What's It to Ya? randomizer for classroom presentation games

Much of this site is dedicated to classroom games based on my party game What's It to Ya? (a.k.a. Oh, Really!). You can find all the rules and ways to use the game on the Critical Thinking Games page.

This new installment to my resources is simply a randomizer that draws item cards for any of those activities.  If using this as a classroom presentation game, you'd need a response system (set of clickers) that allows students to do a sort in order question.

Update 8/8/2013:  If you like this activity and want to use the physical party game in class, my friends at Fair Play Games are selling four copies in a classroom bundle for only for $7.99!  That's enough for 32 students to play in multiple groups.  Check this post out for more information.

Just click the start button in the randomizer below.  Five cards will be randomly drawn from a set of 118 items that could spark interesting discussion or thought in the classroom.  See this page for a list of free critical thinking classroom activities that would use the cards.

(If the randomizer is not displaying correctly in your browser right click here to download the file.  You might have to open it with Flash Player or another browser.)

Again, you'll want to see the game's page to get all details, but basically you can use the randomizer to select the cards and then use them in any of the many ways outlined on that page.  Usually someone (depending on how you play) will rank the items from most important to least important.  Predictions and discussion can follow.  Briefly, some possible uses are:

• Have one student or the teacher rank the items and the class tries to predict his or her rankings.
• Just display five items, have the class rank them and discuss the results.
• Display random items at the end of class and assign a short writing piece for homework.  Students can express their own opinions and also make predictions on how the class would rank them.
• If students are playing in groups they could use a laptop to select the five items for their group instead of using cards.

If you're having fun with What's It to Ya? be sure to check it out at Fair Play Games.  My friends there are selling off the last remaining copies for less than $2.50 each! I'm not getting royalties for this game, so this is just my effort to help you and them out.

Free online version of What's It to Ya? - A critical thinking and writing lesson

There is great value in the workplace and in our society in general to be able to express and discuss one's values in a clear, logical manner.  It is also important to be able to communicate effectively with others with whom we differ in opinions.  What's It to Ya? (and the newer version, Oh, Really!) is a game I created that provides a fun, non-threatening way for students to practice this deep level of critical thinking and discussion.

There are card versions of the game available as well as several free activities that I made based on the game.  This lesson plan below uses a free computer version of the game as an introduction to the thinking, writing and discussion that can emerge while playing.

Lesson Overview

Using the online version of What's It to Ya?, students will rank random items in order of importance and try to guess each other's rankings.  In playing the game and writing about the activity they will consider their own values and opinions as well as explore those of their classmates.  For information on further thoughts and additional activities based on this game, see this mini-series of posts.

Learning to play

The game is located here.  Try a sample game by entering two player names just to see how it works.  The directions are explained as the game progresses.

You can teach students how to play by demonstrating a two-player game at the front of the class.  Alternatively students can just get in groups as described below and play a couple practice games before they play the one that they will write about.

The activity

Have students sit in groups of three or four.  If they have laptops or netbooks, they will pass them around the group as they play the game.  If they are seated at computers, they will move from one computer to another as they take their turns.

Each student will go to the game's page. The game will load on that page.

Each student should enter his or her first name (or initials) as the Boss for the game that he or she is starting.  Then the student will enter the other group members' names as the additional players.  It helps if they list the students in clockwise order around the group, but it's not required as long as they include all other group members.

From there, the students can play the game.  It will direct them as to who the active player is (the Boss always goes first) and at that time the computer can be passed to that student or the student can sit at the computer.

Keep in mind that in a group of four students, for example, each student will be involved in four games.  Each student will be the Boss in one of those games. 

Important rules and steps:

• Students should not discuss the items or their rankings as they play.  
• Students may not observe another student's computer when items are being ranked.  This is especially important when the Bosses rank the items.
• When the game is over the Results page will appear.  Do not click Next on that page until a screen capture has been made.  See below.
• When the game ends, all students can look at the results and discuss who won.  Eventually the student who was the Boss for that game (computer) needs to be at that computer for the written part of the activity.

