Beginning a new school year has the potential to be awkward. You're thrown into a new classroom with a new teacher and new classmates. That's where icebreakers come in handy: they're a funny way to get to know your new peers. One way to do this is by playing "People Bingo." The game consists of making a 5-by-5 grid and writing random things in the grid squares. These might include "born in a different state" and "has traveled to Europe." Then, you mingle with your classmates to find out who meets the criteria for each grid square, getting to know them in the process.
Certain games are played in the classroom to reinforce course material. For instance, for a lesson on the Cold War, teachers might organize a "Who Am I" activity. These consist of placing sticky notes with the name of a popular Cold War political figure on student's forehead without the student knowing who is written on their sticky note. The students then mingle with each other and are allowed to ask three questions to peers in an effort to determine who their political figure is. Those who correctly identify their figure move the sticker to their chest and are now allowed to consult others to help them identify their figures.
One game that teachers can tailor for any age group is classroom Jeopardy, a game based off the classic TV game show. The teacher can write categories on the blackboard and divide students into teams to solve them. Teachers can choose to make the game up of general knowledge questions or adjust the game so that it's relevant to current lesson plans. Pitting students in teams against each other only adds to the competitive nature and fun of the game.
Eighth grade is considered a fun academic year, as it's typically filled with fun activities and games before students head off to high school. Wind-down games are typically played near the end of the day when teachers want to suppress the excitement from a particular activity. Silent Ball is one of those games. It consists of students sitting on their desks and throwing around a soft ball to each other in complete silence. If a student talks, he's disqualified and must sit back down at his desk. It's the same case if a student drops the ball.