Unlock the Power of Play in Your Classroom
Explore Like a Pirate is your guide to creating game-inspired learning experiences that captivate, challenge, and empower students. Whether you’re just starting your gamified journey or looking to level up your course design, this resource hub brings together the tools, strategies, and ideas referenced in the book. Dive in and discover how to engage, enrich, and elevate your learners with game-based elements that spark curiosity, creativity, and deep learning!
Chapter 6.1
Theme Work Makes the Dream Work
Every great story takes us to a world outside of our own. Whether it’s swashbuckling pirates, epic kingdoms and castles, ancient raiders of forgotten tombs, or larger than life tales of adventures that could only exist in a galaxy far, far, away. Theme is powerful! And can be a fast track to inspiring all sorts of engagement in your classroom. Browse the EMC² Learning Theme Packs collection to search for all kinds of fully editable resources pre-sorted by one of nine action-packed themes.
Chapter 6.2
Give Your Next Lesson Plan Some Character(s)
What happens when you cross a clever Google Slides hack with the click-and-drag customization of old school video games? Since the heyday of the Atari, Non Player Characters (NPC’s) have done all sorts of heavy lifting to help bring players deeper into all sorts of adventures. And now it’s your slideshow’s turn to do the same!
Chapter 7.1
Your One-Stop Shop for Gamified Classrooms
Bigger, stronger, and faster than ever before. If you’re looking to make the leap into a fully gamified classroom, the Gamification Control Tower is your all new one stop shop for keeping your year running smoothly with a single spreadsheet. Fire it up and take flight!
Chapter 7.2
Turn Your Syllabus Into a Story
Unleash the power of the Story Powered Syllabi resource lineup and transform your classroom into an adventure! This fully editable collection of pre-made syllabus templates gives teachers the power supercharge any traditional syllabus with the infusion of a ready-made theme of their choice. Turn your classroom into a yearlong adventure!
Chapter 8.1
Stick it to 'Em with Customized Badges
Collectible badges are more than just another thing to keep track of — they are powerful reminders of your students’ growth, progress, and abilities throughout all kinds of adventures in your classroom! This is a tool to help you start making badges for your class game. These are built to be about business card size. These are great way to quickly get paper badges made and into the hands of your students.
Chapter 8.2
Shuffle Up Some Collectible Item Cards
Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh — you name it! For three decades and counting, kids around the world have been collecting these colorful cards to build the perfect deck and harness the unique powers of the many items that they contain. This collection helps you put the power of item cards in your classroom.
Chapter 9.1
Step into The Ring for a Royal Review Rumble
Lay the smackdown on sleepy review days! This high-energy, team-based review game transforms a traditional Q&A session into a pulse-pounding battle of wits. With just a little bit of theming, an ordinary review becomes a thrilling competition, where students face off in the ultimate test of knowledge, strategy, and speed. Whether you’re using buzzers or classic hand-raising, the intensity builds with every correct answer—and every high-stakes miss! With built-in scoring, a special bonus round for elite competitors, and a championship-style atmosphere, this activity makes learning feel larger than life.
Chapter 9.2
Add Some Surprise with a Mystery Box
Whether it’s at the sight of a wrapped present for a birthday or what might just be a top secret government facility hidden behind a “No Trespassing” sign — humans are fascinated by information that they cannot see. The Mystery Box collection taps into this power for a review game that your students will never forget.
Chapter 9.3
Give a Ticky Tack Review a Serious Upgrade
Mega Tic-Tac-Toe takes the classic game to a whole new level—with nine boards in play at once and every move determined by correct answers to teacher-posed questions. Teams compete to earn their mark by demonstrating subject mastery, but there’s a catch—each move dictates where the next play must go! Strategy is just as important as knowledge, as players must think ahead, control key boards, and force their opponents into tough spots.
Chapter 9.4
Flick Your Way to Paper Football Victory
Fold and Fly Football Flickers brings the excitement of game day into your classroom with a fast-paced, strategy-packed review challenge! Students earn flicks of a paper football by answering questions correctly, then use their skills to score points, place obstacles, or shift the goalposts to outplay the competition. With a perfect mix of academic rigor, teamwork, and hands-on action, this game turns traditional review into a high-energy battle of brains!