The writing assignment

Display these steps for the assignment or print this pdf version.

1)  Grab a screen capture of the Results page for the game in which you were the Boss.

On a Windows system you can do this by simply pressing the Print Screen key (usually located in the upper right of the keyboard).  On a Mac, press  Command-Control-Shift-3. That puts a copy of the screen in the clipboard.

2)  Paste the screen capture into the document file you're writing your assignment in.  Use ctrl-v on a Windows system or command-v on a Mac to paste the image of your screen.  You can change the size or crop it to make it easier to see the results of the game.

(If you forget to take a screen capture before you click the Next button your group will have to play the game again.  Please capture and paste that screen as soon as possible after the game ends so you don't lose the information!

3)  Now write a few paragraphs about the game you played.  In those paragraphs, address the questions below.  Your writing should flow like a written summary, not a list of answers.  You can address these in any order you like as long as all answers are apparent in your writing.

• List the items you had to rank in your game in the order you chose to rank them.  Briefly explain why you chose the order that you did.
• Were some items harder to rank than others?  Explain.
• Look at the rankings that the other students in your group chose.  Pick the student's ranking that had the highest score (as long as it wasn't a perfect match worth 10 points).  Explain how that student's ranking differed from yours.
• Imagine you had to convince that person that your ranking was correct or most accurate.  What would you say to change his or her mind?  What do you think that student would say to make you think his or her ranking was best?  
• If any rankings in your group stand out as particularly surprising, describe them.
• As you were playing or after reflecting on the game, what are two things you learned or hadn't thought of before?

See this blog post which contains several free classroom activities and insights based on the What's It to Ya? (Oh, Really!) game.  Depending on your subject or the purpose of the lesson you might use those thoughts to change the list of questions above to meet your needs.

Stencyl Project Completed - What's It To Ya? Flash Game

I am finally calling this flash version of What's It To Ya? a finished project.  I learned a lot and I'll write some reflections that might be of interest to teachers soon.  I will also write up a lesson plan to use the game in the classroom as a writing prompt.

I'm not a professional and I know there are lots of little things I could do to improve this.  It's probably as good as I care to get it (functional as a classroom activity).  If you find a bug or have a suggestion to improve it, though, feel free to contact me at mpetty39@gmail.com.

What Matters Most? - Activities for critical thinking about values and opinions (Part 3 of 3)

This is the third post in a series of articles about my game What's It To Ya?.  The other two articles are:

• Thinking critically and continuing the conversation - Why the game is useful
• Fun, free and flexible ways to get kids thinking - Ways to use the game in learning environments

What I learned from playing What’s It to Ya?

There is a passage in Garry Kasparov’s How Life Imitates Chess that touches wonderfully on the intersection of human potential, teaching and our ability take even things like games very seriously. It’s a place I love to reside. But besides just making me feel better about my fascination with games, the story provides a great thought to sum up this series.

Kasparov recalls learning under the Soviet champion Mikhail Botvinnik. The trainer relentlessly studied and worked to control any factor that might enhance or detract from the challenge at hand. He would prepare for his own tournaments by blaring distracting background music during practice games. He asked his trainer to blow smoke in his face while he studied the board to make a move.

Botvinnik pushed young Kasparov to similar extremes. A strict routine of all necessary aspects of life and the game formed a schedule that the student used throughout his career. He learned that if the game mattered, everything else needed to be adjusted accordingly. To be too tired was never a good excuse, as even sleep and rest were tightly scheduled. The teacher summed up his philosophy to his pupil:

“The difference between man and animal is that man is capable of establishing priorities!”

That’s worth reading twice. Is it true our ability to prioritize is what makes us human?

If you’ve read the previous posts in this series or much of my blog, you know (long before I found that quote) that I made a party game about priorities. It asks the seemingly simple question What matters most? From what I’ve observed and heard from others for more than a decade, and if emotion is any indicator, our ability to consider the question does in fact lie close to the heart of our humanity.

