Just finished a unit and want your students to review what they learned? Getting ready for the chapter test? Just want to have fun? Jeopardy is a great way to review and reinforce what students have been learning.

This photo shows some of the categories I use in the primary grades. The ones at the bottom show additional categories. Pretty much anything you’ve been learning can work.

The students in my classroom are already set up in groups of 4-5. These are the groups they’ll work with to play the game. The rules are pretty simple: Students work with their group to answer the question and earn the points. The team at the end with the most points is the winning team.

If a team gets the answer wrong, it goes to the next team. If this next team gets the answer correct, they earn the points. If they don’t, then it keeps going around until all teams have had a chance to answer. Regardless of who ends up getting the correct answer, the play resumes in order.

Some tips:
-So that each student gets a chance to choose a category and number of points, I number the students. On the first round, student #1 chooses the category and points and, after the team has all agreed on the answer, announces the answer. On the second round, student #2 chooses….and so on.
-I tell teams to use whispers as they work to solve the problem. Not only does this help keep the noise level down, but it minimizes the chance of another team “stealing” their answer.