Connect 2 Vocabulary Game

One of the best professional development days that I have been to EVER was this past June with Jami Corwin.  She was an incredible instructor for the embedded grammar ideas that have me stoked!  She recommended the book Mechanically Inclined, by Jeff Anderson and it is a great read for sure.  One of the vocabulary strategies/games that she demonstrated is called Connect 2 or Select and Connect.

How to Prepare:
To prepare for this game, the teacher needs to have cards for the week's vocabulary words.  Since I am only teaching 5-6 vocabulary words a week, I have decided to also use words that will be in the week's story.  I may also throw in some synonyms, but the goal here is to try to make sure that every student has a card.  The teacher should pass out the cards at the beginning of the game.  I like to do this after going through the definitions of the words for the week so that students will at least know the definitions of some of the words.

How to Play:
All that Jami Corwin told us for instructions was that she wanted us to find at least one other person in the room whose word somehow "connected" to ours.  Make a connection.  So, we all immediately asked, "How?"  There are so many ways to make connections with words.  Endings. Beginnings. Synonyms.  So, I will explain to my own middle school students that I want them to make ANY connection.  I want them to read the work, process it, and use their brains to just make some kind of meaningful connection from their word to another word.
Jami turned the lights off and told us that we had until the lights came back on to make our connections.
In the PD with Jami Corwin, some people connected words because they all ended in -ed.
Other people connected words because they were synonyms.  Other people connected because the words were antonyms.  Some connected because the word had the same prefix.  Then, still others connected because the words just had to do with one another in a contextual setting.  For example, the two words were computer and mouse and we made the connection that a computer needs a mouse with it.
After all the connections were made, Jami turned on the lights and we were ready t o begin analyzing the word connections.  As the teacher, she would go to certain groups of students who were holding their words and she would just ask what the connection was between the words.  The students told her why they felt the words connected.  It was as simple as that.

The point with this is that the kids made connections between and among words.  These words would be in the story that they were getting ready to read and making these connection is very important for students when reading and learning new vocabulary.

So, you cannot go wrong with this simply wonderful game!  And, you could also use the cards that you created to play the game for your word wall!

You can write or type the word cards you use for this game.

Some things I noticed about the game as I played:

• Make sure you have the students read their words aloud as you call on them.
• Make sure to engage with the students and call attention to WHY the connections were made.
• Make sure other students are listening as the connection explanations are being explained.

As we read the story after this activity, she asked us to highlight words we remembered from the activity.  It was actually pretty fun and I can't wait to see how my 7th and 8th graders enjoy it!

Be sure to share what you think in the comments!

I'd love to hear from you!

KABOOM! Vocabulary Game

I have spent the summer searching for fun vocabulary games to use in my classroom.  Marzano believes that if students interact with new vocabulary words in meaningful ways, they will learn them more thoroughly and they will invest in them.  I believe that, too.  In fact, when I integrated more meaningful vocabulary games into my classroom, my kids actually knew and used the words.
P.S--> test scores went up.

Planning for KABOOM!
To play KABOOM! you need some Pringles cans (or that is what we used).
You take strips of paper and write the vocabulary words on them.
You can use one word more than once.
You also need to have a strip of two with the word KABOOM! on it.

How to play
I like to have groups of 5.  Out of the 5 students, one student has the definitions to the vocabulary words.  I try to choose someone who I know will have a grasp on the words and that person is the Game Master.  So, this person doesn't play the game while they are the Game Master.
Student 1 takes his/her turn: They pull out a strip from the KABOOM! Pringles Can.  They say the word and then I have them tell the definition of the word.  You could also have them give a synonym of the word or use it in a sentence.  You could have them play a round of all three!  If the Game Master agrees that they have given the correct definition (or synonym or sentence), they get to keep the strip of paper.
The game moves on to the next player and they keep going through the game.
When a student gets a KABOOM! strip, that student has to put all the strips he/she has earned back into the Pringles can and then the game keeps going.
I like to have students play for a set amount of time.  I set a timer and when the timer goes off, that round is over and the person with the most strips of paper wins the game.

My kids love this and I have played it for years.  I first heard of the game when I started teaching in Greeneville, Tennessee back in 2011.  The kids taught me how to play.

You can decorate the Pringles cans (if you find the time).  I have a few that are decorated and a few that are not.  The kids don't mind.

Plus, it gives us a great reason to eat Pringles!