How I Gamified my Classroom: Timed 3D Model

This post is all about one of the baby steps I took to add game elements into my classroom, and this one was a timed group activity.

I did this activity the Friday before we went on our week long Fall Break, and that was the perfect time to try an activity like this out! I had several groups of students, and each group had to construct a 3D model of the beginning, middle, and end of one of the stories we read in our reading curriculum. They couldn't tell the other groups which story they had, and then the kiddos had to guess which model went with each story. Oh, and they only had 30 minutes to do it.

I showed them how to make the 3D model, but that was it! I stepped back and let them figure out how to work together and delegate each part. Some groups did a better job than others, but overall they all turned out pretty good! If you're looking to create this with your class, this website has directions and pictures to show you how to make it.

Can you tell this is from Henry and Mudge?

Another side of Henry and Mudge

Since 2nd graders.. or any elementary age student.. aren't good at managing time, I checked in with the class every 10 minutes so they could vote on how they were doing and working together. It works out well to have them reflect on their effort and team work, and it gives me an idea of who might need me to help them sort things out.

I would definitely do this activity again! And probably will right before we go on another break from school, with another spin on it... I should have that all figured out by spring break!

Check back next Wednesday to read about my plans to gamify my class in the 2nd Quarter!

How I Gamified my Classroom: Gamified Lesson

As I first started reading Explore Like a Pirate this summer, I was instantly motivated to plan something interesting for my students. I started thinking about units that I could revamp, and with the election coming up this fall I decided to update my unit on American Symbols and government. The only thing is, that I did this early on in the book before it described game mechanics, so it's a little different than the other posts in this mini series. The good news is that it was engaging for the students and something I definitely want to do again!

A few years ago, I learned how to make a paper bag camera where the students could “take pictures” of things and then write about them. I've always loved the idea, but had never been able to figure out how to get it to work effectively in the past. The students would spend most of their time drawing a picture, and then would write one sentence, if that, to describe it. Well, when you're teaching how to write paragraphs that's a problem!

I still loved the idea of using the camera in a lesson, and it was on my mind while I'm trying to figure out how to revamp this unit. I got a little distracted and started looking up things to do on my upcoming vacation in Napa Valley, and then all of a sudden BAM! It hit me!

We would take a tour of national monuments and Washington, D.C. And use the camera to take pictures of the places we visited. While “on the tour” the students would learn from the tour guide, me, about the different monuments. They would take a picture, and when it was developed we would write facts about the monument or other symbol on the other side. The students love love LOVES traveling on planes and taking pictures of the monuments. I was surprised at how much of a hit that was.

Well, it didn't stop there. I wanted to create a sense of adventure to add that game aspect to this lesson and give the students a problem to solve. So one day they received a letter from George Washington saying that he had somehow traveled through time and he needed help from the smartest class around to go back and lead the country. I had this whole great plan where the students would have to find and decipher clues to spell out one of the names of the monuments to find him.

And it was a total flop.

Close up of the letter.

The students were more interested in looking for clues in the sand at recess or it on the field in the grass. They completely missed the clues that I wrote on the white board or taped to desks. Maybe the beginning of 2nd grade was a little too soon to get them to complete extra tasks to earn clues. Or maybe I didn't explain it right. It's something I'll definitely try again next year, or maybe even with another lesson this year. Well just have to see how it goes!

The good news is that even though they did not understand looking for clues in the way I wanted them to, they were super excited about learning the content. Each week when we went to library I had students come up to me and show me books about the government, Presidents, or monuments that they were checking out. They would say things like “Maybe there's a clue in here, Ms. Corrigan!”

Well, there were plenty of clues hidden in books. Only those books were already at their desks!

Make sure you check back next Wednesday, 11/9, to read about the 3D model challenge!

How I Gamified My Classroom: Mini Games

I remember playing Mario Party 2 as a kid on my Nintendo 64. After reading Explore Like a Pirate I played it again to see if I could find the different game aspects he talked about. Some were easier to find than others, but one that jumped right out was mini games! Of course, this game within the game, was the best part! 

