Jeopardy is one game we’ve used for content review. Using powerpoint or similar software can really help with delivery of the clues and showing of correct responses. While it’s hard to use ‘open-ended’ questions for this, definitions, terms, and recognition of categories for presented items all seem to work well. We’ve had difficulty finding a way for contestants or teams to ‘ring in’ – to know who was first indicating they were ready to provide the ‘correct response’. Are there any suggestions for handling this?
I’m always amazed at how excited and involved students tend to get in the games! When we play monopoly (answer questions when you land on the ‘streets’, pay/earn monopoly money), the environment quickly becomes lively and competitive. You can download pdf files to print your own monopoly money, which I find myself pointing out to the group when the competition really heats up.
In math classes, we play a form of ‘bingo’ game, where you have to solve the equation that’s shown (on the board or projector) and find/mark off the correct answer on your bingo card. That one takes time to set up!!!
Providing silly little prizes also tends to be surprisingly motivating. I’ve seen adults excited to wear their sticker, ribbon, or medal (look for kids’ birthday party favors) all day!!