Multiple Choice: Creating Houses and House Challenges

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes find working with multiple choice a bit boring. Let's be real for a second - some of those passages do not tickle my fancy...much less that of a teenager. So I was looking for a way to work with multiple choice that did not make it feel like it was a daunting task.

I attended a workshop years ago, and while there, one of the presenters shared with us that she sorts her students into Houses and they compete for House points throughout the year.

I thought, “This is genius! Why didn’t I think of that?” When I returned to my classroom, I gave it a shot. I loved it. The kids loved it. The kids still love it.

Each year we have a House Cup winner. Their prize varies. I have exempted them from the final timed writing of the school year; I have had a donut party for them; I have had a cake party. It’s always different, but most kids enjoy the bragging rights. When they are seniors, several will pop in to see how their House is doing this year.

I use my Houses mostly for multiple choice, but I have also added points for other things as well such as acts of kindness, following directions on the board, etc.

The General Setup

1. My House names are based on authors my students will encounter throughout the year. Other teachers allow their students to pick their own House names, but since I usually have four periods (this year I have five) of AP, I find it more manageable for me to just stick with six houses.

2. Some Houses have their name in a font that represents that author in some way. For example, for House of King, their font is “Chiller.”

3. Each House also has a House color. The House color is usually symbolic of the writer or the text students read. For example, House of O’Brien’s color is green for the jungle Viet Nam soldiers encountered.

4. To keep the Houses as even as possible, I have to do a little math. I sit down and work out how many students from each class period should be in each House before I type the House names. This year it was especially important because my largest class has 32 and my smallest class has 14. It was important that I even out the House numbers from across the class periods. So I set it up to where each House has roughly 21 or 22 students per House across all of my classes.

5. Once my math is complete, I type House names in Harry Potter font. This adds a little flair to the sorting. I type those House names for each class period. With such a difference in class numbers, 3A may have two students in House of King but 3B may have 6. So I would type House of King two times for 3A and then six times for 3B.

6. When House names are printed, I cut them and place them in one of two containers. I do have a Minerva McGonagall hat, and I usually use it during the sorting; however, this year I forgot my hat, so I used a pink trick or treat pumpkin I have in my classroom.

shoe bin with House label

7. House names for one class period go into the hat/pumpkin, and I am ready for sorting day.

8. For setting up where students sit during a House challenge, I have my desks set in groups of six to seven. I have shoe bins for each House. The bins are a way for me to pass out and collect papers, store cell phones, etc. One bin is placed in each House. I make House name labels and tape them to the side of each bin. This allows students to know the location of their House, and the location remains the same the entire year.  

Sorting Day

1. Sorting day is my favorite day because my kids have no idea what to expect or how this will go or what House they will be. Can’t you feel the excitement just reading this?

2. I play the soundtrack from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

3. I walk around the room and have students draw from the hat/pumpkin. As they draw their House name, we yell it. House of King! House of Steinbeck! House of Capote! You get the picture.

4. Once students are sorted, they move to their Houses and introduce themselves to one another.

5. I move around the room, visiting each House, handing them their House paper. Their House paper is a sheet that I have created with four boxes, one for each class period. It also reveals their House color. While visiting with each House, I have a quick conversation with them about the symbolism of their House color, and I show them which box is assigned to their class period. I ask them to each sign their names in that box.

6. Once all classes are sorted, I laminate the House papers, and this is where I record their House points.

7. The House papers are taped on a cabinet by my desk, and I put the Houses in alphabetical order the first day. Once they start earning points, I place the Houses in order of points earned. If Houses are tied, I put them in alphabetical order.

House paper after all classes have signed; House points are recorded on their House color

Some of you may be wondering, what is a House Challenge?

House Challenges are a way I fit multiple choice practice, deconstruction, etc. into my class. This year we have rotating Fridays, where I see my kids every other Friday, so I decided to use Fridays as House Challenge days. It makes it easier on me and easier on my kids to know that on Fridays, we do multiple choice.

My favorite way to use House Challenges is when we play The Multiple Choice Game.

• First, I made cards for the multiple choice game using card stock. The answer choices are colored coordinated: all As are the same color, all Bs, etc.
• Each House receives a set of these cards.
• Each House picks a House leader.
• The leader has two jobs: they have the final say on the answer; they hold up the card when it’s time to reveal their answer.
• Once the time is up to work through the passage and questions, House leader prepares to reveal their choices.
• I read each question, I ask House leaders to get their card ready, I yell, “1, 2, 3!” and House leaders hold their answer card high in the air.
• This is really fun because sometimes they will all have the same answer, but many times they do not, and they can instantly see that.
• When every House has a different answer, we call that “tasting the rainbow” because it does look like Skittles in the air.
• This part is important - I do not reveal the correct answer until I have recorded who has received a House point.
• While they wait for me to reveal the answer, sometimes they will be supportive of each other: “Come on As, we got this!” And sometimes they trash talk: “Oh I see you have a B over there; you know the answer is A, right?”
• This is when it is fun for me to reveal the answer. They celebrate when they are correct, and I ask them to “walk us into that answer.”

cards I use for the multiple choice game - easy to make

It’s just a fun way to work through multiple choice. And it is just one way I use House Challenges.

Another way I use House Challenges is having students work through a passage and questions on their own, then moving to confer with their House members (I give them roughly 5 to 8 minutes to do this). I reveal the correct answers, and ask students to revisit questions they missed, writing rationales for the correct answers. I have them draw a basic table on a sheet of paper to complete this. On their paper they include their name and their House name. This House Challenge is a way they can add individual points to their Houses instead of as one group.

Your Answer	House Answer	Correct Answer	Answer Rationale

Some of the teachers in my department also use Houses, and their students earn House points by turning work in on time, being on task, etc. Their students lose House points for being on their phone, putting their head down, etc.

There are so many possibilities with using Houses in your own classrooms. Many of you probably already do something similar.

I hope I have shared something you can take back and use in your classroom, whether it is creating Houses of your own or playing the multiple choice game with your kids.

If you incorporate one or both of these, come back and share your experience on this post. I love hearing from fellow Langers.

Happy Teaching!

• The Hodgenator