Ideas, Inspiration, and Giveaways for Teachers
We Are Teachers
20 Meaningful Vocabulary Activities for Every Grade
These ideas are the definition of fun!
Learning new words is like adding to your writing wardrobe. Your writing becomes so much more interesting and engaging when you have more options available. These vocabulary activities work for all ages, K-12, and provide kids with a variety of learning options to help them build their own word bank.
1. Make a word map
Word maps help deepen understanding of a vocab word by relating it to other words and concepts students already know.
Learn more: Word Map/Upper Elementary Snapshots
2. Use the Frayer Model
Frayer models are a popular way to learn new words and concepts. Kids define the word in their own terms, then list facts and characteristics, examples, and non-examples.
Learn more: Southern Fried Teachin’
3. Draw vocabulary sketchnotes
Kids and teachers love sketchnotes ! Rather than writing out definitions, have students draw a sketch that sums up each word instead. It’s a lot more fun and gives kids an image for visual association and to help remember the meanings.
Learn more: Now Spark Creativity
4. Bump words along
Group vocab words together with a few other words with similar meanings and one that’s an antonym. Students identify the antonym and “bump” it to the next box, filling in the next group of words. They continue until the worksheet is full.
Learn more: Reading and Writing Haven
5. Post a Graffiti Wall
Think of a vocabulary graffiti wall like a collaborative word wall. In the classroom, post the words on the wall and have kids add sticky notes to illustrate the term (they can use words or pictures). Online, try a tool like Padlet or Google Slides.
Learn more: Digging Deeper
6. Match words to describe character
This is a terrific way to practice vocab words pulled from books you’re reading. Ask students to use various words to describe the different characters in the book and their feelings, thoughts, and actions.
Learn more: The Sassy Apple
7. Fill in words from A to Z
This vocabulary game is fun and challenging, and you can play it at any age. Choose a word, then challenge kids to come up with related words for as many letters as possible. These could be synonyms, antonyms, examples, and more. Trickier letters are worth more points!
Learn more: A to Z/Lit in Focus
8. Try Flipgrid for vocabulary activities
Forever a Teacher at Heart/Twitter
Are you on the Flipgrid bandwagon yet? It’s perfect for vocabulary activities! Have kids record a quick video for each word, using their creativity to make it fun and meaningful.
9. Battle it out in Vocabulary Jeopardy
Good vocabulary activities encourage more than just memorization of definitions. That’s why we like this Jeopardy game idea. It explores synonyms and antonyms and how words are used in real sentences.
Learn more: Not So Wimpy Teacher
10. Use RAFTs to write vocabulary stories
Writing a story using vocab words is a perennial favorite, but the RAFT method gives it a new twist. Students are assigned a Role (the point of view from which they’ll tell the story), an Audience, a Format, and a Topic. For instance, they might be an astronaut (Role) writing a postcard (Format) to their friends back home (Audience) about what they’ve seen on Mars (Topic). RAFTs are especially great for kids who claim they don’t know what to write about.
Learn more: RAFT/Teaching Writing
11. Discover the power of words
Vocabulary words take on greater meaning when students incorporate them into their daily lives. Challenge kids to use their vocab words in conversation and writing outside the language arts classroom. Use the free printable worksheet here to help them keep track of how often they use them.
12. Create graphic organizers
Colorful organizers like these are terrific vocabulary activities. Want to go digital? Have kids make a slideshow, one slide per word. They can include the same information, but instead of drawing a picture, have them find one online that illustrates the concept.
Learn more: Graphic Organizers/Upper Elementary Snapshots
13. Focus on a Word of the Week
Give really important terms the attention they deserve. Choose a new vocab word each week, then explore it in depth day by day.
Learn more: Lit In Focus
14. Join the Million Dollar Word Club
Post a list of target vocab words. If a student uses one of the words in class (outside of vocabulary activities), they become a member of the Million Dollar Word Club! You can have them sign their name on a wall in the classroom or award a badge online. You could even develop this into a reward system for homework passes or extra credit.
Learn more: Million Dollar Words/The Sassy Apple
15. Explore shades of meaning
This is a cool idea for exploring synonyms and the slight differences that make words unique. Ask for paint sample strips at your local hardware store, or buy a clip art set . In the classroom, use these paint strips to make crafts for a bulletin board. Working in a virtual environment? Have kids print clip art strips at home or use the images to make slides or digital worksheets.
Learn more: Around the Kampfire
16. Personify a word with social media
This is one of those vocabulary activities kids will want to do over and over again! Assign each student a word and have them create a fake Facebook, Instagram, or other social media page for it. They can draw them freehand or complete a template like these from Teachers Pay Teachers . Post the images to a shared Google slideshow so other students can use them for review.
17. Play vocabulary word Taboo
In this game, the goal is for one student to get their partner to guess the word by describing or giving examples of it. The trick? There’s a list of additional words they’re not allowed to use! Let other students see the card in advance to help keep the players honest. (Flash it on a whiteboard and have the guesser face away.)
Learn more: Teaching Talking
18. Roll a die for vocabulary activities
Choose a vocab word, then have the student roll a die ( these virtual dice are handy ) to see which activity they get to complete.
Learn more: Roll a Word/Lucky Little Learners
19. Write an acrostic
Write an acrostic poem for each vocab term, using the letters to determine the first word in each line. This can get really challenging when words are longer!
Learn more: Vocab Acrostic/Upper Elementary Snapshots
20. Become a Word Collector
This is one of those picture books that grown-up kids will enjoy as much as little ones. Use it to remind your kids that they don’t need a vocabulary list to learn new words—new words are all around them. Encourage them to keep a word list or journal of their own to record new words they want to explore and use more often.
Looking for more language arts ideas? Try these 11 Essential Tips for Teaching Theme .
Plus, get all the latest teaching tips and ideas when you sign up for our free newsletters .
Jill Staake is a Contributing Editor with WeAreTeachers. She has a degree in Secondary English Education and has taught in middle and high school classrooms. She's also done training and curriculum design for a financial institution and been a science museum educator. She currently lives in Tampa, Florida where she often works on her back porch while taking frequent breaks for bird-watching and gardening.
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Gifted Youth
21 ideas for teaching vocabulary.
I’m sharing 21 ideas for teaching vocabulary. You may not be able to use all of them, but I hope you can find some ideas that will work well for you!
I’ve shared books about vocabulary instruction , as well as the theory and techniques . This post is a lot more practical. We’re all about ideas today!
I’m sharing the bare bones of the ideas here.
I’m adding lengthier explanations for some of them with more tips and fleshed-out instructions on my website devoted just to vocabulary instruction, VocabularyLuau .
You’ll see that option at the end of the idea if it’s available.
IDEA #1: Semantic Maps
In this activity, the teacher chooses a word and displays it for the class on a whiteboard, etc.
Students read the word and then think of words that come to mind when they see that word (this is awesome because it activates prior learning).
A list is created of all of the words that come to mind, and then those words are categorized.
This can be done as a whole class or in small groups.
Students then create a “map” using a graphic organizer and discuss it. Additional or substitute categories can be suggested.
As students read through the text, they can add related words to the map.
Want more details on this strategy? Get the step-by-step on VocabularyLuau .
IDEA #2: Eye Spy
Give students a list of words to search for in a text or have them find unfamiliar words.
You can award points to the words based on different criteria (longest new word, word with most consonants, etc.).
Invest in a set of inexpensive dollar store magnifying glasses to make this more game-like.
This is a great pre-reading activity.
Want more details on this strategy? Get the step-by-step on VocabularyLuau.
IDEA #3: Making Choices
Students show their understanding of vocabulary by saying the word when it applies, or remaining silent when it doesn’t.
For example: “Say radiant if any of these things would make someone look radiant.” -Winning a million dollars. -Earning a gold medal. -Walking to the post office. -Cleaning your room. -Having a picture you painted hung in the school library.
(This idea is from the book Bringing Words to Life , recommended in the books section.)
This is one of the key strategies teachers need in introducing new vocabulary. Because of that, I’ve written extensively and given a dozen examples from different texts for Kinder through 12th grade on VocabularyLuau .
IDEA #4: Sorting Hat
Use a Harry Potter theme to have students sort words into categories. They can pull them out of a hat.
If you give them the categories, it’s called a “closed sort.” If they come up with their own categories, it’s called “open sort.”
This one is so, so fun. I explain lots more about how to do it on VocabularyLuau .
IDEA #5: Word Pairs
Give students words in pairs and have them evaluate if the words are the same, opposite, go together, or are unrelated.
This strategy is terrific for building critical thinking skills along with the vocabulary.
Get even more details and variations at VocabularyLuau .
(adapted from Word Power: What Every Educator Needs to Know about Teaching Vocabulary )
IDEA #6: Linear Array
In this strategy, students use a graphic organizer that is a rectangle, three ovals, and then another rectangle, all in a line.
The word in question goes in the rectangle on the far left.
The rectangle on the far right is filled in with a word that is the opposite.
The center three ovals are filled in with words that go from the far left to the far right, gradually become less similar until they reach the opposite.
For example, microscopic, tiny, small, bigger, large.
You can see examples of the graphic organizer, more details, and lots of variations on VocabularyLuau .
(adapted from Words, Words, Words: Teaching Vocabulary in Grades 4 – 12 )
IDEA #7: Games
Many “real” games work well for vocab play and practice. Games such as Balderdash , Taboo , Scrabble , Blurt , Bananagrams , word bingo, and others are fun.
There are online games as well, such as Scholastic’s Synonym Toast .
[Note: I am a notoriously horrible Scrabble player, and every time I play I think, “English teachers should be better at this.” It’s not my favorite.]
IDEA #8: Scavenger Hunt
Have a word scavenger hunt in books, magazines, articles on the net, or in the school or home.
Don’t just go for numbers; go for unusual words, academic vocabulary, weird spellings, homophones, etc.
IDEA #9: Word Wheel
Copy and paste this image onto a sheet of cardstock and make a vocab spinner game. EisforExplore shares the whole idea here.
IDEA #10: Vocabulary Photo Album
Using a simple, inexpensive photo album, students create a visual glossary of key words.
I’ve got pictures of examples, details, and more ideas at VocabularyLuau , if you’d like to read more.
IDEA #11: Tally
Use tally marks to track words you’re trying to practice.
Mark whenever the teacher says the word in context, and mark twice when a student does.
Alternatively, you can have the tally marks be even, but play the teacher versus the class.
There’s so much more to this strategy. Learn more about how tally marks can help you teach vocabulary at VocabularyLuau .
IDEA #12: Vocabulary Relay
Print out words on one set of cards (copy this set a few times) and definitions, context, or sentences in which they could be used (fill-in-the-blank) on another set (just one set).
Jumble up the words in a pile in the middle of the floor, and jumble up the definitions, context, and sentences to keep with you. Break students into teams of five-ish.
Call out the definition/context/sentence and give students some think time (8 – 10 seconds) to talk about what word it might be.
After the discussion time, call out “Word!” One member from each team runs to the center and tries to find the word in the pile.
I like having multiple sets of the words so more than one team can get it.
Check to make sure they’re correct, and then discuss it briefly before the next round.
Note: I got this idea from another teacher’s site, but I cannot for the life of me remember where. I have searched Google for it, and can’t find it. A small prize to the person who can figure out the originator of the idea!
I’ve written quite a bit about it here, but I’ve written more (and have lots of pictures of it in play) at VocabularyLuau .
IDEA #13: Vocabulary Category Relay
This is a different relay activity than the one above, even though the names are so similar.
In this version, teams of students race to fill in words responsive to a category that start with the letters of the alphabet in order.
This can be done individually, in groups, or even as a whole class. It’s also a good one for both digital and in-person instruction.
When I wrote about it on VocabularyLuau , I shared these score sheets for digital use, as well as printable versions.
IDEA #13: Comic Strip Word Activity
I got the idea for using comic strips from This Reading Mama .
In some ways, it’s really a modified Frayer model.
I loved it so much that I started making them like crazy. It turns out that they let me get a clear glimpse into how well the students had mastered the word.
I have an entire article about this, filled with loads of ideas and resources at VocabularyLuau .
