ESL Classroom Tools: the Many Faces of Jeopardy

ESL Classroom Tools: The Many Faces of Jeopardy

By Tiffany Kim,

Students thrive when they engage in activities that are purposeful, well thought-out, and engaging. Classroom Jeopardy, based on an acclaimed TV game show, is one example of such an activity. This poster provides a variety of methods to utilize Jeopardy in differing classroom settings, as well as ways to prevent troublesome issues.

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COMPREHENSIVE DETAILS

1) Abstract

Students thrive when they engage in activities that are purposeful, well thought-out, and engaging. Classroom Jeopardy, based on an acclaimed TV game show, is one example of such an activity. This poster will provide a variety of methods to utilize Jeopardy in differing classroom settings, as well as ways to prevent troublesome issues.

2) Goals as Educators

·  Effectively use locally relevant authentic materials in the classroom

·  Motivate students to learn and retain knowledge

o  “Input Hypothesis” Krashen (1983)

o  “Output Principle” Ellis (2008)

·  Provide opportunities for collaborative learning

·  Allow educators to exercise creativity in technology-based strategies

3) Challenges to Goals

1.  The language may be too difficult

2.  Classrooms are too large; too many students

3.  The preparation may require too much time

4.  Students may get bored or grow weary of the activity

4) Options for Overcoming Challenges

1.  Take the time to ensure that rules are simple and clear

2.  Have students work in groups of 3 or 4

3.  Find ways to empower students to do more work for you––and ultimately for themselves

4.  Demonstrate instead of just explaining

a)  Ensure that each team has the opportunity to win

b)  Ensure that the level of questions and answers match the students

c)  Extrinsic motivation (prizes)

d)  Keep it fresh! Don’t play too often. Make sure students know the practical use/application

5) Game Method

1.  Before class, decide on the categories and prepare 16 game answers (4 answers for each of 4 categories).

2.  Draw a Classroom Jeopardy game chart on the board with 20 empty cells (4 columns and 5 rows). In the top row, write the categories. In the other rows, write score values from 100-500 points.

a)  Or better yet, use the interactive online resources in this presentation!

3.  Form Ss into groups of 3 or 4

4.  Team #1 selects a category and a score value (higher score values should require more difficult questions). For example, “Nouns for 100 points.”
**Ss do not have to choose all the lower level questions before moving to a higher level, nor do they have to answer all the questions from a specific category before moving on to the next.
**Make sure to give each team an equal number of opportunities.

5.  The teacher writes the score for Team #1 on the board (see the scoring options below).

6.  Continue to the next team and repeat steps above. For example, Team #2 may choose nouns for 200 points or any of the other categories for a score value.

7.  The team that earns the highest score value is the winner.

Scoring Options for Classroom Jeopardy

·  Response is correct in terms of content and grammar: Team earns the selected score value.

·  Response is correct in terms of content or grammar: Team earns half of the selected score value.

·  Optional: Response is not correct in terms of both content and grammar: Team subtracts the selected score value from its total

6) Game Description

·  Jeopardy is a TV quiz game show based on trivia. As a matter of fact, two synonyms for the word “jeopardy” are “risk” and “difficulty.” In the TV game show, the host first provides the answer. Then, the players respond with the appropriate question (i.e. “What is the United States of America?”).

·  The original game is made up of three rounds, and it offers choices from four to six distinct categories, such as history and science. However, it can easily be adapted to suit the needs of an ESL classroom.

7) Interactive Options

·  Play Factile: https://www.playfactile.com/

o  Pros:

§  Can also use as flashcards for review!

§  Helps students be Connected Learners because it allows them to use this resource as a study tool outside the classroom. The URL created for a game can be shared with students, allowing them to study the material at home/ replay the game alone or with a study group.

§  Factile is also easy enough for students to create their own game of Jeopardy in any subject they so choose!

§  Creators have the option to share their games

§  Demos available (even if you don’t have an account)

o  Cons:

§  You can only create up to 6 teams

§  Teachers must create his or her own answer key

o  With lesson plan

·  Quizshow.Io
(Similar to Kahoot! EXCEPT that it shows scores for each player, including + / - points)

o  Pros:

§  Players get to use mobile devices as buzzers: play.quizshow.io

§  Demos available (even if you don’t have an account)

§  Ability to customize questions, answers, duration

§  Winners are automatically awarded (scoreboard)

o  Cons:

§  No teams

§  You must create an account in order to play or create

·  Jeopardylabs

o  Pros:

§  You can edit your game even after it’s created

§  You can share your game through a variety of platforms

§  Ss can play as individuals or teams.

§  You can use browse through other jeopardy templates

§  Jeopardy templates can be downloaded and played without internet

§  the templates here for JeopardyLabs

·  (i.e. https://jeopardylabs.com/play/definite-and-indefinite-articles-esl6)

o  Cons:

§  You must create an account in order to create

§  You must manually adjust the score

§  You cannot manually remove a template. You must submit a template removel request.

