Have you ever played Jeopardy with your students? If so, you know that it's a great way to combine fun with reviewing subjects, which of course leads to better learning outcomesTo help you get the most out of this tool, we’ve rounded up the best tips and tricks for playing Jeopardy in the classroom. Below, we’ll dive into some of the most important details, from ideal times to play to the most useful online Jeopardy game makers. Read on to start planning your next classroom game.
Things to Consider Before Bringing Jeopardy to Your Classroom
When it comes time to create your game, start by asking yourself these three questions:
- What do you want your game to teach? Jeopardy can be used in all subjects, from math and science to learning a second language. It can be used as a lesson review or as a long-term study guide (for midterms, finals, etc.). Consider making a list of questions and answers to use in your game.
- How long would you like the game to last? For shorter games, use fewer question and answer squares. You can create games using 2×2 to 6×5 templates. You can expect shorter games to last around 20 minutes, while longer games can last up to 40 minutes.
- How much time do you want to invest in creating the game? Creating Jeopardy games through PowerPoint or Google Slides is time-consuming, but you can significantly reduce your preparation time by using an online Jeopardy game maker like Easy.
Best times to play Jeopardy in the classroom
Once you know the details of creating your game, it's time to think about how it will play out in the classroom. Here are some ideas for how much time you should allocate to the Jeopardy game in your lesson plans:
- Breaking the ice at the beginning of the year Introduce Jeopardy, classroom rules and routines, fun facts about class subjects, fun facts for teachers, or even facts for students to get to know each other with an beginning-of-the-year game of Jeopardy.
- Take a mental break Short rounds of Jeopardy are great for “brain breaks.” Consider keeping a few review rounds on hand for when you notice your students need to change the subject for a while.
- Unit and Lesson Review — Jeopardy makes review fun! Even if it's played after every unit, it's unlikely to get boring. Keep a list of questions and answers throughout the lesson and put them into a Jeopardy game creator to wrap things up in a fun and easy way.
- Solid end-of-term review — Jeopardy also works well for longer review periods. Add questions and answers to your list during the period to make creating the game easier when the time comes.
These are just a few of the Jeopardy game placements we've seen successful in the past. Feel free to use the game anywhere in your lesson plan, whether it's on this list or not. You know your class best, and Jeopardy can help boost student learning at any time of day.
Save time with the best online Jeopardy template
Once you feel ready to bring Jeopardy to your classroom, we recommend looking for an online Jeopardy game maker. Our favorite tool is EasyFactile offers free and affordable subscriptions with a wide variety of features to make creating Jeopardy games not only easier, but also more fun and effective.
You can find our full personal review of Factile here. But as a quick summary, some of Factile’s standout features include:
- Quick Games (Create Yours in Minutes)
- Question banks (save and reuse for future games)
- Pre-made games (play Jeopardy without having to create your own game)
- Additional game styles including multiple choice, trivia, flashcards, and memory game.
- Play from computers, tablets or smartphones.
- Fun features like chimes, thinking music, team mascots and more
- Automatic generation ai assistant to create quick games
Register Request a free Factile account today to familiarize yourself with the site. We are confident that Factile can have a positive impact on your classroom Jeopardy experience.
All in all, Jeopardy in the classroom is a fun and effective learning tool. It can be used across all age groups and all educational subjects. It's easy for teachers to create it with the help of an online Jeopardy game maker. Give it a try this year and let us know how it goes!
