#blendedlearning #testreview #Kahoot! #Quizlet #GimKit #DeckToys #FinalExams #SemesterExams #MiddleSchool #iTeachMiddle #7thGrade #iTeach7th #notanad #shouldbeanad
*These activities are not nearly as fun as Ellen’s Game of Games but I do frequently wish that I could pie my students in the face or send them down a shoot when they get questions wrong.
It’s that time of the year again, final exams to close out the semester. My Seventh Grade Science Semester Exams consist of content covered through the entire semester- so we spend quite a bit of time reviewing the basics of each unit we’ve covered. In order to keep my kids actively thinking [and not brain dead], I incorporate a variety of online games and activities into our lessons, in addition to completing a paper test review. Below you will find the games I use to review with my students as well as how I use the activity. I use the free versions of all of these activities but there are upgraded subscriptions available for each.
I generally give out super cool prizes to the winners including candy, mechanical or regular pencils, and Titan Tickets our ‘campus currency’.
Paper Test Review
The test review covers all topics from the semester and includes all types of questions including multiple choice, open ended, fill in the blank, creating pictures or diagrams, etc. I give the students 15 minutes every day for a few days to work on what they can. When their review is mostly complete, I let students login to Schoology and check their answers using a digital answer key (done as a shareable Office 365 Word Document so when I make mistakes to the key I don’t have to re-upload) of the review. Some students also get a hard copy of the review depending on their accommodations and needs.
Technology Background and Current Technology Classroom Set Up
Vocab:
- 1:1- Each student has their own device to use
- 2:1- There are 2 students to every 1 device
- BYOD- Bring Your Own Device
Let me give you a little of my classroom technology background, I have a Masters in Digital Learning & Leading. My first teaching job was at a 1:1 campus where I taught for five years; I was technology spoiled with a class set of 30 laptops in my class… EVERY. DAY. My current school is not 1:1 and has several laptop carts to check-out. Thankfully, I am a part of a grant where I have a “class set” of 15 laptops; Whoever said 2:1 laptops in the classroom was ‘ideal’ clearly has never had 1:1 devices. BUT- We work with what we have. Using the laptops for daily activities consists of half my students completing an activity for half the class period and the other for the other half of the period, or one day half the class does a paper activity, the next day they do a computer activity and vice versa, as well as station rotation, students sharing laptops, and a few devices per group.
We are a BYOD campus so phones are allowed on campus and up to the discretion of the teacher in the classroom. I generally limit use of personal devices in class but encourage them on review days so students are not required to work in pairs- but again, work with what you have. Even though I am at a campus that technically could be considered Title 1, plenty of students have their own devices so sharing is not usually an issue.
I love Quizlet. I personally used Quizlet to study for my 154 ESL Supplemental Exam and recommend it to other teachers all the time.
What it is: Not only can you create your own set of virtual ‘flash cards’, you can also search for specific topics and find sets that have already been created by other people. You (or the student) can use the set to learn, study, or review.
How to Play: The sets can be used to complete a variety of activities based on the cards, see more information on Live below.
What I Do: I have sets of cards created for many of the topics and will share the links with students in Schoology. Students can use the Quizlets at home to study or in class if there is time.
What it is: Quizlet live is a group game that allows students to work communicate and work collaboratively to answer questions.
How to Play: Students go to quizlet.live, enter a pin, and enter their name. After all students are in the game, Live puts students into random groups with cute animal names like Sharks, Beavers, or Peacocks- just to name a few. Students are put into random groups and must take their laptop or device to work with their temporary group*. When the game starts, each student in the group gets the same questions but different answer choices; They may or may not have the correct answer to the question on their screen, but someone from the group will. Students must work together and share information to choose the correct answer. For every question the group gets correct, they get one point, every time the group gets the incorrect answer, the group loses all of their points. First group to answer a certain number of answers correct in a row wins!
What I Do: *When Live puts students into groups, I write a table number next to each team name on the SmartBoard and students must move to that table group before we start the game. If they take too long, I start the game anyway.
What it is: I typically use Kahoot!’s ‘Quiz’ feature as a review game. Quiz is a group activity where players join a game and answer questions to earn points to earn a spot on the score board. Similar to Quizlet, you can create your own set of questions or search topics of already made Kahoots!. There are other features available on Kahoot! including: independent reviewing using the Jumble feature, discussions, and surveys.
[Image of Question]
How to Play: Students use a pin to login and are asked questions, each question can include a time, picture, etc. I usually play this with my students in single player mode but there is a ‘Team Mode’ too. Students work through questions earning bonuses along the way. Students scores are announced after each question so students are eager to see where they stand among the other students!
[Image of Scoreboard]
What I Do: Before starting the game I mute my speakers and change the settings on the game to ‘Move through automatically’ so I can walk around and monitor the class
What it is: GimKit is a new one for me, but when I heard it was created by high school students, I knew I had to try it. To get the kits, you can search public kits, add original questions, or import questions/ information from Quizlet or a .csv file.
How to Play: Similar to Kahoot! and Quizlet, students use a code to join a game and enter their name. Students win ‘money’ for questions they answer correctly, when students get questions wrong, they lose money. Students can also use their money to upgrade and buy bonuses! GimKit can also be assigned to students as an assignment.
What I Do: I don’t have any tricks here… input from Quizlet?
[Image of screen]
What it is: DeckToys is a digital ‘breakout’ game. Teachers can create lessons by inputting vocabulary terms, videos, slides, and more for students to complete at their own pace! I have been making these for each unit and sticking them in Schoology folders.?”
How to Play: Students join using a link that was shared with them (I share the link to my Schoology course). Depending on the settings, students must correctly complete an activity in order to complete a Deck. Look at the image below: I started this Deck at ‘Start Here’, as I completed each activity, I received a checkmark and the next task was opened up to me. I currently need to complete ‘choices’ in order to move to the next activity.
What I Did: This was a tough one to figure out, my suggestion, play with it. Find a topic that you can easily ace, (for me, it’s Disney Trivia) and see the different ways it can be used and go from there to create your own.
Click the image to play this deck! This was the first deck I made!
There is a way to create classes and have teams with Deck Toys… but I’m not there yet!