That being said, this post is all about mini games to use in your classroom!

Mini games are a great way to practice skills. You can make them as simple or as complicated as you want. I prefer to keep it easy! Here are some quick tips I have for playing games:

1. Everyone does every problem. Keep them engaged and you'll have less problems to deal with.

2. Use something easy to write on like white boards, scratch paper, journals, etc. Don't make it too complicated, and everyone doesn't need to use the same thing. 

3. The fewer teams you use, the better off you'll be. I recommend a max of 4 teams, but I usually end up using 2 teams. 

4. Number off everyone on each team, so every team has the same numbers. Have students solve the problem, or answer the question, etc. and then call out a number to see what their answer was. This helps keep them on their toes. 

I've written out more detailed procedures I've used in previous posts. This is the spark notes version for those of you who've read about my games before. If you're just tuning in now, be sure to check out the other mini games I play at the bottom of the post!

 This game is called Mystery Boxes!

The boxes have point values hidden behind. The point values range from 0 - 100. 

Let's say I'm using two teams. I write a problem on the board, let's say 1+1=, and the students have to solve it. I call on team mate number 3 from both teams, and they both show me their answer. Both teams have 2 as the answer, so both students get the chance to choose a mystery box. Team 1 chooses box 1, and let's say there's 5 points behind it. Team 1 earns 5 points! Team 2 chooses box 28, and let's say there's 50 points behind that one. Team 2 earns 50 points!

Click the video for a sneak peek of what's inside the product!

Click the image to view this product in my TpT store!

If you haven't read about the other mini games I play in my class check them out below!

Danger Cards

Sink or Swim

Math Baseball

How I Gamified My Classroom - First Quarter Edition

This summer I read Explore Like a Pirate by Michael Matera. It gave me a bunch of great ideas to make my classroom more fun and engaging. Some are definitely more easy than others, but in the end I think they would all be worth it! 

Anyways, I decided to take baby steps. I tried out a few ideas during the first quarter, and I can't wait to share them all with you! Rather than write one looooooooong post about the things I tried, I decided to break it down into several smaller posts. 

In the upcoming weeks I'll write about how I used different game mechanics in my classroom. I'll write about what worked well, what didn't, and what I'd change.


Join me next Wednesday, 10/19, as I talk ramble on about: Items!


Oh, and if you're interested in learning more about gamification, check out these posts:

A Whale of a Tale: Theme and Storytelling

Pulleys, Ropes, and Rigging: Game Mechanics to Outfit any Journey

Tools and Treasures: Stockpiling Items and Earning Badges

X Marks the Spot: Finding Joy in Playful Assessment

Danger Cards

I'm so happy I read Explore Like a Pirate this summer! I got so many great ideas for ways to engage students, and one of my favorite things was the mini game aspect. I already play learning games in my classroom, and I was able to get some new ideas for easy games. 

On my Instagram, I recently posted about Danger Cards, and here's how I play this fun and easy game!

P.S. this is perfect for those Friday afternoons when your class is crazy and you're just ready for the weekend. 

But, it's also works great when you just need a fun and easy way to practice a skill!

I have the same rules and procedures in every game, so when we learn a new game it takes about 30 seconds. Very little actually changes, which makes it so much easier for me!

The rules and procedures I use for every game are:

1. Divide the class into teams. I either use 2 or 4 teams depending on the game and how much time we have.

2. Number off everyone on each team. 1 - however many students you have. Each team should have a number 1, number 2, number 3, etc. 

3. Everyone solves every problem. Gotta have that engagement!

4. Be quiet when solving the problems. I do not give warnings in games since it is usually a reward, so if this rule is broken that student will be out, or their team will lose points, move back, etc. The consequence depends on the game. I've found that if you are consistent with this then you have very little problems with students talking while solving the problems. 

5. Give the students enough time to solve the problem. Depending on what the problem is, and the strategy I want them to use, it usually takes between 45 seconds and 1 minute. Ultimately you need to keep the game moving forward, or you'll lose the students. If I call on a student and they have not finished the problem then they earn an out, don't get points, whatever makes sense with the game. 

