Module 2: Motivational Activity Introduction to the Course

1. Think-pair-repair OR Think Pair Share -

 pose an open-ended question to your class and ask students to come up with their
best answer. Next, pair learners up and get them to agree on a response. Get two
pairs together, and the foursome needs to do the same thing.

2. Improv games
 In the three things in common game, pairs figure out the most unexpected things they
share (this can also be done online in breakout rooms). Or challenge your students
to count to 20 as a group with one person saying each number – but no one is
assigned a number, and if two people talk at the same time, everyone starts again at
1. (If some students are in the room and some remote, you’ll need classroom audio
with full-room coverage for this to work.

3. Brainwriting
 You’ve probably tried brainstorming, but have you tried brainwriting? In this approach,
students are given time to come up with their own ideas individually before sharing
them out loud or posting them to an online whiteboard or other shared platform.
Building in space for individual reflection leads to better ideas and less groupthink.

4. Jigsaw
 Help students build accountability by teaching each other. Start by dividing them into
“home groups” (4 or 5 people works well). Again, breakout rooms in Zoom or Google
Meet make this simple even if everyone is remote. Assign each person in the group
a different topic to explore – they’ll regroup to work with all the students from the
other groups who are exploring the same idea. Once they’ve mastered the concept,
students return to their home group and everyone shares newfound expertise.

5. Concept mapping
 Collaborative concept mapping is a great way for students to step away from their
individual perspectives. Groups can do this to review previous work, or it can help
them map ideas for projects and assignments. In pre-COVID times, you may have
covered classroom walls with sticky notes and chart paper – now there are many
online tools that make it simple to map out connections between ideas.
6. The one-minute paper
 How much could you explain in one minute? At the end of class, set a timer and ask
students to record their most eye-opening revelation or biggest question. This activity
lets students reflect on learning and build writing skills – plus you’ll get a window into
their understandings and misunderstandings. Here are more prompts you can use to
get students writing.

7. Real-time reactions
 When students are watching a video, a mini lecture or another student’s presentation,
have them share their real-time reactions. This helps students spot trends and
consider new points of view. You can set up a hashtag to allow for live tweeting, or
use the chat function in your conferencing software.
8. Chain notes
 Write several questions on pieces of paper and pass each to a student. The first student
adds a response (use a timer to keep things moving quickly) and then passes the
page along to gather more responses. Multiple contributions help build more complete
understanding. A digital alternative involves using shared documents that multiple
students are invited to edit. Then your class can examine the responses and identify
patterns and missing pieces.

9. Idea line up
 Choose a question that has a range of responses, and then ask students where they
stand – literally. If you’re not social distancing, have them come to the front of the
classroom and organize themselves in a line, based on where on the spectrum of
answers they find themselves. In a blended classroom or a physically distanced one,
get them to place themselves on a virtual number line instead.

10. Mystery quotation

 Test how well students can apply their understanding of an issue or theoretical position.
After they’ve explored a topic, show them a quotation about it they’ve never seen
before. Their task is to figure out the point of view of the person behind the quotation
– and justify it to the class. Students can debate this issue in small breakout groups
before beginning a whole-class discussion.

11. Idea speed dating

 Have students cycle through your space, or through breakout rooms in Zoom or
Google Meet, sharing insights about a topic or their elevator pitch for an upcoming
project. As they present their learnings multiple times on several “speed dates,”
students’ presentation skills and perspectives will grow.

12. Peer review

 The process of peer review is as old as academia, and it’s never too early to start. Have
students swap drafts of their essays, proposals or lab reports, and then come up with
comments and questions for each other. Make sure to be clear about what the goals
are (using rubrics helps). For example, students could identify compelling arguments,
unanswered questions and holes in logic.

13. Quescussion
Ever played Jeopardy? Then you’re ready for quescussion. It’s like a standard
class discussion but only questions are allowed (students call “Statement!” if
someone slips up). If you play this game at the beginning of the course, the
questions can help shape your course. If you have students both in the room and
calling in from a distance, make sure the remote learners get equal airtime and
that your audio system is picking up student voices clearly.

14. Sketchnoting
 Instead of taking traditional lecture notes, try getting your students to sketch a picture
that represents what they’ve learned during class. Remember, it’s not about the
 quality of the art – it’s about how drawing prompts students to visualize their
understanding and look at their learning from a different perspective.

15. Empathy mapping

 Take a page from the designers’ handbook and get students to explore deeper by
embracing a perspective. It’s deceptively simple – write down what a person says,
thinks, does and feels. The ability to slow down and immerse yourself in another point
of view is valuable. In design thinking, empathy maps help designers create better
products for users. But this process can be just as valuable for analyzing characters
from literature, historical figures or political stances.

16. Charades
 This simple but classic game is a great way to encourage your student to get out of
their seats and participate in the lesson.
 Game: Select a student to stand at the front of the room and act out a word from your
list (no speaking allowed). The rest of the class must then guess what the student is
attempting to portray. Other students can shout out their guesses or put their hands
up – depending on your teaching preference! Whoever guesses correctly can act out
the next word.
 Alternative: A more challenging version involves the student describing a subject -
specific word but restricted by a list of forbidden words, e.g. describing ‘habitat’ without
using the words ‘home’ or ‘animals’.