  

Some fun we had on one campus

When I first started playing What’s It To Ya? it amazed me that this question, directly addressing the most weighty things of life, also can make people laugh. The seriousness and silliness might not seem to fit at first, but experience shows there is something very novel about digging deep to explore our values and the values of the people we love.

Seeing ourselves and each other in new ways can be hilarious. Some laugh until they cry. On the other extreme I’ve been told that some argue to the point where they won’t speak for a while! When I use the game in lessons or when I play it with young people they always tell me how much fun it is.

But playing and working with this game for years has helped me to get beneath the surface and see more than just fun. I’m convinced the game can open to the door to discussion and meet a need found at all levels of our society. (I wrote about that at length in the first post in this series.)

But I have also taken away a few other insights or interesting thoughts from What’s It To Ya? that might be of value in any learning environment. They could be explored in discussion or possibly just pointed out for the individuals to consider on their own. I have almost no formal training in philosophy, so maybe they won’t withstand much analysis. I have recorded no data, so I can’t claim any thoughts stand up to research. Even if this serves only as a series of thoughts to poke holes in, though, that alone would be a discussion be worth the time.

Six things I learned from What's It To Ya?

Our values often lie unnoticed beneath the surface, but they are the source of our actions. Left unexplored, we act on our values by feel and deal with the consequences. Playing this game and thinking about how I value things has been a great exercise that helps me put thoughts and feelings into words instead of only acting emotionally. It doesn’t solve all problems or resolve all differences of opinions, but it gives me resources for rational conversation rather than emotionally charged exchanges..

Less important does not mean unimportant. Even the last item on a list of rankings is not necessarily unimportant. It is simply less important that the other things. What’s It To Ya? was born out of a quote by Einstein about relativity. If nothing else, I have come to acknowledge my most dearly held values do not exist in isolation from other matters in life. I must consider them in relation to many other factors.

In instances where opinions differ it is essential to understand this and identify other factors. Possibly we can find something that agree on to be more important. Maybe peace and unity are more important than the issues that divide us. Again, the less important issues are not unimportant. If we can’t see this larger picture behind the emotion we will forever be frustrated by one another only at the level of where we differ.

Often people will claim there is no way to know the relative importance of a list of five random items. But I would argue there always is a correct order...from a particular vantage point. Identifying that vantage point and the logic that supports it is worth the effort.

In church groups I’ve argued the relative order of some things can be based on the character of God. (That thought has been my favorite gifts from the game.)  In other settings or with other lists it might be as subjective as an individual’s dislike of vegetables. A hundred people might come up with a hundred different rankings, but that’s no reason to dodge the question. Let’s consider it enough to get as close as possible to the bottom of our values.

Slightly more serious thoughts from
our What's It To Ya? project

Without much consideration, some people think “importance” is synonymous with “preference”. That in itself is intriguing to me and it’s something I never anticipated. (Side note: Some people say the game is too similar to other existing party games about preference because they only see that question!) But with some prompting most people will eventually see the distinction. Or for some maybe importance will always translate to preference for them. It probably depends on the words that come up was well.

Along with that, I find it interesting that there is often a line (not a sharp one) drawn between things of utmost importance and matters of personal preference. Most would rank Truth and Family above things like Football and Fashion, for example. It can make for fascinating discussions or reflections to compare our rankings within those general spheres (important to all and important to me) or with how we define those two spheres. Are we consistent in this and should we be?

And all this thinking of values along with countless interactions with all ages has opened my eyes to what I call the head/heart discrepancy. There is a value system that we speak of and one that we live out.  They differ in varying degrees, but the discrepancy has enormous consequences. If Botvinnik’s quote is anywhere near correct I think we could take it a step further and say most if not all of humankind’s problems are rooted in this decrepancy. From overweight health professionals to miserable counselors, why do we so often act counter to what we know matters most?  There's a question that could be explored in almost every content area at one point or another.

