Are your students tired of using Kahoot for virtual review games? If so, here five of my favorite virtual review games and activities that are sure to keep students engaged, especially as you head into your end of the year review and test prep. These activities are perfect for any of the following scenarios:
- virtual teaching
- hybrid teaching
- in-person teaching where students need to be socially distanced
- in-person teaching that integrates technology
These are only a few of my favorite virtual review games and activities. For my complete list, be sure to check out the following video.
#1: Virtual Review Discussion Board
Discussion boards are a great way to get students talking about content and ideas. But, discussion boards where students just type out sentences can be boring. Modernizing your discussion boards and make them more engaging is easy with Flipgrid.
If you’re unfamiliar, Flipgrid is a free online tool that allows you to share content and assignments with students. Then, students respond to the assignment using video. They can also add text, filters, and animations to the short videos they create.
The videos are all posted in one place. The board creator can decide whether only the teacher can view the videos or whether students can view other students’ videos. To learn more about using Flipgrid, be sure to check out THIS POST all about how to get started with Flipgrid.
During your virtual review, post review questions in Flipgrid the same way you would for a discussion board. But, allow students to respond using the video features. This is a lot more fun than a typical discussion board because it almost feels like students are interacting through social media. Even though it feels like social media, Flipgrid is a secure, safe way for students to post and share videos of themselves.
#2: Virtual Escape Rooms
I have yet to meet a kid who doesn’t love classroom escape rooms! If you want to keep students engaged during your test prep time, try using a virtual escape room. Make sure your escape room has at least five fun puzzles and activities to help students review the content for a specific subject area.
If you are new to virtual escape rooms, I have created a video that shows how to create self-checking escape rooms in Google Forms. You can find the video HERE.
Virtual science escape rooms are also available in my store. All of my science escape rooms include a PDF version for in-person learners and a digital version for virtual learners.
#3: Virtual Review Game Bingo
When planning out virtual review games and activities, there are so many to choose from. But, kids of all ages love bingo games!
I especially like to use virtual bingo games for math because you can call out a problem. Then, students can solve the problem and look to see if they have the correct answer on their unique bingo board.
Another reason why I like virtual bingo games is because they are easy to create and require little prep time. Here is a video that shows how to create a set of bingo cards and push them out to students in under five minutes.
#4: Curate a Collection of Digital Content
Most of our students are visual learners, so creating a collection of videos and images related to a specific topic can be helpful for students to go through during test review.
I like creating collections in Wakelet. If you are unfamiliar, Wakelet is a free tool that allows educators to curate a collection of videos, images, text, and Google Drive resources. For example, if you need to review the solar system before state testing, you can create a collection that includes videos about the solar system and images and facts about each planet. Then, students can independently go through the information you have provided.
You can learn more about creating collections in Wakelet by checking out the following tutorial.
#5: Digital Task Cards Review Games
Task cards make easy and fun virtual review games for students. Making digital task cards in Google Forms ensures that they are self-grading. After students submit the task cards, you can quickly and easily go through their responses to determine what should be retaught be state testing.
You can learn how to convert your PDF task cards into self-grading, digital task cards by WATCHING THIS VIDEO.
If you are short on time or unable to create your own, I have task cards for each of the following content areas available in my store.
All of my task card resources include a PDF version for in-person learners and a digital version for virtual learners.
Conclusion
There are lots of fun virtual review games and activities you can use to keep students engaged in any setting. The activities I have listed here are just the beginning. Be sure to check out my virtual review video to see my complete list!
