How to Play Jeopardy in the Classroom

Convincing students to study material is often frustrating and challenging. Lack of interest becomes more and more apparent as class time goes by, with students slouching at their desks and staring at the clock. Many teachers overcome this problem by incorporating classroom material into engaging trivia games, such as Jeopardy, which help students to better retain information. Students love to impress colleagues with their knowledge, making them feel like real contestants on the television program "Jeopardy."

Things You'll Need

• Chalkboard or dry erase board Paper and pen

Instructions

1. Divide the chalkboard or dry erase board into a grid. Write a category title---for example, "Parts of Speech"---in the first box of each column. Fill in the rest of the column with point values in ascending order.

2. Prepare as many questions and corresponding answers as there are boxes on the grid. Harder questions should be worth more points. Put an asterisk next to two questions that will be used for the special Daily Double. Compile this information on a sheet from which you, the moderator, will read during the game.

3. Divide the class into teams. Determine the order in which members of each team will go up to answer questions. Flip a coin to determine which team will get the chance to answer the first question. Make sure each team can see and read the board clearly.

4. Ask the first member of the chosen team to select a point value from any category. Read the answer corresponding to the question. The student will need to provide a response in the form of a question: for example, "What is a noun?"

5. Give other teams a chance to answer if the first student cannot provide the correct response. Put an "X" through the corresponding box on the grid once the question has been answered.

6. Write the points earned under its name each time a team answers a question.

7. Ask students to wager all or part of their current score on a question when they select either of the questions marked for the Daily Double. Once they indicate the wager amount, read the question. Add or deduct double the number of wagered points from the team's score, depending on whether the answer is correct or not.

8. Continue to play Jeopardy until all boxes have been eliminated from the grid.

Tips & Warnings

• Tell the students several days in advance that the class will play Jeopardy, which will give them a chance to win a prize. This incentive will encourage students to study in preparation for the game.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish