Science Vocabulary Jenga is a wild time. It’s loud, but easy and lots of fun! I’ve never seen students so excited to test their vocabulary knowledge!
Prep
Get yourself a Jenga game (affiliate). On about half the blocks, I wrote a brief definition in black ink and the term in color ink.
How to Play
One student chooses a block. If it’s blank, they put it at the top of the pile. If it has writing, they read the definition. The first student to get it right gets to keep the block. If no one gets it right, tell the other students the answer and add it to the top of the pile so they can come back to it again later. Then, the next student goes. Keep playing until it falls or you run out of definitions (it will likely fall first!). Whoever collects the most blocks is the winner.
Why I Love It
- If I write definitions or descriptions that are different from the ones students are used to hearing and seeing, they have to think more about the answer.
- If no one knows an answer, they will revisit it again within the game.
- There is super high engagement from students.
- It’s easy to prep and play over and over again.
3 thoughts on “Science Vocabulary Ideas: Review Jenga”
Love this method of review! I use it in my high school classroom but I have numbers on the blocks and a review sheet with the vocab words on it and an answer sheet with the definitions or answers to the review guide. With numbers, I can review any topic at any time and can have multiple sets for smaller groups. You are absolutely right about the kids loving it! My 10th grade Chem students have a blast using this method.
Dee Waters,
That’s a great idea! My first thought was how can I make it reusable with other units. I currently have “ice breaker” questions taped to my Jenga pieces from when I used it to help my students get to know each other at the beginning of the year. Now I can take those labels off and number them to reuse for lots of things. Thanks Ari and Dee!