What are some quick games or activities I can do with my students after a lesson is over?

Question

I am teaching literacy in an enrichment camp and I am a new teacher. This is my first time actually teaching many of my lessons so I am sure that the timing may be off a bit on some of them. If my lesson ends early, what are some educational games I can play with the class?

Also if you know any sites with loads of educational ideas, lesson plans, etc. please post!

Answer 1

Depends on what grade you teach. I teach 4th so when we end early I make a game of calling out a list of math problems. At the end they cannot shout out the answer but have to show it with their fingers. i.e. What is (5 x 4) - 10 + 5 divided by 3 ...They love it.

You can also just ask general knowledge question about what you just taught...Whisper to you neighbor what the 3 kinds of rock are....Then..Raise your hand to tell me what you heard....etc

Also I play "swat it"  I quickly put random numbers or vocabulary words on the board...all spread out..and I split the class down the middle into teams...One representative for each team comes up, takes a fly swatter (never used for real flies) and I call out a fact like 9 x 9 they then search the board for the correct answer...They then "swat" the correct answer...winner gets a point..two new people come up.Its quick and fun and they are still learning....There's numbered heads together, think pair share, whip around and any number of strategies you can use at the end of a lesson to build comprehension and check for understanding.....

Answer 2

One thing we did last year is break up into two groups and compete playing a trivia game.  I keep Trivial Pursuit, etc. cards up near the board to fill in a minute or two.  One set of cards I have came from a vocabulary-type game I bought at a yard-sale.  That might work for you.

We also have words on the wall from books we've read.  I'll have them "see who can find three adverbs first", etc.

Short recitations of poems are good, too, but you have to be ready with whatever your back-up plan is.

Answer 3

I'm a former drama teacher, so I like to do theatre games activities.

Try picking a category, and then have students shout out answers from A-Z, things that fit into that category. For example, cars, starting with Audi ... BMW ... etc.

Students tend to really like this one.

Or, have them do a one-word story. One person starts with one word, and then the next person says the next word in the story, etc.

Or, write a quote on the board, and ask them to explain what it means to them.

Have fun!!