Chapter 9.5
Throw Some Grudge Ball into Your Playbook
Grudge Ball takes classroom review to the next level with a high-energy, team-based competition where knowledge, strategy, and a little bit of luck all come into play. Students earn the chance to take points from rival teams by answering questions correctly, but the real twist comes with the basketball shots—teams can increase their advantage or stage a comeback by sinking clutch baskets. With built-in mechanics for redemption and bonus opportunities, no team is ever fully out of the game, keeping engagement high from start to finish.
Chapter 9.6
Press Your Luck with Tooth or Consequences
Tooth or Consequences is a high-energy, risk-and-reward classroom challenge that puts students’ knowledge—and their nerves—to the test! In this fast-paced activity, correct answers earn players the chance to pull a tooth from the game board, but beware—one wrong move could trigger a surprise consequence! Blending strategic decision-making with engaging academic review, this game keeps students on the edge of their seats while reinforcing key concepts in a playful, hands-on way.
Chapter 9.7
Shuffle Up Some Danger Cards Excitement
Let’s get dangerous! Danger Cards Pro is a game of risks, rewards, and pressing your luck in pursuit of an ever-elusive high score. Faster to set up and easier to run than a traditional game of classroom Jeopardy, this one is sure to hook your students’ again and again.
Chapter 9.8
Tee Up a Classroom Stroke of Genius
Stroke of Genius brings the thrill of mini-golf and the strategy of poker into an electrifying classroom showdown! In this high-energy review game, students answer questions to earn poker chips, each unlocking a chance to sink a putt and rack up points for their team. But the fun doesn’t stop there—each chip comes with special perks, from moving closer to the hole to throwing obstacles in a rival’s path. With knowledge as their club and strategy as their caddy, students will compete to outwit, outplay, and out-putt their classmates in a battle for Grand Masters of the Green!
Chapter 9.9
Roll Them Bones to Become a Treasure Hunter
Roll Them Bones turns classroom discussions into a high-stakes treasure hunt for knowledge! In this dice-driven activity, students roll to determine the exact number of words they can use to answer a challenging question or unpack a complex topic. Whether they land on four or twenty-four words, teams must think critically, collaborate, and craft responses that hit the mark. With each roll, students refine their ability to synthesize information, communicate effectively, and embrace creative constraints—just like a treasure hunter piecing together clues to uncover hidden riches.
Chapter 9.10
Slow Your Role for Some Thoughtful Reflection
Hit the brakes and take a Post-it Pause! In this quick and engaging classroom activity, students hit pause on the lesson to reflect, generate questions, and collaborate with their peers. Using simple sticky notes and a structured process, learners identify key takeaways, pose thought-provoking questions, and prioritize what matters most—all before rolling the dice to see which team gets to lead the discussion. This low-prep strategy transforms passive listening into active engagement, ensuring every student has a voice in the learning process.
Chapter 9.11
Shuffleboard Showdown
Step up and slide into action with Shuffleboard Showdown, an exciting, fast-paced review game that blends strategy, precision, and content mastery. Students will compete in teams to answer questions, earn poker chips, and send them gliding across a taped-off shuffleboard-style scoring zone. With each round, players must decide when to play it safe and when to take bold shots to knock their rivals off course.
Chapter 9.12
Enter The Construction Zone Cage Match
Take your ordinary design challenge to hilarious new heights in the Construction Zone Cage Match. Do you have what it takes to uncage some serious creativity? For this challenge, your students will be divided into rival Construction Crews, and each team has been provided with a collection of building materials. But before the action kicks off, an all star team of student standouts will step into the celebrated Construction Zone and bring the fight to their friends!
Chapter 9.13
Turn Rote Recap into Grab & Go Graffiti
Big Sheet Grab & Go Graffiti transforms learning into a fast-paced, collaborative experience that gets students thinking critically and creatively! Whether introducing new content, reinforcing key ideas, or preparing for a major assessment, this activity helps students engage actively with texts while working together to build a graffiti-style knowledge mural. Check out the linked resource write up for a step-by-step walkthrough and sample lesson ideas!
