that review the content from the year! There are two ways that I have done this. You can easily make the board games yourself. Or, if you have extra class periods to plan for, then students can do this as a project in class.

How-to Make a Board Game

1. You need a game board. Here are some templates that I have used. I usually copy them on colored cardstock. Here are six different blank game boards. #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, & #6.
2. Next, make question cards. You can type them into a template (like this one), and then print and cut them out. Otherwise, you can give your students index cards and have them create the question cards with the answers written on the bottom of the card. Also, I like to make up funny chance cards too (See my example in the game below.)
3. Obtain game piece (those are easy to find around a classroom, you can use any small object) and a spinner or some dice. Here is a template for making your own dice.
4. Come up with rules for the game. (For help, see the rules in my example game below.)
5. Try the game out before you have your students play. This way you can anticipate any problems they may have with the rules, etc.
6. Neatly package your game so you can use it for years to come. I place the game pieces, dice, and questions cards in a small Ziploc bag. Then I place the game board, rules, and small Ziploc bag in a large freezer bag. This way I just hand the large freezer bag to each group and it makes cleanup easy. Because the bags are clear, I can see if the students put all of the game components inside.
   

Here is an example of a game I made to review the invertebrate phyla. I used game board #1 above, these rules, and these question & chance cards.

In tomorrow’s posting, I’ll discuss my “Making a Game” student project including a grading rubric. Enjoy.

End-of-the-Year Activities -Part 2

What I Learned in Class This Year From A-Z
Here are a few ABC activities for all grade levels to help you end the year with some fun. (And, they require little to no preparation for you!)

ABC Game
This is a great game! It is simple, requires no preparation for the teacher, and keeps the kids active and engaged!

1. Divide the class up into groups of four. Give each group a piece of poster paper. Have them list the alphabet down the paper in two columns.
2. For Round One, announce a topic that was covered during the year. Give the teams five to ten minutes to write down a word for each letter of the alphabet that relates to that topic of study. Let them get creative with “x” by allowing an “x” in the word rather than starting with an “x.”
   
3. After the time has passed have each group post and present their lists and let them (respectfully) challenge each other on the validity of the answer. Give each team points based on the number of words they listed.
4. For Round Two, announce another topic that was covered during the school year and continue with the steps as described above.
   

ABC Student Book Project
Have the students create an ABC Book. If this is done in school, it is a great project that can be done the last week that keeps them occupied.
The book must include:

1. a cover
2. title page
3. table of contents
4. a page for each letter of the alphabet. Each “letter” page should include: the letter of the alphabet, a word starting with that letter (Ex: “P” is for photosynthesis) relating to something that was learned in class this year
5. a picture representing the word
6. 3-5 sentences explaining the word you chose.

ABC PowerPoint
Have students make it in PowerPoint similar to the ABC Book Project above. Students create one slide for each letter of the alphabet. Each slide is about a word starting with that letter relating to something that was learned during the year.

ABC Class Book Project
Create a class ABC book. It is great to have these out during open houses and on the first day of school!

1. Have the students draw one of the alphabet letters "out of the hat" (to be fair since some letters are definitely more difficult than others). Each “letter” page should include: the letter of the alphabet, a word starting with that letter (Ex: “P” is for photosynthesis), a picture representing the word, and 3-5 sentences explaining the word you chose. Or, it could be an ABC Survival Guide to 6th grade (or whatever grade you teach) rather than a review of material learned.
2. When all the pages are finished, put them together into a class book.
   
3. Have a creative student create a front and back cover and include all the students’ names in the class. You can even include a class picture.
   
4. If you can, laminate it and bind it together.

Do you have any other great year end-of-the-year ideas?

We Had Homework????

Jen B. emailed the following idea for dealing with her homework accountability problems….

