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As a child, I remember one specific thing I always looked forward to on days when I stayed home sick from school — The Price Is Right. Even aching, sick to my stomach or feverish as I laid on the couch, I made sure the TV was tuned to that game show around lunch time. I loved the unique games. (Playing Plinko was a dream of mine!) I always guessed right along with the contestants during the Showcase Showdown at the end of the game. Bob Barker was the consummate host and kept things moving. Now, teachers can bring that experience into the classroom when students aren’t home sick. Several digital tools created for the classroom bring those exciting experiences to students with learning as the focus. These “game show classroom” websites do a number of things …
It's easier than you think to bring the fun and excitement of a game show to your classroom. Scroll down for TONS of tools, tips, templates and resource to start using in your class now! We have a growing number of “gameshow classroom” options. Here are some of the ones I’ve found that I think are the best. Click on any of the icons below to be taken to more information about that tool. Click on any image below to be taken directly to that section.
Kahoot! is the granddaddy of the game show review games, launched in August of 2013. In a standard Kahoot! game, questions are displayed to students on a projector or display. Students respond on their own devices. Pros
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Quizizz takes the excitement of a gameshow-style review game and puts the whole experience in the students’ hands. With a traditional Kahoot! game, everyone sees the question and possible answers on the projector and answer simultaneously. Quizizz is different because the questions and possible answers are displayed individually on student devices. Pros
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Quizlet’s foray into the game show-style review is the best collaborative game. Instead of students answering individual questions on their individual devices, Quizlet puts students in groups. All possible answers are divided amongst the devices of all students participating. Think of three students with 12 possible answers … they’re divided up with four on each devices, so the answer may or may not be on your device. Teams race to get all answers correct in a row to win. Need to know how to set up and run a Quizlet Live game? How to start a Quizlet Live game in 60 seconds + tips and tricks Pros
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Alternative ways to playClick for full-size image (with more legible text!). Relay. In this game, line up all student devices in a row. Students take turns answering questions. This is another alternative Quizlet Live game suggested by New York educator Patrick McMillan in this post.
Gimkit (gimkit.com) is like Quizizz with power-ups. In Quizizz, students collect points cumulatively throughout the game. In Gimkit, students use their points to buy power-ups in the store. Power-ups let students earn more points per question, get additional points when they hit a streak, and even lose less points when incorrect. "We don't do tests." Learn how teacher Omoyemwen Ngei uses Gimkit to create assessments her students love. Pros
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Enroll in the Game Show Classroom online course!What you'll get... 🛠 Tools to make review and practice more like a game 💡 Ideas for turning the classroom into a game 🎨 Design tips 🧩 Inspiration to build your own games
10 more games like Kahoot!
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Like Kahoot! for math. 99math is a free tool that turns math into a social gaming experience. The content is already generated, teachers just have to choose the topic they want to practice and no time is spent on preparation. Setting up the game and playing with students takes only 5 minutes from the lesson! Learn more about 99math in this post by Karly Moura. 2. BaamboozleBaamboozle is a fun game to play with your class as a bell ringer, check in, or review lesson. Play from a single device on a projector, smart board or in an online lesson. No student accounts are needed. It's simple to set up. The free version of Baamboozle allows you to make your own games to play with your class. The paid version ($7.99/month) gives you access to the premium features including a library of over 150 pre-created games. 3. FactileFactile lets you create or play jeopardy-style quiz games for your classroom. The free version allows you to create up to 3 games and play any of the pre-created games. The Pro version ($5/month) gives you access to premium features like adding images, videos and equations plus the ability to create unlimited games. 4. QuizalizeQuizalize is another quiz-based website. Teachers can create quizzes with multiple- or two-choice question sets or single-word responses. The free version allows you to assign quizzes with follow-up resources and see results for up to 3 classes and 5 activities. The premium version ($5.75/month) gives you access to the features like unlimited classes and activities. 5. WordwallWith Wordwall you can make custom activities like quizzes, match ups, word games and more for your classroom. Wordwall activities can also be printed out directly or downloaded as a PDF file. The printables can be used along with the interactive or as stand-alone activities. With the free version you can create up to 5 activities. Standard and Pro accounts start at $6/month. 6. Pear Deck Flashcard FactoryFlashcard Factory by Pear Deck, is a neat FREE tool to let students “crowdsource” the flashcards they’ll use to study. Check out this tutorial video, which walks you through the steps …
10. PlickersThis free app has been around for awhile and is still a fantastic option for quick polling in the classroom. With Plickers only the teacher needs to have a device because students hold up a paper card to show their answer.