*With Danger Cards, the students don't get an opportunity to choose a Danger Card.

6. Call out a number, and the student on all teams with that number show the answer. 

7. If it's right - they move forward, get points, get to choose something, etc.. If it's wrong, they move backward OR stay in the spot, lose points, nothing happens, etc. These are all variations on the game, so it'll vary with the game! 

*With Danger Cards, a correct answer will earn the opportunity to choose a Danger Card. A wrong answer doesn't earn or lose points.


Here's the nitty gritty with Danger Cards. 

The Danger Cards have a point value on the inside. The students could earn points, lose points, or choose a card that has 0 points. Prior to the start of the game, one student from each team gets to peek inside one card. They can tell their team the point value, so they can use that as part of their strategy.

P.S. most of my students haven't figured out the strategy aspect of this game yet. I think 2 out of 30 have figured out how to trick others into losing points, but that's it!


Anyways, back to the game.


I present a problem, and the students solve it. I call out a number, and any student with that number shows me their white board. If they get the answer right, they get the opportunity to choose a danger card.

Let's say 4 students had the correct answer. I roll the dice to see which student gets to choose a Danger Card. The student chooses a card, but doesn't let the other 3 students see it and doesn't say anything. The other 3 students will decide if they're going to play or pass, depending on their reaction to the card. If they play, they take the point value on the card. If they pass, nothing happens. The 3 students decide if they're going to play or pass, and then the student who saw the card says if they will play or pass after everyone else has cast their vote. If the student says PLAY the class erupts into cheers because they know they'll earn points. If they say PASS, it goes silent because they know that it says something that's not good.

I think that sounds more complicated than it is, and it only takes about 10 seconds or so. I think they like the unknown aspect of the cards because they love love love playing this game!

Looking for other EASY games to add to your day? Click the images below to read about other games I play. 

 Sink or Swim

Math Baseball

What games do you use in your classroom? Let me know in the comments!

Welcome to... The Bat Cave!

This post is a little bit late... as in a year late. Every October I teach a nonfiction research unit about bats, and I decided to really go all out with it last year!


I've been super inspired to keep my students engaged each year. I had been wanting to transform my classroom based on a theme, but was always so nervous to take the plunge! This was the first time I did anything like this, and based on the feedback I got from my students is something I definitely plan to do again. So... welcome to the bat cave!


Prior to entering the classroom I told my students we were going on a research expedition into a cave to study bats. At first they were like um, okay, but once they entered the cave they were super excited! Within about 7 seconds, one student immediately turns back to me and says "This is so fun".

The pictures are pretty unimpressive because well, the lights are off. What really sold it was the sounds.

I had this playing on repeat for most of the time we were in the bat cave. I projected it on the smart board, but put a screen shade up for 2 reasons: 1. It was already really dark and we needed some light to actually get work done, and 2. I didn't want them to see the background. Update for this year: Create a playlist in YouTube so I don't need to run up to the computer to press play again every few minutes. 

The students were required to read leveled books and create a poster about what they learned from the book. This was part of a jigsaw activity and the books were leveled. They gave short presentations to the class, and after each one we recorded interesting facts in our Bat Scientist Research Journal. The note taking part was mostly teacher directed since in October of 2nd grade the most of students aren't really ready to accurately and independently determine main idea and details from presentations. 

The funny part is that this is exactly what they were going to do, but we did it listening to a quiet clip of bat sounds in the background and with the lights off. Some students brought in flashlights and I had a few set up around the classroom, which is something I will make sure I plan for ahead of time. We needed more light, but I didn't expect to get a ton of flashlights since I send out a Remind message the night before when I realized that we wouldn't be able to see. Update for this year: Give them at more notice about the flashlights!

Check out my resources that go along with this:

This would be appropriate for 2nd - 5th grade. The higher the grade level the less teacher support you provide and allow the students to work more independently. This is a research project, so the forms provided would be appropriate for multiple grade levels. 