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That’s my list for now, but I will likely change it over time. If you have some thoughts or interesting experiences with the activities from this series, please contact me or comment below.

What matters most? - Activities for critical thinking about values and opinions (Part 2 of 3)

Pretty heavy for a party game.

Fun, free and flexible ways to get kids thinking

This post is the second of a series about fun critical thinking activities and class presentation games based on my game What's It To Ya?.  In the first article I address the value of the game as a tool for encouraging important discussion.  The final article focuses on the key lessons I have learned from playing the game over the years.

For this post I'll list several practical tips and activities that will make the game useful in a variety learning of environments.

Most of these activities are completely free, assuming you have access to some technology.  I believe in the value of this learning activity so much that I'm still giving away copies of the early edition game, so see this post if you want one.  In other cases you might have to buy notecards or some sheets of cardstock.  

Speaking of editions of the game, for purposes of these activities the games What’s It To Ya? and Oh, Really! are identical and will be referred to interchangeably depending on the resource or activity being addressed. 

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Since this is a lengthy post compared to most on my blog, here's a summary of the contents:

• Some objectives for the learning activities
• Examples of how the game has been used
• An overview of the game
• How to make or find resources for the activities
• Selecting the items
• The critical thinking activities

Some objectives for the learning activities

• Practice thinking about one’s own values
• Practice expressing one’s values and justifications for them
• Listening to and respecting the values of others
• Considering and discussing differing opinions and the importance of such exchanges

Examples of how the game has been used

• I use the game frequently as a fun intro to lessons. In a class for career planning and life goals it provided a great introduction to examining one’s priorities.
• One teacher in a church setting created his own cards based on occupations. The children discussed the relative importance of the jobs and the teacher made the point that “what’s more important to society?” was a different question than “which occupation would I like to have?”
• A friend’s wife used the game to kick off her presentation during a business meeting. It went over so well that she bought copies as Christmas gifts for the managers.
• A college professor used the game in class in ways like the examples below, but he also would leave five random item cards on his desk. Students and faculty members would rank them as an exercise for discussion.
• A camp counselor made a pack of homemade cards as an emergency filler activity to provide a quick distraction for campers who were not getting along. The cards are now a regular tool in her arsenal of camp activities.
• A seminary student told me that in educational and social settings he uses the game to open the door to discussion on topics that otherwise bring up walls. He finds people are more willing to talk about political or social issues when they come up in a game rather than just in conversation.

An overview of the game

The basic idea of What’s It To Ya? is that five items are presented and participants will rank them in order from most important to least important. Different ways of playing or using this central ranking activity will require the participants to consider this question of importance from their point of view or some other individual’s perspective. Sometimes the goal will be to match the majority opinion of the group.

Watch this video to see the recommended way to play the game using cards. Other ways to use the cards are detailed below.

How to make or find resources for the activities

You can make a deck of cards to use for this game and the activities below. Just write appropriate words on a note card. If you want nicer cards or if you just need some examples to see what’s on the actual cards, here’s a Google Drawing with 12 sample cards. You can edit the words on those cards if you have a Google Account. Print the file on a sheet of cardstock and cut the cards out to make your own deck.

Some people have said they play using cards from Apples to Apples.

And I recently created this randomizer which draws five item cards.  A teacher or students can use the randomizer in conjunction with any of the activities on this page.  

If you’re running the activity with a group consider how you’ll present the items to the participants. When I was a teacher in the classroom I would just draw the cards randomly from the deck and write the words on a whiteboard.

But if you have access to more technology, consider using some of the virtual presentation tools that I've created. You can use the generic Oh, Really! flipchart made for ActivInspire software (and you can download a free version of that software here) or you can use this template made from a Google Presentation.

Selecting the items

As explained in the next section, there are several ways to use the cards for the activity. No matter which way you use them, you or the participants will select five of them. Here are some options that should provide the focus or fun that you're looking for in any activity.

