An Oldie But a Goodie: My FAVORITE Classroom Game!

If you've been around this blog a while, you've seen me talk about my FAVORITE game before.  It's called "Back-to-Back" and it's the PERFECT way to get a quick check on how your students are doing on a concept.

We use this weekly in my classroom and the kids absolutely love it.  I love that I can see who's got it and who needs more practice!

Click the image below to check it out.  The two kiddos in this video were in 1st and 2nd grades when this was posted... they're such big kids now!

Oldie But A Goodie: Best Formative Assessment Game!

If you've been around this blog a while, you've seen me talk about my FAVORITE game before.  It's called "Back-to-Back" and it's the PERFECT way to get a quick check on how your students are doing on a concept.

We use this weekly in my classroom and the kids absolutely love it.  I love that I can see who's got it and who needs more practice!

Click the image below to check it out.  The two kiddos in this video were in 1st and 2nd grades when this was posted... they're such big kids now!

Just Add Kids and Questions- Quick Review Game! {Bright Ideas Blog Hop!}

I'm so excited to be part of the Bright Ideas Blog Hop!  Thanks for hopping over to my blog to check out my Bright Idea!

Today I want to re-share a quick post and video about my FAVORITE quick and easy way to review or do a quick check for understanding.

We play a game called "Back-to-Back".  Here's how it works:

Kids get with a partner and stand back-to-back.

I ask a question- usually using task cards with multiple choice answers.  I have a HUGE collection of them.  I add new ones for upcoming skills and store the "used ones" under my easel.  Here's how I store cards for upcoming skills on my easel.  Then I quickly pop off the set I need for the activity and then hang them back up when we're done:

After I ask the question, the kids use a hand signal (sign language letters) to make their choice and then turn around to show their choice to their partner.

If they have the same answer, they give one high-five.

Then I tell the answer and, if they were right, they do a double high-five and then get back-to-back again.  Then I ask another question and we continue.

I love this.  It lets me see immediately who "gets it" and who doesn't and the kids love playing a game!

Here's a video I made and posted a few years ago... I miss these boys!!!!!  Don't mind my annoying gum chewing... it's gross!

I hope that gives you a quick, fun idea you can implement in your classroom RIGHT NOW!

Time to hop on over to the next blog post by Becca at First Grade in Foxwell Forest!

Or you can click on through to other bright idea blog posts from the link-up below:

Get Your Shop On!

Who doesn't love to shop?  Getting hired for a new grade has been an excellent excuse for me to spend some moolah!  Sorry, Mr. Bainbridge!  I'm loving it!

Well, last week I placed an online order with MPM School Supplies and I couldn't be happier!  The site was easy to use, the prices were great, and they had TONS of great things... not just "supplies" but other STUFF... and I do love stuff so much!

It arrived today and I'm so psyched!  The shipping was crazy fast!

Here's what I got:

A bulletin board storage kit, reading comprehension cards, birthday pencils, GLITTER AND METALLIC water color paints!!!!!, and main idea and cause and effect quiz cards.

I LOVE the quiz cards by Edupress.  Did you see my post on the game "Back to Back" a while ago?  Well, I have several sets of those cards and I use them for the game.  I punch a hole in the top of each card, put them on a metal ring, and... viola!  Instant way to do a quick review game!

Here is the best part!   MPM has offered you all 15% off of their already discounted prices!  Just follow this link to get your discount!  It's only available for the first 25 shoppers... so go and get your shop on!
http://www.mpmschoolsupplies.com/redeem/S1206P8CLHSLY

And, if you missed the post on the "Back to Back" game... you simply must check it out!  And then go order some of the Edupress cards from MPM School Supplies and get your kiddos "Back to Backing away" when you head back in the fall!

Back-to-Back Assessment Game... My favorite!

Want a quick, easy, and fun way to trick your students into learning assess a skill? You've gotta play "Back-to-Back"!

Check out this not-high-quality video that I shot with T and C after school today (thanks T and C's moms!)...  It's a little wobbly!  Next time I'll use my camera and not my phone!

I was chewing gum and didn't even realize how awful it sounded but after numerous re-starts of the taping due to interruptions and giggles, the boys would have never forgiven me if I had made them do this over one more time!  So, sorry if I sound gross!  Also, I'm going through that "Ewww!  Is that how my voice sounds?!" thing right now.  Ewww!

I've never videoed anything for my blog before, so hopefully this works out!

I love this game and we do it weekly to practice tons of skills.  I can quickly look around the room and see who is getting answers right and who is struggling and it gets my kiddos up and moving.

I use it often during Daily Five as I have amassed a large collection of task cards that I didn't know what to do with.  I can read them orally, provide the choices, and then use this game to review the grammar skills and comprehension skills we practice during language arts.

Here are the basics of the directions for the game if the video wasn't clear...

*Choose your questions.
*Have students get back-to-back with a partner (say "Back-to-back!")
*Read the question.
*Students will choose their answer- sign language letters, thumbs up/down, show a card (ie. periods vs. question marks- you'd read a sentence and have the students show the correct end mark), etc...
*Be sure they cover up their answer with their free hand!
*Say "Turn around and show your partner".
*Same answer, 1 high five.
*Reveal the answer.
*Students give a double high five if they got it right.
*Say "Back-to-back!" and let the fun continue!
*At the end, I always have my students thank their partners!

Here are some of the ways I use this:
*with my huge mountain of task cards and students either write answers on a dry erase board or use sign language (like in the video) to hold up their choice of answer... we do this A LOT!
*math flash cards (students write answers on a dry erase board)
*true/false (thumbs up or down)
*syllables (show the correct number of fingers for the syllables)
*punctuation marks (would require the kids to have some sort of paper with the choices on it)

Patty at 2nd in Line shared some spelling cards the other day.  I was thinking these would be great for "Back-to-Back".  You could print them, display them on your document camera, and then students could hold up their sign language letter to match their choice!  Then just put up the next card! 

I hope this was helpful- if you have any other ideas on how to use this, I'd love for you to share them!  Hopefully I was clear (yeah- as mud!) with how this works in my classroom.  It's a super quick game to implement and works really well in a pinch.  I taught the game to my mixed group of K, 1, and 2 students during our reading interventions time today in about 2 minutes and then read them task cards to practice predicting outcomes.  It went well!

So, anyway, let me know what you think!

PS- my students were AMAZING while our Daily Five visitor was in today!  My kiddos always do a great job during Daily Five, as they love that time of the day so much... but I was one proud teacher!

Adding this pic to make this post PINNABLE!!!  This IS NOT the video... check out the video above to see us playing the game!