This is another research project which includes the following: a paper bag craft, research journal, vocabulary pages, friendly letter writing, and informative paragraphs.

Explore Like a Pirate - From the Helm: Getting to Know Your Crew

Welcome back! This week in our Explore Like a Pirate book study linky were looking at Chapter 5, which is all about getting to know your crew.. aka your kiddos!

One of my big take aways from this chapter is that there are different types of gamers, and they're motivated by different things. I never thought of it that way, but once I read about the different types it makes sense. I could picture at least one or two students from my class last year who were the picture perfect example of each of these types. The better we understand each of these "player" types the better we can use game design to motivate our kiddos!

Achievers

These students are the ones that want to gain points and show their level of mastery. Motivators: Small competitions/rewards, public display of class data.

Socializers

These students value game play for the socialization aspect more than the game. Motivators: social interaction, "networking" opportunities such as trading

Explorers

These students like to dig around in the game and explore different aspects or levels of it. They're more interested in exploration than mastery. Motivators: Unlocking areas or levels - they want to see what is behind that door!

Killers (griefers or conquerors) 

These students like to cause destruction and enjoy playing the bad guy. In addition to causing destruction, they will be fierce protectors of their own team. Motivators: gaining power and opportunities to use the power in strategic ways, collecting items and using them against other groups

Thanks again to Rachael at Sweet Sweet Primary for setting up this linky! Make sure you come back next Tuesday as we discuss Chapter 6 - A Whale of a Tale: Theme and Story Telling.  Click the image below to head back to the linky.

Explore Like a Pirate: Ahoy Mate! A New Language Of Learning

Thanks for joining us for Chapter 4 in the Explore Like a Pirate book study! Chapter 4 is all about the new language of learning. 

Matera uses 10 words to describe purpose driven language, which is something that all highly successful students (and people in general) have. This is the primary language he uses in his classroom when communicating with parents, on student report cards, and describing upcoming projects. It was definitely food for thought, and I'm mulling over some ideas for how to incorporate this into a 2nd grade classroom. 

 He talks about how sitting through endless modeling has created a passive student body, and how they need us to hold their hands every step of the way. We need to empower students to be brave enough to try on their own, and also to know that it is okay to fail - that's how we learn!

That's why it's so important for us to encourage creativity in our students! We can do that by creating risk-rich environments, where our students know it's okay to make mistakes (that's how we learn!) and by asking open ended questions. 

 Enthusiasm includes 2 parts: 

1. Educators need to create tasks that are worth getting excited about. Who ever got excited about completing a worksheet in silence?
2. Remind students to keep an open mind and enthusiastic about challenging and less engaging tasks for the sake of themselves and their classmates. 

Your attitude determines your attitude!

Putting forth your best effort every day is a must!

It's difficult to master at any age, but requires attention and practice. 

FAIL stands for: First Attempt In Learning. After you FAIL then you can set SAIL: Second Attempt In Learning. A great way to give students more confidence so they're less likely to give up on learning. 

When students rush through assignments (aka their "quest") remind them that initiative is the first step, but the way to greatness requires focus and effort. I need to remember this for my gifted kiddos who just try to complete as many tasks as poorly quickly as they can!

Follow their questions to find answers, and then even better questions. Matera recommends playing on their natural curiosity by dropping hints of things to come, starting a rumor about an upcoming "challenge", and just being playful in general. Works for me!

To me, this sounds like students work on developing their "word" so we, and their team mates, can believe and depend on them. Do what you say you're going to do!

Students need to give and receive empathy throughout their education. 

A big shout out to Rachael at Sweet Sweet Primary for organizing the link up! Make sure you join us next Tuesday for Chapter 5! Click the image above to go back to the linky.

P.S. - Click here to follow me on BlogLovin'! My page there is a work in progress, but it's coming along. 

