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Let's Pitch Paper!

My college students love, love games.  I found one on Pinterest which I adapted for the new class I am teaching called Conquering College.  In this class, the students have a reading quiz over an assigned article about every three weeks, and I am always trying to think of new ways to review. I tried the game, and it was a "hit".  It is called "Pitch" and here is how you play it.

1) Divide the class into two teams and assign them two pages of the article to review.

2) Each student is to write a question about their part of the article on half a sheet of paper.

3) Select two captains to come to the front of the room.

4) Have students crumble up the paper and throw it, trying to hit the captain of the opposite team. (I have team #1 throw; then team #2. I also have four questions that I throw into the mix.)

5) The captains mix up the questions and place them on a table. They then go to board to keep score.

6) Alternating between teams, one by one, the students go and pick a question, which they must read aloud and answer correctly for their team to get a point. If the student is unable to answer, the question goes to the other team for them to answer.

7) The captains are the last students to answer a question.

The first time we played, the two teams tied so both teams received a small candy bar. The students LOVED it!!!! They were not only engaged, but they were having fun. I was surprised when they said things like, "That isn't a good question because it can be answered with a yes or a no. Or that is a well written one." I think the next time we might make airplanes and call the game "Crash Landing."

I shared the game with other faculty members, and here is what a chemistry instructor wrote me...

"I have done 'muddiest point' with my chemistry students and had them ball up and throw their papers at me...even my double section which has 62 students. I got bombarded with blue paper as the students tried really hard to hit me. It was hysterical!!!"

So, now it is your turn. Maybe you will have a "pitch" battle or just maybe, the teams will "pitch" in and help each other.

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