Block Towers Review

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Review factual training content through rapid peer recall while tracking team accuracy under physical tower-building constraints.

Use it when: Use during a workshop recap or modular review to verify factual recall of terms, definitions, and operational procedures.

Skip it when: Skip when reviewing nuanced or open-ended topics that lack clear, verifiable answers, or when the room lacks flat, stable surfaces.

Group arrangement: Two opposing teams lined up or seated across from each other, matched one-to-one by assigned numbers

Timing: UWT suggested allocation based on the core mechanic in the Thiagi GameLetter review game.

Materials and tools

• 1 set of wooden building blocks (such as Jenga blocks, at least 30 blocks total)
• 1 prepared list of 15 to 20 review questions with verified answers
• 2 flat, sturdy tables or desks for building towers
• 1 flat table surface for tapping to signal answers

Before participants arrive

1. Split the room into two equal teams (Team A and Team B).
2. Set up a sturdy, level table in front of each team with equal room to stack blocks safely.
3. Prepare a question bank covering workshop content before starting.

Say this to open

We will review today's material with Block Towers. Each team has a table. Every player on Team A has a number matched to a partner on Team B. When I call your number, both players stand. I will read a review question. The first person to tap the table gets to answer. If you are correct, the other team must place a block upright on their tower. If their tower falls, that round ends.

How to run it

1. Form teams and assign paired numbers 3 minutes

   Divide participants into two equal teams. If there is an odd number, assign one person as a neutral table judge. Number the members of Team A from 1 to N, and do the same for Team B so each number has a counterpart on the other team. Deliver the opening script. Explain the signaling rule: players signal readiness to answer by tapping the table.

2. Run numbered question duels 8 minutes

   Call out a random number. The two players with that number stand up. Read a question clearly from the prepared list. The first player to tap the table speaks. If the answer is correct, give one wooden block to the opposing team. That team must place the block upright on their tower table. Subsequent blocks must be stacked upright on top of previous blocks. If the answer is incorrect, discard the question with no penalty.

3. Conclude towers and determine standings 2 minutes

   Continue calling numbers and reading questions. If a team's tower topples while placing a block or due to instability, the opposing team wins the round. If time expires before either tower falls, the team with the lower tower (fewer penalty blocks received) wins.

4. Debrief the review points 2 minutes

   Review the two or three questions that caused hesitation, incorrect answers, or debate during the game. Confirm the correct factual takeaways with the whole room.

Debrief questions

• Which review question caused the most hesitation or uncertainty, and what is the key takeaway?
• What physical stacking strategy kept upright blocks stable when the tower grew tall?

Finished output: A completed factual review of key workshop concepts and an identified list of topics needing facilitator clarification.

Remote

This game requires in-person physical block balance and cannot be run natively online. If delivered in a fully virtual setting, do not attempt to replicate the physical balancing mechanic; instead, run a distinct digital board review where correct answers assign penalty points on a shared spreadsheet.

Hybrid

Assign remote participants as the designated question responders for their respective teams, matched against remote opponents. Remote players type BUZZ in the meeting chat to claim an answer. In-person teammates act as the physical block handlers, receiving and placing the physical upright blocks on their room's table whenever the opposing team scores.

Access and participation choices

• Participants who prefer not to stand or tap quickly can act as team advisers, question verifiers, or tower engineers.
• Any participant may pass on answering when their number is called, passing the turn to their standing opponent without penalty.

If the session gets stuck

Two players hit the table at the exact same instant and argue over who was first.

Use the stare-down tiebreaker from the original source: have both players look at each other silently; the first one to smile or laugh yields the floor to the other.

An odd number of participants leaves one person without an opponent.

Assign the extra participant to act as assistant judge to spot table taps and verify tower stability.

Terms used here

• Upright placement: Placing the wooden block vertically on its narrow end rather than laying it flat, maximizing height and instability.