If you are looking for a specific discussion or point to come out of the activity you can can simply create the lists of five items ahead of time. Read the other resources on this blog or watch the video on how to play. You’ll see most of my classroom activities at Promethean Planet are done this way.

Alternatively, you can have a semi-random selection process. This is how I would do it in my lessons.  I pulled out about 30 cards that would relate to life goals to make a smaller deck for class. Or you could make a small deck of cards yourself that will best encourage the discussion you want. The participants randomly draw five items from that limited pool.

One last thought worth mentioning is that you can frame the What matters most? question in context. I never do this when playing as a party game because half the fun is finding out how people naturally frame it. In a lesson, though, it can sharpen the focus. For example, in the U.S. Government activity I add the additional criteria of “Traits of a Citizen”. It gives a background to the ranking process and it can sharpen the possible discussion or debate that will follow.

One word of caution on using limited sets of cards or in providing a context for the rankings: Discussion will not result if it feels like there's just one right answer in the rankings.  Leave room for personal opinion.

The critical thinking activities

These fun but deep activities can easily be adapted for the classroom, youth groups, business meetings or homeschool lessons. Maybe they can just provide a fun thinking game for the kids during summer vacation.

Just play the game as written in the rules.
The partnership game is usually the best out of the box. Discussion or activities like the additional ones below can take place before or after everyone plays the regular game.

Keep in mind if you get either edition of the packaged game it has enough cards for eight players. If you make your own ranking cards you can stretch this number.

Again, you can use this video to learn how to play or to teach it to the group.

Use five item cards for group discussion.
For this activity list the items that are selected (or pre-selected) so everyone can see them. Have all participants write down the way they'd rank the items in order of importance. When they’re done, they share their rankings with the group and trends or interesting rankings (Coffee more important than Family?) that stand out from the rest can be discussed as necessary for the lesson.

With large groups it is best to use some sort of response system such as ActivExpression, ActiVotes or an online tool like Socrative.

See my Oh, Really! activities at Promethean Planet for examples of how this might look.

Predict the rankings of one person.
Like the What's It to ____? variation printed in the original game rules, have one person draw five items and rank them how he or she wants. At the same time the other participants try to guess how that person will rank them. When everyone is done, have the person reveal his or her rankings and the rationale behind them. This is not necessarily for points or competition, but it is a fun way to get to know a group and have some discussion.

Explain personal rankings.
Each person writes down how they would rank five given items. They then take turns explaining the order they chose and why. If it would take too long to explain all rankings, they at least have to explain their choices for the first and last items on the list. An interesting question in this case would be whether anyone wanted to change their rankings after hearing someone else’s explanation.

Here’s a video I made a few years ago that shows how we did this with random people. You can see the range of serious and silly reactions that come out depending on the items and social setting that we chose.

Make a prompt for a critical thinking writing activity.
First (without discussion), all participants must rank the given items and explain their decisions in writing. This could be a warm-up or lesson closer. It also would work well as an online discussion in Blackboard or sme other discussion forum.

The goal is to develop clear writing based on clear thinking, but if you want continued discussion you might have them share interesting thoughts or tricky rankings that they encountered while working through this.

Update 8/13/2012:  I also created a computer version of the game. You can play it here.

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So there you have them.  Try some or several of these out with your group and I'm sure you'll see they are well received and thought provoking.  If you do find them useful or if you think of other interesting changes I would love to hear from you!  Please comment below or contact me by email.

What matters most? - Activities for critical thinking about values and opinions (Part 1 of 3)

Here I am, as always, taking these games so seriously!

Back in March I compiled some resources for game that can be used as an activity for critical thinking. Now that I have had more experience with the game in the classroom and I have mined some other examples of its use, I am doing a three part segment on its potential for education in a variety of settings.

One article will list the fun, free activities based on the game.  The final segment highlights the most important lessons I have gleaned from playing it over the past decade.

But first I want to emphasize the value of this type of activity in school.

