A structured or semi-structured activity, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes also used as an educational tool.
A fun way to teach students (and assess them for learning also) is to play games with the new vocabulary, terms, and concepts they had learned.
One way I had done this was to go outside for my adaptation unit with a bullhorn, some pencil crayons, post-it notes, future board, and masking tape.
I split my class into groups of six and I instructed them to line up while I stood at the other end of the field. Their goal was to answer my adaptation-related question using the post-it notes and pencil crayons. Once the groups had jotted down their answer, the "runner" (which rotated every turn) had to run towards me and stick their post-it note on the future board beside me. The first group to do so with the correct answer got five points, the next got four points, and so on. A wrong answer yielded zero points.
Another game I frequently play is Categories.
After splitting the whiteboard into sections for each group, I ask one member from each group to go to the board with a marker, ready to write. Their job is to make a list of words based on the category I provide for them. They are given a time limit which is usually two minutes. An example would be: "Make a list of as many things that are seen in a desert habitat." Then when I say go, the students jot down as many answers as they could, while the rest of the members yell out answers.
This one is particularly noisy, so I don't use it often.
Games are a fun way of reinforcing science concepts. Though the two examples I have provided involve rote memorization for the most part, at least the vocabulary stays with the students as I continue to elaborate on those words.
"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery."
- Mark Van Doren
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