Stinky Feet-Funny name. Serious review!
A few years ago a dear colleague shared this game with me and it is a definite keeper! My students year after year just love it and ask to play it over and over!The rules are so simple, you answer questions in teams using the Numbered Heads Together structure. Any and all teams whose answers are correct get to choose a sticky note from the Stinky Feet poster.
Each sticky note has a point value on it, but this is where the game gets a little stinky. Some sticky notes have positive points, and some have negative.
Continue to play the game until you run out of time, sticky notes, or questions. As you go, each team keeps a running tally of how many points they have. I like to have this tally on the board and have each team update it after each turn. That way, I can keep an eye on it and there is no funny business. Plus, I have students immediately put the sticky notes above the poster so that I can reuse them and they don't get torn up as they tend to do when they take them to their seats. In the end, the team with the most points wins! Sometimes I like to switch it up and have the team with the least points win. If I do this, I add extra negative points stickies to the poster so that it is seen as a reward for answering correctly, not missing a question.
Thanks for the great idea! I played it with my students today and then shared it with several teachers! Too fun!
ReplyDeleteFabulous Fifth Grade Fun
What a great game! I know my kiddos will love this and its just in time for test prep!
ReplyDelete~Courtney
Polka Dot Lesson Plans
I think my students would like this game too. Thanks for sharing! I am you newest follower.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to play this game! I know it will be a big hit!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI wanted to let you know that I adapted this game for high schoolers and they loved it! I figured they wouldnt like the "luck" aspect of the points, so I made an extra grid for them to dump their sticky notes. They could then earn extra points using strategies like making the longest chain, having the most isolated stickies, making letter shapes, and having the most squares. I even made some of the stickes bonuses where they could move other teams sticky notes on the board. To get them to want to answer the questions, I let the groups go up in the order that they answer. It really worked out well! They were engaged, strategizing, and having fun! Thanks for the game!!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know as well, please! Thanks :)
DeleteLove the idea but I was wondering why it's called "Stinky Feet". I know my kiddos will ask me too!
ReplyDeleteI am not sure of how it originally got the name, but I tell my students it is because you never know what it going to be on the sticky. Just like you never know if your feet will stink when you take your shoes off.
DeleteWhat is the "numbered heads together" method?
ReplyDeleteI found this explanation as a comment on Facebook by Karen Powell and thought it was perfect, so I thought I would share, "Numbered Heads Together is a cooperative learning strategy that holds each student accountable for learning the material. Students are placed in groups and each person is given a number (from one to the maximum number in each group). The teacher poses a question and students "put their heads together" to figure out the answer. The teacher calls a specific number to respond as spokesperson for the group. By having students work together in a group, this strategy ensures that each member knows the answer to problems or questions asked by the teacher. Because no one knows which number will be called, all team members must be prepared."
DeleteLove this idea! Can't wait to get it set up for my next test preps. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteRenee at Science School Yard
This was awesome today! We played it for the first time and I just drew the foot on the board with sticky notes! They had so much fun! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm teaching English in South Korea and just used this today with my kids.. they loved it, and wanted to play again even after the test was finished! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteLove it Casey! If you ever take pictures of your students playing that I can post I would love to have them! You can send any pictures to teachinginthefastlane@gmail.com
DeleteHow do you ensure that when the students show their answers they are not being persuaded by other students in other groups when they give their answers? Do you have the students show their answersprivately? Thanks for sharing! Can't wait to use it!
DeleteMy 5th graders will enjoy this so much. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBeti
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ReplyDeleteOK, dumb questions: are the point values visible on the sticky notes or only when the group turns the sticky note over?
ReplyDeleteIs there a reason why there are no sticky notes on the foot in the picture you show?
Also, same question as Molly Ivory, above.
Sounds like a neat idea, thanks for sharing it!
Not dumb at all Kathryn!
DeleteThe point values are only visible once they have chosen the sticky and turn it over. When I make the stickies I usually write it in yellow marker so that you can't see it through the other side.
There is absolutely no rhyme or reason as to why there are no stickies on the foot itself on the poster. I usually have a student put them all back after each time we play, and that just happened to be how they wound up after that game.
Alyssa
Just a thought, but if you're going to play so that the winning team has the LOWEST SCORE, you can begin each team at a set amount, say 100, then it completely depends on what is selected to reach the final score.
ReplyDeleteFABULOUS!!!!! I'm on placement and tried this on my year 5's... they LOVED it! Thank you so much :)
ReplyDeleteOh wonderful! God bless you for this bright idea!
ReplyDeleteThis might be a silly question but please could you give an example of the type of questions you may use this for, I can only think of Maths, eg: times tables but could it be used in other ways?
ReplyDeleteNot silly at all! I use any type of question with this activity. One of the easiest things that I have found to use is task cards. It makes life a little easier to use multiple choice questions, but they can be open ended as well.
DeleteI have even used reading passages with questions where everyone has a copy of the passage and I display the questions on the screen.
The possibilities are really endless!
How do you get the teams to answer? Do you do one team at a time? Do you have them all tell you the answer before you reveal the answer? I'm trying to figure out how to keep students from "stealing" other answers. I also thought about a dry erase board for each group, but at that point, you don't know who wrote it, so the numbered heads wouldn't work.
ReplyDeleteI have teams answer out loud one team at a time and have not had issues with any teams "stealing" the answer from another. Before the first time we play we talk about integrity as well as how you never know if the other groups have the correct answer, so to stick to what your team decided. This seems to keep everyone honest!
DeleteSimple and effective. Thanks for sharing your great idea!
ReplyDelete