"All year I have struggled with getting students to turn in homework. So, I have a 'Pink Slip'. It is a form printed on bright pink paper that students fill out when they don't turn in something when due. The kids always ask what I'm going to do with it and I tell them 'It is to show your parents at parent/teacher conference time or if there is a concern about your grade.' This also helps me to know that an assignment was not misplaced and that it was never turned in to begin with. The kids got tired of filling out this slip and started turning in work! It works nicely!! "

Thanks Jen! Great idea!

With the end of the school year approaching, I bet you aren’t assigning a lot of homework. But, here are some things to keep in mind for next year.

My top five tips for getting students to complete their homework…

1. Make your homework assignments meaningful, clear, and interesting.
   
2. Give students options. For example, let students choose one of the following to demonstrate what they learned that class period: Option #1 – Create 10 flashcards about what you learned. Option #2 – Draw a cartoon strip that includes at least ten facts from the lesson. Option #3 – Write a one-page poem or song including at least ten facts from the lesson.
3. Let each student have the opportunity to demonstrate his/her mastery in class. If it appears as if they need more practice, then assign homework to those students.
4. Take the time to check for understanding. If your students don’t understand the assignment, then they can’t do it. Also, have each student write down the assignment in their homework pad/agenda, and then have the students pair off and check that the assignment was recorded properly. The student can initial it or place a stamp/sticker beside it.
5. Be consistent with your homework expectations and policy, but vary the types of homework you assign. Mix it up and keep your students on their toes!

Here is a great Homework Resource from the US Department of Education. It is a booklet entitled, “Helping Your Students With Homework: A Guide for Teachers.” Enjoy.

Do you have any ideas about getting students to complete their homework?

End-of-the-Year Activities -- Part 1

As the school year comes to a close, we are faced with the inevitable hyperactivity of our students. Instead of giving up on learning, incorporate more fun into your lessons. In the next few weeks, I will post some ideas and games I use to make the last weeks of school not only bearable, but fun and meaningful as well. Here goes….

SCRABBLE TIME
Print out these Scrabble Letters on legal sized paper. Try cardstock or colored legal paper if you have it. If you have extra time on your hands, glue the letters to cardboard and laminate. You may want to make two sets.There are many games that you can play using these letters. Here are two versions.

Giant Scrabble
1. Move all of the desks to the edges of the room or go to an open space.
2. Divide the class into teams and let each team draw seven letters. (Alternatively, you can make more letter sets and let them select 10-15 letters to make the game easier.)
3. The FLOOR becomes the Scrabble Board even though there are no markings for double word, etc. it is still fun. Have the students create words and place them on the floor (giant Scrabble Board). Just like Scrabble the teams build off each other’s words.
4. If the team creates a word that relates to a topic that was studied during the school year they get double the points.

Human Scrabble
1. Divide the class into two teams.
2. Distribute a letter to each student on each team.
3. Let the students mingle around within their teams trying to form words.
4. When they form a word, record it on a chart. Keep track of the words and corresponding points for each team.
5. If the word is a vocabulary word from the school year give them double points.
6. When five minutes is up, determine the winning team for Round One.
7. Collect the letters and distribute a new letter to each student.
8. Repeat for another five minutes for Round Two.

Classroom Timers

Sometimes it takes my students a whole class period to complete a task that I think will take them 10 minutes. Other times they finish an assignment in fifteen minutes when I allot an entire period for it. Even after years of teaching I still can't figure it out. What gives?

When my students enter my classroom I usually have a quick "Do Now" assignment for them to work on while I take care of all of those annoying (but necessary) management tasks. The Do Now should take no more than five minutes to complete, however, many students come in and take their jolly, sweet 'ol time. Because of this, I created a five minute PowerPoint countdown timer. Click HERE if you would like to download my timer. This has helped tremendously! I hope you find it useful.

THIS website gives directions on how to make your own if mine doesn't suit you.

Also, if you have an extra $49 dollars in your budget (I wish I did) this MegaTimer looks awesome!

Here is a cheaper, but cool looking timer also. This one is for $30 on Amazon.



What do you use for your time management needs?