TITLE: People, Places and Events
AUTHOR: Linda Norden, Montana
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT: 6-12; Social studies, history,
geography, botany, anatomy, life science, general science,
etc.
OVERVIEW: Students often lack the motivation necessary to
learn instructed information so that it is understood and
not just "momentarily memorized." People, Places, and
Events provides a tool to create a competitive, yet
cooperative and enjoyable atmosphere in which students will
actually want to learn information.
PURPOSE:
1. To provide interest in new materials.
2. To review material covered in the present or previous
lessons.
3. To promote enthusiasm for the subject matter being
taught.
4. To foster critical thinking skills.
5. To challenge the gifted learner.
6. To stimulate the learning disabled.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Cooperate within a peer group.
2. Increase his/her retention of instructed materials.
3. Review materials covered in the present or previous
lessons.
4. Use higher level thinking skills.
5. Gain positive feedback through competition.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS: Student textbooks, paper, pencils,
chalkboard or overhead
ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1. Divide students into three teams of three to five
students per team. (It is important to not have an
equal number for decision making purposes. It is
possible to have more than one "game" happening at the
same time.)
2. List places, people, events to be reviewed on the
blackboard. Each team must cooperatively decide on a
list of three to five items to be used by their
particular team. (This written list will not be shared
with the other two teams.) A designated time limit,
approximately two minutes, is to be given for this task
and then the blackboard will be erased.
3. Allow each individual team time to write ten facts
about each of the items they chose. The facts should
be listed in decreasing order, 10 - 1, and should
contain valid information from vague (broad, general
statements) to specific (detailed statements).
Example: (Science - TEACH - Pluto)
10. It is in our Solar System.
9. It is smaller than Earth.
8. Percival Lowell was the first man to predict its
existence.
7. In July is in or near the constellation of
Cancer.
6. Its moon is nearly as large as it is.
5. Some scientists consider it and its moon a double
planet.
4. It was named after the god of the underworld.
3. You would never reach your first birthday here.
2. If the Earth were the size of an apricot it would
be the size of a grain of sand.
1. It is the darkest planet and its orbit now places
it as the eighth planet.
4. Each team will sit in a manner as to form a triangle
when facing one another.
5. Team 1 will proceed with one of their chosen topics by
reading their first fact (10) aloud to team 2. Team 2
will confer and make and educated guess.
6. If team 2 is correct they will receive ten points and
will begin to read their first fact to team 3, who will
confer and make an educated guess. If team 2 is
incorrect, team 1 will continue on with their next fact
and the procedure repeats. Team 2 will receive the
number of points in relationship to the fact given when
the guess is correct. However, if team 2 is unable to
guess correctly after all ten facts have been given,
team 3 will receive all ten points. therefore the fact
list should become increasingly more specific or
informative so that team 2 is able to receive one or
two points, thus preventing team 3 from receiving ten
points.
7. When the points have been established, team 2 will
repeat the procedure reading the facts of one of their
chosen topics to team 3. If team 3 does not guess
correctly by the end of ten facts, team 1 will receive
ten points.
8. Continue on with team 3 reading to team 1 and so forth.
9. The game continues until all topics have been reviewed.
High score wins. Penalty points of -5 will be given to
any team listing an incorrect fact.
Teacher hints: People, places, and events can very easily
be done in two class periods. (two days) Use the first
class period for preparation and the second for actual
playing. In a self-contained classroom it is sometimes a
break in routine to spend an entire afternoon and can easily
be done without boredom taking place.
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: People, places, and events can be
used with a variety of subjects and is easily adapted.
Research techniques and the utilization of the "best
possible answer" is reinforced.
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