Fun and easy strategies get students motivated about behaving in class. Change a few rules from classic games to entice students to choose appropriate behaviour in the classroom.
Chinese Checkers
The objective of the game is to be the first player to place all ten pegs into the opposing triangle.
Class Rules for Chinese Checkers
For this game, students will be divided into 6 groups. Each group will work as team to get their pegs to the opposing triangle before the other groups.
The students are able to move a peg once the teacher gives the group a point. If a group does not receive a point they miss a turn. Students will be allowed to talk about their strategic move after the lessons are taught, during independent activities. If students talk about the strategy during a lesson, they lose their turn.
Suggestions for Students to Earn Points
Listening During Instructional Time
Raising Hand to Answer Questions
On Task
Random Act of Kindness
Respectful of Students and Teachers
Assist Other Students
Cleanest Group
Puzzle Makers
Students construct puzzles with their groups. The first team to construct a puzzle wins the competition.
Students earn points based on their behaviour in the class. One student may earn a point for their group or the group as a whole earns a point. Each point received earns the group a puzzle piece. It is best to begin with a small puzzle and increase difficulty. Students must finish their puzzle before they can begin a new puzzle.
Ideas for Puzzles
Map of the USA or another country
Cartoons
Flowers
Wildlife (Students choose their wildlife puzzle and write a report on the animal)
Flags
Inspirational Sayings
Tic Tac Toe
Divide the class into groups and have a round robin game of tic tac toe.
Tape 3 tic tac toe game square to the blackboard. Students receive points for good behaviour in class. Each time they receive a point they are allowed to place an X in one of the squares. If a group does not receive a point they miss a turn.
Top 3 winners of the tic tac toe game, receive a privilege. The privileges should align with their order of winning the game. Gold winners would receive the top prize.
Tangrams
Divide the class into groups to find the solution to a tangram. As each group earns a point, they receive a pre-determined amount of time to solve the tangram puzzle.
Each group receives a tangram puzzle and a box to store the puzzle when not in use. It is important for the groups to not share or steal their solutions. As well, the teacher may give pieces of the puzzle pieces as they earn points. Therefore, a group that is listening will have an advantage.
Debbie DeSpirt - Debbie DeSpirt is an Elementary Teacher for the York Catholic District School Board in Ontario, Canada. Her post secondary education ...
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