What’s the Noun? Adjective & Noun Game

Materials: index cards, markers, dictionaries, paper, & pencil

Purpose: Review adjectives and nouns; review and/or learn new vocabulary

Directions for Teachers: With markers and index cards, make adjective cards for the game. The teacher and/or the students can make the cards. Each student could add their own adjective or two.

Example words: small, soft, stretchy, flat, slow, bumpy, opaque, wavy, straight, florescent, colorful, cold, odorous, sharp, etc.

* Differentiate- Make the game harder by writing more challenging adjectives on a different colored index card.

How to Play:
1.) Divided the students into small groups.

2.) Select three adjective cards. In four minutes, the students have to think of as many nouns as possible that could be described with the chosen adjectives. The students write the three adjectives on their paper and list the nouns below them. (The time can be changed.)

3.) Have the groups share their answers.
Differentiate: Have the students select four cards, but tell them that they only need to use three of them. Depending on their abilities, give some groups more challenge cards than others.

* This game can be played as a whole group in which all small groups use the same three cards. Otherwise, each group can select their own random cards.

* After playing the game a couple of times, flip it around. Have each group choose one mystery noun. Then, they think of the best three adjectives to describe the noun. Each group shares their adjective clues, and the rest of the groups have to guess the noun. Each group can use whiteboards and whiteboard markers to share their clues and reveal their answers. Differentiate by giving some groups a large list of adjectives that they can use if they need it.

Example Clues: cold, slow, and flat
Possible answers: Glacier, snowflake, and popsicle (Students could claim that a popsicle freezes or melts slowly.)

Pop Culture Picture Analogies

Materials: index cards, pictures printed from the internet or taken from magazines, pencils, and paper
Objective: Make as many picture analogies with four cards as possible; explain the relationships of various analogies

* My middle school students played this game in small groups. I had one game set, and this was part of our centers. However, one game set could be used as a whole class. Students could sit with small groups. Then, each group could have a turn picking a card from the class set. Afterwards, the groups could explain their analogies.

* This version could require more cards and more variations of analogies.

* This game could be used with certain content, instead. Words and pictures could be used together.

Teacher Directions:
Make picture cards. Either you or the students can bring in different pictures. Make sure the students know that the pictures need to fit onto an index card (indicate the size or give each student some cards), and inform them as to whether or not the pictures will be returned. You should also have the students pick pairs of pictures that relate. If students bring in cards, then the teacher can select other pairs for them to complete the analogies.

Pick different pictures relating to sports, movies, music, games, food, etc. When I made this game I tried to make the pictures versatile so they could fit into different analogies. For instance, I had a picture of each of the following: a Harry Potter book, a group of Harry Potter books, the actor Daniel Radcliff out of character (current picture), the actor Daniel Radcliff out of character (young picture), Dan Radcliff as Harry Potter, a group of Harry Potter characters in costume, and a the Harry Potter movie cover. Likewise, I had pictures for the Twilight saga. The cards could be interchanged within each series and with each other. Furthermore, I made different pictures with sports teams, their logos, their star players, the arenas in which they play, and the equipment they use. Finally, I had various pictures of superheroes and their movies. These could also be mixed with the other movie cards.

* I would also have the students cite the pictures.

How to Play:
Students mix up the cards. Then, they have to find as many picture analogies as they can. They should line up the four cards that make up each analogy.

Afterward, students can verbally explain some of their analogies to the teacher. I recommend that students choose their favorite two or three analogies to write down as examples. Finally, students explain each analogy’s relationship, as well.

Showing Action Verbs & Adverbs

When I ask my students to be more specific or descriptive in their narratives, they often add more adjectives to their writing.  Sometimes this enhances their writing while other times it makes their stories sound awkward.  Instead of just adding in random adjectives, I teach my students to describe their actions clearly.  One way to do this is to use specific action verbs and adverbs.  Here is a fun way to create some action!

You will need index cards, markers, pencils, and paper.

Activity-  After students pantomime scenes showing various verbs, they use their performances to write a narrative, descriptive or how-to paragraphs.

1.) Divide students into groups of four.

2.) Give each group an index card containing either an action verb or a sentence.

                Examples

                1. play  OR  We play soccer.

                2. build  OR We build a fort.

                3. cook  OR We cook dinner.

                (dance, study, bake, groom, prepare, teach, shop, hang out, create, decorate, clean, etc.)

3.) The students write the word or sentence on their paper.  Then, they generate a list of other verbs that someone would do if they were performing/doing the action they were given.

4.) Next, each student selects one of their generated verbs, and one at a time, each group pantomimes their verbs.  As a challenge, the students could make their movements in chronological order.

5.)  The rest of the class has to infer the original verb that the group is showing.  As a challenge, they could infer the context or original sentence being shown.

6.) As a writing extension, each group can write either a short narrative, descriptive or how-to paragraph using either their group’s or another group’s words.  Students will need to add in other details to make their writing complete.  They could do this collaboratively or independently.