You can check out that article here (or click the image below).
IDEA #14: Paper Plate Vocab
I love this inexpensive matching game from Finding Joy in Fifth Grade , and I think students could create it themselves.
IDEA #15: Heads Up Vocabulary Game
Students hold a word on a card in front of their foreheads. The students don’t know what words they have.
Students ask each other a series of questions to determine the meaning of their word. Or, students can give students clues to the person with the word to help that person guess the word.
This is a review activity, and it’s not for initial instruction.
It’s such a favorite that I wrote a very comprehensive article about it on VocabularyLuau . There’s even a hack for printing on Post-it notes!
IDEA #16: Word Sneak
Word Sneak is a game invented by Jimmy Fallon that he plays with guests on the Tonight Show.
In the game, Jimmy and the guest each get a stack of cards with words on them that they have to work into the conversation naturally (without sounding forced or stilted).
It’s hysterical to watch and fun to play.
It’s also a great way to learn different ways to approach a word.
It’s so much fun that when I wrote the article about in on VocabularyLuau , I also included a Tonight Show backdrop you can use in class to give it an even more “real” feel.
IDEA #17: Frayer Model
The Frayer Model is an oldie-but-goodie vocab activity model in which student work in multiple ways in a specifically laid out graphic organizer to engage with words.
This is such a must-know that I wrote a (very lengthy and detailed) plan for how to use it at VocabularyLuau .
It includes downloads and printables and digital versions, as well as exactly how (and why) to use this strategy.
If you are not familiar with it, please do yourself a solid and read more .
IDEA #18: Tweet
Have students create a “tweet” that a word would send out or with the word in the tweet in context.
You can use a tool like PrankmeNot or Siminator to make it look real.
This strategy is so fun and so useful!
I’ve written about five different ways to do this (with examples) on VocabularyLuau , and I even have this free template for you there:
IDEA #19: Brain Power Words
This is a strong academic vocabulary activity that takes a little bit of time, but would really help get the words past the superficial level of understanding.
- Ask small groups of students to preview sections of a text and identify difficult words.
- For long chapters, assign different sections to different groups.
- Students place a Post-it next to the words in the text they identify as potentially difficult.
- Clues of substitution: A known word would make sense in the context and is probably a good definition.
- Clues of definition: The word is defined in the text (many textbooks do this).
- Clues of opposition: Words “not, unlike” etc. are excellent clues to what a word is not and thus help define the words.
- After the Brain Power Words list is identified and definitions sought, the students check their work with the teacher.
This strategy is from Becky McTague and Margaret Richek (it’s in the book Reading Success for Struggling Adolescent Learners by Susan Lenski and Jill Lewis).
IDEA #20: The Concept Cube
A concept cube is a pattern that is printed on paper or cardstock, cut out, folded, and taped into a three-dimensional cube.
Students write, type, or draw on the pattern prior to assembling the cube, and then they “play” with the cube to explore concepts.
Depending upon the way you choose to use it, they can be similar to a three-dimensional Frayer model .
You can print out a blank cube and have students print the responses below, or complete it online and then print it out.
Before folding, students write clearly in each square following the directions below.
Each student is given one challenging vocabulary word from a recent reading and asked to:
- Write the assigned vocabulary word in one square.
- Write a synonym (word or phrase) in another square.
- Write an antonym (word or phrase) in another square.
- Write a category or categories it could belong to.
- Write the essential characteristics of the concept of this word.
- Give one example.
Cut, fold, and tape the cube.
Roll the cube and read what comes up on the “top”; the student must tell the relationship of that word or phrase to the original word.
After students know their own cube without any errors, they exchange with a peer.
You can get more ideas and details, as well as a free printable, at VocabularyLuau .
IDEA #21: Phone a Friend
Search TeacherspayTeachers or Teachers Notebook for vocabulary activities you can use or adapt.
The beauty of this is that you can search by grade level and subject, so you can focus on what you’re studying.
A caveat to this is that if you create something grade level or content specific, you can share it with other teachers, too.
The Importance of a Variety of Activities
You want to have a variety of activities so that vocabulary instruction doesn’t become routine or boring.
Keeping it fresh with lots of different ways of learning will help students (and the teacher) avoid getting burned out or tired of working with vocabulary.
There’s been so much interest in this that I created an entire website just for vocab ideas called VocabularyLuau .
These 21 activities for teaching vocabulary are just a start. I’d love to know your ideas!
The Vocabulary Series
This post is Part 3 of a four-part series on teaching vocabulary. If you would like to check out the rest of the series, visit the posts below
- Teaching Vocabulary: The books
- Theories & Techniques that work (and don’t)
- 21 Activities for Teaching Vocabulary (this one)
- Ideas for English Language Learners
There’s even a great book for teaching vocabulary!
These ideas work for all vocabulary words.
If your students need to learn vocabulary words and terms that are specific to your content (words like acute angle or latitude or simile or biome ), have I got a book for you!
You know how I know it’s great? I wrote it! I wrote it for teachers just like you from the method I created in my own class with my own students and tested over and over.
You can learn more about it by clicking on the picture of it, or you can read more and see loads of examples here .
If you already know you want it, you can grab a paperback version on Amazon .
Or, if you want a digital copy, you can use the coupon code GIFTEDGURU for 20% off you can…
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- Read more about: Excellent Teaching
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Because differences are our greatest strength
Vocabulary words: An evidence-based literacy strategy
By Cheryl Lyon, MAT
What you’ll learn
Watch: see teaching vocabulary words in action, read: how to use this vocabulary words strategy, understand: why this strategy works, connect: link school to home, research behind this strategy.
It’s hard for students to read and understand a text if they don’t know what the words mean. A solid vocabulary boosts reading comprehension for students of all ages. The more words students know, the better they understand the text. That’s why effective vocabulary teaching is so important, especially for students who learn and think differently.
In this article, you’ll learn how to explicitly teach vocabulary using easy-to-understand definitions, engaging activities, and repeated exposure. This strategy includes playing vocabulary games, incorporating visual supports like graphic organizers, and giving students the chance to see and use new words in real-world contexts.
The goal of this teaching strategy isn’t just to increase your students’ vocabulary. It’s to make sure the words are meaningful and relevant to their lives.
Watch this video of a kindergarten teacher teaching the word startled to her students:
Explore topics selected by our experts
Objective: Students will learn the meaning of new high-value words and how to use them.
Grade levels (with standards):
- K–5 (CCSS ELA Literacy Anchor Standard L.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases)
- K–5 (CCSS ELA Literacy Anchor Standard R.4: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text)
Best used for instruction with:
- Whole class
- Small groups
- Individuals
How to prepare:
Choose the words to teach. For weekly vocabulary instruction, work with students to choose three to five new words per week. Select words that students will use or see most often, or words related to other words they know.
Before you dive in, it’s helpful to know that vocabulary words can be grouped into three tiers:
- Tier 1 words: These are the most frequently used words that appear in everyday speech. Students typically learn these words through oral language. Examples include dog , cat , happy , see , run , and go .
- Tier 2 words: These words are used in many different contexts and subjects. Examples include interpret , assume , necessary , and analyze . The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium has a partial list of Tier 2 words, broken down by grade levels.
- Tier 3 words: These are subject-specific words that are used in particular subject areas, such as peninsula in social studies and integer in math.
When choosing which vocabulary words to teach, you may want to pick words from Tier 2 because they’re the most useful across all subject areas.
Select a text. Find an appropriate text (or multiple texts for students to choose from) that includes the vocabulary words you want to teach.
Come up with student-friendly definitions. Find resources you and your students can consult to come up with a definition for each word. The definition should be easy to understand, be written in everyday language, and capture the word’s common use. Your definitions can include pictures, videos, or other multimedia options. Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary , Merriam-Webster Learner’s Dictionary , and Wordsmyth Children’s Dictionary are all good resources to help create student-friendly definitions.
How to teach:
1. Introduce each new word one at a time. Say the word aloud and have students repeat the word. For visual support, display the words and their definitions for students to see, such as on a word wall, flip chart, or vocabulary graphic organizer. Showing pictures related to the word can be helpful, too.
For English language learners (ELLs): Try to use cognates (words from different languages that have a similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation) when you introduce new words. For more information about using cognates when teaching vocabulary to ELLs, use these resources from Colorín Colorado . You can also ask students to say or draw their own definition of the words — in English or their home language — to help them understand each word and its meaning.
2. Reflect. Allow time for students to reflect on what they know or don’t know about the words. Remember that your class will come to the lesson with varying levels of vocabulary knowledge. Some students may be familiar with some of the words. Other students may not know any of them. If time permits, this could be a good opportunity to use flexible grouping so students can work on different words.
3. Read the text you’ve chosen. You can read it to your students or have students read on their own (either a printed version or by listening to an audio version). As you read, pause to point to the vocabulary words in context. Use explicit instruction to teach the word parts, such as prefixes and suffixes, to help define the word. If students are reading on their own or with a partner, encourage them to “hunt” for the words before reading. Hunting for these words first can reduce distractions later when the focus is on reading the text.
4. Ask students to repeat the word after you’ve read it in the text. Then remind students of the word’s definition. If a word has more than one meaning, focus on the definition that applies to the text.
5. Use a quick, fun activity to reinforce each new word’s meaning. After reading, use one or more of the following to help students learn the words more effectively:
- Word associations: Ask students, “What does the word delicate make you think of? What other words go with delicate ?” Students can turn and talk with a partner to come up with a response. Then invite pairs to share their responses with the rest of the class.
- Use your senses: Ask your students to use their senses to describe when they saw, heard, felt, tasted, or smelled something that was delicate . Allow students time to think. Then ask them to give a thumbs up if they’ve ever seen something delicate . Call on students to share their responses. Do the same with each of the senses.
- A round of applause: If the word is an adjective, invite students to clap based on how much they would like a delicate toy, for example. Or students can “vote with their feet” by moving to one corner of the room if they want a delicate toy or another corner if they don't. This activity works especially well if you pair the new adjective with a familiar noun.
- Picture perfect: Invite students to draw a picture that represents the word’s meaning.
- Examples and non-examples: Give one example and one non-example of how the word is and isn’t used. For instance, you could tell students that one thing that is delicate is a teacup. One thing that isn’t delicate is the cement stairs into the school. Then invite students to share their own examples of things that are and aren’t delicate .
After students do one or more of the activities above, have them say or draw the word again.
6. Play word games. Throughout the week, play word games like vocabulary bingo, vocabulary Pictionary, and charades to practice the new words. Include words you’ve taught in the past for additional reinforcement.
7. Challenge students to use new words. They can use their new vocabulary in different contexts, like at home, at recess, or during afterschool activities. Consider asking students to use a vocabulary notebook to jot down when they use the words. You can even get your colleagues or school administrators in on the fun by asking them to use the words when talking with students or in announcements. Praise students when you hear them using those words in and out of the classroom.
Rote memorization (“skill and drill”) isn't very helpful when it comes to learning new vocabulary. Students learn best from explicit instruction that uses easy-to-understand definitions, engaging activities, and repeated exposure. Teaching this way will help students understand how words are used in real-life contexts and that words can have different meanings depending on how they’re used.
This explicit approach helps all students and is especially helpful for students who learn and think differently. This includes students who have a hard time figuring out the meaning of new words when they’re reading. It can be difficult for them to make an inference or use context clues to figure out what a word means.
Explicit vocabulary instruction with student-friendly definitions means there’s no guesswork involved. Repeated exposure and practice help to reinforce the words in students’ memories.
Share with families this resource they can use at home to help students grow their vocabulary. You can model some of these strategies for families at back-to-school night or another family event.
“Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction (2nd ed.),” by Isabel L. Beck, Margaret G. McKeown, and Linda Kucan
“A review of the current research on vocabulary instruction,” from the National Reading Technical Assistance Center, RMC Research Corporation
“Building Academic Vocabulary: Teacher’s Manual,” by Robert J. Marzano and Debra J. Pickering
“Teaching Word Meanings,” by Steven A. Stahl and William E. Nagy
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About the author.
Cheryl Lyon, MAT is a PhD student in educational psychology with a focus on special education and literacy.
