Summary

In this activity, students will team up in small groups to compete for points in a time-based review game. The game is played in three rounds of increasing difficulty, and question banks for each round spanning dozens of common chemistry topics are provided so teachers can customize the game to suit their classroom. Question banks are divided into three difficulty levels, and each bank has ten sample questions in each of twelve topic categories for hundreds of total questions.

Grade Level

High School

NGSS Alignment

This activity will help prepare your students to meet the performance expectations in the following standards:

• HS-PS1-1: Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.
• HS-PS1-2: Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.
• HS-PS1-5: Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing the temperature or concentration of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs.
• HS-PS1-6: Refine the design of a chemical system by specifying a change in conditions that would produce increased amounts of products at equilibrium.
• HS-PS1-7: Use mathematical representation to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction.
• HS-PS1-8: Develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.
• Scientific and Engineering Practices:
  • Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking
  • Developing and Using Models
  • Analyzing and Interpreting Data
  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Objectives

By the end of this activity, students should be able to:

• Review their understanding of a wide range of chemistry topics.
• Self-assess what topics they need to study more.

Chemistry Topics

This activity supports students’ understanding of:

• Atomic structure
• Matter
• Gases
• Periodic Table
• Bonding
• Chemical Reactions and Stoichiometry
• Solutions
• Kinetics, Equilibrium, and Thermodynamics
• Electrochemistry
• Acids and Bases
• Organic Chemistry
• Nuclear Chemistry

Time

Teacher Preparation: approx. 30 minutes (selecting questions for each round and, if desired, selecting groups)
Lesson: 45-60 minutes (may vary outside of this range, depending on how many questions the teacher selects for each round)

Materials

• Student handout with instructions and space for self-reflection – per student
• Question sheets for each round – one sheet per group per round
• Answer Key – for teacher to have available to check answers as students bring up their papers
• Periodic Table (and any other allowed reference material)
• Calculator
• Scratch paper

Safety

• Keep aisles and workspaces clear of backpacks, books, and personal items.
• No horseplay, running, or disruptive behavior.

Teacher Notes

• This resource gives students the opportunity to review a wide range of chemistry concepts in a fun multi-round quiz game format with progressively more difficult questions. One approach, designed for a final exam review, is given in the student handouts and described in the teacher notes below, but it is easily customizable to fit different scenarios (ex: more or fewer questions per round, time limits per round, 1^st semester exam review, single unit review, test questions, etc.). Ideas for other ways to use this resource are also provided in the teacher notes below.
• Provide students with a periodic table and any formulas, constants, or other references (ex: activity series, solubility table, etc.) that you do not require students to memorize.
  • Consider allowing students to create their own “reference sheet” as homework or in class the day before playing the game – the act of identifying and compiling key formulas, equations, constants, and references is itself a good form of review.
• Calculation-based problems include density, percent composition, temperature conversions, stoichiometric calculations, and gas laws.
• Question banks for three levels of difficulty are provided. Each of the three question banks contains 10 questions in each of 12 topic areas for a total of 360 questions to allow teachers to use a variety of questions and re-play this activity.
  • Sample question sheets covering all topics (as if for a final exam review) are provided for rounds 1, 2, and 3, but don’t feel obligated to use those sets of questions – teachers are encouraged to select any questions from the question bank or write their own to cover the topics that would be most helpful for their class to review.
  • Copy/paste questions from the question bank into the sample question sheet to add or replace questions – just make sure not to copy the answers over too!
• Before handing out the question sheets, review the game format below and allow students a chance to ask questions. Be sure they are prepared with materials (calculators, pens/pencils, scratch paper, periodic tables, etc.).
• Students will be walking around the room to get their answers checked, and the game is speed-based, so there may be an inclination to run to get to the teacher first – encourage students not to run and to make sure that walkways are clear and unobstructed to minimize tripping hazards.
• Chemical structures in the question banks were created with MolView, and other diagrams were created with Chemistry Figures.

Game Format

• Ideal group size is 2–3 students. Groups may be assigned or self-selected as desired, though heterogeneous grouping can be beneficial. (Picking a team name is suggested but not required.)
  • Students are to select roles such as “reader,” “recorder,” and “checker,” to help keep each member of the team focused and engaged. These can be adjusted depending on the size of the groups. Students should rotate through different roles each round so that each student is responsible for different tasks throughout the game.
• There will be three rounds of questions, each round getting progressively more difficult and containing fewer total questions. Each round will likely take longer to complete than the previous one. Adjust the number of questions in each round as desired.
  • Round 1 – consists of 7 questions, primarily basic recall, fairly quick to answer.
  • Round 2 – consists of 5 questions, moderate difficulty with more application.
  • Round 3 – consists of 4 questions, more complex multistep problems.
• Distribute the question sheet for Round 1 to all groups so students cannot see the questions.
• Once all groups have their question sheets, tell students they may begin answering questions within their groups.
• When a group believes they have completed all the questions correctly, one member of the group should bring their answer sheet to the teacher, who should be centrally located as best as possible to minimize any advantage for groups that are closer to the teacher.
  • As other groups finish, their student representatives should form a line to get their answers checked.
• If a group does not get all questions correct, send them back to fix their answers, and check the next group’s answers. (To make it easier, tell students which question(s) they got wrong; to make it more challenging, make them figure it out themselves.)
• Once all groups are done (or after a suitable amount of time has passed), quickly review the correct answers and award points (details below) before resetting for the next round.
• Between rounds, encourage students to use the student handout to reflect and make notes on what they might need to study more on their own.

Awarding Points

• In the sidebar, there is a download containing “flask points” that can be printed and given to students as they earn points throughout this game to help keep score. If desired, print several copies of the document, cut apart the flasks, and distribute the appropriate points to each group at the end of each round. Have students put their names or initials on the back of their flasks.
  • A “Final Flask” certificate is also included on the last page of this document – consider posting it in your classroom after the points have been tallied to celebrate the winners!
• Below are some suggested point values for each round, but teachers can adjust as they see fit:
  • Round 1 – Award 3 points for the first group to get all the correct answers, 2 points for the second group, 1 point for the remaining groups.
  • Round 2 – Award 4 points for the first group to get all the correct answers, 3 points for the second group, 2 points for the third group, and 1 point for the remaining groups.
  • Round 3 – Award 5 points for the first group to get all the correct answers, 4 points for the second group, 3 points for the third group, etc.
• Consider having a prize for the group with the most points after all three rounds – ex: a small toy/candy, bonus points on an assignment, a homework pass, etc.

Modifications

• Put a time limit on each round so groups can only work until the timer ends.
• Use the question banks to replay the game multiple times with new questions.
  • Select questions related to specific topics/units for a targeted review, or use questions from all categories to review topics from throughout the school year.
• Use questions from the question bank in a Jeopardy-style format (templates available online).
• Award points based on the number of correct answers, rather than how quickly groups get the correct answers (more like a trivia competition). In this case, groups will not need to come up to the teacher to get their answers checked. Instead, they may swap papers with another group and score each other’s answers as the teacher provides the correct answers.
• Award bonus points for students who volunteer to share/explain their answers for more complex questions (showing work on the board, if appropriate).
• Change how many points are assigned per round.
• Add or remove questions from rounds to adjust the pace of play.
• Have students write their own questions to challenge other groups.
• Award bonus points for good sportsmanship, encouraging a classmate, catching errors, etc.