Hemoglobin Hustle: An Adaptation of Race for the Hat

By Beth Acton, John Abbott College

At a Glance

Discipline

  • STEM
  • Biology

Instructional Level

  • College & CEGEP

Course

  • 101-110-AB Introduction to Pathophysiology - Topic Blood & Blood Disorders

Tasks in Workflow

Social Plane(s)

  • Group
  • Whole Class

Type of Tasks

  • Discussing
  • Analyzing

Technical Details

Useful Technologies

  • Requires a computer and podium to project the questions and answers.

Class size

  • Small (20-49)

Time

  • Single class period (< 90 mins)

Inclusivity & Accessibility

  • Variety of representations
  • Variety of action & expression

Instructional Purpose

  • Application & knowledge building
  • Assessment & knowledge refinement
  • Problem sets & questions

Overview

A kinesthetic Jeopardy-like gamification of class content. Students are put in groups and given a time limit to answer a question. Students must submit their answer to the ‘hat’ before time runs out. The whole class then discusses the answer before moving on to the next question.

This particular adaptation uses questions focused on components of the blood, but the activity can easily be adapted to any topic.

Note: Beth Acton adapting Francesca Theriault’s Race for the Hat. Thank you to Francesca Theriault for her kinesthetic twist on Jeopardy.

Instructional Objectives

Students will apply their knowledge of blood physiology and pathophysiology by answering review questions about the topic.

Workflow & Materials

Workflow

Activity Workflow

View on CourseFlow
Document

Template for Jeopardy Scoresheets

Beth Acton

Video

Jeopardy Theme Song

Beth Acton

Document

Blood and Blood Disorders Jeopardy PPT

Beth Acton

Document

Template for Jeopardy Answer Cards

Beth Acton

Contributor's Notes

Benefits
Challenges
Tips
Benefits
  • Provides the students with a fun and kinesthetic activity to review the concepts they covered in their readings.
  • Working together in groups allows them to learn from each other.
  • Reviewing the correct answer(s) to each question provides the teacher an opportunity to correct, consolidate and expand on concepts using just-in-time teaching.
Challenges
  • The competitive nature of the activity can result in emotions running high with some students arguing for points.
  • The teacher needs to be prepared to explain and elucidate reasons for correct and/or incorrect answers.
  • The teacher must also be prepared to give a zero on a question if students are late submitting their answer.
Tips
  • Questions can be either multiple-choice or short answer and can have more than one answer.
  • Bring paperclips with you and clip the answer cards for each question together; this will save time on card sorting when grading the answer cards.
  • The time available for each question can either be standard or varied for each question as long as a timer is clearly indicated on each question (a timer is on each question slide in the provided template).
  • Students should be provided with a copy of the questions following the activity so they can be used for independent review.

Applied Strategies

Game-Based Instruction & Gamification

Engagement and motivation

Just in Time Teaching (JiTT)

Feedback based instruction

Flipped Classroom

Preparation for the classroom

Related Activities

General

Race for the Hat!