Get the book on this subject! Tech Like a PIRATE shares seven key ways to make learning with tech UNFORGETTABLE! You'll get practical ideas, downloadable templates, step-by-step tutorials and more. Your students will be engaged and begging for more!
8 Google Slides game show templatesTest your knowledge with this template based on the famous TV quiz show, give the correct answers, and win! This game which is similar to "Heads Up" requires the teacher to only give the category and the students then have to get their teammates to guess them by providing clues. Created by Ryan O’Donnell. You can find even MORE game templates from Ryan in his listicle 10 Classroom Games. This Jeopardy! interactive template by Slides Carnival will help you create a custom game for your classroom based on the popular trivia game show. In a gamified classroom old classics like “The Price Is Right” can make a comeback in the using G Suite tools! This game template, created by Jen Walter, has all students shouting "Come on down!". This template, created by Matt Meyer, is based on the old children’s game “Memory”. You can use it to create review games across any content areas. Also check out this Memory game created by Mandi Tolen. Make your own game, or better yet have your STUDENTS make their own game and play it as a class! You can use this template from Slides Mania to turn any topic into your very own class game.
The music, the lights, the energy, the excitement of winning and the agony of defeat. Gameshows are engaging and fun. It’s no wonder that our students love to be a part of game show style learning in our classrooms. So how can we help students feel the thrill of winning? Or the agony of defeat? And what apps or tools are already out there to help turn your classroom into your very own “game show”? During a weekly #DitchBook Twitter chat, educators tackled these questions and more. They shared links to resources, examples, ideas for putting a creative spin on familiar games! 1. Play the part! Bring the music and your best game show host voice to really get the class involved.
2. Add Family Feud style fun to your class or PD with a survey from your own community of learners. Use this Family Feud game template to get started.
3. Quizizz is a fun, way to engage students in review and assessment at school or at home. And best of all, it’s free. Pair it with the Fast and Curious EduProtocol and you can really level up the fun! 5. Flippity.net allows you to turn a Google Spreadsheet into a game. Try the scavenger hunt, BINGO, matching games and more! 6. An arcade game generator, Fakebook profile, random name picker, image reveal. Those are just a few of the fantastic tools available for FREE on classtools.net.
8. Wheel decide is a fun way to bring a little game show fun even if you only have a few minutes. You can add your own choices in or check out their premade wheels for a quick time-filler. 9. Gimkit is quickly becoming a favorite among teachers and students. It’s like Quizlet but with power-ups. Gimkit has tons of engaging themes too like Thanos mode or zombies vs. humans. Check out our post Game show classroom: Comparing Kahoot!, Quizizz, Quizlet Live, and Gimkit to learn more. 10. Head Bands with index cards is the perfect, tech-free, game show style option for vocabulary review.
12. The chance that ANY of audience members could be called to play makes The Price Is Right even more exciting to watch. Check out this Price is Right Estimation game created by Jen Walter that turns math into a game show by asking students to “come on down!” 14. Kahoot! is always a student favorite. The music alone turns up the engagement level (and the noise level) in any classroom. There are lots of different variations for playing. Try a blind Kahoot!, ghost mode, team play, or even a connected Kahoot!
These aren’t the only options for reviewing in this way. If you use others, we’d love to see them in a comment below along with why you think they’re great. Question: Which tools have you used, and what was your experience? What other similar tools have you used? Leave a comment below. Are you looking for quality, meaningful professional learning that both equips and inspires teachers?Matt provides in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops and breakout sessions that equip, inspire and encourage teachers to create change in their classrooms. Teachers leave with loads of resources. They participate. They laugh. They see tech use and teaching in a new light. Click the link below to contact us and learn how you can bring Matt to your school or district!
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