The Riotous Dictionary Skills Team Game
An English Teaching Resource That is Great Classroom Fun
Jun 8, 2009
This dictionary skills game is an excellent resource to have students practice dictionary usage. It is riotous fun and students will call for it as a gap-filler or treat to conclude a lesson. It is best introduced as a follow up to a formal lesson in the dictionary format and speedy dictionary use.
Preparation for the Dictionary Skills Team Game
To commence, teachers might like to use the formal dictionary use lesson detailed in the Suite101 article, Dictionary Skills Exercise Lesson Plan. Teachers will need:
- two identical dictionaries, preferably old, as there will be some wear and tear due to exuberance in this game.
- a list of at least 20 words for teams to find, and the page number on which each word is found in the supplied dictionaries.
- a list of rules to read out to the class. The game works without rules, but teachers might like a few "class control" rules. Suggestions below.
- pre-selected teams for the exercise, as detailed below.
Selecting Teams for the Dictionary Skills Team Game
The game is based on similar popular old P.E. (P.T.) games such as "Dog and the Bone". The class is broken into two teams. Each member of each team is allocated a number, so that he or she has a correspondingly numbered opponent on the other team. If there is an uneven number, one student will be delighted to have the important role of score-keeper.
Teachers can get best value from this game if they have previously decided on the composition of the teams so that (a) there is an even spread of ability on both teams, and (b) students of roughly equal ability on each team are given the same number. When a number is called, the opposing students given that number compete with one another, so some judicious selection will prevent certain students being grossly out-performed and embarrassed.
Conducting the Dictionary Skills Team Game
- Teacher allocates team and position numbers and students move to form their team lines, standing shoulder to shoulder, in a clear space in the room or along opposite walls. If there are, say, 10 members on each team, number 1 team members can either be standing opposite one another, or at opposite ends of their respective lines. All other members stand in strict numerical order.
- Teacher gives identical dictionaries to the person at the head of each line. They are not necessarily the first to be called to use them. Teacher explains any rules he or she has decided on (suggestions follow) and starts the game.
- The process is for the teacher to call out a word, which a nominated team member is required to find. It is wise to repeat the word several times, pause to let it sink in and raise tension. (Teacher can decide if spelling out the word is appropriate for the group level or whether spelling is also a factor in the game.) By calling the word before the number of the "victim, all students should be busily planning a strategy of how best to arrive at the word quickly.
- To ensure students are not caught unawares, after stating the word to be found, the teacher starts each round with the phrase "The number is…..[pause]." When the number is called, the dictionary is passed along the line from whoever currently holds it to the team member with the new number called. Of course, making sure the dictionary has to travel some distance makes for fun, but occasionally calling the number next to the holder also provides an unexpected jolt.
- When the student whose number is called has the book in hand, he or she uses the fast-find skills to locate the word. Once the word is located, the finder calls out the page number. The teacher has already prepared a list of words and relevant page numbers, so can verify the win, which is then recorded on the board as a score to that particular team. It is probably wise to establish a penalty for calling a wrong page number to deter students from taking a wild guess when they think they are close.
Additional Optional Rules
To deter over-exuberant destruction of dictionaries or cheating, teachers might like to apply any of the following rules:
- 1 point penalty for dropping the dictionary
- 5 point penalty for throwing the dictionary from one team member to the other
- 2 point penalty for neighbor assisting called number
- 5 point penalty for heckling – especially own team member
- 10 point penalty for bad language, violence or threatened violence!
Ending the Dictionary Skills Team Game
There needs to be a pre-determined way to end the game with a winning team. This might be first to 10, or best out of 20 questions, with some tie-breakers. Teachers will find that eager teams will call for the game to continue or that there be a return match. This game has been tried and tested with adult education classes with success as well.
