Game Lesson/ Activity

In our class we were asked to create a game for the students to play. I decided to make one to use during math time in my classroom. The game was called Around the World. Here are the rules and procedures on how to play...

Logistics of the game:

            The game will allow each student to participate. They will sit around in a circle and then I will sit in the middle of the circle ready to hold up flash cards. Each student is trying to win for him or herself. If they win, they will be able to get something out of the treasure chest. But, I will need to move to the back of the classroom that has more space to have everyone stand around in the circle.

            Some other things that I need to think about are the noise levels and materials. I will need to make sure that I allow the students to play the game at a time when other teachers are not giving an exam in case they get louder than I though they would. I also need to remember to bring my big flashcards that will be large enough for every student to see them to be able to win. I think if I have all of those things together, it will be a very good and beneficial game for them to play.

Rules of the game:

            The students need to follow certain rules before the game can really flow well. The first rule is that they only answer when it is their turn. Second, they are to stay in the circle at all times. Third, they are not to yell the answer but say it. Fourth, if it is not his or her turn, each student needs to be quiet. Finally, the fifth rule is that they have fun.

My Reflection:

         I believe, looking back, the first thing that is always so important is how you start a new activity. It can be very overwhelming to have all these hands going up before you can even finish telling the students what they are about to do. So, I followed the activity plan process to make this game work. I first got their attention by asking them if they would like to play a math game instead of the normal math lesson that day. This stopped them in their tracks. They all stopped talking and looked at me waiting to see what it was that I was going to say next. Then, I told them to listen to all my directions and I would tell them exactly what is what that I wanted them to do. Then I told them that we were going to practice are multiplication tables in an Around the World game. I had each stand up and stand behind their desks. Then I told them to all get in a circle in the back of the room. Once they were all there, I stood in the middle of the circle and gave them directions on how to play.

            I was very happy to see that they all stood and waited for my directions. I told them that they were to all sit down and number 1 was to stand up and stand behind the person to their right. I then explained that I was going to hold up a flash card with multiplication tables on it. The student who is standing up and the person they are standing behind are the ones who were to answer.  If the standing student answers correctly first they can move to stand behind the next person. If the student sitting down answers correctly first, they are the one that gets to stand up and then move to the next person. The student who gets all the way around the circle first is the winner.

            Looking back on the game, I was very pleased with what the outcome was. The first thing that I noticed was how excited they were to play a game during math time. I know that many of my students do not like to do anything that has to do with math. This allowed them to see that math can be fun. I watched those students during the game and they were very much into it. The next thing that I noticed that worked was the location that I planned to have the game. Moving my students to the back of the classroom allowed for there to be more space. I saw that space was a very important thing in this game. Lastly, another thing that I saw work were the flashcards that I used. They were large enough for everyone to see it and each student was able to guess the answers.

            Some things that I noticed didn’t work had to do with my students themselves. Many of them are very competitive. They want to win at all costs and do not care whose feeling they hurt in the process. Some students kept on yelling at others saying they were not playing it right and others kept on talking when it was not their turn. Another thing that I noticed didn’t work was that some people didn’t know their multiplication tables enough to play this. I saw that some people never said the right answers, thus making it so they could never stand up.

 If I were to play this game again I would only change a few things. The first thing that I would change was something I would say before the game even started. I would tell them that this was supposed to be fun and I would not accept anyone saying mean things to another student. I would let them know that if they did this, they would not be allowed to play at all and would be forced to sit down in their seats and work on homework instead of playing. The second thing that I would do differently would be to make sure that all students know the majority of their multiplication tables first. I assumed that they new most of them from the third grade and that were wrong of me to do.

            Overall, I think that this game was a very good thing to play in my class. I can see how I can use it for a variety of subjects and I like that. I think that my students were able to really practice their multiplication tables and know them better. This will help as we move on to harder math problems that they well need to have the foundation of the tables memorized to fully do well. I liked the game and will use it again.

Here is a picture of the cards that i used to play the game in my classroom!!!