Placemats and Team Games - Information Processing

1st Class: Used placemats, one per team of 2, and asked students to write down as many quotations from "Hamlet" as they could recall. Passed placemats around in a clockwise direction and asked students to read and add any extra quotes they knew to each placemat as it arrived at their desk. Then held a quick quiz and each student challenged to give one quotation. (Took less than 10 mins)
2nd Class (next day): Asked students to form 4 teams (based on season in which they were born) and assigned a corner of the room to each team. Then in rotation each team gave one quotation, after conferring with team-mates. Team eliminated when they could not provide another quote or when through poor listening they repeated one already given. Became very competitive towards end, with students asking for quotes to be repeated if not heard clearly. Autumn won. Again didn't take any more than 10 minutes.

Comments: Made learning quotes, which is always a struggle, fun. Students surprised to find themselves on teams with other "seasonal" classmates. Randomness of selection crossed friendship boundaries. Good atmosphere. Will use this approach again.