Reviewed by
Allison Posey, MEd, CAST, Inc. is a curriculum and design specialist at CAST.
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7 Creative Strategies To Improve Vocabulary Teaching
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How is vocabulary knowledge developed?
Effective vocabulary learning techniques, using word-learning strategies, additional vocabulary activities.
Vocabulary skills are critical to each student's academic achievement. In and out of the classroom, student success depends on grasping reading comprehension and English language development. Effective vocabulary strategies help you educate children as they learn new words.
Developmental delays, reading difficulties and infrequent exposure to new words can cause setbacks in student progress. However, most teachers agree that passive learning isn't the best way to help students grow their vocabulary skills.
What teaching strategies should you use instead to streamline vocabulary instruction?
Vocabulary is understanding how to use words in relation to their meaning . Developing new vocabulary involves more than just looking up words in a dictionary and using those words in sentences.
Students' vocabulary grows throughout their lifetime through direct and indirect learning. You can adopt direct teaching methods such as:
- Introducing specific word instruction geared toward increased comprehension and vocabulary.
- Leading wordplay activities that build upon previously learned words.
- Encouraging students to read often to boost their word knowledge and language development.
- Using the dictionary to teach word meanings and asking students to use those words in sentences during class participation.
- Utilizing Cognate Awareness (ELL) to teach kids similar words in English and other language s, such as Spanish. Cognates are two words in different languages that have similarities including spelling, meaning, and pronunciation.
- Making speaking skills a priority when learning vocabulary.
- Reading stories to your students . It helps them to question and learn specific words. Books that contain pictures may help reinforce the 'bigger' words for your students.
Deepening vocabulary skills takes a lifetime. It’s vital that students understand how to learn new words so that they don't feel singled out if they're struggling to enhance their vocabulary.
When teachers use word learning techniques and teaching strategies like dictionary use, morphemic analysis , cognate awareness and contextual analysis , students catch on quickly and can recall new words, synonyms and antonyms. Each of these components builds on their prior knowledge of other words to create their own vocabulary library.
Effective teaching strategies include various methods you can use in the classroom today:
- Expose students to the same word many times to support learning
- Give students the definition of the word and ask them to write that word in a sentence
- Use graphic organizers to define new words
- Teaching kids to be independent and learn how to correct their own errors — it's ok to make mistakes!
- Bring technology into the classroom and use digital tools suited to teaching vocabulary.
- Let students practice often
Simple and effective vocabulary strategies help your students build an impressive vocabulary. But we have more tactics to share with you!
Be sure to have a look at the comprehensive list of targeted strategies to help you teach vocabulary to your students.
1. Take a student's perspective
You understand what it's like to grow your own vocabulary — you’ve been doing it for many years! With your higher education and experience in reading and writing, there is much wisdom you can pass onto your students.
Adjust lesson plans to accommodate any problems that students encounter as they learn new words. Show them how to take a word they've never heard of before, sound it out and show its use in a sentence or two. They'll pick up on its meaning through the sentences.
One way to level-up this language technique is to take a culturally-responsive approach . And you can do this by framing new words in examples that are familiar to your students whether it's geographically, culturally or socio-economically, for example.
2. Try using a word wall
A word wall encourages kids to focus on learning new words. Word walls are easy to create! Simply type or handwrite a list of words in large letters and hang them up on a bulletin board or a wall where students can see it every day. Be sure to add new words throughout the year so that your students deepen their knowledge of unknown words and their meaning.
Invite your students to take part in creating a bigger wall and add pictures, synonyms and antonyms to each word. If they're having trouble grasping the meaning of specific words, adding synonyms can help ease confusion.
Word walls provide a fun way to increase your students' vocabulary skills.
3. Create vocabulary notebooks
Vocabulary notebooks encourage students to expand their prior knowledge and boost their English language proficiency. Hand out notebooks so that they can jot down new words and their meanings. You can motivate students to think about writing synonyms and antonyms beside each new word.
To make vocabulary notebooks more fun, ask your students to draw pictures or create charts to show how they used a word in a few sentences. It gives them an opportunity to practice that word a few times and reinforce its definition.
And speaking of opportunities, a perfect time for students to practice their language with vocabulary notebooks is during writing periods.
A regular cadence of writing periods coupled with their vocabulary notebooks will encourage students to reflect on the words they’ve learned and to actively use them in their writing to get additional practice.
These vocabulary word books remind students of their advancement. It'll help them realize just how much they've progressed throughout the year.
4. Connect word meanings with semantic mapping
Semantic mapping is a type of graphic organizer that displays a relationship between specific words and phrases.
Select one student to draw a keyword on the chalkboard. Next, encourage students to participate in creating the map and write words that are connected to the keyword. For example, a student or teacher could write the keyword "farm" on the chalkboard. Your students would take turns writing words such as cow, barn, horse, hay and farmer.
Semantic maps help build students' vocabulary and reading comprehension. Teachers can add more challenging words each week. As students grow their vocabulary, they'll become confident in their reading and writing abilities.
5. Make word cards
Word cards help students to develop their ability to learn new words and highlight their meaning. There are a few ways you can get students to create their own word cards.
In this example, students can write single keywords on separate blank cards. They'll determine if that word is a noun, pronoun, adjective or verb. Make sure they write the definition below each word. Instruct them to use those words in a few sentences, or turn the word into a quick writing prompt .
Consider putting students into small groups of two to four kids. They can help each other to develop their vocabulary by introducing keywords to each other and asking them to use those words in a sentence.
Weekly word cards support English language development and enhance reading comprehension.
6. Encourage reading comprehension
It's crucial to every student's academic success to develop reading comprehension abilities. A variety of teaching methods, combined with consistent reading assignments, should help build comprehension and vocabulary development.
Below, you’ll find a few tips to help strengthen your students' reading comprehension skills:
- Class discussion about books they're reading . Talking about books helps students to remember the stories and promotes comprehension.
- Phonics. Practicing phonics is a fun way for kids to build their vocabulary skills. Phonics helps students master sounds and differentiate between letters that sound the same as "s" and "th".
- Reading grade-appropriate books. Give your students books suited for their grade level. Books should be easy enough for kids to understand the story's meaning but challenging enough to expand their vocabulary.
- Read aloud. Get students to take turns reading aloud to help them see words and to hear them, too. They can learn how to pronounce the words as they go. Be mindful of students who might find reading aloud in front of the whole class to be daunting. If any students come to mind, it can help them to read aloud to a partner, teacher, parent or small group.
7. Use visuals and situations
When possible, use meaningful visuals in your classroom. Flashcard tools like Vocabulary Cartoons help students connect words to fun cartoons through memory techniques. This program works well from the elementary grades through to high school.
Use the following visual vocabulary teaching strategies with your students:
- If you've created a word wall, ask your students to make paper flashcards with new words and their definitions. Display the flashcards for the entire class to look at every day. Make sure you change the words each week so that they continuously learn new words and phrases.
- Turn your students into word detectives ! This fun activity gets kids to read books while searching for keywords. Hand them a list of keywords to find in the book. When they find the keywords used in sentences, encourage them to use those words in spoken and written sentences.
- Kids love art, so why not get them to create drawings to express their understanding of words? Students can form their own connections to new words through drawings, patterns, and other examples.
Make new words fun to learn! Combine visuals such as graphics and photos with auditory learning to cover a range of learning styles and make it easier for students to learn new words.
Word-learning strategies allow students to familiarize themselves with words and phrases. Instead of having partial knowledge, they'll learn the meaning of the word and any related words. Students can develop word consciousness with the help of quality reading materials and practical teaching methods.
Break down words into meaningful parts
Word parts are root words you can add a prefix or suffix to make a new word.
Allowing students to read keywords and add prefixes or suffixes helps them garner the meaning of those words based on how it's used in a sentence. Give your students opportunities to guess the meaning of word parts to support their vocabulary growth.
Word parts work best for students with a larger vocabulary.
Ask questions about a word
One way for students to learn words involves understanding the definition, how it works grammatically and its subtext. Motivate your students to ask questions such as:
- Does the word have a masculine or feminine version similar to other languages?
- How can I use the word in more than one sentence?
- Does the word have several meanings? Homonyms such as "pen" can mean an instrument to write with, or an animal enclosure.
When students deepen their word knowledge, they'll gain confidence in their ability to strengthen their vocabulary.
Reflect and practice new words
Some words are easier to learn than others. Inspire your students to test their word knowledge and determine areas where they need help. They might require assistance in boosting their confidence to use those words in sentences or to speak them with confidence. Also consider that they may not fully understand the meaning of those words.
Encourage your students to reflect regularly on new words and use them in their everyday conversations. This is where vocabulary notebooks come in handy to build word knowledge!
Bring words to life through vocabulary development activities! There are lots of fun things you can do in the classroom that encourage students to practice vocabulary.
Try these activities to boost kids' vocabulary skills:
- Guided word sorting . Give your students a list of words to sort into various categories, such as parts of speech (noun, verb, etc.), geography (cities, towns), or something they can relate to. Students develop an understanding of new words as they group them into categories. Turn word sorting into a fun game!
- Word fixes (on-purpose errors). Use a word incorrectly in a sentence and ask your students to correct the mistake. Choose one or more students to write the word correctly in a sentence and share it with the rest of the class.
- Make mind maps. Mind mapping involves the use of colored pencils and pens to create a graphic of how the keyword connects to other words, similar to the semantic map.
With these fun activities, vocabulary isn’t just another spelling quiz — it’s a core part of your instruction that supports everything else you teach.
Prodigy English is a brand-new adventure that helps students master key vocabulary skills in a world of their very own.
Every correct answer gives students more energy they can use to gather resources, craft items and build their very own village! Create your free Prodigy teacher account to track student progress, send assignments and help build a love of learning.
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Fabulously fun vocabulary activities for the classroom.
Vocabulary activities and vocabulary games a great way to expose your students to new words. Not only that but learning new words (and reinforcing their understanding of familiar words) in a fun way helps build confidence in expression and linguistic creativity. This list of vocabulary activity ideas for primary students includes individual activities, activities suitable for pair-work and whole class activities and games too!
Lower Years Vocabulary Activity Ideas
Erase a word.
In this game, you can select word lists that are related to current units, or even use it for sight word practice.
You will need:
- 3 whiteboard erasers
How to play:
- Break students into three teams, standing in lines in front of the board.
- Write three lists of words onto the board, one list in front of each team.
- On the teachers signal, the first person in each team goes up to the board and reads aloud one of the words on the list.
- If they get the word correct they erase the word and go to the back of their team’s line.
- The first team to erase all of the words on their list is the winner.
I Spy Objects Jar
This I Spy an Object Jar resource can be used in so many ways! You could provide the jar and the worksheet for students to complete individually, or you could project the PDF file up onto the board to run a whole class game of “I Spy”.
Students need to provide three different words that describe the object they choose from all of the pictures in the jar.
Middle Years Vocabulary Activity Ideas
A-z vocabulary relay race.
This is a fun, physical vocabulary game that is great to play outdoors or in a large multi-purpose area. Students play in teams, racing to complete a list of words (one for every letter of the alphabet) around a familiar topic or theme.
- pens or pencils
- Divide students into mixed ability teams of 4 – 5.
- Students stand in a line on one side of the space. On the other side of the space place a pen or pencil and tape to the ground a sheet of paper with the letters A-Z listed down the side.
- Choose a topic that the students are familiar with, that will be the theme for all of the words that the students write on their A-Z list.
- The race begins with the leader running to the paper and writing a word beginning with “A” that is related to the theme, then they run back to their team.
- Then, the next team member runs up to the paper and writes a word beginning with “B”.
- If a student cannot come up with a word, they can call a friend to help. If they still can’t come up with a word they can call the teacher for help.
- Teams continue this word relay until they have written a word for every letter with the first team to complete their word list (and have it verified by the teacher!) are the winners.
Finger Twist Up Game
In this fun game, students take a turn with the spinner and use their fingers to create a word with the initial blends and final sounds in the corresponding colored spots.
To turn this into a vocab activity, ask your students use the word they created in a sentence that makes sense. This will prove their understanding of that particular word.
