Students love games, so why not get them to make a trivia game about the play or novel? (Or maybe they have an even better idea than a trivia game!) This activity is great because it hits many multiple intelligences, and is really engaging for the kids. When the games are done you can have a celebration and invite people in to play the games with your students.

Students brainstorm ideas for board game formats. Then student teams design, create and test games in which players must think of alternative uses (recycling) for used products.

Flippity easily turns any Google spreadsheet into flash cards, a badge creator, a spelling quiz, a memory game, a word search, random name generator, scavenger hunt, board game, manipulatives, matching game, timeline, BINGO, leader board, crossword puzzle, word scramble, word cloud, MadLibs, self assessment and more. Teachers can use Flippity for a variety of purposes: to present to the class, to assess individual students, or to have students make their own creations.

This resource includes a downloadable board game that allows students to explore exotic species—how they can impact natural areas and how our actions affect their control and spread.

Prior to playing the game, groups of students are provided with a ‘Backgrounder’ that explains the term exotic and introduces the important issues to consider. Each group develops a concept map based on their discussion that will contribute to a class map.

In playing the game students roll dice and move across the game board toward the Great Lakes. They earn points at various ‘stops’ by correctly answering questions related to invasive species. Game card questions provide information on a range of important aspects related to the introduction, impact and control of exotics. The goal is to collect the most points by the time all players have reached the finish line/square or time expires.

Access the game board at this link: https://resources4rethinking.ca/media/RivalForSurvivalGameboard.pdf

Also check out "Don't Stop for Hitchhikers", a supplementary activity where students simulate a lake ecosystem by taking on the role of its inhabitants. Students assume the identities of both native and non-native species to physically demonstrate what occurs to the habitat and its resources as exotic plants and animals are introduced into the environment. Through the use of props and a written script, students learn the means by which non-native species enter freshwater systems, how they negatively affect the environment and how they can be stopped. Access this activity here: https://seagrant.sunysb.edu/greatlakes-edu/pdfs/AIS/DontStopForHitchhikers.pdf