Thinking critically and continuing the conversation

When I first created What’s It To Ya? I was teaching math and it didn’t cross my mind to use the game in the classroom. Game design was my hobby and I often immersed myself in it as a break from education.

But one year I found myself teaching a course about life goals and success to high school seniors. I realized then that What’s It To Ya? made a great activity to kick off lessons about priorities. Since that time I have created many interactive classroom activities based on the game. I also have gathered feedback from others who have used its primary activity and the cards for more than just a party game. It has a unique potential to create meaningful discussion and reflection in a fun way.

In fact, the game meets a pressing need in education and it has become a mission for me to bring it to others. At a time when groups across society are at all extremes on questions of values and social policies, conversation is vital. In the classroom, though, I found my attempts to encourage any discussion (or even personal reflection) about important topics with many viewpoints would end almost immediately. I had a similar experience in my graduate courses as a student myself.

There was a resistance to open discussion on topics of religion, religious people, politics or morality even if the point of the discussion was merely to uncover facts (as opposed to changing anyone’s mind). The sense that it would be fruitless, too personal or too volatile won out. Most would say something along the lines of, “Everyone sees it differently,” and be done with it. If we are to get along as a society as a whole and if we value diversity as we say we do, I think we must do better at discussing our differences. When important questions are merely ignored and convictions cannot be articulated, emotional outbursts will win out over rational debate and we will only find ourselves more divided.

From personal experience and feedback from others, I am convinced this game and the activities based on it can provide useful skills and a common language for meaningful discussion between people who disagree strongly on important matters. This opens the door to an environment were vital problem solving can take place.

Please see the next posts in this series for a complete picture of how this game can be useful in education.

• Fun, free and flexible ways to get kids thinking
• What I learned playing What's It To Ya?

Christian/Bible Resources for Oh, Really!

I finally spotted one of my games for sale in real life!

Last year I posted a Bible/christian flipchart activity.  I wasn't sure how it would be received, but the number of downloads has been comparable to some other content area activities that I made.  I have heard from Sunday school teachers and other Christian gamers who play the game or use it in lessons.  I have always included words in all the editions that bring up matters of faith and I was glad to learn that Family Christian Stores was carrying the game.  (In fact, that's the only store where I've ever seen one of my games available in the real world.  Most are sold online.)

After recent correspondence with a Sunday school teacher and a father of a home school family, I decided I should convert that activity to these other formats for those who don't use ActivInspire:

• Google Docs Christian/Bible edition of Oh, Really!
• PowerPoint Christian/Bible edition of Oh, Really!

These resources have some pre-selected sets of item cards that can be used to generate discussion.  Participants could rank them on paper and group rankings could be analyzed and discussed.  Alternatively individuals could just rank them and then explain their rankings in writing or orally depending on the needs of the group.

Discussion questions are included on the final slide that reveal how this game can open the door to some weighty subject matter.  A seminary student told me once that he uses the previous version of my game in educational and social settings.  Here's what he wrote:

"Your game provides a wonderful opportunity to talk to both teenagers and adults about things that are penultimate and ultimately about the ultimate questions of life, death, and the meaning of it all. Something our Post Post-Modern society does poorly."

"For the past seven years, I have been using your game both in large and small groups. In a game setting, issues which polarize people become somewhat disarmed, and people can laugh and talk about things of importance. Not every game...becomes a deep conversation, but it provides the opportunity. In short, the game provides a somewhat neutral forum for people to share ideas without feeling pressured into a political-religious debate."

Whether in or out of the classroom I'm thrilled to find out my games are being used for fun and learning.  If you have any comments on the above resources or thoughts on how the game might be used in other interesting ways, I will be glad to hear from you.

Critical Thinking Game for the Classroom

I know this game has been referred to throughout this blog, but I wanted to centralize some of the resources  for both high tech and no-tech variations are described below.

Years ago I made a game that I used in the classroom for lessons about goals and priorities.  If used properly,  it can be an excellent starting point for critical thinking and other higher level thinking skills in any subject area with any students from about age 10 and older.  

