There is no doubt about it: students will learn more when they are intrinsically motivated, when they see a purpose beyond a test and a grade, or when they get a sense of enjoyment out of the activity. One thing that is sure to motivate your students is a sense of fun and play, something that we don't spend a lot of time on in the secondary classroom. We often see a game as an activity you do when the work is done, as a reward. However, what if we could use games and challenges for secondary English classes to support & enhance learning instead?
We can. In fact, using games and challenges in the secondary classroom will definitely enhance student learning. Here's why and how:
Challenges offer a low-risk way to practice skills
Games and challenges should not just be "fillers;" instead, they can be used to zero in on an important skill you want your students to hone. In a sense, you "trick" them into learning.
This works because when the students see the activity as "only a game" -- that it's about a challenge rather than getting a grade -- they may be more apt to engage and take risks than they are when a grade is at stake.
The competitive nature of a challenge increases the fun factor, making students more enthusiastic about learning. Their intrinsic motivation grows, as does their desire to practice the skills they need to be successful in the activity.
Games build skills for collaboration & communication
Games and challenges are the perfect way to teach communication skills, too. Speaking and listening are an important part of all language arts courses, as is critical thinking.There is nothing like giving groups a challenge to get them communicating with each other to solve a problem. Students have to collaborate and work as a team to complete a task, helping them learn essential social skills. Weaker students can also use these opportunities to learn strategies from stronger students, strategies they can use later when they need to do similar problems on their own.
Challenges can meet students where they are
If we can't get students to engage in the activities we give them, it's hard for learning to occur. However, a game or challenge that revolves around student interests can greatly increase engagement.
We all know the power that phones have on our students. What if you could channel their love of selfies to help them analyze literature? I decided my students could show me what they've learned about their texts using a Literary Elements Photo/Video Challenge, and oh, what fun they had!
Challenges like this help students illustrate their understanding of the literary elements of any text in a creative and engaging way. They work in groups to complete quick photo and video challenges that demonstrate their understanding of key literary elements such as characterization, setting, theme, conflict, etc. Check them out here.
Challenges can be used for quick engagment boosters
Short energizing breaks can be a highly effective tool in your teacher toolbox. When well constructed, these quick activities can increase engagement while also providing students with opportunities to practice important ELA skills.
Student attention will start to wane after about fifteen or twenty minutes, and building in quick 3-5 minute activities can give your students' brains a reset. Use ones that build ELA skills while tapping into their competive nature, and you've packed a double whammy.
.jpg)
You can read more details about the process here. And if you like the idea of using short skill-building bursts, I have fourteen of them ready to go for you.
So, games and challenges work. But how do you come up with a challenge or game that motivates students while helping them learn?
Decide on a skill your students need to learn or practice
The first thing you need to do is decide on the skills you want to focus on for the game or challenge for your secondary English classes.
For example, most English students need to work on the art of writing strong thesis statements - something that can be a little dry and boring to the average teenager. However, if you try something like Caitlin Tucker's Thesis Throwdown, complete with motivational music in the background, all of a sudden, creating a strong argument becomes a fun challenge -- and the thesis statements get better. They really do.
When I saw my students struggling with creating their own metaphors, I designed a metaphor challenge to get them to practice. The activity was so successful, we extended it to other forms of figurative language. My students had a ton of fun and became much better at understanding how authors use these devices. They also started using them more often in their own writing.
Create a climate where learning is engaging
The most rewarding part of using games and challenges in your classroom is that your students will begin to see learning as fun. They will be more likely to persist at the task and will feel great satisfaction when they are successful.
Take vocabulary building, for example. Learning new words and parroting back definitions in a traditional assignment isn't that exciting, but if you turn it into a game, then learning those new words becomes far more interesting. You may even find that students can't wait to get to your class to see what they're going to learn next!
This word choice challenge was one of my favorites because not only did my students love it, I could use it pretty much any time in the school year when I wanted them to review the importance of choosing the best word for the job.
Take vocabulary building, for example. Learning new words and parroting back definitions in a traditional assignment isn't that exciting, but if you turn it into a game, then learning those new words becomes far more interesting. You may even find that students can't wait to get to your class to see what they're going to learn next!
This word choice challenge was one of my favorites because not only did my students love it, I could use it pretty much any time in the school year when I wanted them to review the importance of choosing the best word for the job.
My students also loved to argue and debate, so the argumentative challenge was also one that created a high level of engagement in my classroom.
Create a group writing challenge:
You can turn anything that you want your students to work on into a group challenge. Do they need to practice certain writing skills? Get your students to work on them together with a short group writing competition.
Do they need to improve their ability to choose effective quotations to back up their ideas? Challenge groups to find the most quotes to illustrate the development of a major character in a text they are studying. When they're done, you can have a class debate about which ones are most effective.
Create a group literary challenge:
You can also use a group challenge to have your students find examples of good writing in the texts they read. Have them use their class text or independent novels to find different types of sentences or an author's use of simile or metaphor.Regardless of the task, students will need to not only work on the skill but also discuss each person's choices and come to a consensus about which ones to use. (Try this yourself by grabbing this Literary Challenge freebie).
Can English class be all fun and games? Probably not. But, with a little creative thought, you can find ways to build more learning challenges into your lesson plans. Go ahead: I challenge you.
Check out my Games & Challenges Bundle, which includes:
Figurative Language Challenges
Literary Elements Photo Challenges
The Persuasive Writing Challenge
My friends at the coffee shop also have some creative ways to challenge students. Check them out here:
Presto Plans: Growth Mindset Classroom Challenge
The Daring English Teacher: Test Prep Vocabulary Escape Room
Tracee Orman: Literary Terms Review
