Questimate!

Questimate! is a trivia-based app that lets users both create and answer size-estimation questions. To begin, users must identify who they are – whether they are a teacher or student – and then enter their name. If identifying as a student, users can select the topic of their game and if they want to play “solo” or with another user. In both instances, users are shown sections of a question individually, and they have to choose the different sections by tapping them to form a complete question. After creating the question, users are prompted to answer it by estimating a size comparison between the two objects they selected, and they earn or lose points based on the accuracy of their estimation. When answering, users can tap the “Power Ups” button to learn more about the objects in the question. After users have entered their answer, the correct answer is shown and users can tap the “Really?!” button to learn more about it. As users answer questions, they earn or lose points accordingly. At the end of the game, users are shown their final score, which they can share on social media.

Please Note: This app features additional options if users identify themselves as teachers when first launching the app. Also, only a limited amount of the app’s content is accessible for free. Users will have to make an in-app purchase to access additional content.

Instructional Ideas

1. As a friendly competition, teachers can create a class tournament using this app. To do so, teachers would first have to create a tournament bracket. Next, the students would play Questimate! against each other, and the winner of the game would advance in the tournament. This process would be repeated until one student was crowned class champion.
2. As an independent activity, teachers can have students play Questimate! with the goal of earning a high score. At the end of the game, students can take a screenshot of their score and email it to their teacher. If the student posted the high score, the teacher can write the student’s name on the board with his/her score, and that score becomes the score to beat.
3. Once students are familiar with the questions in Questimate!, students can create their own comparison questions. To do so, students would have to choose two objects for comparison, gather information about the two objects (e.g., average sizes, where the object is typically found, common uses for the object, etc.), and phrase a question. Next, students would then present their question to multiple classmates and let them answer it. Finally, after all the students have asked and answered their classmates’ questions, the teacher can call on students to read their question to the class, present and explain the answer, and then name the student who answered the question correctly.

Screenshots