What are good classroom-type activities for sixth grade (11-12 year old) students?

Question:Not homework-type assignments, please. I do have a curriculum to follow, but I want to know how to make things more interesting. I've written variations on games of Taboo and Trivial Pursuit, and I have a few crossword puzzles around. It's not a formal classroom setting (e.g. public school), so games and small-group activities are possible. All ideas gratefully considered. ;)

Answers:
the coolest thing i can remember from 7th grade was this paper that came out once a week..it had current event questions on it..we divided into two groups..i was always amazed that some kids knew all the answers..it encouraged watching the evening news for this country as well as worldwide..you could make your own version of this game once a week...to encourage the kids to realize what is going on around them in the world..i have an 11 year old who is in the seventh grade and she would probably do fairly well in a game like this
Try cranium, kids love it. Set up a monopoly table and rotate in for math ideas. I love boggle and maybe they will too, it could help with their word placment. And lastly maybe scrabble. Then try to play "around the world". Questions about these games? emmy7465@yahoo.com
This is not really an activity, but I had some experience with junior high kids and this is something that surprised me, but they absolutely loved it.

I went to Home Depot, and bought some solid white tile board sometimes called Melamine tile wall panel (that material that is like a dry erase whiteboard). I got them to cut it into about thirty (1ft by 1ft) squares. (Cost about 10-15 dollars) I brought them to school and gave each student a whiteboard square and a dry erase marker. And instead of having them work problems on their paper, they wrote on the whiteboards. I really had no idea how much they loved it. the kids were asking if they could work problems on the whiteboard almost every day. Watch out though, 30 dry erase markers in one room will get you light headed unless you open a window.
Are you smarter than a 5th grader. You make up your own questions. Really fun
Try these links:
http://www.nhk.or.jp/school/english/prog...
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/...
http://www.cilc.org/collaboration_all.as...
Go to www.abcteach.com and see if you find some good things there!

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