Updates to the Article
This post was written by Kenia Brown and originally published in 2019 on the Edmentum website. The original post introduction: This post written by Kenia Brown, a member of the Edmentum Educator Network. The Network is a professional learning community dedicated to helping educators share ideas, learn from one another, and make genuine peer-to-peer connections.
Note: The items have been updated to reflect current pricing.
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Historically, teachers have struggled with maintaining classroom momentum while balancing rigorous curriculum instruction. The lowest quartile intensive reading students struggle with understanding complex coursework and may be considerably bored, listless and require stimulating kinesthetic activities to remained focus. Intensive reading teachers struggle with providing opportunities to integrate kinesthetic activities into the classroom environment while simultaneously continuing a rigorous momentum driven by high-stakes reading assessments.
What is Educational Game Day in the Intensive Reading Classroom?
Educational Game Day began with a vision to decrease student trepidation specific to standardized reading assessments, increase assessment reading self-confidence, increase celebrations for assessment reading achievements and diminish the fear associated with test taking.
To accomplish the goals, I envisioned students competing against me in various indoor and outdoor kinesthetic games. Once a month I host an elaborate or exceptionally simplistic, Educational Game Day.
Elaborate Model (In-Door)
The entire classroom is organized into stations. The desk learning stations are comprised of two or four desks joined together with an activity and instructions. Students self-select to: stress-relief color; complete a jigsaw puzzle; complete 3D puzzles; solve a Rubik’s Cubes; complete an extra-large poster-sized academic vocabulary crossword puzzle; complete an extra-large poster sized assessment vocabulary word search; compete in table top ping-pong or foosball; plastic bowling; corn hole bean toss; hoola hoop; play indoor arcade basketball and/or Teacher Bop! Students have to talk to each other because cell phone usage is prohibited. The laughter is deafening especially when relatively withdrawn students shyly exact their revenge on me at the Teacher Bop! station. In this station, students have a 10 second countdown to gently bop me with the oversized inflatable boxing gloves.
Photo Source: https://www.perpetualkid.com/inflatable-boxing-gloves.html
Simplistic Model (In-Door)
Educational Game Day can be integrated into classroom instruction to assist with decreasing negative behaviors and increasing academic achievement goals. In the simplistic model, a percentage goal for a reading assessment (75%) is set and everyone in the class must achieve 75% on the assessment and/or the class average must be 75%. If this goal is achieved, the students select one student to compete against me in table top ping-pong, Wall Ball or Tips. If the student wins (best out of 5 points) the class earns a point. The points accumulate to earn an outside kick-ball game. The best of five point ping-pong game uses at most 6 minutes of class time. Surprisingly, many students have deficit gross motor skills. So I win, often. I always smile. A hearty smile. Sometimes, I wave at the class, make a muscle and announce grandly, “Yet again, I am undefeated.” The students debate amongst themselves who would be most likely to defeat me and every once in a while a student wins: their excitement is thunderous.
On Technology Tuesdays also known as Laptop Cart Day, Study Island is integrated for a quick 15 minute competition. For the past decade, every school year, I purchase a subscription so students can have access. Recently, Study Island introduced RACE, an interactive race to complete questions quickly. Students compete for questions answered at the highest level of accuracy. There have been volcanic upsets because a student may smell victory, begin a victory lap only to have another student click submit and win the game. For RACE, I award a 5 point coupon to be used for an assessment grade.
Collaborative Co-Teacher Model (In-Door)
Another Educational Game Day model involves competing against a co-teacher’s classes. One year, I collaborated with Mrs. Lobban, another 6th grade intensive reading teacher. We used Kahoot! to design academic and assessment vocabulary questions and created signs for the door: Brown v. Lobban 1st Annual Game Day Competition. We creatively managed to squeeze fifty students into a classroom. Every students was provided a pencil and a snack. Certificates were awarded to individualized winners. The principal at the time (Horace Hamm) came to the class, snapped photos with the students and shook hands with the winners. The games were intensely competitive and the bragging continued long after Mrs. Lobban’s classes brutally defeated my classes. It was a stunning defeat. Mrs. Lobban spent the rest of the year reminding me of her victory.
