Two Activities to Review Essential Terms

When you're ready to review several essential vocabulary terms at once, here are two great activities that Instructional Coach Dylan Purlee (Clark-Pleasant Community Schools in Whiteland, IN) recommends.

Many have tried I Have... Who Has as a math computation activity. Students each get a card that has a math problem on it and the answer to a different problem. They have to listen for a math problem that computes to their answer. It might sound like this:

• Student 1: Who has a 5 x 9? 
• Student 2: I have 45. Who has 9 x 3?
• Student 3: I have 27. Who has 6 x 9?
• Student 4: I have 54. Who has...

Using this same concept, Dylan created a series of cards that include a vocabulary word at the top of the card and a definition to a different word at the bottom of the card. When reviewing science terms, the activity may sound like this:

• Student 1: Who has a liquid that falls from the sky?
• Student 2: I have rain. Who has frozen precipitation that gently floats to the ground in winter?
• Student 3: I have snow. Who has tiny pellets of ice that fall rapidly when it is cold outside?
• Student 4: I have sleet. Who has...

To keep all students fully engaged even after they have said their term and definition, Dylan gave each a handout with the entire "conversation" typed out. He typed out the Who has definitions, but left the I have statements blank to be filled in.

Dylan also challenges his students to write vocabulary riddles. For example:

1. I show up in a story when you don't expect it and sometimes you can't understand me.
2. If you read me carefully, then you can make good predictions.
3. I help the author build suspense and can keep the reader guessing.
4. I give you "hints" throughout the story.Who am I?

     Answer: Foreshadowing

These riddles require the writer to truly understand the term in order to think abstractly. (Such an activity also utilizes personification, point of view, varied sentence lengths, varied sentence beginnings, and varied sentence types.) Love these ideas, Dylan! Thanks for sharing.