Classroom Activities

I Spy

Students can play the classic I Spy game in a version that has an educational purpose. There are many variations of this basic game that can be used in the classroom.

• “Spy” an object.
• Say “I spy something ... ,” where you complete the sentence with a clue to help students guess the object.

Suggestions

• Use the game to teach colors, shapes, and sizes. For example, “spy” right angles in the classroom after teaching the concept in math.
• Identify items around the classroom when teaching basic vocabulary to ESL (English as a Second Language) students.
• Develop a group of items to be “spied” by having students write down item names or draw pictures of items on small sheets of paper.
• Divide students into teams to play the game as a friendly competition.
• Play the game with a goal in mind, such as cleaning up scraps on the floor after an art project.

Monster Madness

Have students draw creatures using traced letters as the base. This is a great learning activity for the lower grades.

• Have each student choose a letter to use as the base for their creature.
• Allow the students to trace their chosen letter from a stencil or die-cut machine.
• Have students draw a creature, monster, or character out of their chosen letter.

Suggestions

• Use numbers as well as letters.
• Have this activity available for students to work on throughout the day.
• Establish a learning center with stencils and markers where students can draw their creatures.
• Display the “monsters” on bulletin boards and around the room.
• Allow each student to create an entire family of creatures, using all the letters of his or her name.

Chain Story

Students cooperate with each other to create a chain story, using selected words from lessons.

• Prepare a set of index cards, each of which has one spelling word or vocabulary word written on it.
• Arrange the class in a circle or allow them to work from their seats.
• Hand out the index cards, one to each student.
• Pick a student to start the story. The student will use the word on the index card in his or her part of the story—about one or two sentences.
• Have each student in turn add another sentence or two to the story, using the word on his or her index card.

Suggestions

• Assign a specific topic for the story, or let the students decide the topic.
• Divide students into groups so that each group creates a story to share with the class.

Twenty Questions

Students ask a series of up to 20 “yes” and “no” questions in an attempt to guess a person, place, or thing related to material currently being studied.

• Pick a topic related to a current area of study.
• Ask one student to think of a person, place, or thing related to that topic. The rest of the class is not told what it is.
• Have the other students try to guess what that something is by asking “yes” and “no” questions.
• The student that picked the person, place, or thing must answer only “yes” or “no” to the questions asked.
• The class can ask a maximum of 20 questions in trying to guess the correct answer.

Suggestion

• Use this activity as a unit opener.

Top Ten

Students develop lists of 10 items in different categories.

• Have the students make lists of the top 10 concepts for a topic you are studying.

Suggestions

• For something less challenging, have students list everyday items, such as their 10 favorite foods, music groups, athletes, or television shows.
• If you have more time, have students alphabetize their lists.

What’s in the Bag?

Students try to guess what item is in a bag.

• Choose an item that is related to a story you have been reading, a social studies topic, or a science concept the class has been studying.
• Place the item in a brown bag (or other opaque bag).
• Have the students sit in a circle.
• Carry the bag around the circle, letting students feel the item without looking inside.
• Ask students not to share their ideas out loud until they are asked to do so.
• Give everyone a chance to think about what the item might be.
• Draw 5 to 10 names randomly from a deck of cards or popsicle sticks.
• Let those 5 to 10 students share their guesses, and list their guesses on the board.
• Reveal the item’s identity.

Suggestions

• In order to eliminate certain guesses, have students list the characteristics that they were able to determine from touching the item. Narrow the choices down to those that fit the descriptions.
• Use this activity with students in the lower grades to identify fruits and vegetables.
• Use this activity with ELLs (English language learners) to improve their ability to explain physical attributes. 

When You Only Have a Few Minutes, Try These Ideas . . .

• List as many objects in the room as you can.
• Give multiplication or division problems, and have students call out answers.
• List the continents of the world.
• Name as many countries, state capitals, cartoon characters, or kinds of natural disasters as you can.
• Find countries on a map.
• Name as many colors as you can that are not one of the colors of the rainbow.
• List as many types of transportation as you can in each of these categories—by air, by land, by sea.
• Write the name of a food that begins with each letter of the alphabet.
• List as many home electronic devices as you can.
• Look at a picture, and use as many nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives as possible to describe it.
• Draw a picture from a description of characteristics and attributes.
• Brainstorm a list of words for a specific theme (for example, autumn, space, heroes, and holidays).