Administrative Approval
Administrative approval for Educational Game Day may be necessary. At more diverse schools, kickball and other games were met with laughter and approval however at a predominantly non-diverse school, I was chastised for not keeping students in the classroom and advised a teacher colleague had angrily complained I was never in my class teaching. Another reading teacher and I would meet outside after lunch once a week and our students would compete in an ongoing invisible net volleyball tournament. The competition was extraordinarily fierce and fun until we were advised by the assistant principal, “Students should play at home. You are wasting time.” Coincidentally, that year, the intensive reading students I taught, scored so well, I was awarded $4000 in bonus cash from the Florida Department of Education.
Nevertheless, administrative approval has become increasingly necessary due to school shootings and adherence to strict safety and security measures. Gone are the days when I could arbitrarily take a class outside for a quick game of kickball, therefore, teachers are encouraged to receive administrative approval prior to organizing an outside Educational Game Day.
Educational Game Day Must Haves
An academic environment can change with one oversized ball in the classroom. If one student insists on navigating away from academics and touching the educational game materials I advise the class we cannot/will not have Educational Game Day because guidelines are not being followed, specifically, “No touching until the teacher (me) gives permission.”
For students with low impulse control, the interactives are stored in a storage closet until Educational Game Day.
Chair Ping Pong
Teacher and student sit in chairs facing each other about 5 feet apart. Using the ping pong paddles tap the ball back and forth. Points are earned when someone fails to return the ball back and forth. Students tend to want to hit the ball hard and have to learn patience and to return service gently.
Price: Free because you will use the retractable set ping pong paddle set without the net.
Corn Hole Bean Toss (Floor)
Price: $26.71
Hoola Hoop
Hoola Hoop for Kids Price: $9.97
Indoor Arcade Basketball Hoop
Kick Ball
You are going to be surprised at the number of students with no idea how to play kickball. Remember, no cell phones if students choose not to play. I allow themselves to organize with one rule: kicking line-up must be boy, girl, boy girl. Competing against other classes especially if teachers participate is hilarious. One teacher kicked a home run and ran all the bases like a cheetah. Sstudents were amazed at her speed. I think she caught one of my power kicks too!
WAKA Official Kickball Price: $14.99 
Plastic Bowling Ball Set
Liberry Toy Bowling Set for Kids Price: $26.99
Table Top Corn Hole Bean Toss or Table Top Foosball
Price: $28.13-$43.00
Table Ping Pong
A retractable net ping pong paddle set is a must!
FBSPort Ping Pong Paddle Set Price: $19.99 
Teacher Bop!
The laughter from a student being able to bop the teacher is a sound you will never forget. No fear! Harmless and pain free. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. Give students a 10 second count down. Have other students count down. Establish limits like no hitting in the face or in the head region.
Play Day Jumbo LED Boxing Gloves for Young Children, Kids Sports Ages 3+ $14.66
Tips and Wall Ball
To play Tips the ball has to stay up in the air. Students have to tip the ball (use the tips of their fingers) to pass the ball to someone in the circle. Can also be played in groups of two.
To play Wall Ball (like hand ball but with 2 players (teacher versus student) and a large size ball. I hate to keep using the word ‘fun’ but I was undefeated in this game for a while too. I usually keep one or two of these WalMart balls in the classroom. Colleagues ask me how do I stop students from touching or playing with the balls during classroom instruction. I set guidelines. No touching the ball during class or we do not get to play or I put the balls way in a storage closet.
Hedstrom Playball $2.5o 
Student Feedback
Several years ago, a student said to me, “Miss K. Brown, this morning on the bus, I was sitting by Gabriel and he asked why was I bringing two bottles of water to school. I told him it was Educational Game Day.”
Gabriel said, “You have Miss K. Brown? Intensive Reading?”.
I told him, “Yes! We are going outside today to play kickball.”
Gabriel said, “I used to love when Miss K. Brown did Educational Game Day.”
On another day, a former student, now in high school, saw me riding my bicycle in the neighborhood.
He stopped me to chat and said, “You know, I tried my best that year on the Florida Standards Assessment because I knew I would never have another teacher to take me outside to play kickball.”
Yet another student advised after learning to play Wall Ball and listening to my speech about putting away technology and playing indoor games after dinner and homework, her family went to Wal-Mart purchased a $1.99 ball, moved furniture around the home and played well into the night. Amusingly, the student quipped her mother was winning so much the siblings did not want to play as much anymore because the mom was becoming too aggressive about winning.
Final Thoughts
Often, I am asked, “What is my secret to increasing reading achievement scores for intensive reading students?”
My response, “The curriculum is only as powerful as the instruction and the instruction is only as powerful as the curriculum. And my curriculum involves competitive games.”