7.) Finally, students share their writing.  The class can compare the original sentences (“tells”) to their paragraphs (“shows”).

* To make this activity even more challenging add in adverbs.  Each student draws an adverb card from the teacher.  They have to pantomime their action and adverb. The class can then infer the adverb as well.

Examples: carefully, slowly, quickly, laboriously, thoughtfully, happily, grumpily, etc.

Students can pay close attention to what their bodies and faces look like when they show their adverbs.  Then, they can use these descriptions instead of using their adverbs in their writing.

Example:             With a clenched fists and strained muscles I chopped the wood.

                                Instead of

                                I painstakingly chopped the wood

* Another way to make this activity more challenging is to have the kids choose their own action verbs from the very beginning.

 

Show Not Tell Taboo

Show Not Tell Taboo

I am really excited about this new game idea!  I was teaching my students about “showing not telling” in their writing.  I explained to them that I wanted them to describe things and get their readers to infer and engage in their writing.  I told them, for instance, that instead of saying they were nervous, they could describe what they were thinking and/or what was physically happening to them because of their nerves.  When students started writing their “shows” for nervous, I noticed that many students used the words shaking and butterflies, so I challenged them to choose other words to be more original.   Then, a student said that this reminded him of the game Taboo.  Eureka!  I had my new reinvented game: Show Not Tell Taboo. 

You can play this as a whole group without points.  Otherwise, you can practice this as a whole group, and then play it in small groups/partners.  Two groups/partners would compete against another group/partners for points.  While one group is writing and then guessing, the other watches.  A time limit for the writer can be decided, as well. 

Materials: paper (for writing excerpts and scoring), pencils, timer, & game cards (can be done on index cards or paper)

Prep Work: Make a set of game cards.  The teacher can do this, or one class can make them for another class to use.  On each card, write down a common word/idea; you can use a sentence or one word.  Then, write a list of common words associated with the word (this list can be shorter or longer depending on how challenging you want to make the game). * Instead of making your own cards, you could use some of the Taboo cards if you have the game.

How to Play

1.) The writer selects and reads one card.  The card should be out of the writer’s partner’s/group’s view.  The opposing group/partner reads the card and later checks the writing.

2.) This student writes his/her “show”.

3.) The writer shares his/her work, and his/her partner or group has to guess the idea being shown.  The group/partner could be given one chance to guess or multiple tries.  Also, students can guess the word or a close synonym of the word.

4.) Then, the other group/partners take their turn.

You should determine total points for winning.  You may want to award 3 points if the word is guessed on the first try, 2 points for the second try, and 1 point for the third try. 

After the game is over, students could nominate well-written passages to be shared with the rest of the class.

Card Example 1:

 I was nervous.   OR   nervousness

 Words that may not be used:

                Butterflies

                Worried

                Shaking

                Anxious

 

Card Example 2:

Everyone at the funeral was sad.    OR   Sadness

 Words that may not be used:

                Crying

                Tissue

                Frowning

                Upset

Thanks to 365 Days (self portraits) for this photo. 

Retrieved from compfight.com

20 Questions with Prepositions

Another game that my students and I love is 20 Questions with Prepositions.  This is how you play:

1.) The teacher chooses a mystery noun (That’s right — not an object; it could be a person.).  Then, he or she writes it down on a post-it note.

2.) Students write down yes or no questions about where the item is located.  The teacher can assign each group with one or two prepositions or the students could ask any questions with whatever prepositions they want.

* Some students may need examples first.

3.) Then, the class asks up to 20 of their questions.  Groups can rotate.

4.) The teacher can have students who asked the questions circle their prepositions and underline the prepositional phrase as the questions are asked.  Students could be told that they have to copy a few questions from others, as well.  I also like to call on students to tell us what the preposition is in each sentence.

5.) Finally, the students guess the mystery noun! 

6.) Then, we review what prepositions are and how we use them.

Who said that grammar can’t be fun?

Reinventing Games for the Classroom

Games are fun!  I like the friendly competition, challenges, and socialization with playing games.  As a teacher, I try to reinvent common games for my classroom.

One game that I reinvented is Scattergories.  The students would play the game according to the official rules.  The main difference was my catergories; I created sheets of paper with categories for proper nouns or titles.  After students wrote down their answers in pencil, they would share them in small groups.  Then, they would help check and/or correct each other’s answers with a grading pen.  The students had a lot of fun playing the game, but they also reviewed literacy related skills.

I have been thinking of new, more challenging ways to play this game.  My  students could play this game with different categories.  For instance, categories could be “helpful things readers do,” “things readers can preview” or “writing techniques.”  I am sure this game could be used with other subjects, as well. This game can even be played in small groups. 

It is obvious that students think games are fun too.  But what’s even better is when they are learning from and/or with each other while they play them.  I’ll think of other games to use in my classroom, but I am looking for other people’s ideas too.

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