Games that TeachStephanie Williams

Travis High SchoolAugust 13, 2008

Games…..• Assist with classroom

management. (student responses)• Aide in memorizing facts.• Provide a positive environment for

students to practice skills.• Allow students to apply knowledge

in a variety of formats.• Provide an alternative assessment

for evaluating student learning.

How do games teach?

Before you play a gameThings to address:

Student behavior

Teacher expectations

Result of off task behavior

Format for the game( grouping, timeline, locations, rotations, etc)

Red Light -- Green Light(stoplight)

Instructional Purpose: Classroom managementMonitor Student Learning

Time: Continuous Number of Players: Entire Class

Resources: Response Cards in Red and Green

Directions: Students are given a two-sided response card.

Throughout the lesson students use these cards to identify their level of understanding.

Let’s Practice

I love Houston weather.

Football is my favorite sport.

If x + 7 = 10 , then x = 3

Angle bisector?

Memory

Instructional Purpose: 1) Memorization(facts, formulas, pictures to words)2) Skills Practice

Time: 10 minutes

Number of Players: 1 to 3 (most effective with 2)

Resources: Memory Cards

Memory Picture taken from www.amazon.com . Memory is a Milton Bradley game.

Memory

Directions:

1) Choose two cards and decide if they are a match.

2) If they are a match, keep them and choose again.

3) If they do not match, turn them over, and the next player chooses two cards.

4) Play continues until all cards are matched.

5) The winner is the player who gets the most matches.

Memory Picture taken from www.amazon.com . Memory is a Milton Bradley game.

Let’s Play

3 Examples:

1) Geometry—Circles

2) ESL—Body Parts

3) Science—IONS

Follow the LeaderInstructional Purpose: Higher level questioning strategy.(Students use Bloom’s to select questions.)

Time: Continuous

Number of Players: All students(most effective whole class)

Resources: Bloom’s Poster

Follow the Leader -- Bloom’s Taxonomy

Directions: 1) The teacher presents the class with

a problem and names the leader.2) The leader chooses a Bloom’s level

and asks a question. After asking the question, the leader calls on a student to answer their question.

3) The student who is called on will answer and ask another student a question using their selected level of Bloom’s.

4) This process continues until the problem is complete.

BLOOM’S TAXONOMY

Evaluation Justifying decisions, values, ideas, courses of action

assess, argue, prioritise, justify, rate/rank, critique,support

Synthesis Creating new meaning or structure; combining parts to a whole

compose, invent, use principle, propose, plan, speculate,reconstruct

Analysis Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and

relationships; distinguishing fact from inference conclude, explain, characterize, interpret, question, contrast,

outline, deconstruct, differentiate

Application Using information in another familiar situation

apply, sequence, demonstrate, operate, organize, dramatize, modify, solve, use, relate

Comprehension Understanding the meaning of instructions and problems

explain, report, recognize, restate, locate, describe, defend, distinguish, translate

Knowledge Recalling information

recall, repeat, define, memorize, sort, list, match, reproduce, select, state

Sample Problem

Classify this triangle by its angles.

I Spy

Instructional Purpose: Apply knowledge in varied

formats.

Time: 5- 10 minutes

Number of Players: All students(most effective whole class)

I Spy

Directions: Using the rules of the old game: 1) One student says: “ I spy ____” 2) Students stand when they have a

guess.3) When the answer is revealed, that

student continues the game: “ I spy _____”.

4) The game continues until all problems are completed.

Samples

C:\Documents and Settings\stephanie.williams\Desktop\I SPY.doc

I Spy--capital city.doc

Showdown (War)

Instructional Purpose: Problem Solving Practice.

Time: 10 minutes

Number of Players: 2 to 6

Resources: Task CardsWhite Boards, Markers

Showdown: taken from Laura Candler at http://www.lauracandler.com/filecab.htm

ShowdownDirections: Teacher prepares questions called

“task cards”.1) The group leader chooses a task

card and shows it to the group. 2) All students work the problem

on their white board. 3) The leader calls “Showdown”

and all students show their answers.

4) Students discuss the correct answer and process.

Example

Algebra I –solve equations

Share:How can you use this game

within your subject?

Which of these doesn’t belong?

Instructional Purpose: Compare and ContrastJustify responses

Time: 10 -30 minutes

Number of Players: 1 to 3 (most effective with 2)

Resources: Problem sets

Directions: 1) Students work individually or with a partner to

identify which problem or picture does not belong.

2) Students must justify their choice.

Which of these doesn’t belong? Geometry

Identify two similar triangles, list why they are similar.

Science

Identify two elements from the same family, name the family.

Thallium

Aluminum

Calcium

Tic Tac Toe

Instructional Purpose:Formative AssessmentEvaluation of student learning.

Time: 15-30 minutes

Number of Players: Individual

Resources: Tic Tac Toe Board, Problems

Tic Tac ToeDirections: Tic Tac Toe three in a row.

Students complete three activities of their choice. They must apply the rules of the traditional game.

Number Sense

• Number Sense Geometry

• Number Sense Warm-up

Sound Sense•C:\Documents and Settings\stephanie.williams\My Documents\My Music\Guess.mp3

Mc Donald’s

Number SenseTV Shows:

70 8 2 ½ 1

Movies:

3 (Name Three)413 16

Geometry Example

Identify three things that you know about Geometry based on these numbers.

180 4 360

12 2 90

Warm- Up

4

Templates

• Jeopardy

• Who wants to be a Millionaire?

• Matho

• ABC’s of ……

• Number Ranking Vocabulary

Websiteshttp://www.lauracandler.com/filecab.htm

www.puzzlemaker.com

www.mathisfun.com

www.fortbend.isd.k12.tx.usCampuses: TravisFaculty: Stephanie WilliamsResources: This is where you will find all templates.