Team Bingo or Five in a Row

 

The other day I had two of my children play a review game for me so I could see if it worked the way I wanted it to.  I had used several variations over the years, but I wanted to actually write it down to share.  My daughter, who is a senior this year, later reflected, “You know Mom, Bingo review games seem like such an obvious choice but you are the only one of my teachers to have us do it.”  

Really? 

The game I was having my kids test out for me was on a bingo board, but we called it “5-in-a-row” and in my classroom we played a similar review game and called it “Team Bingo”.  The concept is simple and is easy to adapt to any subject. 

Start with a 5x5 grid; it can be on paper, drawn on a board or using index cards. You need at least 25 “questions” (24 if you give them a free space). The questions can be vocabulary, math questions, comprehension questions, or anything pertaining to the content. You can have them written on the board/note cards or not.  One team selects a spot on the grid and answers the question (either the one written on the board or a random one you select off your list-however you chose to set it up). If they get it right they mark their spot with a post-it. colored game piece, or color marker. The teams take turns trying to get 5 in a row.  If I have enough questions we can play again and I replace the questions they answered correctly with new ones. I’ve played a similar version with my own kids where I get the place on the board if they answered wrong.  

Perhaps it is because other teachers weren't doing this, but in all the times I have had my students (or my one children) play variations of this, I only had one student respond negatively (he didn’t like competition so he and I would just play alone).  I have used this with practicing rhyming words, sight words, vocabulary, Greek letters, music notes, Latin, multiplication, science, history…

It’s simple, fun and takes so little prep!