The days before schools closed and we were all sent home — to teach, work, and learn remotely — seem like a long time ago.

Like you, we're missing the camaraderie, the connectedness, and — most of all — we're missing the kids.

That's why we felt it was so important to share this story with you.

At the end of January, right before Super Bowl weekend, 150 students from eleven schools came together to face off in a competition of their own — an epic Vocabulary Jam. They bolted off the school buses, charged into the cafeteria, and huddled with their teams.

When you see what happened next, you'll know what we mean when we say that what we miss most of all these days is the kids.

Literacy Challenge: Broward's Big Game

And although online learning doesn't come close to this, you can still inject some real camaraderie into the virtual classroom. Try hosting a Vocabulary Jam with your students and see what happens!

Try Hosting Your Own Jam

It only takes a minute to create a Jam. Another great option is to have your students join one of our scheduled public Jams! They start every ten minutes, and anyone can play. These public Jams are based on our curated vocabulary resources, and are a great way to get acquainted with what the Jam is all about.

The Jam Was Born for This

What's great about the Jam is that it was designed to be played anytime, anywhere, on any device. In other words, it is an absolutely ideal activity for the virtual classroom. In fact, we kind of feel like the Jam was born for this.

And so do a lot of teachers out there who've discovered that the Jam is a great way to stay connected, foster a little friendly competition, and have some much-needed fun.

What's a Vocabulary Jam?

The Vocab Jam is a competition where teams compete in real-time to see who can answer the most questions correctly. It's one more way (along with The Challenge and the Vocabulary Bowl) that we've gamified vocab instruction to engage and to motivate students.

Here's to How to Create a Jam

Creating and Hosting a Vocabulary Jam

For more info on the Vocabulary Jam, check out our Help Center. And if you ever have questions, just ask! Email us at [email protected], and we'd be happy to help!