GAMES AND TEST PREP MATERIALS: INSTRUCTIONS AND STRATEGIES
| Although it may seem overly simple, the best way to prepare for a test is know the material. That being said, there are definitely times when we need to have our memories jogged. Review games are a fun way to prepare for tests. They are also educational ways to have fun during high absenteeism days. |
| Test prep depends upon exactly what test you are preparing for. The text cube supplied on this page is designed to help teach students how to answer exam essays. Additionally, you may want to check out our Vocabulary pages if you are preparing for the English portion of the ACT or SAT. |
| Online Interactive Test Prep Games |
| We have hundreds and hundreds of interactive test prep games that you can play on this website. These games, quizzes, and tests offer sample questions of what you'll find on standardized tests such as the AP (Advanced Placement), state proficiency, and regents exams, as well as the ACT, GRE, and SAT. More topic-specific tests cover individual chapters and units taught in Social Studies courses, such as tests on the French Revolution, Imperialism, and more. Teachers can show test pages on their classroom SmartBoards so that kids can play review games as a class. Students can play at home or in the school computer lab. Click here: Games - Free Online Interactive Test Prep Games for AP, ACT, SAT, GRE, More. |
| PowerPoint Games |
| These games work as PowerPoint presentations. Teachers with projectors will use a mouse to click on their computer screens. Teachers with SmartBoards can simply tap them. James Madison University offers really good PowerPoint Jeopardy templates and instructions here. |
| Board Games |
| Board games are easy and inexpensive for teachers who are willing to devote a bit of time to setting them up. Actually, a lot of the preparation can joyfully be completed by volunteer students (such as those who have finished their work early). Board games provide a fun spirit of competition when they are played, along with a sense of cooperation in setting them up and making sure that they are played correctly and fairly. These games work for every subject requiring the recall of basic facts. |
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The "how to" of these board games is based on games such as Candyland.
Supplies for each student group: a Post-It note, one die, a game board, and question-and-answer cards. • Post-It notes are used in place of gaming pieces. If you have small bookmark-size Post-Its, so much the better. If not, take a regular-size Post-It and cut it into thin strips. Students write their names on their individual Post-It strips and use them to mark their spots on the game board. Post-Its work wonderfully because they do not fall off of the game boards, and more importantly, there is no fear of them getting lost or being thrown around the room. • Each group needs only one standard die. • Game boards can be printed onto regular or card stock paper directly from this site. Using standard-size paper for game boards is a good idea if your classroom uses individual desks rather than tables. Ambitious teachers may opt to laminate their game boards for durability. Additionally, most drug stores stock graphed poster board in their stationery sections. Creative students will love to be asked to create game boards for you on this poster board. It is generally a good idea to have students color in the squares on each game board (otherwise the game boards may look like optical illusions). Teachers may also opt to print individual game boards for students; students can keep these in folders or binders. This way, the students will be able to play the review board game outside of class, perhaps even for other courses (since all they will need are flash cards). • Question-and-answer cards can be prepared in advance by teachers, or can be created by students as an assignment. Both blank and prepared sheets are provided on this site. For example, a class preparing for a test on a chapter or unit may be given a sheet with 50 or so questions. Dividing the class into groups, the teacher asks each group to answer the questions and place each question and answer on a game card. Once this is done, groups either swap cards or use their own cards to play the board game. Directions: Each member of the group rolls the die. The highest roller goes first, with the rotation going clockwise. Another member of the group (typically the student to the player’s left) takes a card and reads the question to the player. If the player answers correctly, she or he rolls the die and moves her or his game piece forward on the board the appropriate number of spaces. This player then takes the stack of cards and asks a question of the next student player. The average game takes 10 to 15 minutes to play. Students seem to enjoy playing several times, especially since they more quickly remember the answers to the questions as they hear them asked repeatedly. Some teachers may keep a prize bucket full of candy and other treats for winning students. Other teachers may instead offer extra credit points to winners. |