Submitted by Teri Emberton, Hamburg, Iowa
Idea posted October 14, 2002
My 6th grade music students have a patriotic music unit every year. Instead of a unit test, we play "Patriotic Music Jeopardy."
We have three categories: States, Presidents, and Patriotic Potpourri. Questions are written on index cards and are given a "monetary" value. Students ring in on resonator bells and get to pick the next category (e.g. "states for 400"). Our unit always includes "50 Nifty United States" and "Song of the Presidents." It also includes all the familiar patriotic music ("God Bless America," "The Star-Spangled Banner," "America," etc.). Questions are written by me prior to the game. You can use any you want, but questions like "Who succeeded Lincoln as President?," "How many of our states start with the letter M?," or "What 2 colors are mentioned in the first verse of 'America The Beautiful?'" are just a few examples. This game also calls for a timekeeper and a scorekeeper.
The 6th graders think it's a lot more fun than a test. My high school students still ask to play it once in a while.