“Words with Friends”

This is a review game that is great for having the kids go through vocabulary that has been covered during the lesson.  You can use words/vocab that are core words as well as supplemental vocab that you have used throughout the unit.  There are a lot of variations you can use to the game but the overall idea is to get the students thinking about the vocab/definitions and figure out what the word is.  I usually use this game as a review for the human sexuality unit:

The basic plan ….  

I have done it a couple different ways:

Teacher led:  Here, I would NOT give them the list and tell them where the word will be played and then give them the definition and have them work to spell the correct word.  (Ex.  I would say “Using the ‘L’ in LOVE going down, what is the male reproductive organ?”  The students would then scramble to spell the word PENIS.  Then I would say, “Using the ‘P’ in PENIS what is one of the fluid producing glands in the male reproductive system?”.  They would scramble to create the word PROSTATE … and so on.

Student led:  Here is where I would give the students the letters and the list (with the code key) and let them go on their own.   The students receive their bag of letters (I have them laminated for reuse over the years) and a list of definitions.  For this activity I created a code key for them to follow so they would know what words get combined.  The code key is shown below:

 So basically, we start the game off together to get the first word set (LOVE) and then the rest of the words start to build off of that.

Teacher vs. student led really depends on how structured you feel you need to be with your class.  I have done both and they both work fine.  The student led is a little more planning but not too bad.  I allow them to use notes, phones, iPods, etc . . . . to look up definitions.  Ideally they use their notes to show that they have them to study for the test/quiz!  These are all terms we have covered in vodcasts and in class so they should have them in their notes. 

 Other variations:  Really the sky is the limit for this activity. 

 Crazy Crossword:  You could give them letters and have them create their own crossword graphic organizer.  Have them spell & interconnect as many words as they can and see how many they can create. 

Word races:  Say a definition & see how quick they can spell out the right word

Really this activity can be used in any unit and the kids seem to respond to it pretty good.  They seem to like finding all the letters and making the words “old school” style.

I know there are other variations that could be created, so this was just a little peek into what I have done with a “scrabble” idea.  I have a copy of the list I use with code key on it HERE if you want to check it out.

Here is a little video of a student led version: