Learning vocabulary is a complex construction of mind webs where vocabulary is stored. These mind webs, paradigamatic fields, need to be constructed by using several different strategies. Although lists of vocabulary are very useful (see Nation, Paul) there are also fun games like bingos, board games, realia, and more. On this page you will find: Teaching english vocabulary.

Back to Homepage

Vocabulary Activities

Think fast

• Choose two or three volunteers.
• Ask them to leave the classroom. They will be called to enter in turns.
• The first student enters.
• At this, tell him/her that he/she has 30 seconds to say words, phrases, sentences, etc, that he/she learned in that class, as many as he/she can say. You have to tick for every item said by the student.
• When all volunteers have participated, count and decide which student has said or recalled more utterances. Reward the winners.

Quiz

• Write four to five words seen in class.
• Dictate the words at the beginning of the next class.
  

Bingo

• Bingo game.
• Provide each student with playing card.
• Shuffle cards and mention the phrases and/or questions.
• The student who first completes and shouts "Bingo" wins.

Venn's diagram

• Draw two interlaced circles.
• Write, above the left circle, "men's clothes". Above the right one"women's clothes". Write "both" above the interlaced space.
• Students have to write garments which men wear in the first space and garments which women wear in the corresponding space. Garments that both wear in the interlaced space.

Skaanes format

• This format is ideal for homework.
• It is a chart divided in three columns.
• In the space"Español", Students write in that language the name of the garment. In the space "English", The english word.
• In the space "Picture", students have to draw the garment or stick a cutout.

Four corners

• Put four cardboards on the wall. Each one on each corner of the classroom.
• Write a title on each one.
• Divide the group into four teams
• Teams have to write words related to the title.
• Give a certain amount of time for each team to write in each cardboard.
  

• Every time a student asks for permission to go to the restroom, tell him that he has to say: "I have been learning" and say words or phrases that he has just been learning in that class.