Vocabulary Activities
Activity
Explanation
Heads Up
Either purchase the app or stay low-tech and write vocabulary words on
cards. To play, one student holds the word above their head while the other
gives them clues to help them guess it.
Picture It
Need paper folded into squares. Students write vocabulary words at the
bottom of each square and then draw a picture to illustrate the word. Older
students can use a word web. You can also do this as a collage project.
Dance Line
Two rows of students, with space between them for the word dancer. With
music on, student says a word, then defines it as they dance through.
Continue with all the other students. Can also work if students come up with a
dance move to signal the word. Then the teacher can eventually take the
movement and students can say and define the word when they see it.
Funny
Fortune
Assign one or two words to each student. Explain that they should first look up
the word, then write a one-sentence fortune using the words. Before students
place their fortunes in a box, they underline the two words. Have students
take turns picking a fortune, reading it to the class and discussing the
meaning of the underlined word(s).
For example: Things will go well for you today and you'll be blissful.
It will be sunny today—just radiant.
Musical
Words
With music on, students dance around a defined area, when music stop the
teacher says “Turn to the person next to you and tell them what _________
means.” Start the music and do it again.
Match Up
One student or part of the group is given words or pictures; another student or
part of group has the definitions. They must try to find a match up in a certain
amount of time.
Charades
Given a vocabulary word, a student must act it out until someone guesses it.
Word Poster
Before reading give students groups one vocabulary word, explaining what it
means, then they need to create a poster that explain is with pictures and/or
words. Share when done and display around the room.
Board Game
Given a paper with a blank game board, students create a game like Chutes
and Ladders, Vocabulary words appear in some of the spaces and
consequences or blanks in others. Students roll the dice, move, then either
define the word or take a consequence. If a word is defined successfully, the
student gets another turn. Keep playing until a player reaches the end goal.
Line it Up
Students are given or write vocabulary words on blank cards. Game leader
instructs students to “Put the word that means ______ first.” Keep going for
the second, third, etc. When all words are lined up, read off the word and the
correct order as students check the line.
Jeopardy
Player or teams are given a definition then must answer 1st using the correct
word. Keep score.
Balderdash
Start with a pile of word cards with words is in a center stack. Group #1 draws
a word and creates 3 fake definitions for it. Their goal is to get Group #2 to
vote for one of their fake definitions. Group #1 reads their made-up
definitions along with the real definition to Group #2. Group #2 must then
guess which is the real definition. Teams switch jobs from round to round.
Can be played with more than two teams.
Re-Write a
Story
Given a list of the vocabulary words, a student or team must rewrite the read
aloud story without using any of the vocabulary words. Alternately, students
could rewrite the story using vocabulary words that are challenging synonyms
for those that were used in the story. (E.g. if ‘great’ was used in the story
often, maybe one of the vocabulary words is ‘excellent’ or ‘stupendous’)
Creative
Writing
Students write an original story that integrates vocabulary words. It can also
be fun to have them draw some fun/goofy nouns or adjectives (hippo and
slippery) to give them some ideas.
Picture
Interpretation Students draw a picture of one of the vocabulary words. After they’re done
they put all their drawings of the different words together on the floor or on a
wall. There should be a word bank on the wall so that students can see which
words might be in the picture. Then they take turns guessing which picture
represents which word. (Obviously the student who drew the picture doesn’t
help with guessing which word goes with their picture.)