You can download and print this awesome Finger Twist Up Game with a Teach Starter plan.
Upper Years Vocabulary Activity Ideas
Snake words.
In this game, students work in teams (similar to the A-Z relay detailed above) to create a word snake on the board. Students have a limited time (e.g. 10 seconds) to write their word or their team risks being eliminated.
What you need:
- 4 – 5 mixed ability teams of equal numbers
- 4 -5 different colored whiteboard markers or chalk
- a timer or stopwatch.
- Teams send their leader up to the board. Team leaders take a colored marker and stand in a line.
- The teacher begins the game by writing a letter on the board. E.g. “g”
- The first team leader writes a word beginning with that letter and must complete the word within the time limit. E.g. “galaxy” Then they hand their marker to the next person in their team.
- The second team leader uses the last letter of the previous word as the first letter of the next word, also within the time limit. E.g. “yoghurt” Then they hand their marker to the next person in their team. Note: Students write the words without spaces, in essence creating a word snake. E.g. galaxyoghurt
- If a student cannot come up with a word within the time limit they can pass to the next team member.
- Limit the number of passes each team can have. After this, the team is eliminated.
- The last team standing is the winner!
Dictionary Dig Activity Cards
This new resource is a great vocabulary activity to use during literacy rotations or as a fast finisher activity . Students can use a paperback or electronic dictionary to complete the tasks on the “Dictionary Dig” cards .
You might also like to check out these additional amazing vocabulary teaching resources !
Do you have a fun, hands-on vocabulary activity or game that your students love?
Share it with other teachers in the comments below.
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18 Valuable Vocabulary Activities for Kids
December 21, 2021 // by Kellie Tanner
Vocabulary is the foundation for language development. Vocabulary expansion plays a critical role in reading comprehension, and it is also essential to the improvement of communication skills. Expanding a child's vocabulary impacts his overall writing, reading, listening, and speaking skills which allows him to understand and connect with the world. These assignments for students will provide you with activities to help students at various grade levels achieve essential vocabulary standards.
1. Vocabulary Wheels
Students will love this engaging vocabulary activity. They can work individually or in pairs or groups to create one or two wheels to connect the vocabulary words with their definitions. Teachers can adapt this accurate matching activity for any age group to teach effective vocabulary in their classrooms. Learn about this fun activity as well as two others here.
Learn more: galariousgoods.com
2. Comic Strip Vocabulary
This fun vocabulary activity involves using a controlled vocabulary list to have students write the closest matching definition in their own words, draw a picture of the meaning, and use the word correctly in a sentence. The goal of this engaging activity is for students to correctly use vocabulary words in conversations.
Learn more: thisreadingmama.com
3. Roll A Word
This vocabulary activity is anything but boring! The Roll a Word vocabulary sheet can be used with any vocabulary words and any age level. Students will enjoy rolling a die. The vocabulary activity depends on the number the student rolls. Learn the directions for this great game here.
Learn more: southernfriedteachin.com
4. Ice Cream Scoops
This creative activity focuses on multiple word meanings. This activity is an efficient method for helping students understand that some words have different meanings based on how they are used in spoken or written language. Once students understand this, they will have an increase in vocabulary retention and expansion.
Learn more: blog.maketaketeach.com
5. Word Graffiti
This is a wonderful activity to use with your students before they read an assignment. It is definitely not a difficult task. The teacher can use a customized list of words for focus and write them on dry erase boards or large paper. The students can work individually or in groups to complete this fun and engaging activity.
Learn more: funinfourth.ca
6. Fancy Nancy
This chart is an astounding way to teach students to use context clues. The teacher is the facilitator and should model how the vocabulary word is used in the context of the story that is being read in class. The teacher will also provide examples of how the students could apply the vocabulary word in their daily lives. Learn more about the Fancy Nancy activity here.
Learn more: missdecarbo.com
7. Vocabulary Basketball
Do you need a fun way to keep your students interested in learning vocabulary? Then, vocabulary basketball is the perfect game for your classroom. Use this fun-filled basketball activity to review a vocabulary lesson while you observe student progress.
Learn more: 4theloveofteaching.org
8. Word Grid Challenge
Students will enjoy this creative vocabulary assignment that can be used with any subject. Teachers love using this activity in their classrooms because it is easy to create, and it keeps students engaged and on task. Learn how to make your own word grids for your classroom here.
Learn more: literaturedaydreams.com
9. Swat the Vocab
Are you searching for a way to motivate your students about vocabulary review? The, Swat the Vocab is the perfect game to use in your classroom. Students will enjoy working in teams to compete against one another as they learn vocabulary words. Find out more about this game here.
Learn more: foreverinfifthgrade.blogspot.com
10. Vocabulary Categories
This efficient matching vocabulary game can be used with most grade levels and with any subject area. It is a terrific activity that encourages students to use their critical thinking skills while learning the definitions of various words. Read more about how to incorporate your own Vocabulary Categories game into your daily lessons.
Learn more: classroomfreebies.com
11. Magnetic Poetry
Promoting efficient learning with this inexpensive magnet word set is a terrific way to address many students' needs. Students can create sentences or short stories while they practice syntax, articulation sounds, and vocabulary. Learn more about this activity here.
Learn more: Magnetic Poetry for Kids
12. The Zoo - Core Vocabulary Song
Students love music! Your younger students will enjoy participating in song vocabulary with The Zoo Song. This video contains a language and speech song that has an emphasis on core vocabulary.
Learn more: pinterest.com
13. Academic Vocabulary
Academic vocabulary is critical to student learning. Use these words and strategies to see systematic vocabulary improvement in your students' skills. This is a terrific way to improve structured response questions on assessments.
Learn more: musingsfromthemiddleschool.org
14. Sequencing With Balloons
Lots of kids love popping balloons! This activity includes adding small strips of paper that include events from a familiar story. Students will learn about sequential context and sequential rearrangements from this activity. Find out more about this fun activity here.
Learn more: cassiedahl.com
15. Multi-Syllable Words
This hands-on activity allows struggling students to effectively move from decoding individual syllables to multi-syllable/consecutive syllable words. This will assist students in improving their reading fluency and overall vocabulary.
Learn more: iheartteachingelementary.com
16. 3 Ways to Stress a Syllable
This is a terrific syllable phonology resource for teachers to help their students understand when to stress a syllable. This video includes the long vowel, clear vowel, and pitch per syllable.
17. Free Vocabulary Activities
If you are searching for fun and entertaining vocabulary activities, your students will enjoy Hot Potato Vocab, Magic Hat Vocabulary, and Swat the Vocab Word. These activities will make the learning of vocabulary words an exciting part of the school day.
Learn more: inspiredowlscorner.com
18. Vocabulary Activities for Any Word
These engaging and interesting vocabulary activities can be used with any vocabulary words you choose. These activities will help your students learn more about their vocabulary words and internalize their definitions. You can learn more about these fun activities here.
Learn more: babblingabby.net
Concluding Thoughts
Vocabulary is an essential and necessary component to a student's overall academic success. Enhanced vocabulary instruction is important to master all subject areas. Incorporating effective vocabulary instruction into your daily lessons can be difficult. Therefore, it is crucial that you make the instruction extremely interesting and engaging for your students. The activities suggested above should provide you with a great variety of lessons as you plan interesting and engaging vocabulary instruction in your daily classes.
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23 Effective Vocabulary Activities
5 Brain-Based Vocabulary Activities for the Secondary Classroom
Trying to find some new practice activities for your existing vocabulary units? These brain-based vocabulary approaches are unique — perhaps just what you need.
Do your students smile at you when you begin a vocabulary lesson? Do they act interested or ask questions? Are they willing to try using the words in their own speaking and writing? Over the years, I’ve noticed that when I’m “on” with my vocabulary instruction, my students are, too. They’re into it, learning, and motivated. In contrast, when I rush through vocabulary instruction because of time constraints, lack of preparation, or simply lack of enthusiasm, my students can read me like an open book.
Previously, I wrote about increasing vocabulary retention in the secondary classroom. Retention is ultimately the goal of vocabulary instruction, but in order to get there, teachers need to differentiate their instruction and practice activities to reach all types of learners, which includes adding variety through learning styles and critical thinking levels. While I provided a few ideas regarding how students can interact with vocabulary words in the last post, I’d like to get more specific and explore several unique and creative avenues that teachers can incorporate into their curriculums. I teach ELA, but these brain-based vocabulary ideas can apply to word lists from any content area.
BRAIN-BASED VOCABULARY LEARNING
3 truths and a lie.
Games are fun. If your classroom culture calls for games, engagement, and student-directed learning, try out 3 truths and a lie. The best part about this game (other than the fact that it’s enjoyable) is that students create it. Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE making games to use my classroom . Yet, vocabulary is a perfect vehicle for students to be in charge of their learning, to create something meaningful.
Put students in charge.
I simply ask them to select a word from their list and then to write down four statements about that word. I encourage them to think about the word’s part of speech, the definition, related and unrelated words, associations they may have, and the word’s personality. One of the statements they write should be a lie.
Here’s an example:
- Ubiquitous is kind of like the plague. Even if you don’t like it, you can’t get rid of it.
- Ubiquitous is an adverb.
- Ubiquitous is cousins with the words “pervasive” and “universal.”
- If cockroaches were ubiquitous, I’d move to Mars.
Your students can get as creative (or as simplistic) as they want with their sentences. After creating them, collect the statements, and put students in small groups. Have them discuss the words and statements to try to identify the lie ( in the example above, the lie is #2 ). If you’re concerned about the accuracy of your students’ sentences and want to avoid unnecessary confusion, read through them first and have students work in groups to discuss them the next day.
Why this works:
1. Students are doing the thinking.
2. It can be straightforward (recall) or higher-order thinking (analytical), so it’s differentiated by nature.
3. It’s engaging.
4. Students will remember many of the lies and the truths, so it will help them to retain the word meanings longer.
Bumper Words
Bumper words is a categorizing activity that helps students to learn the relationships between words on their list. If you plan to use a bumper words activity, keep that in mind when selecting your word list so that it’s easier to create the assignment. Here’s how it works.
Teacher-Directed
You (the teacher) group the words into categories. You can make this into a worksheet or a graphic organizer, or you can just write them on the board to use as a class activity. Another option is to create a manipulative for small groups or station use. When you put the words into groups (of 3 to 5 is best), all of the words should relate except for one . The students’ job is to figure out which word is not related, and they bump it to the next word group. It’s a chain effect. Here’s an example:
As you can see, in the first group of words, abase, demean, and humiliate can all be related, but extol does not fit. So, it gets bumped to group two, where students look for another ill-fitting word that is then bumped to group 3, and so on. When creating this activity, you can use words that are not on your vocabulary list to complement the ones that are.
Student-Directed
Again, if you want to ask your students to think more critically about their words, you can ask them to create a bumper words chain using all or some of the words on their list. This works well as a group assignment. Students could create their bumper words combinations on a piece of easel paper or large poster board, and then groups can rotate around the room to try to solve each other’s puzzles. If you choose to have students create their own examples, it would be beneficial to show them how to make one by modeling it together or analyzing an existing example first.
1. Students are thinking about the words and how they relate to other words, thereby making associations – great for brain-based vocabulary learning!
2. Once again, this activity can be differentiated by ability level.
3. It engages students in meaningful interaction with their words.
4. It’s unique…your students probably haven’t heard of this one before. Ride the novelty wave.
Personify a Word Using Social Media
Because social media is such a pervasive aspect of twenty-first century learning, I’m always looking for healthy ways to incorporate it in my classroom. One of the things I love about teaching vocabulary is that it can be creative. Words can be given personalities based on their meaning. I often ask students to personify a word in order to get them to think about it differently.
Word Personalities
Here are four of my favorite assignments that include word personalities using social media:
- Facebook : Have students create a Facebook poster based on one of the words on their list.
- Twitter : Ask students to create a Twitter profile and feed for a word.
- Instagram : Students can create a scrapbook or Instagram posts for their word.
- Pinterest : Give students the task of creating a Pinterest profile for a word, including a list of boards and pins that would relate to that word.
