Jeopardy is a very popular form of reviewing material at all levels. Teachers can create jeopardy games online so that the students can complete it individually, or they can opt for class jeopardy, dividing the class into a few small groups who can then compete with each other by answering the questions posed by the teacher. Surprising the students with a jeopardy pop quiz usually feels more like a reward to the students than an assessment. Most students are happy to join in the fun and compete with their classmates for the right answer.
Teachers can use a variety of websites to create short quizzes in most subjects. If there is easy access to the Internet for all the students, teachers can choose this option. Some programs do allow teachers to print their customized quizzes and copy them for the classroom, but this takes out some of the gaming aspect of the quiz. Most students enjoy working on computers, particularly if they are allowed to use the Internet, so a short, pop quiz online will be a fun proposition for them. The teacher can even create various versions of the quizzes to be available for students, which is particularly helpful if the teacher already knows that the students are at different comprehension levels or are struggling with different aspects of the material.
Puzzle games can also be used for pop quizzes. Puzzles include word searches, mazes, cryptograms, math squares, number blocks and hidden message puzzles. Teachers can go online to create the puzzles with class content and surprise the students with these pop quiz games that entertain the students at the same time they are being assessed. Puzzles can very focused on specific content or open to assess general 5th grade skills. Students love completing puzzles, no matter the subject matter.
Adapting the popular "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" television quiz game to the 4th grade level is also very productive. The game can be renamed "Are You Smarter Than a Fourth Grader?" and be used to review prior knowledge and confirm that students are secure in certain concepts. The teacher can be the quiz master and all the students can take a turn at answering questions, facing elimination as they make errors. "Wheel of Fortune", "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and "20 Questions" are other television games that can be adapted for the classroom and used during quiz time.