BKoster

I have developed a modified “escape room” challenge for 5th - middle school students. Students entered the classroom and were given 45 minutes to work through all of the clues, open all of the containers, and “escape.” Each clue is connected to a key lock OR padlock OR item in the room that will give them more information in solving the mystery. There is no real theme - a mixture of items were used. I have added some ideas for other items that could be substituted in the challenge. Puns seem to

Students will find a word on a dictionary page, then create a sentence out of the guide words on the page. I have attached one sample page from an elementary dictionary. The words you choose will have to go along with the dictionary that you want the students to become comfortable using. I give "bonus points" for the most creative sentence. For example, for the guide words bull and bus the third graders came up with. The bull drove the bus to school. The bull blocked the way so I couldn't get o

I have created three modified Escape Rooms for 5-8th graders. Students work as a team to solve clues, find keys and combinations, and to open locks. The students are given approximately 45 minutes to complete the challenge and find the code that unlocks an ipad. Two of my rooms have themes -- sports and gameboards; my first room was a mixture of items and ideas.

This is a fun, interactive game that promotes the nonfiction section of your library. It is a great way for the students to practice finding books in the nonfiction section, too! The students have Dewey Decimal numbers on their chairs. When the music starts they wander around the library. They sit when the music stops and hold the Dewey sheet that was on the chair. You read the title of a book that would fit into one of those sections. If the student thinks they have the correct section they sta

This is a teacher-created and tested packet including pre-reading information, discussion questions, vocabulary, and an end-of-unit sociogram activity.

This a great practice activity for students learning the Dewey Decimal System in the library. The students form teams and compete to identify the call number on the book's spine, based on the title of the book.

This is an engaging way to review reference materials (encyclopedias, newspapers, magazines, almanacs, atlases, dictionaries, and the thesaurus). Divide your class into two teams. Place reference materials out on a table and give each team a pool noodle. You read a situation that you are wanting to research and have the student hit the correct source with their noodle. The first one to hit the correct material earns a point for his/her team. I have attached a list of over 50 different question

This document gives you a storyboard for some of the most popular iMovie Trailers including: Adrenaline, Fairy Tale, Narrative, and Scary themes are included. These have been used as a guide for students to use when creating book reviews. Students are divided into teams that will focus on a certain genre. They then select one of the movie trailer templates and begin to create their Genre Commercial / Project to be shown to the other students. This generally creates a great deal of excitement for

I have developed a modified “escape room” challenge for 5th - middle school students. Students entered the classroom and were given 45 minutes to work through all of the clues, open all of the containers, and “escape.” Each clue is connected to a key lock OR padlock OR item in the room that will give them more information in solving the mystery. There is a sports theme for this challenge. I have added some ideas for other items that could be substituted in the challenge. This would be a little

Students work in teams to answer questions about the U.S. Atlas. The students will use the table of contents or index to locate the information asked on the question cards. This is a great review game for using an atlas and encourages teamwork in finding the correct answer.

Do the students struggle with finding materials in your library? This challenge is designed to help your students conquer this problem. This is an action-packed team challenge to be used in the library and the only material you need is a deck of cards! Divide the students into teams (I usually have 5-6 teams / groups of 4-5). Hand out the points sheet which tells what each card is worth and how the students can earn the points. For example: the Joker is worth 20 points and teams must go and get

It's your birthday and you are wanting to find the perfect cake recipe -- find the cookbooks in your library and scan the QR code near them to find you next mission... Can you complete the scavenger hunt? Students will work in teams to scan QR codes and follow the clues in the library to locate a variety of books and resources. You will get two different scavenger hunts, complete with QR codes, questions and answers.

Chain Reaction is based on the old TV game show -- it encourages students to make connections between words in creative ways. The top word is connected to the second word in the “chain” -- so “arm” goes with “chair”, but not with any of the other words, including the last word, “puppy.” “Chair” is connected to both “arm” and “rocking” since it is in the middle of those words. “Rocking” goes with both “chair” and “baby”; “baby” is linked to both “rocking” and “puppy” The class is divided into tea

Divide your class into teams of 3-­4. Each team should have a whiteboard, marker, and eraser. Students will compete to earn plastic cups (the cheapest ones work best ­ I usually use the 8 oz size.) At the end of Round 1 (FIVE QUESTIONS), students will build a tower using the cups they have earned. The goal is to have the tallest tower at the end of the game. Have all of the groups build their tower in a central location, like on a bookshelf. All of these towers will become “targets” for teams th

Groups of 4 students (armed with flyswatters) stand around a table. You read two or three definitions describing a word in different ways -- students try to locate the word and swat it with their flyswatters. The first to hit the word remains at the table and take on 3 new competitors. Example: a layer of paint AND a piece of clothing that keeps you warm (coat)

Students will compete in various challenges after completing a state assessment or other big project during the school year. The students form teams and try to win "immunity" by winning challenges and avoid being in last place at the end of a challenge where their team is "eliminated." Which team has what it takes to survive?

This is a quick way to help the students in your building find good fit books (based on their lexile scores) in the library. I have created colorful shelf markers so the students can check out a variety of book series and see if the books are close to their lexile level. I created this because a lot of classroom teachers wanted the students to find at least one book in their current lexile range. I have made the full sheets into posters which are on display in the library as well.

This is a fast-paced game for 4th - 6th graders that is a great review of library, computer, and research terminology. The game involves challenges and knocking students out of the game if they cannot come up with the correct answer. Students have the chance to get back in the game though...so no one loses interest.

This fast paced book challenge is based on the old TV show Double Dare where two teams compete to earn points and complete physical challenges. Students are asked questions about popular books and series of books to see how much they know. The 3rd - 6th graders LOVE this game and it promotes reading!

I created a variety of questions to be used for a U.S. History Bee. There are four rounds of questions in the product. Round 1 - Multiple Choice; Round 2 - Geography; Round 3 - Famous People; Round 4 - misc. questions This has been used by 3-6 grade students.