Jeopardy Test Review

Playing Jeopardy can be a fun way to review before a test.

You can create a Jeopardy board by doing the following:

1. Attach old-fashioned library check out card pockets in a 3 x 3 or 3 x 4 grid (depending on the number of categories you are using) to a posterboard. If you don't have ready-made pockets, you can make pockets by gluing index cards horizontally on three sides, so the top is open. Leave extra space at the top of the board.
   
2. To make the board re-usable, write category titles on large Post-it notes and stick them above each category.
3. Write 100 on the top row of pockets, 200 on the second row, and 300 on the bottom row.
4. Write questions on index cards, based on the unit you are teaching. I created multiple-choice questions for the 100-level, true or false questions for 200-level, and fill-in-the-blank questions for the 300-level. Usually 3 questions per pocket were enough. (I used a different color index card for each category, then wrote big 100s, 200s, or 300s on the front of the cards. This made it fast and easy to replace the cards in the pockets after one class ended and before the next began.)
   
5. Write a final Jeopardy question. (You can place this in another pocket on the bottom of your posterboard.)

To play the game in class, attach your posterboard to the wall. Divide students into teams of around four people each. Ask each team to pick a spokesperson who will give answers for the team. Rotate around the room, giving teams a chance to pick and answer a question one by one. You can keep score on a blank transparency on the overhead projector. (Hint: To keep behavior in check, announce point deductions for such things as 1) calling out answers or talking when it's another team's turn and 2) speaking out when you are not the official team spokesperson.) When an equal number of questions have been guessed by each team, hand out a piece of paper to each team with that team's name on it. Ask teams to write their bets on the other side of the piece of paper based on the number of points they have earned. Collect papers. Ask teams to give their answers. Tally the final scores based on bets.

If you want to save yourself some work and give students a different type of learning experience, you can have the students create the questions. Then use one class' questions to quiz the other class.