Attack the Barracks
Looking for a fun alternative to any assignment that requires lots of otherwise mundane instances of compliance level work products that need quick rounds of teacher review (note card formatting, citations in a bibliography, massive tables of scientific data / square roots, etc.)? Attack the Barracks is a hands-on approach to visual learning that feels just like making a mess with LEGO towers before gleefully knocking them down!
The Plan:
Divide student teams into four teams. The goal of the activity is for each team to build the most visually impressive LEGO structure possible, but that they can only earn additional bricks by submitting sets of work products completed to standard. Set an overhead timer, and student teams can work together with their peers to assemble a collection of (x) number of properly formatted work products — which they can then bring to the teacher for review (I like to set the “X” at exactly 10 work products per submission, that way you are not constantly bombarded with one off questions at once).
Once a student team has collected their set of 10 work products to standard, they send a representative to the teacher desk for a spot check work product review. If all 10 of the student submissions are correctly formatted to standard, student rolls a six sided dice at the teacher’s desk and uses the scoop of that size to obtain additional LEGO bricks for the group to use in their construction efforts (where a dice roll of one equals the smallest size scoop, and a dice roll of five is rewarded with the largest sized scoop. Students who roll a six get the added bonus of grabbing a full handful of LEGO bricks using their hand!). Then it’s back to the group for more formatting and group work product discussion, and you can keep the ball rolling with a perpetual motion cycle of peer review.