Submitted by Theresa Goble, La Porte, Indiana

Idea posted May 11, 2004

A quick game for those extra five minutes at the end of class is "Around the World." (Math teachers use this a lot.) All you need are flashcards.

1. Most important rule: No one yells out an answer or they miss their turn. The play is fast!
2. Start with the first two students in a row. They stand. Flip over a flashcard to them, and they have three seconds to answer. (I use my fingers to denote the time. If they don't get it, I buzz them out.)
3. If a person gets it right, they move on to the next opponent in the row and so on down the line. I usually have a prize for the student who defeats the most people. (I've had kids defeat almost an entire class!)
4. If the first person answers incorrectly, I gave the other person a quick chance (about two seconds) to answer.
5. This is a great filler for the end of class because if you keep it moving quickly, you can get through about 25 kids in five minutes.