Teachnet contributor, Kathie Anderson (1st grade teacher, Sioux City, Iowa) wrote in to share how she hosts "Who Wants to be a Winner!" in her classroom:

I type questions from the most recent story we are working on for shared reading in our first grade class. I cut the questions apart and put them in a small box. Then we play "Who Wants to be a Winner!"

I divide the class into two teams. Each team gets three options, each of which can only be used once during the game. I write the three options on the board. When the team uses an option, it is erased. The options which the team can use are: pass, ask a friend on their team or ask the whole class.

To start the game, I pick a number. The team which chooses a number closest to mine, gets to start first. The first player on the team chooses a question question from the box without looking at the question. The player then reads the question and decides if s/he knows the answer. If the player does not know the answer, s/he may pick an option. If the child passes, the player whose turn it is next, can have a chance at answering the question. If the pass option is used, it is then erased and cannot be used again by that team.

When all the options are used by a team, the players must try to answer their own question even if they don't know it. When all the questions are gone, the game is over. The teams get one point for each question and the team with the most points win. Of course you must ask the player, "Is that your final answer?" The kids love this game!