Review Games

I have several games that I use to review a lesson or chapter.

1. I play something called "globe ball." I use an inflatable globe. I ask a question and throw the globe ball to a student. If they answer it correctly they can decide who to throw the ball to next. If they answer incorrectly they have to throw it back to me and I decide who gets the ball next. I always remind them to throw the ball to someone who hasn't had a chance to answer yet. They love this and don't even realize I am just asking questions and having them answer.

2. SWAT- I use a four by four grid that I print on a transparency. I fill in the spaces with name or terms from the lesson or chapter. I place it on the overhead and shine it on my white board. I have two teams. One person from each team is given a fly swatter and stand up at the board. I ask a question and the first team to swat the correct answer wins a point and passed the swatter to the next person on the team.

3. Team tic-tac-toe- I have two teams I ask a question to the first person on the x team first. If he get it right he puts a x on the game board that I have on the board. Then I ask a question to the first person on the o team. If she answers it right she put an o on the board. The first team to get a tic-tac-toe gets a point.

These are just a few that we play. The kids love them.

I like to use sports themes. Sometimes we play baseball and i ask a question to one team. If they get it wrong it's an out, if it's correct, they are on a base. Some questions are doubles (or advance 2 bases) and difficult ones are home runs. I ask the questions team 1 got incorrect to team 2 when they are up to "bat".

You can do the same thing with football or soccer. Whatever game the kids like. It makes the revivew fun.

I have started making inexpensive games that review curriculum as well. Here are some my fourth grade students really enjoy.

FISHING: I bought a small magnetic fishing game for $1 at the dollar store. It is a pole with a magnet on the end. I made a bunch of paper fish and stuck a paper clip in the end of their mouths. I wrote math facts like "5x7" on them. Students lay them face down and fish for facts. I let them keep score when they play. If they get the fact right they get a point.

MEMORY: Take any information that you work on and make a memory match game. I cut up cardstock paper and made a fraction match game and a time game. For the fractions, I put a drawing on one card and the numbers on the other. For the time, I put digital on one card and a clock face on the other.

BRAINQUEST CARDS: I made a jeopardy board to go with these cards. I laminated the board and students put bingo chips on it to show questions that have been asked already. Put all the categories at the top, and money amounts down the grid. Students can choose a game show host and work with adding up the $$$ to see who wins.

I use divide my class into teams--usually we just number off into four or five teams. (I try to keep them around 4 or 5 on a team.) Then I give a problem on the board or orally and they have to do it on their paper. I check the first four completed and if they have the right answer they go around and check the others. Then if a person got it right on the FIRST check, they get a point for their team. The team with the most points wins a prize.(We have economics money so they usually win $10). They may not talk to anyone while waiting to be checked. It is a simple way to review and the kids think it is big fun. Those that don't understand want to know what they are doing are wrong right away because they want their team to win.
Another thing I do with chalkboards. I divide them into teams of 2. Each team can bid points on the problem they are about to do. For example, I say, "on this problem you may bid up to 100 points". They put the bid on the corner of the chalkboard and show it to a team close to them. Then I give the whole class the same problem. If they get it right, they add the points bet. If they get it wrong, they subtract. I keep a team total on the board. Sometimes I make them alternate a player. Sometimes they may do it as a team.
These are super easy, but the kids seem to enjoy them.

there are lots of great review games to go with the sports theme..
for example, i using spelling basketball with a plastic clip on hoop and nerf ball..students divide into two teams..they must spell the word correctly in order to get a shot..the teams compete against each other to win the game..
i also came across a neat football gameboard (or draw your own)..i put on the overhead and we review for tests..the class vs. me.. i draw a number (or students name)..that student has the opportunity to answer the question..if they do so correctly they move ten yards towards their goal line..if not i move ten yards...base the game on a time limit to see who wins..usually i do something like if the class wins no homework in that subject matter..if i win they do homework in it,etc...
you can keep carrying this theme on with many subjects and many types of games..spelling bechball, etc..

In the past I've played games with the test questions. One really fun game is to divide the class in two teams & assign crazy point values to each question. I'll try to explain simply- I make 2 matching sets of point cards, such as 5 pts, 79 pts, 1000 pts, 2 pts, 500 pts, etc for each team. Then scramble each set of cards before starting the game, team #1 's first correct answer might be worth 79 pts, team #2's question might be worth 1000. I have a score keeper write the points earned on the board. They have a lot of fun adding up the total points at the end of the game. (the winners get to line up lst for lunch or recess)

You might want to go to www.themailbox.com , the website for that magizine...they keep copies of their back issues online and you could search through them.

Other review games my class plays:

1.) to review spelling, we write the words in shaving cream on our desks. I just squirt a little on the desk top. The kids think its a blast, and its not as messy as you'd think. Also, it really cleans the desk tops nicely!

2.) Jeapordy! We use this at the end of math chapters to review for our tests. We run it exactly like the game show, save that we have two teams (divide the class in half) and take turns going through the questions.

