::A Geek in Korea::

I’ve been using a storybook for the entire term that has started to wear thin. Without new ways to present the same material, my students start to get bored with reading the same book repeatedly for practice. This is where review games can be helpful in presenting old material in new ways. Today I played a new game called "Storybook Jenga" that I invented. The kids loved it, and were trying to reads pages in books they had told me they didn’t want to read anymore.

To play, you need a set of Jenga blocks. On each block, number them. In a standard set of Jenga, you get 54 blocks, so this will work for any story book that is 54 pages or less. It’s best of the numbers aren’t visible when pulling blocks the majority of the time, but it’s crucial. Number the blocks, then play a normal game of Jenga. Whenever a student pulls out a block to place on the top, he finds the number and reads it aloud. This is the page in the storybook they must read in front of the class. Sometimes they get pages with pictures on them. Sometimes they get  extra long text. It’s all luck, and since they can choose which blocks to pull, the students don’t complain about what they end up reading.

When I started playing the game, I didn’t have a suitable punishment for knocking down the blocks. In my first class the students suggested running up and down the steps of the school a certain number of times. I added things like jumping jacks and running around the classroom when it rained. However, one of the teachers suggested that instead of a physically straining sort of challenge, I should make them read three pages of my choosing instead. I thought this was an excellent idea, and will amend my future games to include this rule. This keeps the game more quiet and more educational.

The teachers at my school thought it was a good game, and they played it with their children. We had to share the blocks today because we only have one set. I’m happy when people can use my ideas to teach in a fun way.