The Marker Game *updated to include digital version*

Updated: This now includes how I have taken this well loved, by my students, in person game and made it work digitally for me now during COVID-19 as  I am teaching in person and online at a distance at the same time. 


The marker game  was first introduced to me when I was student teaching with Allison (aka Mis Clases Locas) you can read her blog all about it here.

It's pretty straight forward. You can play basically whenever as long as there is a topic your students are pretty knowledgeable on. I use it after a few chapters in a novel, the end of a novel, or to review information from after  special person interviews. To make it extra low-prep the day before assign your students to write 5-10 T/F statements over the topic and turn them in and you won't have to make your own list you  can use theirs that they came up with. Make sure you have them mark their statements as C o F  so you aren't left guessing.

There are two ways I play either as a class, but divided into two teams.

Here are the rules for the class divided in two:

In this version each person needs their own marker. And I play with markers, because like most classrooms I have a plethora of them-- but any object where every person could have their own of them would work.

True statement: students race to grab the marker & hold up.  

• The team with the most members holding the marker receives 1 point

False statement: students do NOT touch/pick up marker.

• If nobody on team touches/picks up marker, the team earns 1 point (Both teams have the possibility of earning a point.)
• If both teams hold up marker, team with the most loses 1 point
• If student touches marker & throws back, person sitting opposite stands up silently. Team with student that threw marker loses 2 points!

OR I play  where students are partners.  In this version set of two people need their own marker (or object).

Here are the rules for partner play:

True statement: students race to grab the singular marker & hold up.  

• The  person that grabs the  marker first receives 1 point.

False statement: students do NOT  want to touch/pick up marker.

• If neither person picks up the marker, they each earn 1 point (Both people have the possibility of earning a point.)
• If one person tries to grab the marker that person looses a point  and other person neither looses or gains a point.
• If student touches marker & throws back, the student that threw marker loses 2 points for throwing!

Here's how I adapted this game for online/digital learning:

I made  a Google Slide template where I replaced the marker that we would play with in person to a clipart of maracas. Thus , I started calling it Maracas instead of the marker game.

The same rules apply for points as the in person version, but in this one students play from their own computers wether that be at home digitally over Google Meet or Zoom or in person but 6ft away from each other.

The Google Slide is shared (with editing abilities allowed to all students in the class) and in editing mode you assign each pair of students to their own slide and  they can play against each other there by dragging the clipart (this only works when it is in edit mode) and racing to see who gets it on their side first.

If you want to save some time you can use my template by purchasing it --> here.

My students really enjoyed this fun  game during all of this.

Overall, the marker game or maracas whichever version you play it's bound to be a hit with your students and we LOVE low-prep activities! Can't wait to hear how it goes in your class.

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