Word Games for an Elementary Classroom
Word games engage students and break the monotony of every day classroom routines while teaching sound patterns and spelling. Traditional games such as word searches, hangman and flash cards help students sound out and memorize spelling words. Teachers can also play interactive games with the entire classroom.
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A Clap, A Tap, A Sound
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Children learn language by sequencing sounds. Teachers can play a sequencing game to teach younger elementary students how to put together sounds and patterns. For "A Clap, A Tap, A Sound," students sit in a circle with their eyes closed. The teacher performs one sound, such as a clap of hands, a knock on a hard surface or a whistle blow, followed by two, and then multiple sounds. Students should raise their hands when they know the sound(s), but not blurt out the answers. This will allow them to process the sounds and provide an opportunity for students who have trouble differentiating.
Word Toss
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The teacher will need a shower curtain liner or bed sheet, a permanent marker, a beanbag or other small object and index cards for this game. Before the game begins, the teacher draws a grid on the liner or sheet with a permanent marker. The teacher writes vocabulary words on index cards and places them on the different sections of the grid. The classroom is divided into teams. Students toss the small object onto the gird and say the word that it lands on. Each student has two chances to say the word and receives a point if he says it correctly. If he does not say the word correctly, the other team has one chance to say the word.
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Vocabulary Concentration
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Teachers can use each week's vocabulary words to play this game by writing each word on an index card and its definition on a separate card. The teacher divides the students into small groups to play "Vocabulary Concentration," giving each group a set of both the vocabulary and definition cards. The team that correctly matches the words to their definitions the fastest wins.
Online Games
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Online games turn learning into an enjoyable activity for students. Teachers can find word games by doing an Internet search. One example is "Word Safari," a free game that allows teachers to use their own vocabulary words or let the game choose words for them. Students must maneuver a boy with balloons through the sky to collect letters for the word without grabbing the wrong letters along the way. When all vocabulary words are answered correctly, the student wins the challenge.
Physical Education Word Games
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Word games are not limited to the classroom. Students can play word games like "Around the World" basketball in physical education. Teachers should divide the classroom into groups according to how many basketball hoops the school gym has. A student must spell a vocabulary word before taking a shot. After three misspelled words, the student is out. The game is played until only one person is standing.
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References
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