Word Wall Games: Missing Word, Word Pictures, & Categories

I am very pleased with the research I have done this summer about vocabulary and word walls.  This post has some of the games that I will be playing with my kids this year that I have never played in the past.  This just goes to show the importance of trying to learn more so that you can do the best job you can.  So, here are a few of the games I am excited to add to my arsenal, but there will be more coming soon!

Missing Word

One of the games that I thought was quick, easy, and fun is called the missing word.  The only prep that this game requires is for the teacher to remove one of the words from the word wall and then you can rearrange the other words if you'd like.  For older grades, I bet you could remove 2-3 words.  During the vocabulary time that day, the teacher would give clues and hints to get the kids to figure out the word.  This is very easy and I bet the kids would think it is fun, especially if a little candy is involved.

Word Pictures

One of the things that I love about Marzano's vocabulary ideas is the fact the he shows that students benefit from constructing a visual to go with each vocabulary word.  I agree with this, and, even on my own, I can remember things more easily when there is some kind of visual to file in my head. The word picture game allows students to work in teams.  The team chooses a word and illustrates it somehow on their paper.  I will probably have mine use chart paper.  Then, the opposing team guesses what the word is based on the illustration and gets a point if they get it correct.  After they guess the word, the team that did not draw gets to choose a different word and illustrate it.  I think it would also be neat to play this by having teams create a collage if they insist that they cannot draw. 

This is one great example of why color coding the word wall is helpful; the teacher could say: "Choose a red word.  Or choose a word from the red or green words on the wall."  The color codes help students know which words are available during the game.  

This is an example I found from online since I don't have
any that my kids have made...yet.  The goal is to try to get the
other team to guess the word based on the picture.

This is not from my classroom, but this is what
I have in mind that this game will be like. I might
have my kids draw it bigger.  It is kind of like
Pictionary.

Categories

I really love the game called Categories.  In this game, students create different categories and then put the words from the word wall into the categories that they created.  The teacher could also create the categories if the students need the scaffolding.  Sorting words really lets students interact with the words or "play" with them, which is what they need to truly learn the words and reuse them.  The categories that I have in mind range from parts of speech, to actual context that the word could be used in.  For example, if you had the words reverent, pious, and respect, the category could be polite. Sorting words into categories begins in lower grades, but it really helps students learn about the word more than simply memorizing a definition.  It forces them to think about the word, and that kind of interaction is what we need for them to file this word into their personal dictionary.

Of course, since I only do 5-6 words per week, I would probably want to build the words on my word wall for a few weeks in order to play this game, but I will be doing that this year!

These games are simple and the actual prep and playtime is not time consuming either, so they should be very practical for you classroom.  I can see my middle school kids loving these games and I can't wait to get into the classroom in exactly one week to get everything ready for my kids to #interact2learn.

This is an example of a word sort I found online where the
words are sorted by the prefixes.  It can be this simple, but
it can also be more difficult depending on the words.

Here is an example of a word sort for a music class.

Keep in mind that these word wall games work even if you teach other subject areas.  And the most important aspect of this game is to make sure you ask the kids why the sorted the words this way. They can't just do the activity and forget about it; they need to interact with the words and form mental and verbal connections among the words and their lives.  The teacher's job is to get those brains working and making these connections.  So, be sure to ask them why the sorted the way they did, and also, make sure to listen.  What I love about language arts is the fact that half of the learning is done through discussions!  Engage with those kiddos to make the most of the lessons.

I'd love to know how these games work in your classroom and I will be posting pictures of my kiddos playing them!  I hope you can add these to your arsenal as well!