This document provides descriptions of various revision activities teachers can use with students, including: using mini-whiteboards or hand signals for quick questions; having students create songs to remember key facts; turning quizzes into engaging PowerPoints with images; competitive drawing games like Pictionary; an A-Z activity where students think of related words for each letter; having students teach parts of a topic to the class; and more interactive games and assessments to boost engagement like Splat, Taboo, storytelling, Blockbusters, and carousel questions.

1. Top Revision Activities

2. Show me the answer!
Using mini-whiteboards, true/false cards, hand
signals, different coloured cards etc. pupils
must show you the answer to a series of
questions
Answer!
Good for revising
definitions.

3. Create a Song
Ask the students to take the tune to a well-
known song and re-write the lyrics to help
remember the key facts they need to
remember for a topic. Great for homework
or as a collaborative task.

4. Quizzes
Rather than 20 dull questions on a knowledge
test, turn it into a PowerPoint with supporting
answer sheet
Include a picture round, sequencing tasks,
which is the odd one out, linking words to
definitions etc…
Use images and humour to boost engagement.
Include a range of questions – basic ones to
build confidence and really tough lateral thinking
style tasks to challenge knowledge, skills and
understanding.

5. Pictionary
e.g. Give students concepts/ideas/things to
draw whilst others have to guess what they
are
Can divide group into
teams to make it
competitive
Alternative – short list of
concepts/ideas and
students have to draw in
books or on mini-whiteboard and
then feedback their
thinking/explanation.
Good to give a quick review of
a topic, before revising in more
depth.

6. A-Z
Ask the students to write out the alphabet
and for each letter they must think of a
specific word related to a topic.
Give rewards for more precise / technical
facts or vocabulary.

7. Pupil as Teacher
e.g. One (or more?) pupil is the teacher.
• They have to summarise the lesson (unit) and
question the class on what was studied.
• Can give different groups different aspects of the
topic.
• Can be creative

8. Instructions for success
e.g. Write down the main learning
points of a topic.
If you could only take this piece of paper
into the exam. What would you write
on it?

9. Splat
 Put a range of words and numbers on the board
relating the topic being revised
 Ask two students to compete to be the first to
“splat” the word when you read out the relevant
definition
 A good fast paced activity that goes well at the
end or start of a lesson and uses competition to
increase engagement
 Easy to differentiate because you can reword
the definition depending on which students are
taking part.

10. Taboo
Students have to describe a key word
without using that word (it is taboo!).
(could do it in teams, pairs, whole-class)

11. Story-Time
Re-tell today’s lesson/ learning as a
story. Ensure you have a
beginning, a middle and an end.
Develop through genres i.e.
Fable
Sci-fi
Thriller etc.

12. Blockbusters
Set up a Blockbusters
style grid using
appropriate
key terms/names/places
etc. from the
lesson or
unit
Can I have a
‘P’ please Bob
No
http://www.teachers-
direct.co.uk/resources
/quiz-
busters/subjects/ks2.a
spx

13. Evaluation
Tree
Ask students where they feel they
are on the tree in relation to the
lesson or topic.
Can be used repeatedly to
articulate progress/problems.
Could print out on A3/A2 and get
students to put post-it notes on
with their name.
Could give to individuals and ask
them to write on where each
aspect of the topic would lie.
Good to use before planning
whole class revision, as can use to
create groups with different foci
etc.

15. Carousel questions – works well
with 6th
form or K.S.4 students
• Split the class into 8 groups, and have 4 groups on each side of the
classroom.
• Have the same questions for each half of the class – so you are only doing
4 different pieces of sugar paper times 2.
• Stick 2 exam questions onto sugar paper for each group, and put on their
table.
• They have the time it takes for a music track to play – something chilled! –
to complete the questions – show on media player so that they know how
long they have left.
• When the music has finished the groups move on to the next question (or
you can move the paper if you prefer.)
• Play another music track (or part of) - students add to/ correct the answer of
their new question etc. or justify why it is the correct answer.
• Keep going until groups have seen 4 pieces of sugar paper, and therefore
all questions.
• Give out the mark schemes for the questions. Group mark the question in
front of them and feed back.
• CAN SCALE THIS DOWN IF YOU WANT.