3.) Beach Ball REview: I have several large beach balls that I have numbered to coorespond with how many questions we have (1-50, for example...each # corresponds to a question I have written down on a sheet of paper. Then we stand in a circle and toss the ball around. Whoever catches it determines what number question they have by which number is under their left thumb. If they answer correctly, they can stay in the circle...if not, they are out. Winner is the last person standing. (We do this after we've done in class review, right before the test.)

Hope these help some.

If you've ever heard of Bozo Buckets it works very well as a review game. If you've never heard of it this is what it is--First separate the class into two teams. Have a bucket and a nurf (or soft) ball. Set up point strips about a foot apart going away from the bucket (100, 500 pts, 400, ...). Call a member from one team up to the bucket. They choose how many points they are playing for. You ask the question, if they get it right they shoot for the bucket and earn/don''t earn points depending on if they make the bucket. You can vary the game to fit your needs. It works great for Vocab review or any other subject.

I have tried these for unit review games in science and social studies with success. One game is the familiar "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." In this game, I got my kids together by rows to be on teams. I would read a question to the first student in the first row. He/she has to answer the question independently, as they do on the show. If the student doesn't know the answer, he/she can use a lifeline: "phone" a friend, 50/50, or ask the "audience." The audience is the row. Instead of phone a friend, the child asks anybody in the row. The kids love doing this.

Another game I have played is Jeopardy. You can get sticky pad notes and write a statement on each note. Set the notes on the board at the front of the room by level of difficulty, the same as they do in Jeopardy, and give each question a dollar amount. Kids can be in teams to answer the question, and the team decides on a final question for the statement.

Have fun reviewing.

I have tons of games, most of them I have in a file at school though. One game my kids love is Sink or Swim. You form two teams. I have them line up in two lines across the room facing each other. I ask someone on team 1 a question, if they get it right they may sink someone on team 2. Then I go to someone on team 2, if they answer their question right they may either sink someone on team 1 or rescue their "sunken" team member. The kids really love this game. The winning team is the team with the most people still standing. Let me know if you need more details. I also play a game called Leapfrog. We played this today actually. I have lots of little frog pictures with point values written on them 5, 10, 15, 20. . . until 50. I also have about 5 frogs with the word leapfrog on them. I mix them all up and have them face down so the kids can't see whats on them. You can have any amount of teams for this. I ask a team a question if they get it right they get to pick a frog and they get however many points the frog has on it. Then you repeat this with other teams. The fun part is when someone gets the leapfrog. All of their points "leapfrog" over to the next team. It's pretty fun too. Like I said let me know if any of this isn't clear. I also have more games if you feel like you need some more.

My third graders love to play fly swatter games on the board. [Project a bingo type grid with vocabulary or math problems, a player from each team swats the correct answer.] We also play 'OUCH' [pringles can with strips of questions, a team member answers, get a point if correct, puts the card back if incorrect, if they pull an OUCH card they loose their points, OUCH!] We also play 'KABOOM' [exactly the same as ouch but with different colored cards, they really do not even seem to notice that they are the same game]. They love to play 'Be an EGGS-pert'. [Questions are on slips of paper placed in the small plastic Easter eggs, as a team answers correctly they place their egg in their egg carton, first team to get a dozen are the EGGS-perts; especially good as a test review] I also play BUZZ [Each student has two cards with pictures of a bee on one and flower on the other, when I say a statement that is true they hold up the flower, but if it is false they hold up the bee card, BUZZ and sting me!] I use the games with all subjects.

When my students are finished early, we play Sponge Games. It "soaks up" any extra time that I have. I time the students for 1-2 minutes, depending on the topic I give them. I have them write down all of the words they can think of, such as "List all of the verbs that start with a J", "List of the fruits you can think of", and "List all of the animals that have 4 legs". I give a piece of candy to the student who has the most words listed. The students LOVE this game!!! The list of options are endless! It also can relate to any subject area: list all of the rainforest animals, weather words, people of the American Revolution, verbs, adjectives, objects that are spheres, etc. Have fun playing!

We divide up into teams quite a bit.
One game we do this we is connect four. There is a black team and a red team. If you answer a question correct you get to put your checker into a slot, but you have to build from the bottom up just like in connect four.
Another game we do is tic tac toe. I again break them into two teams. X's and O's. I put out 9 chairs. If they answer a question correct they get to go sit down in any chair. Some times they really have good strategies.
Another game is the powerpoint presentations you can download free on the internet. Jeopardy, who wants to be a millionare, are you smarter than a 5th grader.
Also we play around the world with math flashcards.
For spelling they like spelling basketball or sparkle.

Second Grade Feud! It's a take off on Family Feud. I use my desk bell, put it between contestants, and ask the question or math problem, etc. The first one to ring the bell and tell or write the correct answer scores a point for their team. If they get it wrong the other person gets a chance at it. Sometimes I play it that of they both get it wrong, then they can go to their team for the answer! Always lively, and fast paced! :s)