All upper elementary students love a classroom Jeopardy game. It is a fun way to introduce friendly competition as students review what they have learned.

When it comes to interactive Jeopardy games, many teachers avoid them because the technology makes them nervous.

If that describes you, I’m here for you because that was once me!

In this blog post, I’ll show you quick and easy steps to create a classroom Jeopardy game with linked slides and a scoreboard that can be edited (even when playing in presentation mode). We’ll also compare and contrast creating Jeopardy games in PowerPoint and Google Slides.

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Step 1: Outline Slides for Jeopardy Template

The first step is to outline the slides needed to create a digital classroom Jeopardy game. At this point, you do not need to write out your questions and answers– you are just making a template and will apply questions later.

For the Jeopardy template, you will need:

  • a category board
  • a scoreboard
  • 25 question slides
  • 25 answer slides

A Jeopardy game has five categories, each with five questions (25 questions total). A slide with the answer will follow each question slide.

Create each of these slides in PowerPoint. Below, I’ve provided examples of what the slides look like in my Jeopardy game template.

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The category board lists the categories and the value of each question in the categories.
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The scoreboard is editable and can be updated throughout the game.
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A question slide shows a question. It can include text, images, graphs, and/or tables.
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An answer slide looks exactly the same as its corresponding questions EXCEPT it includes the answer somewhere on the slide.

When creating the question and answer slides, be sure to change the category and/or value if you choose to include these on those slides.

Ensure the slides are in the correct order. There should be 52 slides in your Jeopardy game template.

Step 2: Create an Interactive Classroom Jeopardy Game

Now, it’s time to start adding the interactive components!

To create a digital classroom Jeopardy game, it is crucial that your slides link up properly. Let’s start with the category board.

Use a text box to create each question value for the category board. There should be five values under each category, meaning you will have a total of 25 text boxes on the slide. Then, follow the steps to link the category values to the questions.

  1. After adding all of the category values, highlight and right-click on one of the values.
  2. Select “Hyperlink…”
  3. Under “Link to:” select the second box that says “Place in this document.”
  4. Select the slide number with the question in the white box.
  5. Select “OK.”
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Next, let’s talk about what to link on your question slides. I like to like the question slide to the category board, scoreboard, and answer slide. While not all of these are necessary, you must at least link to the answer slide so students can check their answers.

Follow the steps above to link to any of the slides.

Last, consider what you want to link to on your answer slides. I like to link each answer slide to the category board and the scoreboard.

Once again, follow the steps listed above to link to these slides.

Step 3: Create an Editable Scoreboard in PowerPoint

One of the steps that teachers often find most challenging is creating an editable scoreboard that can be used while playing in presentation mode. This step requires enabling macros in PowerPoint.

  • Select “File”.
  • Select “Options”.
  • About halfway down on the left-hand side of the box, select “Customize ribbon.”
  • Under “Main tabs” (right side), make sure “Developer” is checked. This will add a new Developer section in your ribbon toolbar at the top of the PowerPoint presentation.
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  • Go to the newly added Developer section in the toolbar. Select “Macro Security.” Check the box and select “OK” to enable macros.
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  • Click the text box image in the “Controls.” 
  • Draw a box on the slide.
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By following these steps, you can type in the textbox when in presentation mode.

Jeopardy Game Template Complete!

Your classroom Jeopardy game template is complete when you have outlined and organized the slides, linked the slides appropriately, and created the editable scoreboard.

Save a copy of this template so that it can be used anytime.

To create a classroom Jeopardy game, simply make a copy of your template and add the questions and answers.

Should You Create in PowerPoint or Google Slides?

Now that you are ready to create a classroom Jeopardy game, what platform should you use– PowerPoint or Google Slides?

The steps I have outlined in this post are specifically for making a classroom Jeopardy game in PowerPoint. But, you can also create a game in Google Slides. The Google Slides are outlined, created, and linked using a similar method to what I have listed above.

The big difference is that you cannot create an editable scoreboard in Google Slides that will also work in presentation mode. At this time, no function enabled in Google Slides will allow you to do that.

Where Can You Find Pre-Made Jeopardy Games for the Classroom?

If you’ve reached this point in the blog post and are still unsure whether you want to create a classroom Jeopardy game, you can also find many pre-made games in my store.

All of my Jeopardy games are specifically aligned to the Virginia SOLs and come with PowerPoint and Google Slides versions. You can find classroom Jeopardy games aligned to the following SOLs in the shop:

The following video shows a preview of how my Jeopardy games work. It may also inspire you if you are still considering creating your own.

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