17. Hangman
 A traditional but interactive game which improves students’ spelling and subject
knowledge but is also enjoyable.
 Resources: whiteboard and pen or interactive whiteboard, plus a list of subject-specif ic
words to inspire your students.
 Game: Divide your class into two teams then select a student to stand at the front of
the class and think of a word related to the lesson (or you could give them a suitable
word). The student must then draw spaces on the whiteboard to represent each letter
in their word. The rest of the class then guesses the word, one letter at a time (allow
one student from each team to guess alternately). Incorrect guesses result in a
hangman being drawn (one line at a time). The first team to guess the word wins,
unless the hangman is completed. The game then repeats with another student
thinking of a relevant word.
 Alternative: If you feel a hangman would not be appropriate then use a different image
– either subject-specific or think creatively e.g. a spaceman or snowman.

18. Scatter-gories
 This fun game will encourage your students to think ‘outside-the-box’ and draw on a
range of subject knowledge.
 Resources: pieces of paper, pens/pencils and a list of subject-specific categories e.g.
Earth and Space (topic): rocks, landforms, weather, and solar system (categories).
 Game: Split students into small groups and ask them to note down the categories on
their pieces of paper. Choose a letter (A-Z) at random and give students 1-2 minutes
(depending on how many categories) to think of a word for each category, beginning
with that letter. Once the time is up, allocate points for unique answers, i.e. if two team s
 write down the same word for a category then neither get any points. Repeat the game
with different letters.
 Alternative: If you class only has a small number of students then they could fill in the
categories individually, rather than working in teams.

19. Bingo
 A quick and simple game which never fails to motivate students in their learning.
 Resources: whiteboards and pen or paper and pen/pencils, plus a list of subject -
specific terms or concepts e.g. numbers, phonics, key vocabulary, scientific formulae
or historical figures.
 Game:Ask students to draw a 6 x 6 grid on their whiteboards or pieces of paper then
select 6 words or images from the given list to draw/write in their grid. You must then
randomly select a word from the list to describe, and students must guess the word in
order to cross it off on their grid (if present). Continue describing different words until
one student successfully completes their grid and shouts ‘bingo!’ (you can also award
a prize to the first student who gets 3 in a row).
 Alternative: Students can insert their own subject-related answers into the bingo grid,
but this makes it more challenging for you due to extensive word choice and ambiguity.
Also, if you have more time, then you could create your own bingo boards with specific
vocabulary or concepts you are covering in that lesson (reusable).

20. Puzzles
 This creative group game encourages students to work together and visualize
academic concepts in an abstract way.
 Resources: images, words, calculations or concepts printed or stuck on card/paper
and cut into random shapes (puzzle pieces) e.g. maths calculations, chemical
equations, subject vocabulary, historical figures etc.
 Game: Separate your class into groups (or simply use table groupings) then hand out
a puzzle for each group to piece together.
 Alternative: Students can create their own puzzles on the computer or drawn onto
card/paper for their peers to complete.

21. Draw swords

 This quick-fire game tests students’ fine motor skills and promotes quick thinking, as
well as generating some healthy competition.
 Resources: Dictionary or textbook, plus list of key vocabulary.
 Game: Split your class into small groups and choose a student from each group to
start. The nominated student then places the dictionary or textbook under their arm.
You then say a word or image which the students must then race to find in their book
(like drawing a sword from under their arm!). The first student to find the word/image
is the winner. The game continues with different words/images until every student has
had a turn.
 Alternative: If you have enough textbooks or dictionaries for every student then the
whole class can compete against each other.

22. Hot potato

 This fun classroom game encourages students to think on their feet and draw on a
range of subject knowledge.
  Resources: a soft toy, object or item for each group to pass round e.g. bear or ball,
plus a list of subject-specific themes e.g. numbers – prime, composite, rational,
fractions, decimals etc.
 Game: Divide your class into small groups and hand out an object/soft toy to each
group. The person with the object in each group will start. You name a title or theme,
e.g. prime numbers, and it is then a race against time for the student to give 5 correct
responses,
e.g. 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, before the item/soft toy has been passed round everyone in their
small group and returned to them.
 Alternative: With small classes you could play in one large group, however shy
students may find this intimidating because of the the pressure to give correct answers.

23. Pictionary
 An old classic but also a great way for students to visualize their understanding in a
fun team game.
 Resources: whiteboards and pens or pieces of paper and pencils/pens, plus a list of
subject-specific concepts.
 Game: Students work in small groups. One student from each group is chosen to start
and they must draw the subject-related concept you state, within a given time (30
seconds – 2 minutes). The rest of the group must then guess what he/she is drawing.
The first group to correctly guess the word wins. The game repeats until every student
has had a turn/there are no more words on your list.
 Alternative: Students could model concepts using playdough for their peers to guess.

24. Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

 Although this game isn’t academic, it is an excellent behavour management tool which
endorses hard work amongst students.
 Game: 3 – 4 students are chosen to stand at the front of the room. The rest of the
class then put their heads on the table and hold their thumbs in the air. The 3 – 4
students at the front then carefully tip-toe around the classroom and gently pinch one
thumb each, from the students with their heads down. The 3-4 students return to the
front of the room, once they have pinched a thumb, and the class raise their heads.
The students whose thumbs were pinched then stand and have to guess who pinched
them. If they guess correctly then they swap with the student at the front, and the game
continues.
 Alternative: To make this academic you could ask subject-related questions to select
the students for each round.
 Try out these exciting classroom games with your students and encourage them to
apply their knowledge in new ways. These simple but effective group games are a
great addition to any lesson plan.