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Tournament Lessons

Encourage research, debate, and open-ended thinking with these academic tournaments.

Science

Tournament of Not-So-Famous Inventors
Tournament of Not-So-Famous Inventors
Which inventor and invention will win the tournament?
Gr 3-8
Types of Energy Tournament
Types of Energy Tournament
Which type of energy will win the tournament!?
Gr 3-8
Tournament: 8 Wonders of the Solar System
Tournament: 8 Wonders of the Solar System
Which location is the most wondrous place in the solar system?
Gr 1-8
Habitable Planets and Moons Tournament
Habitable Planets and Moons Tournament
Which object in the solar system is most habitable?
Gr 3-8
Precipitation Tournament
Precipitation Tournament
Eight types of precipitation battle it out in this tournament.
Gr 3-8

Ecology

Plant Adaptation Tournament
Plant Adaptation Tournament
Who will win in a tournament of eight plants with Interesting adaptations!?
Gr 2-8
Animal Adaptation Tournament
Animal Adaptation Tournament
Which animal has the most interesting, most valuable, or strangest adaptations?
Gr 1-8
The Tournament of Biomes
The Tournament of Biomes
Want to move beyond memorizing the characteristics of biomes? In this lesson, students work through a Tournament of Biomes, explaining which biome wins in each round (based on criteria you choose). In the end, they crown a 👑 Champion Biome!
Gr 3-8

Social Studies

Tournament of Presidents
Tournament of Presidents
So who was the strangest of these eight presidents?
Gr 3-8

Culture and Society

Tournament of Mythological Creatures
Tournament of Mythological Creatures
Who will win the tournament of mythological creatures!?
Gr 2-8
Domesticated Animals Tournament
Domesticated Animals Tournament
Which domesticated animal will win the tournament?
Gr 3-8
The 8th Wonder of the World Tournament
The 8th Wonder of the World Tournament
Which of these eight wonders deserves to become the Eighth Wonder of the World!?
Gr 3-8
Exploration Technology Tournament
Exploration Technology Tournament
Which of these pieces of exploration technology is most important? Most underrated? Most long-lasting?
Gr 3-8
Tournament of Ancient Inventions
Tournament of Ancient Inventions
Which of these inventions of the ancient world is most influential? Least useful today? Most taken-for-granted?
Gr 3-8

Social Emotional

The Resiliency Tournament
The Resiliency Tournament
Your students will set up a tournament to determine which person or character best demonstrated resiliency.

Professional Development

Complex Task: Academic Tournaments
Complex Task: Academic Tournaments
Who would win in the Tournament of Least Useful Geometric Shapes or Bravest Shakespearean Characters? Create an academic tournament and watch your students’ brains sweat!

Math

Fraction Ordering Tournament
Fraction Ordering Tournament
Which set of fractions would be the trickiest to order from least to greatest? Let’s have a tournament!
Gr 4

Language Arts

Parts of Speech Tournament
Parts of Speech Tournament
Which part of speech is most useful? Interesting? Strange?
Gr 1-8