Hobbies And Interests
Story Starters
Appropriate for students of any age, the Story Starter game provides a student with a prompt for a short story, poem or song. The teacher creates four categories of choices: format, adjective, subject and conflict. In the format bin, the teacher places several strips of paper on possible writing formats, such as news article, poem and letter. In the "adjective" bin, the teacher places a number of words that describe the main character, such as grumpy, happy, dim and colorful. The "subject" bin will contain possible protagonists, and the "conflict" bin possible problems. Have each student grab one slip of paper from each bin and create a short piece of writing based on the selections. For very young children, this project can be done as a group, with the teacher doing the reading and writing.
Matching Synonyms and Antonyms
A matching game helps students understand words with similar meanings. During the game, the teacher writes a word on the board. Students offer up the word's synonym or antonym and earn points for correct answers. Other possibilities for the game include grouping the students into teams and asking students to find the synonym pairs from a series of 10 to 20 words. To tailor the game to a student's grade level, use age-appropriate words.
Counting Games
Counting games help students understand basic mathematical principles. During a counting game, the teacher places a picture on the board and asks students to count the number of a certain object. Students who provide the right answer earn points. Other possibilities for the game include counting real objects or mixing counting and language skills. For example, place a picture of an intricate garden and ask students to count the number of trees. For a more challenging game, add addition and subtraction. For example, ask students to count the number of trees and subtract it by the number of flowers.
Order of Operations
Typically, students learn about order of operations sometime between second and fourth grade. An order of operations game provides students with an equation that contains multiplication, division, addition and subtraction. Students complete each problem, with a prize for the student who finds the most correct answers. This can be done on teams or individually. Add a time limit to add tension and excitement to the game. To make things more difficult, add complex operations such as exponents.