Are You Smarter

Than a 5th Grader

You’ve seen the hit T.V. Game show “Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader,” now you can play it in your class. 

Getting Contestants: 

In the beginning of the year, I have parents and other people sign up to be “Mystery Contestants” for our game show.  I usually play every two weeks on a Thursday afternoon.  Prior to their arrival, I send them a reminder letter asking for hints that I can give the class (this idea was adapted from Mrs. Newingham’s Mystery Readers).  On the day of the game, I give the kids the hints and they try to guess who the guest is. 

Where to Get Questions: 

I use a lot of curriculum questions but also from the book Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader Companion Book.  One of my students gave it to me as a gift last year. 

Playing the Game: 

I found the powerpoint template to the game online.  After making a couple minor adjustments, so that I had a money score for both the students and the contestant, I found that it worked perfectly for how I would use it.  To begin, I make sure that the contestant and all the students all have a mini-whiteboard to write their answer down on.  I read the question from the grade and subject level that the contestant chose and give everyone about 30-45 seconds to write their answer down.  To figure out which student will answer, I pull a number.  The student whose number I picked stands up and shows everyone their answer.  The contestant than shows their answer.  If the contestant and student get it right, I click on the next box to show how much money they have.  If they get it wrong, I don’t click any money boxes.  If one or the other gets it right, I click on the corresponding money box.  The contestant and the students can only earn up to $1,000,000 if they don’t get any questions wrong.  We continue to play until the very last question to get the final score which will go up on our scoreboard for the entire year. 

Determining the Winner: 

The team that has the highest money score is the winner.  If the contestant beats the students, I take a picture of them holding a sign that says “I am Smarter than a 5^th Grader.  If they have the same score, the sign will say “I am just as smart as a 5^th Grader” and if they score lower than the students, the sign will say “I am NOT smarter than a 5^th Grader”.  These pictures will go onto our bulletin score board with the picture and the score of the game. 

Score Sheets For Bulletin Board

Sign-up Sheet

Background and pictures from PC Crafter