In my first teaching role, in discussions with a colleague I learned about an activity she used successfully with junior year students which she called The Amazing Race.
The activity consists of five sub activities which in pairs or threes need to be correctly solved before the teacher releases a secret letter. Once all the activities are completed and the 5 or 6 letters are issued, students unscramble to letters to reveal the secret word and win the prize.
My colleague used the Amazing Race in final period lessons where students needed an activity that felt less like content and more like fun. The great thing about this activity, which I experienced first hand, is the enthusiasm students bring and the way learning can be embedded subtly.
I used this activity on the final day of term and it truly was Amazing. Perhaps the lure of a prize helped but more than that, the students enjoyed rising to the challenge, keeping their work top secret, and using different strategies in their teams to try to finish first. All teams completed the activity in the lesson which was more than I could have achieved in a content driven lesson on the final day.
Incidentally, the secret word I gave them to unscramble was “STARS” and I got a few smiles from students when they figured it out.
The activity documents issued to students are shown below.
https://deborahcranston.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Clue-sheet-Amazing-Race-activity.pdf
https://deborahcranston.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Amazing-race-activity.pdf
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