Gracie, Yes, students like stories and games (we're all kids at heart!). The hidden secret about games is they often require critical thinking and problem solving parts of the brain and as a result, better retention and long term memory is improved. Having more (vs. less) prepared material is just good planning, as lots can interfere with our scheduled lesson and related activities. Also, sometimes it's just beneficial to take a break from the routine to help keep students engaged and interested. Barry Westling