I’m a fan of teachers using games and healthy competition to build classroom community. To that end, I built Quarter Trios, an ongoing class competition that groups students into small teams of three for the duration of a marking period (four nine-week quarters, in my case), as the teams compete in a variety of weekly tasks and challenges. (Want to learn more about Quarter Trios? Here’s a video blog where I go over all the details: https://laurarandazzo.com/quarter-trios-explained/)
This month, I’ve added a new game, Hidden Gems, to my list of Quarter Trio options.
The game, which is really just a worksheet puzzle, can be played solo by early finishers or as a timed Quarter Trio task for teams to work through together. The mission is simple: Match up the answers in the gems with each of the clues. The remaining unused answers can be sorted to reveal a hidden gem of life advice.
Wanna play? Puzzle #1 is a free download here: https://laurarandazzo.com/product/free-hidden-gems-word-game-puzzle-worksheet-for-early-finishers-class-competition/
Warning: This game is tougher than it seems. Expect students to need 20 minutes or so to complete it and for you to have enough time to share the answers. If you’re racing the bell, dropping clues/hints will speed students along.
Like this and want more? The 5-pack of Hidden Gems is posted here: https://laurarandazzo.com/product/hidden-gems-word-game-puzzle-worksheets-for-early-finishers-class-competition/
Teach on!
