To say that I’ve been neglecting my blog would be an understatement. Basically, what started out as a rough school year ended with COVID. I’m sure many of you can relate. If not, you could probably skim my last few posts and catch my vibe. I’m working on things, working on me, not giving up the fight, hopeful for the future — all that good stuff. In the meantime, though, here is a great idea with resources from my best friend, Alaina Laperouse, who also happens to be the best English teacher on the planet. Enjoy!
Teachers are always looking for ways to engage students with literature. At my middle school, we started a literacy camp for incoming 6th graders. The aim of the camp is to help students get a jump on their summer reading book. Over the years, the required summer reading book has changed, but one thing has not. The game CLUE.
In the beginning of the journey to get students excited about the new school, camp, and learning, my co-teachers and I brainstormed ways to get students out of their seats, moving all over the school campus, working together, and helping them get familiar with some of the key elements within the text.
We stumbled upon the idea of the game of CLUE, but taking it life size. In this game, students work in teams, they have a game card to collect clue information they find (characters, settings, and themes). The clues to cross out are the cards the teachers have hidden around the campus. Once they narrow down to one remaining clue for each category, students race back to the library to try to be the first to solve the game.
Year after year, students report this is their favorite camp activity. For their prize, students often ask if they can reset the game (hiding clues in new locations) and be the game masters themselves.
Once students are proficient with the game, we usually make additional challenges such as:
- Joining arms or ankles to another teammate.
- One teammate wears a blindfold and must listen for instructions.
Each variation has a connection to what we are learning that day at camp. I hope you find the game of CLUE helpful and perhaps inspiring.
This link will take you to a Google Drive folder with PDFs of resources to go with games for Wonder, Fish in a Tree, Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, and a school-based game.