Showdown - Cooperative Group

I guess the past week was a busy one for me as I haven't blogged in a week.  I thought I would share a fun cooperative group activity that will help with team building and also can be used to check for mastery of skills or as a review for a test or quiz.  This fun activity is called Showdown!  It is a Kagan Cooperative Group activity.

Materials needed:
A stack of questions - Task Cards work perfectly for this!
Either paper and pencils or my favorite dry erase board and dry erasers

1. The teacher picks someone to be the captain of each group.  This person turns the cards face down and gives each student the materials.

2. The Showdown captain turns one card face up while everyone in the group answers the question.  As soon as each student answers the question they turn over there piece of paper or dry erase board.

3. When the teacher gives the Showdown signal every team member turns their paper or dry erase board over to reveal their answers.  If everyone is correct the team gets 5 team points.  If not everyone coaches each other to get the correct answer.  The team then gets 1 point.

4. Team members celebrate!

5. The student to the captain's left is the Showdown Captain for the next round.

6. Repeat the steps starting at step 2.

If you would like to check out my task cards click HERE.  Don't forget I do have free addition and subtraction fraction task cards!

Thanks for hoppin' by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings.  Keep on smiling!

Step Up Step Back

Earlier in the month I mentioned a wonderful get to know you activity that I learned in a work shop called 2 Truths and a Fib.  If you missed that great post you can find it by clicking on the picture:

Another great get to know you activity that can also be used as an informal assessment is called Step Up Step Back.

First have your students get in line order in a creative way.  Have them do it without talking!  In the workshop I was in we got in line by birthday date and had to use our fingers.  That might be tough for the little ones, but you could have them get in order by height without talking!  Now you have already involved Math! whohohoooooooo!

Next, have your students face forward.  Give them get to know you questions.  Examples: If you like Coke more step up, Pepsi more step back.  If you like to watch swimming more step up, diving more step back.  If you like reading more step up, math more step back.  If you like football more step up, if you like dancing more step back.  If you like group work step up, individual work step back.  This is an awesome way to get to know your students and it is fun for them and gets them moving!!!

Now you may say what if a student says they like both the same much or don't like either.  This is just not worth a battle so tell them they can stay in their spot instead of moving up or back.

Once you have done that a few times the first week to get to know your students, you can turn it into an academic test review!  How about giving them True and False questions to step up and back?  Or Multiple Choice A step up, B stay in your spot, C step back.  Great way to review skills to see what your students know before you give them a test!  What fun!!!

Anyone try this before?  Any other ideas on how you could use this in the classroom?  List your ideas in the comments!

Thank you so much for hoppin' on over to Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings!  Keep smiling!

Review for Tests

Many of you are still in school and probably still have District tests to give even if the state tests are complete.  If you are out of school these will be great for next year!  How about some fun ideas to help review skills? 

Buzz - This is a great game to practice multiples.  Gather your students in a circle or you could even do it in line when waiting for lunch or to get into activity.  Say the number you want to use is 3.  The first child says 1, 2nd child says 2, but the third child says BUZZ!  The 4th child then says 4, 5th child 5, 6th child says BUZZ, 7th child says 7, 8th child says 8, and 9th child BUZZ.  You get the picture.  Start off with a small number like 3 or 4 and then try higher numbers to challenge them.  You could also start off in the middle and have the first child start off say with the number 9 and go from there.

Hot Potatoe - After watching a video on a topic, reading a chapter, or even for a mixed review have the children pass a ball.  Say Hot Potatoe and whoever has the ball has to answer a question on the topic.  If they get it right they get some sort of reward.  This particular school used links, which are like tickets and the kids could turn them in for rewards later.  If the child gets the question wrote they start passing the ball around again until the teacher calls Hot Potatoe and then that child gets a shot at the question.  Play resumes with the next question.  Another variation I thought of is to play music and stop the music and whoever has the ball must answer the question.

What games do you play for review?  Please post your game ideas in the comment section, but please no teaching products.