When I give students assignments like these, I find it’s beneficial to allow them to choose a word they want to learn after discussing what they will do with it. I always encourage students to select a new word…one they either have never heard of, or one they have heard of but cannot explain. By discussing the task before selecting the word, students will be able to choose a word they want to use to complete the assignment, and ownership is key when it comes to creativity.
Some struggling readers and writers might be overwhelmed if we ask them to select any word they want, so it’s a great differentiation / scaffolding option to have a list of suggestions prepared.
Why this works:
1. In order to do any of these assignments WELL, students must think deeply and meaningfully about the word.
2. Students will take it upon themselves to analyze the social media outlet more closely than they have in the past. What text structures does it have? What is the common language and culture of the site? These questions must be studied and answered before creating a product.
3. It hooks students by allowing them to utilize their creativity and social natures to learn about vocabulary.
4. It is easy to incorporate technology. While students can create a poster like the one above, they could also use digital platforms to complete the assignment.
Pictures, Short Films, & Music
A fun way to incorporate writing into your brain-based vocabulary instruction is through the use of pictures, short films, and music. They can all be used similarly for this assignment. Although numerous options exist, these three ideas are a good place to start:
Student Research
1. Simply ask students to do some research and find a certain number of pictures, short films, or songs that relate to words on their vocabulary list. You could have them focus specifically on one word and find a picture, a short film, and a song that relates to it, or you could ask them to choose ten words off the list and find one connection for each word. Either way, students are building onto existing knowledge about a word and using critical thinking skills to make meaningful connections. I like to have my students write a short paragraph (3-5 sentences) explaining their connections to the word.
Bell Ringers
Another way to use these elements is to incorporate them as bell ringers. Each day, begin the class by projecting an image, showing a short film, or playing a song for students. After watching or listening, ask students to make connections between the artwork and words on their vocabulary list. To elicit more participation, I have my students write their thoughts first, then talk with a partner, and finally share with the class.
Give your students a sheet of small images (I like to using small pictures they can color), and tell them to match each picture to a word on their vocabulary list. They can then explain in a few short sentences why each picture and word relate. Simple but effective. Here is a resource you can use for any list.
1. Music, movies, and pictures are embedded in our culture. Students appreciate learning opportunities that incorporate media relevant to their lives.
2. This assignment is a simple way to differentiate by learning styles. It appeals to students who are musical and visual by nature.
3. Once again, forming connections to vocabulary words will help students remember them longer.
4. It can be scaffolded for students on various scales of the literacy ladder.
I use mind maps as choice assignments throughout the year with various aspects of my curriculum. Mind maps are excellent brain-based vocabulary . activities that help students retain the definition of a word instead of memorizing it for a quiz and forgetting it.
When I assign mind maps in relation to vocabulary words, I generally have students select one word from our list instead of several because the connections will be more meaningful for them.
A good tip is to first ask students to circle any words on their vocabulary list that they cannot define on the spot — in that moment. Afterward, have them choose one word they want to study more intentionally, and then introduce the mind map assignment. If you give them the specifics of the assignment first, they might be more likely to select an “easy” word from the list.
I like to project example mind maps (you can easily find some by googling the term “vocabulary mind maps”). Together, we analyze the structure, design, and content of the example maps to determine students’ options. We also talk about my expectations (what’s acceptable and what’s not). In this way, we essentially develop a student-generated rubric on the spot. Bonus.
What can students incorporate in their mind maps? I encourage mine to use the basics (relate it to synonyms, antonyms, and examples), but I also ask them to stretch their imaginations to incorporate visual components, categories related to the word, colors that symbolize the word, and other symbolic elements.
1. Research shows that mind maps are brain-based learning activities.
2. Thinking symbolically about a word helps students to deepen their understanding of it.
3. Mind maps require students to engage with a word meaningfully from different angles for an extended period of time.
4. It combines right-brain creative style learning with left-brain logic style learning, resulting in a powerful and memorable experience.
Inspired and wanting more vocabulary ideas? Read this sister post in which I discuss five more of my favorite, brain-based vocabulary practice activities for the secondary classroom .
Grab a Free Template!
You might find this free, editable vocabulary template to be helpful in getting started.
Before using any of these brain-based vocabulary strategies in your classroom, you will need to establish a solid list of words. For some inspiration regarding how to strategically and effectively select word lists, click on over to Lauralee at Language Arts Classroom . She has some insights to share with you!
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Melissa Kruse
An avid reader and writer, I've had the privilege of teaching English for over a decade and am now an instructional coach. I have degrees in English, Curriculum & Instruction, and Reading as well as a reading specialist certification. In my free time, I enjoy loving on my kids, deconstructing sentences, analyzing literature, making learning fun, working out, and drinking a good cup of coffee.
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Fun Vocabulary Games & Activities in English: #1 List in 2023
You found our list of fun and simple vocabulary games for adults .
Vocabulary games are activities that include language and wordplay. Example games include Word Association and Hang Man. Players can enjoy vocabulary games in person or online. The purpose of these games is to strengthen vocabulary skills. These games are also known as “vocab games”, “letter games” and “vocabulary building games.”
These games make great online classroom activities and communication games , and can be used as online fun activities for employees .
This list includes:
- vocabulary games for adults
- simple vocabulary word games for adults
- fun online vocabulary games and activities
- English vocabulary games
- vocabulary games in English
- games to improve vocabulary
- vocabulary building activities
- vocab review games
- vocabulary games for students
Get ready to play!
List of vocabulary games
From Pictionary to word scrambles to synonym memory, here is a list of fun word games to play in classrooms, at parties, or during meetings.
1. Vocabulary Pictionary
Pictionary is a game of charades where players draw words instead of acting them out.
- Split the group into teams.
- Each round, assign one team member to draw.
- Give the drawing team member a word.
- Allow up to sixty seconds for teammates to guess.
- If the team guesses correctly, then assign one point.
You can give other teams the opportunity to steal, or move onto the next team’s turn. The game is a great way to practice new vocabulary, as players connect the word with an image. Pictionary is a fun game for virtual parties or in-person affairs.
To play Pictionary online, draw on the whiteboard app feature on your online meeting software .
2. Word Association
Word Association is one of the best vocabulary games for kids and classrooms since playing does not require a large vocabulary. The rules are simple and easy to understand. Typically, the game involves two players.
- Player one says a word.
- Player two responds with the first word that comes to mind.
- Player one either chooses a new word or responds to player two’s word.
- The game continues until one player repeats a word or pauses too long.
The rapid pace of the game generates excitement and occasionally results in funny answers.
If a student makes a mistake, then the teacher can pause the game and ask the student to explain or find a more fitting word. Ideally, gamemasters should allow players a few extra seconds to respond. Players should never feel embarrassed. There are no wrong answers in word association, but the game can serve as a learning opportunity to find better words.
If playing via Zoom, then player one or the teacher speaks a word, and other students answer in the chat. The class counts up matching answers and discusses different responses, guessing the reasoning behind each answer.
3. Vocabulary Hangman
Hangman is a classic chalkboard word game that translates easily to online play, thanks to digital whiteboards.
- Assign a player a word.
- The player draws a series of blanks corresponding to the number of letters in the word.
- Other players guess letters.
- If the letter is in the word, then the “executioner” fills in the blank. If not, then the executioner draws one portion of the gallows.
- The game ends when players guess the word, or when the picture is complete.
The best words to use for hangman contain less-used letters like z, x, and q. Examples of hard hangman words include zigzagging, razzmatazz, and quadrants.
4. Word search
Word searches are common classroom vocabulary games. These activities work well for handouts, and you can play during video calls by using the whiteboard feature and enabling annotation.
We made a sample word search you can use.
To make the game more competitive and exciting, turn the challenge into a race and award prizes to the first players to complete the puzzles.
5. Crossword
Crossword puzzles consist of a series of interconnecting boxes, each of which starts blank but contains one letter by the end of the game. Under the puzzle are two lists of clues, across and down respectively. Solvers need to consider the meaning of words, number of letters, and surrounding words, making the game strategic as well as literary.
Here is an example of a crossword puzzle you can use with your class or team.
Here is the answer key.
Crosswords are great word games for any age or skill level because puzzle makers can adjust the difficulty to suit players. To make your own crossword puzzle, use an online crossword creator .
6. Word Scramble
Word scrambles make great games for English class, and adults enjoy these language brain teasers as well. Simply mix up the order of the letters and ask players to unscramble and identify the original words.
Here is a sample to start with.
And here is the answer key.
To make your own word scrambles, use an online letter randomizer .
7. Scrabble
Scrabble is one of the most popular word games for adults or children. Players must use letter tiles to assemble words on the game board.
- Each player draws seven letter tiles.
- During turns, players can play tiles or exchange them for new letters.
- Players build words on the board, with each new word connecting to an existing word.
- Tiles have a point value assigned depending on the challenge of the letter. When a player makes a word, tally the letter and add the score to the point board.
More challenging letters have higher point values. For example, E is one point, while Z is ten. To find the point values for each tile and read more gameplay tips, check out this guide from Hasbro .
To coordinate the game for language lessons, assign higher scores for vocabulary words, and ask players to use the words in a sentence for extra points.
Scrabble is easy to play online, too, making it one of the best online vocabulary games. To play virtually, simply find a multiplayer online version of the game, such as Words With Friends .
8. Scattergories
Scattergories is one of the most fun and simple word games for adults. The game challenges players to think up words all starting with the same letter.
- One player rolls a letter die or uses a letter generator to pick the first letter.
- The timekeeper puts 60 seconds on the clock.
- Players write down one answer per category starting with the letter.
- When time runs out, players read the answers.
- Players receive a point for every answer.
Alliterative phrases count for double or triple points. If two players have the same answer, then they must cross it out and neither receives points. Of course, a player will not receive points for blank answers either. At the end of each round, the player with the most points wins.
Here is a list of sample Scattergories categories:
- A boy’s name, girl’s name, or gender neutral name
- Capital cities
- Four letter words
- Types of drinks
- Careers or professions
- Cartoon characters
You could create more inventive categories for the game, or challenge players to make up prompts.
To play virtually, use the chat, screen-share, whiteboard functions in your virtual meeting platform. You can also share a Google Doc or Form, or join a multiplayer online Scattergories game together.
9. Tree or Bob Ross
Tree or Bob Ross is a fun video conference game that challenges players to guess a word by asking questions.
The player who conjures the word is The Post. The Post answers This or That questions whose answers help players narrow down the word.
The first question of the game is usually “is it more like a tree, or more like Bob Ross?” and The Post must answer accordingly. For instance, a rose is probably more like a tree, but Pinnochio presents an interesting challenge.
Each turn, the guesser adds a new word. For example, the second question might be, “is it more like a tree or a fern?” The game continues until players guess correctly. For more excitement, introduce a time limit, or award more points if players guess the word during earlier rounds.
10. Vocabulary Pyramid
Pyramid challenges players to guess words from context clues. The pyramid is a collection of six words, arranged with three on the bottom, two in the middle, and one at the top. To win, teams must guess all words within the pyramid in the allotted time.
- Divide the group into teams.
- Give one player on each team the pyramid.
- The pyramid holder must give hints to teammates describing each word without using the actual name of the item.
- When players guess correctly, the pyramid master can move to the next word. Or, players can say “pass,” and return to the word later.
- Teams receive a point for every correct guess.
When determining the time limit, consider the age of your players and the difficulty of the words. In general, 30 seconds per word, or three minutes total, is a good place to start, but add or take away time to increase or decrease the challenge.
11. Invisible Bridge
Invisible Bridge is similar to six degrees of Kevin Bacon. In both games, you must figure out a way to connect two seemingly distant concepts. Six degrees of Kevin Bacon uses actors, while Invisible Bridge uses words.
- A player suggests two unrelated words.
- Player one gives a number of planks. This is how many steps other players must use to relate the two words.
- The other players think up words that share similar traits, synonyms, or connector words to move from one term to another.
An example round might look as follows:
Tiger, Astronaut, eight planks
Tiger – Balm – Lip – Service – Customer – Happy – Pills – Capsules – Space – Astronaut
Meanwhile, Tiger, Astronaut, two planks might look like this:
Tiger – meat eater – meteor – Astronaut
One fun aspect about this game is there can be more than one correct answer, and opposing teams can dispute far-reaches. Invisible bridge encourages players to think about the nature of language and the relationship between words.
