Tournament Lessons

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

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The Resiliency Tournament

The Resiliency Tournament

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

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!

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!

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?

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?

Animal Adaptation Tournament

Animal Adaptation Tournament

Which animal has the most interesting, most valuable, or strangest adaptations?

Tournament of Presidents

Tournament of Presidents

So who was the strangest of these eight presidents?

Habitable Planets and Moons Tournament

Habitable Planets and Moons Tournament

Which object in the solar system is most habitable?

Plant Adaptation Tournament

Plant Adaptation Tournament

Who will win in a tournament of eight plants with Interesting adaptations!?

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!?

Parts of Speech Tournament

Parts of Speech Tournament

Which part of speech is most useful? Interesting? Strange?

Precipitation Tournament

Precipitation Tournament

Eight types of precipitation battle it out in this tournament.

Complex Task: Academic Tournaments

Complex Task: Academic Tournaments

For Teachers

Who would win in the Tournament of Most Honorable Presidents or Least Useful Geometric Shapes or Bravest Shakespearean Characters? Create an academic tournament and watch your students' brains sweat!

Natural Disasters Tournament

Natural Disasters Tournament

Who will win the tournament of Natural Disasters!?

Tournament of Not-So-Famous Inventors

Tournament of Not-So-Famous Inventors

Which inventor and invention will win the tournament?

Exploration Technology Tournament

Exploration Technology Tournament

Which of these pieces of exploration technology is most important? Most underrated? Most long-lasting?

Domesticated Animals Tournament

Domesticated Animals Tournament

Which domesticated animal will win the tournament?

Tournament of Mythological Creatures

Tournament of Mythological Creatures

Who will win the tournament of mythological creatures!?

Countries of North America Tournament

Countries of North America Tournament

Who will win the tournament of North American countries!?

Types of Energy Tournament

Types of Energy Tournament

Which type of energy will win the tournament!?

Countries of Europe Tournament

Countries of Europe Tournament

Who will win the tournament of European countries!?

Countries of Africa Tournament

Countries of Africa Tournament

Who will win the tournament of African Countries!?

Countries in Oceania Tournament

Countries in Oceania Tournament

Who will win the tournament of Countries in Oceania!?