Your New Favorite Biology Review Game (And How To Play!)

Let me introduce you to your new favorite Biology review game – SPLAT!

I think we can all agree… reviews are such an important part of the learning process.

As much as we hope that everything “clicks” with our students after just 1 lesson – that isn’t usually the case.

We need to revisit the key information multiple times for it to stick.

And so – we do Biology reviews.

Reviews don’t have to be boring (for you, or your students)!

Today, I’m going to explain how to play my favorite Biology review game.

Not only is it fun, it is rigorous. And it really helps our students solidify their understanding.

Let’s talk about SPLAT review!

Shop SPLAT Review

The word “SPLAT”! is written inside a blue paint splatter. Below, there are three check mark bullet points that say, “No prep for you; Rigorous; Fun for you & your students.”

How to set up SPLAT Biology review game

Before we get into how the game works, let’s talk about set up.

I’m going to say the words every teacher wants to hear…

…this game is pretty much NO prep!

It is super straightforward. There are 3 parts to setting up SPLAT review:

Teacher statements – print 1 set
Game slides – present on your board
Student worksheet – copy 1 per student

That’s it!

A sheet of teacher statements for SPLAT is on a clipboard with a pen on top of it. Text to the right of the clipboard says, “The teacher has a list of 20 statements to read out.”

Before printing, read through the teacher statements & check they are suitable for your students.

E.g. If we are playing Cell Organelles SPLAT review, we may wish to reduce the number of organelles for lower grades.

The statements are editable so we can ensure they perfectly match our standards.

Tip: Do you have 1:1 devices in your classroom? You lucky duck! Go ahead and assign the student worksheet digitally. There is a Google Slides version in color for this.

Alright, now the setup is done… Let’s play!

Play SPLAT Biology Review Game

Text at the top says, “Load up the game slides and explain the rules”. Below is an image of the Cell Organelles SPLAT game on a whiteboard, showing a variety of illustrated organelles and named organelles in text.

SPLAT is a whole class Biology review game. That means everyone is playing the same game together.

Here’s an overview of how it works.

The class is split into two teams.
One player from each team comes up to the board at a time.
Players stand with their backs to the board.
The teacher reads a statement.
Players turn around and race to splat the correct answer, by saying “SPLAT!” and touching the answer.
A scorekeeper tallies the points.

A clipart image by Emma the Teachie depicts a teacher reading from a clipboard. There is a speech bubble beside her, and she is saying, “This organelle contains the pigment chlorophyll… and go!”

There are a few more details in the game slides, including ideas on how to take turns.

Tip: Do a couple of practice rounds, so students understand the rules.

One rule I like to include is that if students turn around before I say go… they lose their turn.

If they turn around before hearing the whole statement, they may have missed vital information (just like in a test when students try to answer before reading the entire question)!

So I think this rule helps teach a vital skill.

The image shows two students standing at a whiteboard that has Cell Organelles SPLAT loaded on it. They are playing the game, with the student on the right touching their answer and saying, “SPLAT!”. Text below the image says, “Students race to SPLAT the correct answer!”.

And while it isn’t a rule, I like to model good behavior when showing students how to “SPLAT” the board.

They do not need to whack the board!

Tip: Are you using a TV instead of a board? Instead of students splatting with their hands, consider using feather dusters, jumbo pipe cleaners, or even a pool noodle cut in half!

Text at the top says, “An engaging review that gets students thinking!”. Below is an image of five students sitting at individual desks, smiling. There is a speech or thought bubble coming from each students’ head, saying things like, “I think it’s… ribosome?” and “It’s got to be vacuole”.

If the first student to SPLAT is incorrect, then the other student has time to choose their answer.

And if they are both wrong, anyone can SPLAT next!

The person who gets it right first wins 1 point for their team.

Rotate to the next pair.

There are 20 statements, so everyone will get a turn!

You can even cycle through them again, with different students answering the statements. This helps to solidify their knowledge.

Review with the student worksheet

Text on the left says, “A student summary worksheet to use after the game!” and an arrow points to two pages of student worksheets with evolution statements on them.

While this Biology review game is almost guaranteed to be a student favorite, we know there are some students who practically fall asleep no matter how engaging the lesson is…

So it’s important to check individually what our students understand.

Enter our student summary worksheet!

Now is the chance for our students to answer each statement on their own.

Tip: Once completed, the student summary worksheet can be used as a helpful study guide.

Text at the top says, “Answer slides for the summary worksheet”. There is a desktop computer below, with an answer slide for photosynthesis and cellular respiration SPLAT review on it.

After students have finished the worksheet, go through the answer slides.

These are animated, so you can whizz through them, or ask for student input before clicking to reveal the answer.

Tip: Get students to swap worksheets and peer mark each other’s answers. I tell them they’ll be swapping at the start, so it makes them more accountable.

Pssst. There is an early finishers task included on the worksheet!

You can use this if you have extra time left.

Ready to try my SPLAT Biology review game?

A photograph of a classroom shows a teacher in a white shirt and black cardigan high fiving a young student in a t-shirt. There are other students in the background.

Hopefully you’ve gotten an overview of how this Biology review game works.Do you need a break from lesson prep?We all do!So go ahead and try my done-for-you SPLAT review in your classroom.And enjoy an evening off, knowing you’ve got a fun review planned for tomorrow.I’ve got lots of SPLAT reviews for different units of Biology:

View SPLAT Review Games

Once you’ve played, let me know.

I love hearing your feedback on resources.

Happy splatting my teachie friend!