12. Poetry Improv
Poetry Improv is an exercise that challenges participants to craft verses on the spot.
- Pick a poetry style, such as sonnet, haiku, acrostic, limerick, or free verse.
- Give participants vocabulary words to use within the poem.
- Allow five or ten minutes for groups or individuals to complete the verses. If playing online via meeting software, then send groups to breakout rooms to work.
- Ask poets to share the masterpieces aloud.
For extra fun, turn other players into judges by asking them to rate the poems by holding up scorecards. To make the game more fast-paced, ask players to finish each others’ phrases on the spot for a true poetic improv.
13. Synonym Memory
The rules of Memory are easy: flip over two cards at a time and look for matching pictures or words. When players find pairs, they take the cards off the board. The player with the most pairs of cards at the end of the game wins.
Synonym Memory puts a challenging spin on the simple game. Instead of hunting for exact matches, players pair up words with synonyms.
Here are some sample matches:
- enticing/tempting
- assume/suppose
- patience/restraint
- revoke/rescind
- impact/collision
The game encourages players to think in different ways, as participants will need to remember the location of the cards as well as consider meanings of words.
To play online, make your own virtual synonym memory game with an online tool and share screens to play, with one player flipping over the cards at other players’ request.
List of words to use for vocabulary games
Here is a list of great words to use in word games:
- serendipity
- incorrigible
- contemporary
- quintessential
- regurgitate
- cataclysmic
For further inspiration, use a random word generator or consult online lists of difficult or intersecting words.
Vocabulary games and activities test and strengthen players’ communication skills. These word games minimize frustration by disguising language lessons in the form of an exciting challenge. Not to mention, simple word games are fun for adults and kids alike, and make great icebreaker activities during meetings. Most games only require words and a way to share them, so playing word games online via Zoom or similar platforms is easy.
For even more smart fun, check out our posts on problem solving games , question games and team building brain teasers .
FAQ: Vocabulary Games
Here are answers to common questions about vocabulary games and activities.
What are vocabulary games?
Vocabulary games are word and language games you can play with students, coworkers, or family and friends. These games challenge players to hunt for words or definitions, brainstorm terms, deduce phrases based on clues, or create words under certain conditions. Language games are a great way to teach new vocabulary and help students practice recognizing and using new words. These activities are also known as “vocabulary building games” and “vocab games”, and are similar to “word games” and “letter games”.
What are some fun word games for groups?
Some fun word games for groups include Pictionary, Tree or Bob Ross, and word scrambles.
What are some online vocabulary games?
By using virtual meeting software like Zoom, you can play any word game online. Some good virtual vocabulary games include Scrabble, Scattergories, and online crossword puzzles.
What are good ESL word games?
The best ESL word games are easy to understand and play yet expand the vocabularies of participants. Good ESL word games include word association, word searches, and hangman.
What are fun ways to teach vocabulary?
Word games are one of the most fun and easy ways to teach vocabulary. While some kids get frustrated with straightforward reading or language exercises, word games disguise vocabulary lessons as a fun challenge. Plus, playing language games together is a great teamwork exercise.
Author: Angela Robinson
Content Expert at teambuilding.com. Team building content expert. Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses.
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What’s in a Word: Building Vocabulary with Engaging Worksheets
Vocabulary Activities for Elementary Students
Vocabulary Activities can grab the attention of your most reluctant learners. For this reason, you may be interested in providing your students with more opportunities to use new vocabulary? I have a solid routine for vocabulary instruction if you’re anything like me, but I want my students to use the new language differently.
So let me show you a set of vocabulary activities that will provide your students with vocabulary practice in your elementary classroom.
Daily Vocabulary Practice
Every solid vocabulary lesson should include a graphic organizer. Today’s your lucky day because you may click here for a FREE copy !
The graphic organizer featured above consists of the following key elements:
- Vocabulary Word-auto filled by the teacher
- Syllables-student place swoops or dashes between syllables on the vocabulary word.
- Definition- auto-filled by the teacher
- Example Sentence- for the students to complete
- Related Word Forms- for the students to complete
The resource featured above is a simple one-page product printed front to back. The classroom teacher fills out a vocabulary form each week with the new terms to teach.
The week’s vocabulary words will auto-fill into the printable. The best part is that you no longer have to wait for students to do all the copying. The terms are auto-filled for you!
Vocabulary Games & Activities for the Classroom
Now that you have the solid vocabulary instruction completed, your students will need to practice and apply!
Therefore, I have created a series of vocabulary activities for your students. Watch out. They will be begging you to play games!
Vocabulary Activity-What’s My Word?
A vocabulary game played much like the fashionable game Headbands.
Students draw a card from the center and quickly place the vocabulary word on their forehead. The students will then ask yes or no questions until they can guess the vocabulary word.
Boom! – The Vocabulary Game
A vocabulary game that never ends. I genuinely mean it.
Students sit in a circle drawing a card from the center. If the student receives a vocabulary word, the student either tells a definition, uses the story in a sentence, or gives a synonym for the vocabulary term. Play continues around the circle, with students collecting vocabulary cards. If students draw a “BOOM!” card, they return all cards collected! Play continues until time is determined since the deck has plenty of “BOOM!” cards. Play continues until time is determined. This game has an abundance of vocabulary practice!
Vocabulary Activity-3, 2, 1, Vo-cab-go!
The 3, 2, 1 Vo-cab-go!
Each student has one worksheet with four vocabulary terms. A timer is set for one minute while each player completes three activities for a vocabulary word.
They are asked to find three synonyms and two antonyms and draw one sketch of the given vocabulary term. Students gain points accordingly and are highly competitive activities! So watch out!
Vocabulary Activities-Related Words
The Vocabulary Related Words activity allows students to use the base word of a vocabulary term in various forms.
The example given is the base word friend.
The student would respond with the words write, friends, friendship, friendly. A perfect activity to expand students’ vocabulary!
Vocabulary Activities-Money in the Bank
Money in the Bank Vocabulary Activity provides the student with the opportunity to use their vocabulary in sentences.
Students “earn” one dollar for each word used in the sentences. The player with the most money wins!
Reusable Auto-Fill Form
As a side note, all of the elementary vocabulary activities discussed are EDITABLE! That means you will be able to use your vocabulary words or terms from your curriculum.
Each week, month, or unit, you will be able to change the vocabulary. Also, you may use language from any subject area.
The word bank shown below demonstrates how easy it is to type new vocabulary words or terms each week.
Once the word bank is complete, the words will auto-fill into each activity. A teacher-friendly and straightforward resource!
Are you interested in purchasing the Vocabulary Activities for Elementary Students resource? If so, click here!
You may also want to check out my Third Grade Vocabulary Task Cards!
Happy Teaching!
Hi, I'm Melissa!
I help elementary writing teachers motivate students through guided instructional resources that students love!
Together we will engage and support young writers in their writing journey.
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Vocabulary Development with ELLs
How vocabulary relates to ELLs
For English language learners (ELLs), vocabulary development is especially important. The average native English speaker enters kindergarten knowing at least 5,000 words. The average ELL may know 5,000 words in his or her native language, but very few words in English. While native speakers continue to learn new words, ELLs face the double challenge of building that foundation and then closing the gap.
You may be surprised at how quickly a new ELL student can communicate verbally with peers, but remember that there is a big difference between social English and academic English . Reading, writing, speaking, and understanding academic English happen in the classroom. Using a combination of the following strategies will help ELLs to close the gap.
Classroom strategies: vocabulary
Pre-teach vocabulary.
Before doing an activity, teaching content, or reading a story in class, pre-teaching vocabulary is always helpful, especially for ELLs. This will give them the chance to identify words and then be able to place them in context and remember them. You can pre-teach vocabulary by using English as a second language (ESL) methods such as:
- Role playing or pantomiming
- Using gestures
- Showing real objects
- Pointing to pictures
- Doing quick drawings on the board
- Using the Spanish equivalent and then asking students to say the word in English
To ensure mastery of more complex words and concepts, you might want to follow these six ESL steps:
- Pre-select a word from an upcoming text or conversation.
- Explain the meaning with student-friendly definitions.
- Provide examples of how it is used.
- Ask students to repeat the word three times.
- Engage students in activities to develop mastery.
- Ask students to say the word again.
Focus on cognates
Cognates are words in different languages that are derived from the same original word or root. Note that about 40% of all English words have similar cognates in Spanish! This is an obvious bridge to the English language if the student is made aware of how to use this resource.
Cognates are related words like family and familia, director and director, and conversation and conversación. False cognates do exist (mano in Spanish means hand, not man), but they are the exception to the rule. Encourage ELLs to guess at words and try to decipher text based on this existing knowledge. The more familiarity a teacher has with Spanish, the easier it is to point out these connections.
Scaffolding is providing a support for students as they learn new skills or information. For scaffolding vocabulary, you can:
- Use a graphic organizer to explain concepts and related words. [Example coming soon]
- Use the six ESL steps above to help students understand and use the word immediately.
- Post new vocabulary on a word wall, and review the words daily. Swap out old words as necessary.
- Label drawings and pictures to help students make the connection between oral and written English. Point to these visuals to clarify meaning when using these words.
Use computers and television
When geared to ELLs, computer programs and television programs are proven supplements to helping ELLs build language and reading skills. Computers are a non-threatening way to help children work on their own or with a buddy to learn vocabulary, sounds of English, syntax, reading, and writing. Educational children's television can also be a wonderful way to increase many reading skills, including vocabulary and comprehension.
Use audio books
Help ELLs build vocabulary by providing books with tapes in a listening center on one side of the classroom. By hearing and seeing the word in context at the same time, ELLs pick up its meaning and also gain prosody, and oral fluency.
Use a word wizard box
Ask students to bring new words into the classroom that they hear at home, on TV, or anywhere else and drop these words into a word wizard box. At the end of class, pull out a word and ask who wrote it. Have students tell you where they heard the words and how they were used. Ask students to use these new words in their discussions and writing.
Encourage oral language use
ELLs are not going to learn academic English from their parents nor their peers. They are going to learn it from you. Begin by making sure that they know instructional words that you use every day, such as "follow directions", "describe", "start at the top of the page", "read to the bottom of page 4", "highlight the verbs only", and "use the steps in your guide."
Encourage ELLs to speak in class as much as possible. Structure conversations around books and subjects that build vocabulary. Instead of simple "yes or no" questions, ask questions that are interactive and meaningful. For example, "What do you think? What should we change?" In these ways, ELLs will learn the academic English they will need to succeed in future schooling. Remember to be sensitive to ELLs who may be afraid to make mistakes.
Model correct usage
Instead of frequently correcting pronunciation or grammar, reaffirm the student's idea and then say the word correctly and in context.
- Label classroom objects in English and Spanish
- Develop lesson plans and activities with new vocabulary words in mind
- Read narrative (children's literature) and expository (nonfiction, such as science, social studies) texts to your class and discuss vocabulary words
- Teach words in context this is more effective than isolated memorization
- Discuss literal vs. figurative meanings of idiomatic expressions such as "sweet tooth," "at her heels," "make up your mind," and "the cat's got your tongue."
- Teach students how to use dictionaries
- Teach students how to use prefixes and suffixes to determine meaning
For more information about teaching English language learners, visit the resources for educators section on our sister site Colorín Colorado.
Click the "References" link above to hide these references.
August, D., Calderón M., & Carlo M. (2002) The Transfer of Skills from Spanish to English: A Study of Young Learners. Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, D.C.
Biemiller, A. (2001). "Teaching Vocabulary: Early, direct, and sequential." American Educator. Spring 2001.(25)(1): 24-28, 47.
Calderón, M., August, D., R. Slavin, A. Cheung, D. Durán & N. Madden (2005). Bringing words to life in classrooms with English language learners. In Hiebert, A & M. Kamil (eds.) Research and development on vocabulary. Nahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Hiebert, A & M. Kamil (eds.) (2005) Research and development on vocabulary. Nahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
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Vocabulary Exercises for Basic English Learners
Here are exercises for students at a beginner level of English or A1 on the CEFR scale .
Here are exercises for students at an elementary level of English or A1 on the CEFR scale .
- A1 Body and Face Extra Exercises
- A1 Clothes Extra Exercises
- A1 Describing Things
- A1 Family Extra Exercises
- A1 Film Star Vocabulary
- A1 Food and Drink Extra Exercises
- A1 Greetings and Introductions
- A1 Health Extra Exercises
- A1 House and Home
- A1 Shopping Extra Exercises
- A1 Sports and Leisure Extra Exercises
- A1 Talking about People
- A1 Transport
- A1 Weather Extra Activities
- Christmas Easy Exercises
In this section the exercises are for students at a pre-intermediate level of English or A2 on the CEFR scale .
- A2 Body and Movement
- A2 Food and Drink
- A2 Health and Sickness
- A2 Sports and Leisure
- A2 Transport
- A2 World Around Us
In this section the vocabulary exercises are for students at a pre-intermediate level of English or A2 on the CEFR scale .
- Christmas Exercises
- Clothes Exercises
- Education Exercises
- Family Exercises
- Feelings Exercises
- Food and Drink Exercises
- House and Home Exercises
- Numbers and Amount Exercises
- People Exercises
- Shopping Exercises
- Signs and Notices Exercises
- Time Exercises
- Travel and Holidays Exercises
- Valentine’s Day Exercises
Vocabulary Exercises for Independent English Learners
For these vocabulary exercises, they are for students at an intermediate level of English or B1 on the CEFR scale .
- Air Travel Exercises
- Animals and Pets
- British and American English
- Chinese New Year
- Computer Exercises
- Entertainment
- Environment
- Environmental Issues
- Finance Exercises
- Food and Drink
- Leisure and Hobbies
- Money Exercises
- Phoning and Texting Exercises
- Places and Buildings
- Relationships
- Transport and Travel
- Work and Jobs
In this section the exercises are for students at an upper-intermediate level of English or B2 on the CEFR scale .
- B2 Crime and Law Vocabulary
- B2 Health and Medicine Ex 2
- B2 Health and Medicine Ex 3
- B2 Information Technology Vocabulary
- B2 Phrasal Verbs Communicating
- B2 Places and Buildings
- B2 Places and Buildings Ex 2
- B2 Places and Buildings Ex 3
- B2 Vocabulary Entertainment and the Media
- B2 Vocabulary Exercise 2 | Accommodation
- B2 Vocabulary Exercise 2 | Entertainment and the media
- B2 Vocabulary Exercise 3 | Accommodation
- B2 Vocabulary Exercise 3 | Entertainment and the media
Vocabulary Exercises for Proficient English Learners
For this last section, these exercises are for students at an advanced level of English or C1 on the CEFR scale .
- British and American English Vocabulary Exercise 1
- British and American English Vocabulary Exercise 2
- British and American English Vocabulary Exercise 3
- Business Vocabulary Exercise
- Home Vocabulary Exercise 1
- Home Vocabulary Exercise 2
- Home Vocabulary Exercise 3
- Irregular Plural Nouns
- Newspaper Vocabulary Exercise
Check out our puzzles, activities and games available:
First of all, why not try our match-up games to help you build up your vocabulary to dizzy heights.
Furthermore, our crossword puzzles help you to spell linked words correctly to be able to complete the task.
In addition, our word puzzles are especially helpful as you try to retain new words in a different language.
Here are more activities available:
In addition, learning English requires not just a good vocabulary, but a strong foundation of English grammar to communicate effectively and our grammar exercises provide the practice for this purpose.
Most importantly, once you are at a good level of English, you should combine your knowledge of vocabulary and grammar to understand and produce well-written pieces of text. We provide model text types for you to read and practice.
Vocabulary games
Play Wordshake or Sushi Spell to help you practise your vocabulary and spelling. Have fun!
Choose a game
Sushi Spell
How many words can you Sushi Spell in two minutes? Take the sushi from the moving belt to spell as many words as you can.
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How many points can you get in three minutes? Longer words score more points!
- Read more about Wordshake
Improve your vocabulary even more
Discover a variety of online English courses to help you develop your vocabulary skills even further. Choose from self-study courses, live group classes and personal one-to-one tuition.
Explore courses
Before we jump into the activities, if you prefer to see some of these activities in action, check out the video below!
Vocabulary Words of the Week in Journals
At the beginning of the week, we take two days to introduce all of our new vocabulary words for the week. When the words are introduced the teacher shows the word and a picture to match the word. The students take turns guessing what the word means. Finally the teacher reads the definition with the students. The students help the teacher determine an action that will represent the vocabulary word. This is a very important piece because research shows that when kinesthetics are included into learning, students are better able to retain the new information. All week this action is paired with the word whenever it is read or said. The students then write the word and definition onto their Words of the Week sheet and place it into the vocabulary journal for future reference.
Download Words of the Week HERE
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Vocabulary Journals
Vocabulary journals should be a staple in every classroom. Vocabulary journals can take the form of a stapled packet, coil binded book, or hole punched binder. The purpose of a vocabulary journal is to have a place for students to keep all of their vocabulary practice and a place for them to look back and reference past vocabulary words. I love adding the vocabulary journals the parent teacher conference portfolios. I also love to have students bring their vocabulary journals back to the reading table during reading groups to reference or add information.
Download Vocabulary Journal HERE
Free Editable Word Cards
Every week we put our new vocabulary words on cards. These cards are used all week for a variety of games and activities. At the end of the week, the students take the cards home to practice and keep. Download a free copy of the editable vocabulary cards here.
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Vocabulary Headbandz
Vocabulary Headbandz is a fun game that students love. Simply print off your vocabulary words onto these free editable vocabulary cards . Each student attaches a vocabulary word card to their headband. The youngest participant takes the first turn. Then play passes to the left. When it’s your turn, just flip over the timer and ask each of the players a question that will help you figure out what the picture is on your head. Once you’ve asked each player a question, simply begin another round and then another. If you guess the vocabulary word before the timer runs out, simply take another card and put it behind your headband. Continue to ask questions until the timer runs out. For each vocabulary word that is guessed correctly, you get a point. The player with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.
Teacher Tip: If you don’t own the Headbandz game, the headbands could be made from sentence strips and binder clips.
Memory/Concentration
Memory (also known as Concentration) can be played two different ways. Students can have two stack of vocabulary words and take turns turning over two cards in an effort to get a match. Each time a card is turned, the student turning the card has to read the word aloud and use it in a sentence. If the student gets a match, he/she can keep the match and go again. If the student does not get a match, the next player takes a turn. Another variation of the game would be to have one copy of cards have the vocabulary words printed on them. The other set of cards has the definitions printed on them.
Teacher Tip: Use two different colors of paper when printing the cards. Also, choose a dark color or make copies on card stock paper so the answers don’t show through the back side of the card.
Vocabulary Display
Vocabulary displays can be a powerful instructional tool. Complete the vocabulary posters with the students. Provide the students with their own vocabulary mini-posters to complete with the teacher. If you have more than one word per day, make multiple copies of each word and display them all. Leave this information up on the wall all week and at the end of the week, the expo marker can be wiped off with Lysol wipes or a Mr. Clean magic eraser.
Download Vocabulary Display HERE
- Vocabulary Bingo
After the class has learned at least twenty-five different vocabulary words, bingo is a great option that students love to play that will provide a great opportunity to review. Students simply write a vocabulary word in each space of their bingo card. The teacher provides the definition of one of the words and the student finds the vocabulary word and covers it with a bingo chip. The first student to get 5 in a row, 4 corners, or black out wins the game.
Download Vocabulary Bingo HERE
- Roll a Word
Students need a vocabulary word list or stack of word cards. This activity should be played with partners or small groups. Students take turns choosing a card/word. Then student rolls a dice and follows the prompt on the Roll a Word sheet. Other players determine if the answer is correct. Players take turns until the teacher decides that the time is up.
Download Roll a Word HERE
Vocab Short Stories
Writing stories is the ultimate determination of whether or not a student truly understands the meaning of his/her vocabulary words. The teacher writes the vocabulary words that he/she would like the students to use when writing their short stories before making copies. Students need to use all the vocabulary words in context all while forming a short story. This activity comes with templates for 8 words, 10 words, or 12 words as well as with or without space for drawing a picture to match the story.
Download Vocab Short Story HERE
- Parts of Speech
Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are an important piece of students learning grammar so why not combine them with vocabulary word practice? Students read the words at the top of their sheet and then sort them into the proper grammar categories. This worksheet is available in 8 words, 10 words, or 12 words templates.
Download Parts of Speech HERE
- Draw a Word
Drawing detailed pictures of a word’s meaning is another powerful tool to help students learn, understand, and retain a new vocabulary word. The teacher can choose the six words prior to making copies or the student can choose the six trickiest words.
Download Draw a Word HERE
- Picture This
Give each student a vocabulary card with a number. Write the numbers from 1-25 (or however many students you have in your class). Once students get their card, instruct them not to show anyone their card. Provide the students some time to draw the vocabulary word with as many details as possible. The student needs to also include their card number in the corner of their drawing. Write the list of vocabulary words on the board and give each student a recording sheet. Students walk around the classroom and look at each picture. Then they write the vocabulary word answer in the correct box of their recording sheet. Another variation for teachers who want more structure would be to have students sit at their desk while students take turns coming to the front of the class one a a time to explain their picture to the class. Students who are sitting at their desks would need to determine the word that the picture is showing and write the answer on their recording sheet.
Download Picture This HERE
Act it Out is similar to Picture This except instead of drawings, the students would use actions. The actions are performed as a group or one at a time in front of the class for the others to guess the vocabulary word and write it on the recording sheet.
Download Act it Out HERE
Vocabulary Word Mini Posters
Earlier in this post I explained vocabulary displays. When the teacher is completing the vocabulary posters with the students, the students can complete the mini posters and put them in the vocabulary journals. This is a great option to keep the students engaged and actively participating.
Download Vocabulary Mini Posters HERE
- Vocabulary Dice
Vocabulary dice can be used with any list of vocabulary words. Give each student a list or stack of vocabulary words. Students can do this activity independently or with a partner. Once a word is chosen, the student rolls the dice and follows the prompt on the dice. Answers can be provided verbally or written on a piece of paper or marker board.
Download Vocabulary Dice HERE
- Vocabulary Sentences
Students choose five of the trickiest words from the vocabulary word list. Then the student writes a sentence that shows the meaning of the word in context within the sentence. Students can also color the vocabulary word within the sentence.
Download Vocab Sentences HERE
What’s included in this 56-page vocabulary pack:
- Vocabulary Journal
- My 5-Day Vocabulary Routine
- Words of the Week
- Vocabulary Words Worksheet
- Vocabulary Mini Posters
- Vocabulary Short Stories
- Editable Word cards
- Editable Grammar Flip Flaps
- Vocabulary Posters with Display
- Detailed Explanation with Pictures for each Activity
Download Vocabulary Words Resources HERE
Super work. I am impressed
Very impressive! This is a good resource for vocabulary. It gives a lot of practice and learners will easily acquire more vocabularies. Good job.
need all the help for fitting it in.
Thank you!! So excited to get started with this!
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Effective Vocabulary Instruction for Upper Elementary
Are you searching for effective vocabulary instruction for your upper elementary students? Vocabulary instruction has a profound impact on a student’s ability to comprehend. Research has long shown the importance of effective vocabulary instruction in upper elementary classrooms.
By understanding and utilizing best practices, teachers can help students increase their vocabulary knowledge and, by doing so, improve reading comprehension.
One thing is for sure in education. It is constantly changing. Most recently, we are hearing more about the science of reading. What is the science of reading and how does vocabulary relate to it?
In general, the science of reading is emphasizing the importance of research-based instruction in reading. It is not just one single approach. It involves looking at valid studies that examine how students learn to read, what components are essential for comprehension, and how best to teach these skills in classrooms. The science of reading is based on the understanding that reading is a complex process that involves an emphasis of the 5 essential components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Today, we are looking at one of these components: vocabulary. Effective vocabulary instruction plays an important role in helping our students become successful readers. Take a look at these examples of effective vocabulary instruction for upper elementary students that will help to improve reading comprehension.
Effective Vocabulary Instruction Strategies
The Science of Reading emphasizes the importance of effective vocabulary instruction as a key component of reading comprehension. Here are some evidence-based practices for teaching vocabulary that are informed by the Science of Reading:
Teach Vocabulary in Context
Research has shown that teaching vocabulary in the context of meaningful texts is more effective than teaching words in isolation. Students learn new words best when they encounter them in rich, meaningful contexts, such as stories, articles, or classroom discussions.
Student-Friendly Definitions
The meaning of a new word should be explained to students using everyday language instead of providing dictionary definitions. Having students to write definitions from a dictionary is not going to help increase their vocabulary. Rather, discuss new words together, provide related pictures, if possible, and discuss meanings in everyday language.
Focus on Tier 2 Words
Tier 2 words are high-frequency words that are essential for academic success but are not commonly used in everyday conversation. These are the vocabulary found in science and history lessons. Research has shown that teaching Tier 2 words can improve reading comprehension and writing skills.
Student Sketches
I love adding some fun to my lessons, and drawing and/or art is often one of the fun elements that I like to include. Providing students an opportunity to draw a quick sketch related to the meaning of a vocabulary word is more than just fun. When students are given the opportunity to make a quick sketch related to the meaning of the vocabulary word, this can help the students make connections to the word and improve their likelihood of internalizing the meaning.
Semantic Mapping
Semantic maps can allow students to visually organize related concepts, such as synonyms, antonyms, categories, and examples. Semantic mapping is a powerful visual tool that can enhance vocabulary instruction by providing visual representations of word meanings. In essence, it involves creating diagrams to represent the relationships between words and ideas.
Provide Multiple Exposures to Vocabulary
Research has shown that multiple exposures to vocabulary are essential for students to internalize and master new words. Studies have revealed that multiple exposures promote the development of memory networks and lead to better long-term retention of new words. With each encounter, learners are able to build on what they already know by making connections between related ideas or concepts.
Vocabulary learning requires repetition and practice. Teachers should provide students with multiple exposures to new vocabulary words, using different activities and contexts, which help reinforce their learning. Additionally, teachers should encourage students to use the new words in their own reading, writing, and speaking activities.
Reasons Why Graphic Organizers are Part of Effective Vocabulary Instruction
Graphic organizers that focus on vocabulary are an excellent tool for effective vocabulary instruction. A review of research on vocabulary instruction by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) also found that semantic mapping is an effective strategy for teaching vocabulary to students (Scammacca et al., 2007).
Graphic organizers allow students visually organize related vocabulary words, make connections to vocabulary, and provide multiple use and exposure to words, which can improve their understanding and retention of vocabulary.
Take a look at this set Vocabulary Graphic Organizers to use in your vocabulary instruction! They are simple and easy to use. Simply choose, print, and go!
In conclusion, effective vocabulary instruction in upper elementary should include researched-based instruction such as teaching new vocabulary words in context, providing student-friendly definitions, focusing on tier 2 words, having students create sketches and maps, and exposing the students to the words multiple times. When done consistently, these strategies can have a profound effect on the vocabulary development of upper elementary students. Focussing on vocabulary in meaningful and effective ways can have huge benefits and rewards for our students.
For even more on types of graphic organizers that you can use in your classroom, check out this blog post.
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VocabularySpellingCity’s online spelling and vocabulary games are fun for students of all ages! Our spelling games pair with teachers' word lists to give relevant vocabulary practice for kids that is fun, engaging, and retainable. We offer some free online spelling games with pre-populated lists to allow users to sample our games. With a Premium Membership you can access all of our spelling word games with customized lists and enjoy everything our site has to offer.
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Following Directions
Following directions is a crucial language skill and a common goal for speech therapy clients/students.
However, teaching directions is a bit more complicated than it seems. The key is to diagnosis the WHY the child is struggling. Read on to learn more!
Following Directions - Theory Behind Materials
Since I became a speech pathologist a million years ago, working on receptive language skills seemed odd. How can a therapist differentiate between expressive and receptive language? What is the point? Language is language.
This goes for following directions as well. You don't just work on "following directions." There is much to it.
A child who needs to work on following directions may have to work on one or all of the following skills:
- concepts (i.e., temporal, qualitative, quantitative etc...)
- working memory (this must be compensated for, not "cured")
- attention (compensated for or treated medically)
It is necessary to evaluate the child to uncover WHY he/she is actually having difficulty with following directions and to target/compensate for that exact skill.
Following Direction Materials
The main reason a child might not be able to follow a direction could be due to vocabulary deficits. Therefore, you may need to work on tier 1 or tier 2 vocabulary words.
For vocabulary practice, please check out
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- fall vocabulary
- tier 2 vocabulary packet
- articulation and tier 2 vocabulary materials
- spring vocabulary
- winter vocabulary
- teaching vocabulary tips
Oral and written directions tend to have a lot of specific vocabulary that many children with developmental language disorders need direct instruction on. These concepts include:
- spatial (i.e., on, under, next to, etc...)
- quantitative (i.e., many, one, couple, few, etc...)
- qualitative (i.e., spotted, round, etc...)
- temporal (i.e., first, before, after, etc...)
The grammatical structure of a direction plays a key role in how a child may understand and be able to execute a direction. Therefore, it is necessary to assess receptive/expressive grammar skills.
To learn more about grammar, check out my page.
Contrary to many expensive programs, you can't fix memory! However, you can compensate for it. Check out my working memory page for specific ideas.
Attention is not something a speech pathologist directly targets. However, attention can be compensated for such as fidget use, preferential seating, etc....
I created 5 new worksheets that target each "concept" and one fall vocabulary. Since the stimuli is "fall themed," I categorized it under fall on the membership site. There is a page for:
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- Fall Materials: Following Directions
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- Receptive Language Activities To Improve Listening Skills
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These vocabulary activities work for all ages, K-12, and provide kids with a variety of learning options to help them build their own word bank. 1. Make a word map Word maps help deepen understanding of a vocab word by relating it to other words and concepts students already know. Learn more: Word Map/Upper Elementary Snapshots 2.
Students show their understanding of vocabulary by saying the word when it applies, or remaining silent when it doesn't. For example: "Say radiant if any of these things would make someone look radiant." -Winning a million dollars. -Earning a gold medal. -Walking to the post office. -Cleaning your room.
Throughout the week, play word games like vocabulary bingo, vocabulary Pictionary, and charades to practice the new words. Include words you've taught in the past for additional reinforcement. 7. Challenge students to use new words. They can use their new vocabulary in different contexts, like at home, at recess, or during afterschool activities.
Vocabulary sweep-up: Students lay out all the cards on a table or other large surface and then take 30- to 45-second turns picking them up after using a card's word in a sentence that shows they understand the meaning of it. They use, or sweep up, as many words as they can during the allotted time.
Semantic maps help build students' vocabulary and reading comprehension. Teachers can add more challenging words each week. As students grow their vocabulary, they'll become confident in their reading and writing abilities. 5. Make word cards Word cards help students to develop their ability to learn new words and highlight their meaning.
Students play in teams, racing to complete a list of words (one for every letter of the alphabet) around a familiar topic or theme. You will need: pens or pencils A4 paper How to play: Divide students into mixed ability teams of 4 - 5. Students stand in a line on one side of the space.
Free Vocabulary Activities If you are searching for fun and entertaining vocabulary activities, your students will enjoy Hot Potato Vocab, Magic Hat Vocabulary, and Swat the Vocab Word. These activities will make the learning of vocabulary words an exciting part of the school day. Learn more: inspiredowlscorner.com 18.
Vocabulary Games and Activities - Cambridge English
Here are 23 vocabulary activities you can use with your students to help reinforce vocabulary. Most activities may be played as a whole class, in small groups, or for center times. 1. Roll the Dice Students choose a word (from a list, from the board, from a card) and the first student rolls a dice.
Students are thinking about the words and how they relate to other words, thereby making associations - great for brain-based vocabulary learning! 2. Once again, this activity can be differentiated by ability level. 3. It engages students in meaningful interaction with their words. 4.
Pictionary is a fun game for virtual parties or in-person affairs. To play Pictionary online, draw on the whiteboard app feature on your online meeting software. 2. Word Association. Word Association is one of the best vocabulary games for kids and classrooms since playing does not require a large vocabulary.
Put words in students' mouths with our vast array of vocabulary worksheets. Our vocabulary worksheets incorporate games, puzzles, vocabulary cards, reading comprehension passages, illustrations, diagrams, and so much more to help students build academic vocabulary. Great for independent and partner activities, these worksheets will enhance ...
More resources: Vocabulary: self-paced course Target the Problem: Vocabulary Vocabulary Apps Topics A-Z: Vocabulary Vocabulary refers to the words we must understand to communicate effectively. Educators often consider four types of vocabulary: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Listening vocabulary refers to the words we need to know to understand what we hear.
Vocabulary Activity-3, 2, 1, Vo-cab-go! The 3, 2, 1 Vo-cab-go! Each student has one worksheet with four vocabulary terms. A timer is set for one minute while each player completes three activities for a vocabulary word. They are asked to find three synonyms and two antonyms and draw one sketch of the given vocabulary term.
Label classroom objects in English and Spanish. Develop lesson plans and activities with new vocabulary words in mind. Read narrative (children's literature) and expository (nonfiction, such as science, social studies) texts to your class and discuss vocabulary words. Teach words in context this is more effective than isolated memorization.
That's why this is one of the best vocabulary activities for ESL students. Vocab Dice Rolling This is another of the classroom vocabulary activities as kids in groups will enjoy this game greatly. For this activity, you'll need a wordlist and a die. You will disclose a word and ask the student to roll the die.
Step four: Students engage in activities to deepen their knowledge of the new word (compare words, classify terms, write their own analogies and metaphors). Step five: Students discuss the new word (pair-share, elbow partners). Step six: Students periodically play games to review new vocabulary (Pyramid, Jeopardy, Telephone).
Check out our puzzles, activities and games available: First of all, why not try our match-up games to help you build up your vocabulary to dizzy heights. Furthermore, our crossword puzzles help you to spell linked words correctly to be able to complete the task. In addition, our word puzzles are especially helpful as you try to retain new ...
Improve your vocabulary even more. Discover a variety of online English courses to help you develop your vocabulary skills even further. Choose from self-study courses, live group classes and personal one-to-one tuition. Explore courses. Side menu. A1-A2 vocabulary; B1-B2 vocabulary;
Vocabulary words are a very important piece of teaching students to read. Learning and mastering essential vocabulary words can be achieved through vocabulary graphic organizers, vocabulary templates, no-prep vocabulary worksheets, vocabulary games, and a vocabulary display for your classroom wall!
Vocabulary instruction has a profound impact on a student's ability to comprehend. Research has long shown the importance of effective vocabulary instruction in upper elementary classrooms. By understanding and utilizing best practices, teachers can help students increase their vocabulary knowledge and, by doing so, improve reading comprehension.
VocabularySpellingCity's online spelling and vocabulary games are fun for students of all ages! Our spelling games pair with teachers' word lists to give relevant vocabulary practice for kids that is fun, engaging, and retainable. We offer some free online spelling games with pre-populated lists to allow users to sample our games.
We also include test-prep activities perfect for those end-of-year assessments. Use these as daily warm-ups, exit slips, substitute plans, homework, or guided practice! These review activities have it all and help to sharpen your students' knowledge of Language Arts standards. Plus it only takes up 10-15 minutes of your day!
Internet Activities. This bundle of Phonemic Awareness Boom Cards practices isolating the beginning consonant blend of a word. Students will listen to the word and click the correct consonant blend. This has 2 decks with a mix of L- blends, R- blends, and S- blends.Each deck has a total of 20 self-checking cards.
Vocabulary. The main reason a child might not be able to follow a direction could be due to vocabulary deficits. Therefore, you may need to work on tier 1 or tier 2 vocabulary words. For vocabulary practice, please check out. the materials here! fall vocabulary; tier 2 vocabulary packet; articulation and tier 2 vocabulary materials; spring ...