Teach to Serve

Back for another unit review activity! This one I must say is by far my students’ favourite. You are going to want to try this out!

Idea 3️⃣: Codename

Throughout the year, my students BEG to play this every time when we are preparing for a unit test.

Goal: The spymaster has to come up with a “code name” for their team and their team has to successfully guess the word(s) on the board. This forces the students to make certain connections and associations with the different vocabulary and concepts.

Get the Google Slide link + PDF here:

How to play:

1. Divide the students into two teams.
2. Choose a spymaster from each team.
3. The spymaster will be given a “secret card” so they know which terms they need their team to guess.
4. The spymaster gives an associated word along with the number of word of this association. For example: Photosynthesis 2 (Answers: Calvin Cycle, Light dependent reaction).
5. The rest of team guesses the associated terms.
6. The team that guessed all the words accurately first wins.

(Note: If you have never played this game before, watch this quick instructional video would be helpful as a reference.)

I just love how much critical thinking this game requires but also fun at the same time. The students get to critically engage with the concepts that were learned in class and apply them in a broader context.

It is certainly hard to be the spymaster, however, I think this is also a great practice for other students on the team. There are some variations that you can adapt when you try this with your students.

Variations:

🟢 Instead of a word as a clue, you can allow the spymaster to come up with a short phrase (I usually let my students say 5 words max.)

🟢 Add an “Assassin” to the game. If that word is selected by a team, the game automatically ends.

🟢 Can be played just between 2 people or as many as a class of 30.

*PRO TIP*

There are these secret cards for the spymasters that you can find online. Click here to generate a different secret card for each game.

Give this a try and I would love to hear about your experience!

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Blessing, Mrs. T 🙂