Boys and Competition

I'll be honest. The first time I saw a teacher giving high school students, some as old as twenty, candies for work completion, I was appalled. In my own practice, however, I have learned that a little incentive goes a long way. Every August, I do the Dollar Store circuit in my area. I spend about twenty dollars on incentive prizes for my students. I shop for packages containing multiples (i.e., 4 or more erasers, 6 or more pencils, etc.) for  a dollar and stock up. Every once in a while, I use the boys' competitive nature to engage the class in a game-type review for prizes. It's amazing how much students are willing to do for an eraser shaped like a pencil or a miniature highlighter.

Games and game play are excellent ways to engage students in class, both boys and girls, but, due to their competitive nature, quizzes and other competitions can become powerful learning tools in the classroom (Hennessy). Game playing works with girls, but it always seems more fun when playing these games with boys.

Crosswords, Word Search and other Word Puzzles
There are many sites online that allow you to make your own crosswords, word searches, and other similar puzzles for free. These are great diagnostic and/or review tools. The way to inject a bit of competitiveness into these puzzles is to offer prizes to the first ten students who correctly complete the puzzle.

Bingo
Bingo is a variant of a choice board (Chapman and King 144). When playing Bingo, the card should be constructed so that each column/row contains a different type of question (i.e., yes/no, recall and repeat, critical thinking, etc. or, in the case of Shakespeare, character, plot, theme, etc.). Students are required to answer any row of their choice. If the Bingo card is correctly constructed, students will answer a variety of questions by completing a single row of questions. Any students answering a row of questions correctly will win a prize.

"Board" Games
Some board-type games may be used for review with a little bit of revision on the part of the teacher. Because group game playing must be structured to ensure the experience is positive (Crescent School), I always like to explain the rules of the game prior to its use as a review tool. We also play the game as a reward before it is used as a review tool. Near the start of the semester, I might reward everyone that has completed his homework with a game. Those that did not complete their homework must sit at their desks and watch their classmates have fun or put their heads down. Games I have used in the class include "Hedbanz", "That's Right, That's Wrong", "Buzzword" and "Blurt" (the list continues to grow).

To incorporate Hedbanz as a review: create a set of large recipe cards containing a character's name on one side and personality traits on the other. Tape a card, name side up, on each student's back. Students must walk around the class giving each other hints that will help them guess which character they are. Once they guess correctly, they have won the prize.

That's Right, That's Wrong asks a series of questions, each of which has 2 answers. Students are required to select the wrong answer. The confusion this causes is part of the fun. To play this, create a list of review questions and provide one correct and one incorrect answer for each question. Give students a scrap of paper and ask the questions, requiring students to write down the wrong answer from each set of answers given. Take the answers up afterward. Students selecting the incorrect answer to each question win prizes. A great source for questions for this activity may be found at the Shakespeare4Kidz website. Here is an example of the answer sheet I created when I played this game.

Ball Toss
Sometimes called "Quote Toss", this is a high energy activity that students love. Each student is given either a quotation or a review question on a recipe card. Find a Nerf-type ball to toss, or something else that students can throw hard at each other without hurting each other (I went to the local Dollar Store and found a water football. It's spongy and light and will keep me from filling out an incident report when one student pelts it at another student with all his strength). The teacher either asks a question or reads a quotation and throws the ball at a student. If the student catches the ball, he must either answer the question correctly or give the speaker of the quotation (you could request context of the quotation as well--to whom the quotation is said and under what circumstance). If the student is correct, he stays in the game. If the student is incorrect, he must take a seat and is out of the game. If correct, the student asks his question or reads his quotation and throws the ball at the classmate of his choice. The last student (or students) standing win prizes.

Works Cited
Chapman, Carolyn and Rita King. Differentiated Assessment Strategies: One Tool Doesn't Fit All. Corwin Press: Thousand Oaks). 2005.

Hennessy, Michael. Engagement or Disengagement - Boys in Education. KidsLife: empowering parents to help children reach their full potential. Australian Scholarships Groups.  <http://www.kidslife.com.au/Page.aspx?ID=1423>. 29 July 2011.

Shakespeare4Kidz.Teacher Resources: Downloadable Comprehension Sheets. 1997-2011. <http://www.shakespeare4kidz.com/macbeth-teacher-resources.html>. 29 July 2011.