Group Sponge Activities
If there are a few extra minutes at the end of a class period, I will use some of the following activities with my students:
1. Categories - In this game, all students sit in a circle. The circle will have a 'beginning' and an 'end.' I will choose a category. Categories will be chosen based on what we've been learning about recently, such as human muscles, English adjectives, countries around the world, etc. One student will start the categories clap, which is legs-clap, legs-clap, legs-clap, legs-clap. One by one, students take turns in the circle and say a word that falls into the chosen category. For example, in the category of English adjectives, Molly may say "pretty," Seo Hyun may say "remarkable," and Tyler may say "fast." The students must give their answers on-beat. If a student doesn't respond when it is his/her turn, or give an incorrect response, that student moves to the end of the circle. The goal of this game is to individually move up to the beginning of the circle. To keep track of where the students are seated, I will have category name cards. At the beginning of each session, I will pass out the name cards to the students. At the end of each session, I will collect the name cards from the students in order. When it's time to play categories again, the students will already have their spots saved!
This game reminds students of the concepts we've been learning about in class, and it forces them to think quickly.
2. Give Me One - This game is a rhythmic hand clap that I will teach students throughout the year. It's complicated, but can be learned after practicing for around 30 minutes total (for 4th/5th graders). It sounds great when a whole group of students are all clapping in rhythm together! In addition to this hand clap, there are also 2 more varieties that I know of to teach - one includes stomping and clapping, and the other involves cups and clapping. This game encourages students to work together and help each other, since every student must be on beat in order for the clapping to sound good.
3. Improv30 - In this activity, one student will be in the spotlight for 30 seconds. In the spotlight, the student must stand in the front of the room and talk about a specific topic for 30 seconds, without saying the following words: um, like, you know, and uh. After the students is finished talking in the spotlight, he/she remains at the front of the room while 3 classmates offer words of encouragement to the student, noting things that the speaker did well. After 3 classmates have encouraged the speaker, the speaker returns to his/her seat, and the next victim, er, um, student, is in the spotlight. This activity is beneficial to the speakers as it helps them with their confidence in talking to a group of people, and it also helps the classmates who are listening as it encourages them to listen with an encouraging mindset.
4. Improv50 - In this activity, one student will be in the spotlight for 50 seconds. But, instead of speaking, the student will be acting. The student in the spotlight will choose one word out of a jar that I have, and will try to act out that word to their classmates - silently. His/her classmates may guess what the actor is acting out by raising their hand and being called on by me. The goal of this game is to go through as many words as possible in 50 seconds, choosing a new one each time the old word has been guessed. This game forces students to become aware of the messages they can send others without using words. It will help to improve their stage presence while making presentations, and will help their classmates to understand the importance of being engaged while others are presenting.
5. Patterns - Patterns is a series of games in which I begin by making a statement to the students. I continue to add on to my statement for about a minute. After a minute, I give students the opportunity to make a statement and try to make it correctly. It's a guessing game. Sometimes, students unlock the secrets quickly, while other times, it takes them quite a while. The patterns include: The Green Glass Door (double letter), "Are you a wombat?" (listening for a key word), Johnny Whoop (looking for a key action), and "I'm going on a picnic" (specific letter, such as e). These patterns help students to think critically about problems and come up with problem-solving methods.
This game reminds students of the concepts we've been learning about in class, and it forces them to think quickly.
2. Give Me One - This game is a rhythmic hand clap that I will teach students throughout the year. It's complicated, but can be learned after practicing for around 30 minutes total (for 4th/5th graders). It sounds great when a whole group of students are all clapping in rhythm together! In addition to this hand clap, there are also 2 more varieties that I know of to teach - one includes stomping and clapping, and the other involves cups and clapping. This game encourages students to work together and help each other, since every student must be on beat in order for the clapping to sound good.
3. Improv30 - In this activity, one student will be in the spotlight for 30 seconds. In the spotlight, the student must stand in the front of the room and talk about a specific topic for 30 seconds, without saying the following words: um, like, you know, and uh. After the students is finished talking in the spotlight, he/she remains at the front of the room while 3 classmates offer words of encouragement to the student, noting things that the speaker did well. After 3 classmates have encouraged the speaker, the speaker returns to his/her seat, and the next victim, er, um, student, is in the spotlight. This activity is beneficial to the speakers as it helps them with their confidence in talking to a group of people, and it also helps the classmates who are listening as it encourages them to listen with an encouraging mindset.
4. Improv50 - In this activity, one student will be in the spotlight for 50 seconds. But, instead of speaking, the student will be acting. The student in the spotlight will choose one word out of a jar that I have, and will try to act out that word to their classmates - silently. His/her classmates may guess what the actor is acting out by raising their hand and being called on by me. The goal of this game is to go through as many words as possible in 50 seconds, choosing a new one each time the old word has been guessed. This game forces students to become aware of the messages they can send others without using words. It will help to improve their stage presence while making presentations, and will help their classmates to understand the importance of being engaged while others are presenting.
5. Patterns - Patterns is a series of games in which I begin by making a statement to the students. I continue to add on to my statement for about a minute. After a minute, I give students the opportunity to make a statement and try to make it correctly. It's a guessing game. Sometimes, students unlock the secrets quickly, while other times, it takes them quite a while. The patterns include: The Green Glass Door (double letter), "Are you a wombat?" (listening for a key word), Johnny Whoop (looking for a key action), and "I'm going on a picnic" (specific letter, such as e). These patterns help students to think critically about problems and come up with problem-solving methods.