101 CLASSROOM GAMES: ENERGIZE LEARNING IN ANY SUBJECT
media review written by Peter Rattigan

Target Audience/Purpose:
This book was written for teachers as a way of providing game based review for almost any subject, including but certainly not limited to health and physical education. The authors provide 101 games that can be used as more interesting, creative, exciting/ motivating ways for students to review content or exam materials.

Content:
The authors explain the purpose of their book in the one page preface. The rest of the book contains the 101 classroom games, in alphabetical order by name of the game. Each game has the same descriptive format, namely a title, brief purpose statement, list of materials needed, full game description, and variations. Two variations are provided for every game: an "easier" variation and a "harder" variation.

The games are all different. Some are based on board games ("Pin The Tail On The…," "Snakes & Ladders"). Some are based on TV game shows ("Phone a Friend," "Strike a Deal [Deal Or No Deal]"). Many are based on sports such as basketball, bowling, cricket, golf and tennis.

Typically these latter games are based on some element of the sport, such as tennis scoring, that is a paper/pencil version of the sport. Many of the games require little equipment (other than questions or review materials, which the teacher or students may already have), and some require little or no equipment at all ("I Am Not," "Stand To Attention," "Word Rebounds"). On the other hand, a few require considerable preparation and equipment ("Make It, Draw It or Mime It," "Which Way is Best?"). Although often based on sport themes, many of the games are relatively inactive in terms of physical movement. However, some are quite active ("River Crossing," "Stand Up and Be Counted"), and some require moving tables and/or chairs ("Quizzical Chairs," "Step Up to the Challenge").

Since the authors are from the UK, there are some interesting differences in terminology. For example, students are referred to as "pupils." Some common items may not be recognized - for example, the "Smarties" in "Who Wants to Be A Smartie" refers to Smarties candy.

Strengths/ Limitations:
The strength of this book is in the variety of activities and the clarity/brevity of description. There are enough games in this book for teachers, especially at the secondary level, to make all their review classes exciting, interesting and motivating. The layout for each activity and the game descriptions make them easy to understand and apply. The variations provide for either differentiation in the review, or for modifications for younger/refinements for older students. In addition, there are diagrams, score sheets, and other materials that teachers can use either as is, or as templates for creating their own materials for the games. Any of the games can be modified, and the authors encourage this, with the request that modifications be sent to them at their web site.

There are some ways in which the book could be improved. First, there are some elimination games ("Quizzical Chairs" for example). However, these can usually easily be modified to exclude elimination. Second, as easy as the games are to understand, they are hard to find/review quickly as they are organized based on name. The games could be organized, for example, by category or type (activity level, material needs, topical areas for example). Alternatively, the order could remain the same, but a glossary/index at the back of the book could help readers/users to quickly look up games by logical category.

Summary:
This is a text almost all teachers should have on their bookshelf. The games are varied, interesting, and engaging for both student and teacher. They are easy to understand. Some may require a fair amount of preparation, but others can be done with minimal preparation, even as last minute emergency activities (for example, for physical educators who lose the use of their gymnasium, or for classroom teachers experiencing technical problems with media or for some reason cannot do their prepared lesson). I tried several of the games with my college students and found them easy both to implement and to modify, even on the fly.

Recommendation:
There are few teachers for whom this book would not be appropriate. Some of the activities may be less suitable for younger elementary age levels, but many could be conducted with younger students or modified for that audience. Some subjects, such as art, may lend themselves less easily to these types of activity (even here, art history could be appropriate). While the key audience would appear to be K-12, especially secondary levels, most activities would work with college students also. I aim to use, or modify and use, many of these activities to engage my college students (teacher candidates) in active, exciting and engaging content review, and as illustrations of instructional strategies they can adopt in their own teaching in the future.

Reviewer:
Peter Rattigan, PhD.
Associate Professor
Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