Game Shows are fun on their own, but with a little technical magic, we can up level your game shows even more!
If you are a fan of Fun in 5th Grade resources, then chances are you have at least one set of Game Shows.
We have Game Shows spanning all types of topics, from Classroom Procedures to Figurative Language and even Decimal Places. If you need a way to review Upper Elementary ELA or Math concepts, we’ve got a Game Show for that! (Seriously, check out this blog post about all of the game shows we have available just for 5th grade math!)
With all of these game shows in your arsenal of tools, you may be wondering how you can get the biggest bang for your buck! When we start talking about ROI (return on investment) with classroom resources, we have to talk about both academic learning and engagement.
With our game shows, we already know that the academic learning and review are there, and when you’re using game shows in the classroom, engagement is going to be high. But I think we can double down on that engagement by bringing in the big guns….
Yep. Today, we are going to talk about how to up level the Game Show experience for ultimate engagement and fun!
Adding Sound Effects
If I asked you the theme song for your favorite game show, could you sing it…or hum it? Probably, because sound effects are an incredibly fun and important part of the game show experience.
Sound effects are also really easy to add in! Especially because we’ve created a special sound effect library specifically for our Fun in 5th Grade fans.
By going to this link, you’ll have access to all of the sound effects in the image below with just the press of a button…oh yeah, they are also totally free!
Simply have these sounds pulled up on your phone, another computer, or an IPad, and play them when appropriate.
You can also create your own sound effects.
Many cell phones come with a voice memo application. You can use this app to record your students cheering and then play that sound when students get the answer right.
Adding in these sound effects is sure to level up your game shows.
Add in colored lights.
Sometimes we need to get more of our senses involved to get the full experience out of these game shows, and adding in colored lights could be a fun way to up level your game shows visually.
There are a couple of different ways to do this in your classroom. The first is pretty simple.
Start by stringing two different colors of lights around the room. I like red (for wrong answers) and green (for correct answers). Then, when students are playing the game, stand close to where the lights plug in. When a student gets the answer right, plug in the green set, and plug in the red set when they get the answer wrong.
You can also get lights that change with a remote, like these.
Add in Buzzers
Since the Fun in 5th Grade Game Shows allow students the opportunity to buzz in to answer the questions, using buzzers like these can really up level your game show experience.
I like these buzzers because they have four different distinct sounds to allow us to know who responded first.
Add in Bonus ‘Opportunities’
This is a play on old game shows that allowed participants a ‘Bonus’ opportunity to get a correct guess. Think of someone earning extra Plinko chips in The Price is Right or getting to go shopping in Shop ‘til you Drop.
You can add special incentives for teams who get the answers correct in these game shows too!
Maybe you give them a chance to run around the room and collect something (like extra point chips), or they can go around and gather additional questions they can answer to up level their team’s score. Maybe it is something silly like the ‘item of the day.’ When a group gets the right answer, they run about the room and collect items for 5 seconds and bring them back to their stash. At the end of the game, whichever team collects the ‘item of the day’ (which you took a photo of earlier that day) then gets a special prize or extra points in the game.
Adding in even a bonus like this can bring a new special twist to these games.
Up Level Your Game Shows One Piece at a Time
Now, even though we have provided four different ways to up level your game shows, you don’t have to do them all every time you play.
Maybe these add-ons are something you only do before breaks or during class celebrations. You may pick a different add-on each time you do a whole class game show, or you can hand over the different add-ons for different students to implement.
I love the idea of putting students in charge of sound and lights or maybe even creating a ‘production team’ based on your students’ strengths and interests. What a great experience for them!
No matter what you decide to do and how you decide to implement these ideas, one thing is for sure; your class will definitely have fun and make memories!
Are you looking for even more ways to use those game shows you’ve got hanging out in your Google Drive? Look no further than these awesome blog posts designed to help you get the most out of your game show purchases!