Explore Like a Pirate: New World, Old World

Thanks for tuning in to week 3 of Explore Like a Pirate linky! Chapter 3 is called "Old World, New World" and it's all about the new world in education. There's this great line at the start of the chapter that says, "The new world" in education requires us to look past the old ways and create more dynamic learning environments and methods of teaching." To me, that sounds like it's all about student engagement!

Now, that's not to say that the entirety of the "old world" should be discarded. We just need to adapt our teaching methods to the ways of the new world. Keep what works, and update what doesn't. 

The chapter quoted Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi saying, "It seems increasingly clear that the chief impediments to learning are not cognitive in nature. It is not that the students cannot learn' it is that they do not wish to."

Wow. 

If the requirement is to complete worksheet after worksheet, sit still with little to no recess, not talk with partners or groups or ask questions, etc... Well, I wouldn't want to learn either. Can you say boring?!

I think that must be part of why I'm so excited about this book study. With the class I had last year I struggled to be creative since I was so focused on the discipline problems. We still had fun, but it wasn't the year I wanted to have. Now that I'm reflecting on things during the summer, I feel super motivated to bring that sense of adventure back into my classroom! 

Matera describes a gamified lesson he did during a unit on Egypt that was inspired by the Da Vinci code. The students were told that Imhotep had gone missing, and without him the pyramids would have never been built. The students had to go on a school wide scavenger hunt in order to solve the mystery his disappearance. This wasn't something done during class time, but something the students had to engage in during their free time. Not all students participated, and some groups dropped out because it was challenging, but that made the other groups work harder. The end goal was that much sweeter! Now how can I do something like this with my class and curriculum... Hmm.. The wheels are turning!

Another point worth mentioning is the use of mantras in the classroom. Some mantras Matera has used include: 

• Strive to do the extraordinary. 
• Life if about choices, so choose wisely. 
• Life is all about leaving a legacy. 
• How will you be remembered? (Today.. not in the distant future)

I'm not quite sure how to use this with my classroom, but I would love to have something like that over the white board and/or my door. Which one to choose.. 

This chapter was thought provoking - I've got lots of wheels turning for gamified lessons this year! Thanks again to Rachael at Sweet Sweet Primary for this wonderful idea. Click the image below to return to the linky, and make sure you check back next Tuesday for Chapter 4!

P.S. - Click here to follow me on BlogLovin'! My page there is a work in progress, but it's coming along. 

Explore Like a Pirate - A Book Study Linky!

I am so excited to be a part of this linky. I mean.. who wouldn't want to teach, learn, and explore like a pirate? I've wanted to read these books, but haven't got around to it yet. What better time than to start now? A big shout out to Rachael over at Sweet Sweet Primary for putting this together! 

Part 1: Plotting the Course 

Chapter 1                The Call of the Explorer: Discover the Adventure that Waits

This chapter was short and sweet, and exactly what I've been thinking about for the past year. Last summer I was inspired to get creative with engagement and work to design fun and adventurous lessons that will get my kiddos excited about learning. Which is what gamification is all about!

This chapter gave an example of a day when the author was in middle school and he looks around at his classmates and instead of seeing students, sees CIA agents. These CIA agents (AKA classmates) are working to uncover a plot to destroy the world. Their CIA captain, teacher, has charged them with the mission of shutting down the plot. If this had academic content tied to it, how exciting would that be?! 

In the past, I've done very brief lessons like this, and want to dive into it 100%. In the past the lessons were kind of spur of the moment so I didn't have a ton of time and resources to get t hings put together. I've done going on the Oregon Trail and took my students on a journey in a "wagon train" across the school. Simple and fairly easy, but the kiddos were so engaged and loved the activity!

Last year, I transformed my classroom into the Bat Cave while we learned about bats. I don't want to go into too much detail since I am working on a whole post about that, but within seconds of the students entering my classroom I had students coming to me to tell me that it was fun! Who knew that working in the dark with flashlights would be so engaging?

I'm so excited to read the rest of the book and read what other teacher bloggers have to say in the linky. I'm all for adding creative play that's deep in content acquisition into my day, and would love to find the easiest way to do so! 

Click the image at the top to go back to the linky!