§  No options for Double or Final Jeopardy

8) Categories

·  “Fun”

o  Ice Breakers

o  Syllabus

o  Idioms http://eslgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Jeopardy-idioms.pdf

o 

·  Reading (SSR)

o  Introduce story to Ss and have a reading session

o  Ask Ss to read story

§  Read aloud or use sustained silent reading (SSR)

o  Prepare a Jeopardy grid with 4-6 categories

§  Each category should have questions with score values from 100-500 points

o  Suggestions:

·  Grammar “

o  *(Can be used in conjunction with a reading Jeopardy game)

o  Introduce story to Ss and have a reading session

o  Give at least four grammar topics

o  Ask Ss to read story

§  Read aloud or use sustained silent reading (SSR)

o  Prepare a Jeopardy grid with 4-6 categories

§  Each category should have questions with score values from 100-500 points

o  Suggestions:

·  Vocabulary

·  Exam Review

·  Civics http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED445558.pdf

o  Process: For example, a cooking recipe could have the following categories: Preparation Instructions, Amount of Time, Type of Ingredient, and Quantity of Ingredient. (See Appendix B for instructions.) https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1045592

§  ALSO (P. 17) Distribute the restaurant’s profile or menu. Play Classroom Jeopardy based on facts found in the text (see Appendix B).

9) Game Variations

1.  Beginner

2.  Intermediate

3.  Advanced

·  (With Single, Double, and Final Jeopardy)

o  After rounds one and two, a Final Jeopardy round will be played which requires each team to collaboratively discuss a point wager and an answer to one overall question.

o  The winning team is determined by the overall number of points at the end of Final Jeopardy.

o  Reverse Jeopardy

§  This game is similar to "Reverse jeopardy" except
that students are asked to answer what is the appropriate question of the answer by seeing the answer.

§  For example, the teacher shows an answer as the easiest question "your grandmother", and then students guess the possible question such as "Who is married to your grandfather?" The answer as the hardest question "George Washington" may be answered with the possible question "Who was the first president in the United States?

·  Variation: After volunteering, each team must answer quickly (start talking within 2-3 sec) or they will LOSE that number of points. (This deters premature hand-raising to "pre-empt" other teams.) Also, if the answer is wrong, they LOSE that number of points.

10) Useful Links

·  How to Make Your Own Jeopardy in PowerPoint

o  Refer to handout/laptop

·  Interactive Options

o  https://www.playfactile.com

o  https://www.quizshow.io

o  https://jeopardylabs.com

11) Conclusions

Just as instructors appreciate students who come to class prepared and eager to learn, students also value activities that are constructive and engaging. Jeopardy is such an activity. Based on an American television game show, Jeopardy in the ESL classroom has many functions. It can serve as an assessment tool, an icebreaker, and much more. This poster will provide effective strategies for using Jeopardy for these purposes in several types of ESL classrooms, such as grammar instruction and writing. It will also instruct viewers in the process of creating their own quizzes. However, activities are never perfect, and this game is no exception. This poster will also address possible problematic scenarios and ways to troubleshoot.

Successful (especially for Millenials)

Jeopardy game allowed for a visual display and competitive edge. The combination of manipulation, visual display, and competition were significant influences in the performances of the study participants as represented by the average test scores and questionnaire results.

DLed doc: Zach Schneider - Final Combined Capstone

12) References

Deesri, A. (2002). Games in the ESL and EFL class. The Internet TESL Journal,VII1(9). Retrieved September 15, 2017 from the World Wide Web: http://iteslj.org/technigues/ Deesri-Games.html

Ellis, R. 2008. Principles of instructed second language acquisition. CALdigests. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. www.cal.org/resources/digest/instructed2ndlang.html

Ersöz, A. (2000). Six games for the EFL/ESL classroom. The Internet TESL Journal,VI(6). Retrieved September 15, 2017 from the World Wide Web: http://iteslj.org/lessons/ Ersoz-Games.html

Kazuko, Atake. (2003). Using games to teach English in Japanese junior high school. Retrieved September 15, 2017 from the World Wide Web: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED479748

Krashen, S., and T. Terrell. 1983. The natural approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. Hayward, CA: Alemany.

Short, D. J. (1999). Reverse jeopardy. In D. J. Short (Ed.), New ways in teaching English at the secondary level (pp. 297-300). Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.

Thomas, Catherine. 2014. Meeting EFL learners halfway by using locally relevant authentic materials. English Teaching Forum V52 (3). Retrieved September 15, 2017 from the World Wide Web: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1045592

Vygas, M., and Patel, Y. 2015. Teaching English as a second language: A new pedagogy for a new century (p. 241 - 243). Delhi. PHI Learning Private Ltd.