Vocabulary Game Directions

Student setup

Arrange the students into groups of 2-6 such that all but one student can see the screen, and one cannot. Then, click on a standard to play the game with associated terms.

Playing the game

Upon loading the game for a standard, you will see a screen like the following:

Students who can see the screen should attempt to describe the term to the student who cannot see it. The describing students should describe using words other than those in the term itself, and also avoid saying the "prohibited terms" listed underneath it. Descriptions should avoid phrases such as "sounds like," and should use academic descriptors in order to reinforce academic understandings.

If none of the describing students know the term well enough to describe it, scroll down and find a definition of the term at the bottom of the page.

Every so often, switching up which student is guessing within groups is a great idea.

When the guessing student successfully guesses the term in question, click on it to see another in the same set. Terms are randomly ordered, and will "loop around" to the beginning of the set once the last term in the set is clicked on.

This activity is intended to be a quick, high-engagement vocabulary learning or vocabulary review strategy to last from 5-15 minutes. It can be stretched out longer by having students toggle between multiple standards. Students can get back to the list of standards by clicking on the Back to standards link on the game page.