Teacher Park: SCOOT and Thoughts about Games

SCOOT!

Games have always been included in my classroom. When I first started teaching, I would look for games for my classroom at tag sales. I'd always come across a board game sitting to one side on a table, that had a box top cover that looked like it had been used for a hundred years. If I wasn't familiar with the game, I figured that it must be a good one if the box looked so "used".

There was always a little price sticker with 50 cents written on it. How could I pass up such a good deal??

One time a lady gave me two games for 50 cents! She felt badly that the covers were slightly frayed. I didn't feel badly because it meant that it was a vintage game that many had played.
What a deal! :)

Over the years, my board game collection at school has grown. Friday is game day. If the kids are good for the first half of the last hour of school, they can play games until buses are called. They're always on their best behavior because they love playing games!

When I was growing up board games were VERY popular. Monopoly, Parcheesi, CandyLand, Chinese Checkers, Scrabble and more. During the summer, we'd play late into the night. There was nothing better than having a few friends over on a warm summer evening to play games on the screened in porch, sipping lemonade and talking about "kid" stuff.

Things have changed. Board games are no longer popular and instead kids play games on their computers, iPads, and cell phones. There are no game pieces to touch or cards to flip over, instead fingers touch screens by sliding fingers or pressing arrows to continue. Lost is the feeling of playing the game "in person". Competition is between players that are invisible. No more 3-D playing pieces to hold. No more interpersonal interaction. I wonder about it. Are we anime figures, lost in technology space? Hmmmm....

I really like students to play educational games that get them out of their seats. Scoot is one that's always been a popular game in my classroom. Kids move from station to station and record their answers on answer cards. Having a certain amount of time to answer each question keeps them on their toes. They must record their answers in the time allotted and if they don't, they'll have to move to the next station minus an answer.

Not only are these games great for the classroom, but they can also be played at birthday parties, at summer camp and family get togethers.

These are my ELA Scoot games. Each game includes the following: