Word Games
5 Fun Ways to Spice Up Science Vocab Review
"Whole Class Match Me
Give each student an index card and assign them either a science vocab word or a definition (this saves you some work!). Then, have students walk around to find the person with the card that matches theirs. Then, have students switch up their cards and find the person that matches their new card. Continue until you have completed the activity 8-10 times (or until you are tired of it).
“Crossword” Puzzles
So, it’s not technically a crossword. I love crosswords and I love my NYT crossword app. Anyway, I think it’s called a criss-cross. The one below is for earth science. You can click the pic to download it for free from GoogleDocs. It even has an answer key! Whoa baby!
Vocab in a Flash
Got 3 minutes to spare? Do Vocab in a Flash! When I taught more than one class of science, I made this a competition between the classes, but you could do other things to make the game more cutthroat. I had a stack of 20ish cards with vocabulary words on them. I would describe the word on the card and the students would have to say the word. Then, I’d move onto the next one until I got through the stack. I timed them to see how long it took to go through all of them then wrote the time on the board. I talked super duper fast and if ANYONE said ANYTHING before I finished describing the word, I would describe the next word reeeeeaaaalllllyyyyy slooooowwwwwlllyyyyy. Needless to say, someone only called out on occasion that way.
~You can switch out the words and add more, but still bring up those words from the beginning of the year. I think it’s important to describe the words differently each time so they aren’t just memorizing the words you say.
Bingo
Students can make Bingo cards using vocabulary words, then you read off definitions and they mark the space on their card. {Shameless Plug Alert!} I actually have pre-made cards for Bingo (physical, earth, life, or a bundle). They each come with 24 different cards, vocabulary cards to read off, and markers.
Draw a Term
Assign each student a vocabulary term (on a post-it or index card). Give them 5 minutes to illustrate the term without using any words. Then, you can show the pictures and see if the class can guess the word, have students show their groups the picture and see if the group can guess it, or have students walk around the room and see how many people can guess their term just by looking at the picture." (Huddleston, 2013)
Give each student an index card and assign them either a science vocab word or a definition (this saves you some work!). Then, have students walk around to find the person with the card that matches theirs. Then, have students switch up their cards and find the person that matches their new card. Continue until you have completed the activity 8-10 times (or until you are tired of it).
“Crossword” Puzzles
So, it’s not technically a crossword. I love crosswords and I love my NYT crossword app. Anyway, I think it’s called a criss-cross. The one below is for earth science. You can click the pic to download it for free from GoogleDocs. It even has an answer key! Whoa baby!
Vocab in a Flash
Got 3 minutes to spare? Do Vocab in a Flash! When I taught more than one class of science, I made this a competition between the classes, but you could do other things to make the game more cutthroat. I had a stack of 20ish cards with vocabulary words on them. I would describe the word on the card and the students would have to say the word. Then, I’d move onto the next one until I got through the stack. I timed them to see how long it took to go through all of them then wrote the time on the board. I talked super duper fast and if ANYONE said ANYTHING before I finished describing the word, I would describe the next word reeeeeaaaalllllyyyyy slooooowwwwwlllyyyyy. Needless to say, someone only called out on occasion that way.
~You can switch out the words and add more, but still bring up those words from the beginning of the year. I think it’s important to describe the words differently each time so they aren’t just memorizing the words you say.
Bingo
Students can make Bingo cards using vocabulary words, then you read off definitions and they mark the space on their card. {Shameless Plug Alert!} I actually have pre-made cards for Bingo (physical, earth, life, or a bundle). They each come with 24 different cards, vocabulary cards to read off, and markers.
Draw a Term
Assign each student a vocabulary term (on a post-it or index card). Give them 5 minutes to illustrate the term without using any words. Then, you can show the pictures and see if the class can guess the word, have students show their groups the picture and see if the group can guess it, or have students walk around the room and see how many people can guess their term just by looking at the picture." (Huddleston, 2013)
Image Source: http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2015/01/15/11-vocab-review-games-to-make-the-learning-stick (WeAreTeachers Staff, 2015)
Science Jeopardy
https://jeopardylabs.com/play/middle-school-science-review2
Ideas for Word Games
Crossword Puzzles
References
Crossword Puzzles for the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2015, from https://www.teachervision.com/puzzles/skill-builder/64345.html
Huddleston, A. (2013, January 7). 5 Fun Ways to Spice Up Science Vocab Review — The Science Penguin. Retrieved July 11, 2015, from
http://thesciencepenguin.com/2013/01/5-fun-ways-to-spice-up-science-vocab-review.html
Ideas for Teaching Vocabulary and Spelling. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2015, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson241.shtml
Middle School Science Review. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2015, from https://jeopardylabs.com/play/middle-school-science-review2
Vocabulary Paint Chips. (n.d.). Retrieved July 7, 2015, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/build-student-vocabulary
WeAreTeachers: 11 Vocab Review Games to Make the Learning Stick. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2015, from
http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2015/01/15/11-vocab-review-games-to-make-the-learning-stick
Huddleston, A. (2013, January 7). 5 Fun Ways to Spice Up Science Vocab Review — The Science Penguin. Retrieved July 11, 2015, from
http://thesciencepenguin.com/2013/01/5-fun-ways-to-spice-up-science-vocab-review.html
Ideas for Teaching Vocabulary and Spelling. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2015, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson241.shtml
Middle School Science Review. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2015, from https://jeopardylabs.com/play/middle-school-science-review2
Vocabulary Paint Chips. (n.d.). Retrieved July 7, 2015, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/build-student-vocabulary
WeAreTeachers: 11 Vocab Review Games to Make the Learning Stick. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2015, from
http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2015/01/15/11-vocab-review-games-to-make-the-learning-stick