Vocabulary Activities: (compiled by Mekel Bromley)

Transcription

1 Vocabulary Activities: (compiled by Mekel Bromley) Ball Toss: Any soft ball may be used to practice vocabulary and answering questions. The teacher simply tosses the ball to a student and asks a question. For example: Teacher What is a pear-shaped fruit? Student It is a fig. The student then tosses the ball back to the teacher who repeats the process. After several students, the teacher may then ask the student to toss the ball to another student and ask the question. Battleship: The students are each given a game board. Students write one letter of each of their vocabulary words in one box at a time anywhere on their game board. For example, 4 boxes in a row would be for the word lamp. When the boards are completed, the students pair up and play "Battleship". One student calls out coordinates (letter, number) and the other checks that against his board to see if anything has been hit. If not, the student says "miss". If so, the student says "hit". Players continue to take turns calling coordinates until a whole word is sunk. Then that player calls out, You sank the word. At the end of the playing time, whoever has sunk the most words on the other players card, is the winner. Vocabulary Bingo: "Vocab-O!" This game can be played for any vocabulary unit. Write/post each vocabulary word on the whiteboard and have them choose one word at a time to write in each square, along with drawing a picture for that word. Instruct the students to select each square at random so that not all the students bingo boards are exactly the same. For the extra squares, have students put in words from last week s vocabulary list as a review. Charades: One student acts out a vocabulary word or action and the other students try to guess the word. Whoever guesses the word gets to be the next person to act out a word.

2 " Says" (like Simon says): Play this game when learning vocabulary words that are verbs. Call out a command, such as "(teacher s name) says, swoop around the room" and students can pretend to move that way if they hear "teacher/student says". I Have, Who Has: Prepare a set of folded notecards (enough for each student) which have the phrase I have on the outside of the card and Who has? on the inside of the card. On the lines, program them with the vocabulary word on the front and the request for the antonym, synonym, or definition on the inside. For example: I have eager (on card front), Who has the synonym? (on the inside). The matching student s card would have I have excited. (on the front/outside) Who has howling? (on the inside) and so forth Play the game several times, encouraging students to respond faster each time. Then students can trade cards with one another and try to beat their time. Flyswatter Game: Attach pictures or vocabulary words to the board or wall. Two students, each with a flyswatter or rolled up newspaper, stand approximately six feet away from them. The teacher calls out a vocabulary word and the first student to slap the correct word receives a point. Musical Chairs: Set up a row or circle of chairs and put a vocabulary word or its definition on each chair. Play some music and when you stop it, students run to a chair and read their word. Students get a point (or keep the word card) if they can identify the correct word or definition. The student with the most points or cards, at the end of the playing time, is the winner. Pictionary: Write vocabulary words on individual cards. Divide the class into two teams. One person from one team chooses a card. He or she has 60 seconds (or other time determined by the teacher) to illustrate the word on the board, without saying anything or making any gestures. The rest of the player s team should shout out answers, in the target language, until they give the right answer. If they do, they get one point. If they do not, the other team gets ONE guess to earn the point for themselves. The turn passes to the next team. Skit or Role Play: Write a simple skit incorporating the vocabulary you are covering or use the vocabulary words in context with the story they are reading that week. Two person skits work well Ie it is easy to pair the students. It is best to start with short phrases and simple vocabulary. For example:

3 Student 1: I will tell you a story about three little figs. Student 2: It is not figs! Figs are a fruit. Practice the vocabulary as a group, and then give the students time to practice in pairs. After about minutes, have the students present their skits to the class. Slapjack: Students pair up and each pair receives a set of cards with the desired vocabulary, words, pictures, or the definitions. Instruct the students to spread the cards out face up. The teacher calls out a vocabulary word and the first student to slap the card gets to keep it. The student with the most cards wins the game. TPR: (Total Physical Response) This method requires students to DO something physical to demonstrate comprehension of the language. The teacher first models the correct response for each word or phrase. For example, with weather phrases such as It is raining they pantomime putting up an umbrella; It is cold they wrap their arms around themselves; with emotions, they show a face demonstrating that feeling. Vocabulary Sing-along: Create songs to simple tunes for students to learn their vocabulary words, along with their definitions, antonyms, or synonyms. Try to incorporate the words in context with the story in which they are found. For example: (tune: Miss Lucie Had a Baby) Ant s brother read a story, He said figs instead of pigs. A fig is just a pear-shaped fruit which grows on a small tree.

4 A B C D E F G H I J

5 Ant and the Three Little Figs (tune: Miss Lucie Had a Baby) Ant s brother read a story. He said figs instead of pigs. A fig is just a pear-shaped fruit which grows on a small tree. Ant quickly told his brother the words he said were wrong. Quickly means to do with speed and the opposite is slowly. Ant gave his brother one last chance to say the words just right. Chance means the possibility of something happening. Ant s brother finally said it pigs and finally means the end. He said it right eventually which basically means the same. Ant s brother told him anytime he d read to him again Anytime means at any time but Ant just went out to play.

6 The little girl didn t like to read Like to read, like to read; The little girl didn t like to read. She thought it was boring. Boring means not interesting, Interesting, interesting. Boring means not interesting. Exciting is the opposite. Reading is an ad-venture, adventure, adventure. Reading is an adventure; that means it s interesting! Come Back, Jack (tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb) She searched for Jack in the book, in the book, in the book She searched for Jack in the book; that means she looked for him. Jack rolled down a steep, steep hill, steep, steep hill, steep, steep hill Jack rolled down a steep steep hill; That means a very high slope. Nimble means to move quickly, move quickly, move quickly Nimble means to move quickly So over the candlestick he jumped.

7 The Library (tune: Yankee Doodle) Elizabeth Brown went to town to get herself a book. She was very nearsighted, so she could see things closely. (chorus) Elizabeth Brown, keep it up, Never stop reading Went to the library everyday A building with some books. Her reading was incredible; that s the same as amazing. She manufactured library cards; That means that she made them. She tutored others for some pay; That means to teach privately. She filled out a donation form to make her books a gift.

8 Story Hour Starring Megan (tune: Do You Know the Muffin Man? ) Megan s mom s the librarian, the librarian, the librarian Megan s mom s the librarian who works in a library. Megan is the assistant, the assistant, the assistant Megan is the assistant which is the same as a helper. Megan tried to calm him down calm him down, calm him down, Megan tried to calm him down when Nathan cried a lot. Megan was very patient, patient, patient Megan was very patient She waited and was calm. Reading Fly Up High was a great surprise, a great surprise, a great surprise Reading Fly Up High was a great surprise. They looked at her with amazement. She didn t make one mistake, One mistake, one mistake She didn t make one mistake So she read without an error.

9 Tomas and Unit 1 Review (tune: She ll Be Coming Down the Mountain) Tomas is eager to read new stories, yes he is. Tomas is eager to share those stories, yes he is. Eager means you want to do something very, very much and the synonym for eager is excited. The man in the story was stuck to a thorny tree. The man in the story was stuck to a thorny tree. The word thorny means covered with very sharp points and the opposite of thorny would be smooth. The tree in the story was enormous, yes it was. The tree in the story was enormous, yes it was. The word enormous means it was quite large and very huge And the opposite of enormous would be tiny. The tree in the story shades the ground. The tree in the story shades the ground. The word shades means it covers with tree-shaped darkness and tall buildings can shade a sidewalk too. Reading books made Tomas clever, yes it did. Reading books made Tomas clever, yes it did. The word clever means you are very, very smart and it helps you to come up with a plan.