My company requires that I play this game in one of my classes.
In the game, the students are given a long word, like Conversation, and they have to use the letters to make smaller words. It’s a bit like Wordscapes or Word cookies.
I can’t change the assigned word, use Japanese with the students, or use any electronics in class.
The students have been struggling a lot with it and I’m not sure how I can make it easier for them while still following company guidelines.
13 comments
You have to “model” a lot when playing a game. I would give them another word, different from the assigned one and show them how YOU break down that word. Then give them the assigned word and one example from that word. It should be enough, hopefully, for them to figure it out. If not give them a couple more examples of smaller words.
FInd all possible answers and then give hints like _ _ D_ E. Have students make pairs and work together. Do a few words together first or even do the whole thing together as a class until they can work with little guidance. Show them some common ways to make words like patterns. BEFORE you do the activity practice some words that can be found, that way students already have some clue before hand.
Show them the original word. Let’s use INTERNATIONAL.
As you write the word on the board, have students recite the letters the whole word: I N T E R N A T I O N A L
Next, draw three blanks lower on the board. Count the blanks with the students.
Then, let’s make a small word. (let’s use NET)
Circle the N in the original word.
Draw an down arrow to the first blank and write N, have them all say “N”
Pretend scan the original word and find and circle E, draw an arrow down and write E on the second blank.
Repeat for T.
Then ask them what the new word is.
Next, ask them to find new words.
Voila!
I’d start by doing the task on the board with the class.
If they are really low level, maybe make a list of words – some which you can make using the letters and some you can’t. Students have to figure out which ones they can make or not.
Once you model it with the students a few times, first time break the students into groups of 4, next time pairs, and then finally individuals.
You could make it into a points based game and the person with the most words or the longest word gets a sticker or something.
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You could also change the game slightly where the students need to think of words for each letter of the key word e.g.
Keyword: Top
Ten
Open
Pencil
You can adjust the rules to themes e.g. only numbers or colors etc.
My approach would be this:
– Prepare individual letters (wooden letters, simple pieces of cardboard with one letter each, magnets on the whiteboard, …)
– Have images of objects/ concepts that are the target words (plus some more for confusion if it would be too easy otherwise)
– Show them how it is done by making one target word yourself
– Let them do the remaining target words
When I did this with students I gave each group the letters of the long word, and showed moving the letters around to make smaller words. I think having the physical letters makes it a lot more intuitive for some people too.
Make individual letters and laminate them, put magnets on the back.
Write the target word in chalk and also have the laminated letters below it.
Then move the laminated letters into new words.
Look! Look! T-R-A-I-N! Train!
*Add or remove genkiness depending on the kids.
How old are the students?
Ooh a big word: C O N V E R S A T I O N!
Let’s make a new smaller word. Hmm… Sad!
S…A… oh no, no D!
Oh I got it…
T …. E… A
What does this say?
That’s how I’d do it.
What exactly is the point of this game… I’d understand if you were breaking down compound words like butterfly into butter and fly, but this is just a time waster activity? Even a word search would be more helpful I guess. Where I work, most worksheets and books have ‘re-arrange the words to make the sentence’ type questions, these are much better in my opinion, students need to identify what type of words they have and how they can join together.
or use picture card or drawing if you can for hint, maybe together with missing/fill in the blank.
Don’t teach the game. Take a word and make two smaller words from it. Mark those words with a O. Make a nonsense word mark it with an X. Do one more word. Let them try.
If the students are having trouble, every time you try to play the game, then it means the exercise doesn’t work, needs modification, or needs more scaffolding – it doesn’t mean you just let them struggle and go “oh too bad, this is how we are supposed to do it …”
Unless your boss is watching you every single time you teach, ignore what he tells you ahout how to teach, and teach them something useful in a way that they will actually enjoy.
I also don’t see that the game, as you describe it, has any real pedagogical value. If they can make words, that means they already know those words. And if they already know those words, why are you teaching them?
And if they can’t make any words, and you have to just give them the answers, what is the point of the game? What are they learning? They aren’t going to remember those words – those words are totally random, have no salience, and no context – so what motivation do they have to remember them? How will they learn the word in any depth if they aren’t also learning the meaning, context, form, or use? Again, from the description of the game, it sounds like very shallow learning with no real purpose.
There are a lot of really good ways of presenting vocabulary, and many good games for helping retention.
A very easy thing to do, that doesn’t require any prep or materials, is when you encounter a new word in class, note it on the board, have the students write it down, and then collect those words on word cards and use them to play games.
Simple, easy, fun, and aids retention.
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