Speech Jeopardy

One of my favorite whole-group activities to do with my Speech students is Jeopardy -- I have modified this game to target different goal areas / age groups. I have made Artic Jeopardies, Language Jeopardies, SDC Jeopardies, ... the options are endless. Technically speaking it is not really "Jeopardy", since I do not require my students to answer in question format. It is more of a quiz show type competition. Since my students really enjoy this activity (and if they enjoy something, they will work hard!), I thought I would devote a blog post to it.

I have made and accumulated several Jeopardy versions to target different goal areas (I think I have around 6 different /r/ game templates) and am starting to transfer them into an electronic format so that I can make them available to other SLPs through TpT. Making them is quite an involved process, however, the good news is, once they are made, you can re-use them over and over.

I most recently made a language Jeopardy for my 2nd-3rd grade Special Day Class that we played today. The difficulty level of the questions is appropriate for regular education Preschool / Kindergarten students, as well. The categories I incorporated are relatively simple, and match the goal areas my students have been working on in therapy (prepositions, categories, opposites, inferencing, and emotions). Once I was sure of the categories I wanted to use, I came up with five questions for each and typed them up, along with a header for each question type. At this stage I also decided on a point value for each question -- the easier questions are worth fewer points, whereas the harder questions are worth more points. I also made sure to incorporate "Double Jeopardy" questions (worth twice the points!). Then, I printed this whole mess!

At this stage, my project looked something like this:

The early stages! Note that you will also need scissors, 5x8" note cards, and glue.

The next stage entails gluing the questions onto one side of the note card, and the corresponding point value onto the other side (make sure the colors match!).

Side one.

Side two.

I also glue the headers onto some construction paper of a like color. It makes them look nice and at the same time more durable. The last step (although optional) is to laminate each item -- that way your game will last a long time.

Laminated/finished game.

Once you are ready to play the game, you will have to set it up by taping/pinning the categories and questions in a visible place (usually the whiteboard works).

Jeopardy cards taped onto the whiteboard.

Now for the fun part! I have come up with two variations to play this game:

Version 1 (my preferred for SDC groups or younger students)
1. This version allows students to play versus the teacher / SLP.
2. Students take turns choosing a category / point value (e.g., Opposites 300).
3. The question is read out loud.
4. Students then have to come up with the correct answer as a team. (Or you can take turns calling on them until someone gets it right, which is what I usually do).
5. If someone knows the answer, they get the points. If they do not know the answer, the teacher/SLP gets the points.
6.Whoever has the most points at the end is the winner!

Version 2 (my preferred for older students):
1.Divide students into teams.
2.On their turn, a team gets to decide on a category and point value. 
3. The question is read out loud. 
4. The team has to collaborate thinking of the correct answer -- no blurting out or they lose their turn!
5. If the team answers correctly, the team gets the points. If the answer is incorrect, the other team gets a shot. Teams take turns picking questions.
6.The team with the most points wins.

A rule for both variations: Questions with stars on them are "Double Jeopardy" cards and worth twice the points.

An example of a Double Jeopardy card.

For Articulation Jeopardy, all of the answers have the target sound in them. After they answer correctly, all of the students have to chorally practice the target word x number of times. Like I said, this activity is very adaptable.

If you choose to make your own Jeopardy game, the first step is to think up five categories that you want to use. Next, you have to come up with five questions for each category. Once you have your categories / questions thought up, you will have to transfer them onto index cards. On the back of each index card, you assign a point value (100-500 for each category). Make sure that easier questions have a lower value. I have a free Jeopardy Number template available in my TpT store here. You also need to make a header for each category that you have chosen. 

If you would prefer to save yourself the work and buy one of my templates, I currently have a Language Jeopardy (appropriate for 2nd-3rd graders working on Language goals) and the SDC/Preschool/Kindergarten Language Jeopardy game described above available on TpT.

The reason I love Jeopardy so much is that it allows you to see a lot of students at once. This is especially helpful when you are trying to make up missed sessions for several students. In addition, this activity is great for promoting cooperative / team skills in your classroom in addition to building speech and language skills. While the preparation takes some effort, once the cards are made you can laminate them for durability and reuse it every year! Win!

~Viola