I have played it with many students from middle school through college (here is a video I made with some former students at one campus) over the years and I have come to respect the power of the question that it raises.  Whether it is used as a game or a classroom activity, participants are simply asked the question What matters most?  By carefully choosing the items and guiding the discussion, this can be a powerful catalyst for self-evaluation and problem solving.

Using the game without technology
The game I created can be purchased as a traditional (card based) party game.  This is the version I used most in class. I would use a select subset of the cards based on the purpose of the activity. From that, I’d randomly draw five cards and have students rank the items on the cards from most important to least important.  We would usually try to guess how another person in the room would rank them.

After such an introduction, students can play the game in groups of up to 8.  It works best when students can play in pairs.

The Inexpensive Option - Right now a friend of mine is selling the old edition of the complete game (called What's It To Ya?) for less than $4.  I no longer get royalties from that edition, so this announcement is not meant to pad my wallet!  If you want to pick up a few copies (5 copies would allow up to 40 students play), check it out on this page at Fair Play Games while it’s on sale. This is a bargain, believe me.

The Newer Edition - If you want the newer version, it’s probably easiest to find it here on Amazon.  The new publisher created a version that uses a board and score sheets.  It sells for around $20.


Here's a video overview created with the Videolicious app on an iPad.




Using the game with technology

I posted several free activities on Promethean Planet based on this game.  They work easily with Promethean’s ActivExpressions for ranking, but you can run the activity with any response system or the students can rank them on paper.  A free version of ActivInspire will allow you to display these without actually using their other products, so any computer and projector will be sufficient.

Here is the original, generic activity that allows students to draw random words for the original game.

Oh Really Flipchart Activity

And the versions below are targeted toward a specific subject area with pre-selected sets of words and questions in context.  By examining these as samples it will be obvious how you can adapt them to your needs even if these don’t fit perfectly.

Government
Family and Consumer Science
Vocations and GoalsDebate
Christian/Bible Studies


The version with the most downloads so far is this "Back to School" edition. It can be used as an ice breaker in the first days of school or of a particular class:

Back to School

And finally, here is a simple Google Presentation version that you could change to use the activity in any subject.  You can put the question of what matters most into context, such as What makes a good citizen? Then list items related to that. Or you can keep it general. See the above flipchart activities for ideas. (Even if you don't want to install the free version of ActivInspire to view them you can see a preview at the site that will be useful in adapting the free Google Presentation version to your needs.)  


And if anyone is interested in the history of the game, here is a video I created a few weeks ago about my experience with bringing a game idea into reality.

Oh, Really! Games for the Classroom

I made the game that became Oh, Really! about ten years ago. It is based on the simple idea of ranking random items in order of importance. You can learn a lot about people by seeing how they rank things and that's where the fun of the game comes from. Do I know my friends as well as I think I do? Do they know me?

When I was teaching, I used the game as a warm-up activity for lessons on priorities and goals. The students loved it. During game club or when we had some extra time at the end of the hour we would play the card game too.

The Games for Promethean's ActivClassroom
When I saw the Sort in Order questions in ActivInspire for the Expressions, I knew right away Oh, Really! would work well as a flipchart activity. I put together the first version in the summer of 2010 and posted it. It contains all 200 cards from the game. (Permission was granted from the publisher, Find It Games, to use the artwork in these flipcharts.)

The original Oh, Really! game for the classroom can be downloaded here.

More recently I started doing the editions for specific classes. Each of these have sets of five pre-selected items that fit well with the indicated courses. Most words are straight from the original game, but some are modified to work best for the subject matter.

Oh, Really! game for Government class
Oh, Really! game for Family and Consumer Science classes
Oh, Really! game for Vocational and Career classes
Oh, Really game for Speech and Debate classes

All my games and activities for flipcharts can be found on this page.

And if you or some of your students are interested in the story behind how the game was created, I have an article here about how the original game grew from an Einstein quote to something played the world over.