Chapter 9.14
Wager On Wisdom
Wager on Wisdom is a high-energy, casino-inspired review game where strategy meets smarts. In this engaging activity, students bet on their knowledge, placing wagers on who they believe will get the right answer. Each round presents a new challenge—teams must decide whether to play it safe or go all in, trusting their instincts or hedging their bets. With every question, the stakes rise as teams compete for the biggest payouts and the ultimate prize.
Chapter 9.15
Break a Few Review Day Taboos
unSPEAKable is a classroom-friendly twist on the classic game of Taboo, turning everyday content review into a high-energy, think-fast challenge! Students will first create tricky “unspeakable” cards for their opponents, carefully choosing key words to ban. Then, the competition heats up as teams race against the clock, giving clever clues to help their teammates guess the secret words—without slipping up and saying any of the banned terms!
Chapter 9.16
Sneak in a Super Silent Team Builder
Step into the shadows, where every move counts and silence is your greatest weapon. In Super Silent, words won’t save you—only strategy, observation, and quick thinking will lead your team to victory. Do you have what it takes to communicate without a single sound? The challenge is set, the stakes are high, and the quietest players just might be the loudest winners. Stay sharp, trust your instincts, and embrace the silence!
Chapter 9.17
Connect the Dots Using Content Dominos
Content Dominoes is a highly engaging, hands-on learning game that challenges students to make meaningful connections between key concepts from their current unit of study. Teams will first design a custom set of dominoes, carefully selecting terms, facts, or ideas that pair logically together. Then, in a strategic twist, teams swap their dominoes with another group and attempt to build the longest, most complex chain possible—linking concepts through logical reasoning and subject mastery.
Chapter 9.18
Give Friendly Debate a Seat at the Table
Table for Three is a classroom-friendly twist on “One of These Things is Not Like the Other,” transforming critical thinking and debate into a high-stakes restaurant showdown! Students must decide which three guests deserve a seat at an exclusive table—while one unlucky contender gets left out in the cold. But the fun doesn’t stop there! With strategic voting, persuasive debate, and a chance to change minds in a second round, students must think carefully, argue convincingly, and anticipate their classmates’ choices.
Chapter 9.19
Everything is Awesome with LEGO Builds
Get ready to hit the bricks! Kids of all ages love getting their hands on those lovable LEGOs. And Monumental Learning is just one of the many resources in the EMC² Learning library that gives your students the chance to make physical sense of everything that they’re learning, earning more and more construction supplies for top-quality findings along the way.
Chapter 9.20
Get Creativity Rolling with Story Dice
They say that a picture tells a thousand words. If so, your classes are about to get a whole lot more to talk about! Story Dice Central is a massive hub of image-based activities, Print-and-Play Dice, and virtual spinners that are guaranteed to get your students talking. Each of the collections included in this category have been divided by the type of prep required and presentation format that the activity will take. If you’d prefer to go screen-free, check out the Print and Play collection. If you’d prefer to stick to a virtual format, feel free to explore any of the other collections.
Chapter 9.21
Show Ordinary Assessments Who's Boss
Put yourself in the shoes of your average grade schooler, and try to imagine which of these options sounds more appealing: “End of Unit Benchmark Exam 3.4.1” or an “Epic Showdown with a Larger Than Life Bad Guy?!” EMC² Learning’s Boss Battles collection will help you transform the mundane to the must-see.
Enrich Student Choice with Side Quests
Drawing inspiration from the choose-your-own-adventure style gameplay of some of our favorite video games, the Side Quests collection reimagines traditional “extra credit” assignments to give teachers dozens of ideas for bite-sized tasks that can quickly be added to any course for optional student enrichment. Even better: we’ve assembled ten full waves of these fully customizable Side Quest collections, each with 10 different enrichment activities to choose from. Mix and match more than 100 different Side Quests for infinite replayability!
