Building vocabulary is an important component of comprehension. Bradley (2024) suggests five vocabulary games to assist in the retention of vocabulary taught:
A to Z
- Working in small groups, students write down a word related to a particular topic beginning with each of the letters in the alphabet.
- For example words related to seasons might include: autumn, bulbs, climate, dust storms, elliptical orbit, freezing, growth, heat, ice, January, Kelvin temperature scale, lightning, meteorology, etc.
Articulate
- Write one word on each card for all the words the students have studied on a particular topic.
- A selected student takes a card and provides a definition while the other students in the group try to guess the word.
- For example, the word on the card might be autumn and the student might say, “A time of the year when leaves fall off the trees.”
Just One
- Write one word on each card for all the words the student have studied on a particular topic.
- Place of the 5 words on the desk.
- One person in the group turns away while a card is chosen.
- The other people in the group write either a synonym or a related word on a mini-whiteboard.
- The selected student turns around and after reading the words on the whiteboards tries to determine the related word from the group of five.
- For example, the chosen word might be weather. The students might write words such as blizzard, fog, drought, humidity, snow, precipitation, etc. on their whiteboard.
Telephone Pictionary
- Working in groups of 6-8, each student is given a piece of paper with a word that is being studied written on the top (each student has a different word). The students are given 30-45 seconds to sketch a visual representation of the word.
- The paper is then folded over, so that only the visual representation and not the original word is visible and passes the paper to the right.
- The next person writes a phrase that they think provides a definition of the word based on the visual representation that they can see. The visual representation is then folded over so only the definition can be seen and passed to the right.
- The next student sketches a visual representation based on the provided definition.
- Continue this pattern until the students have their original paper. The paper is unfolded to determine how accurate the sketches and definitions reflect the original word.
Mind Meld
- Students work in pairs. On the count of three each student says a word related to the vocabulary/topic being studies.
- On the count of three they each say another word related to the previous two words – previously used words cannot be repeated.
- Continue until both students say the same word at the same time.
Reference
Bradley, H. (2024). Five vocabulary games that build content knowledge. The Bulletin, 60, 14-15.