Approach vocabulary through decoding and chunking. Your class breaks up words into basic syllables or chunks then engages in a decoding activity. Useful for a variety of language levels and grades, just modify to fit your class.

Students explore the history of basketball by reading and listening to a book entitled, "The Young Basketball Player." Afterwards, they create a trivia basketball game and write an interview for their favorite player. As a...

Play a classroom version of the classic game show Jeopardy, to review and discuss the novel your class has been reading. Questions about plot and other story elements are written on cards and given point values. Divide the class into...

Practice reading because practice makes perfect! In this sentence building lesson, young readers play the game Memory using word cards. They play in small groups to match words and use the words correctly in a sentence. This lesson...

Why is visual literacy so important in understanding Maus? Introduce your class to basic elements of graphic novels with a game of pictionary. A list of 13 words are included, but you could potentially add some World War II-related...

Start a conversation to convey proper English grammar. In groups pupils voice their opinion, have well supported disagreements, and explain why they feel as they do. This lesson builds academic discussion skills and fosters a command of...

Games are great ways to motivate. The class is split into two teams; each team earns points by correctly spelling given words. To score bonus points, teams get to shoot baskets with a small ball. Tip: This game could be used to reinforce...

Build word fluency! With this word recognition lesson, first and second graders play a game to practice saying irregular words with automaticity. They play in small groups using a set of word cards provided by their teacher. This lesson...

Young scholars read and analyze the Eastern European folktale of 'Ivan the Fool.' They discuss the term 'quest,' identify quests in their own lives, and in small groups design a board game that illustrates the czar's quest to find good...

Learners correct, explain, and recognize grammatical mistakes. They complete worksheets, and play a Grammar Casino game. Students check sentences for correctness and discuss what is right or wrong about each sentence. Learners justify...

Play games with your young word learners. They participate in games to develop word skills,  working with a partner on a word hunt. As they work, they keep a tally of how many times they find their word in three minutes. They use...

After finishing The Catcher in the Rye, review new vocabulary with an individualized bingo game. Class members develop a list of new vocabulary drawn from the novel or literary devices studied during the unit. Individuals then place...

In this journal writing worksheet, students brainstorm about violence they have seen on TV and in video games. Students write about the harmful effects this violence can have on society.

Ready, set, go! Practice irregular words by playing a relay race game. Start by dividing your class into two teams of four or five kids. They line up in front of their team's bucket of words and pick out a word from the bucket and...

Learners explore feelings.  In this mental health cross-curriculum lesson, students listen to My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss and discuss their own moods and feelings.  Learners sing related songs, write about feelings, and...

A great way to gain proficiency when learning a new language is to prepare an oral presentation.  In this foreign language lesson, pairs collaborate to develop a Time Capsule which they present to their class using their target...

As a prequel to a research assignment, class members explore writing citations in the modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psychological Association (APA) formats. In pairs, or individually, researchers use books and magazines...

Foreign language learners work in pairs to translate the daily routine of celebrities or everyday people, presented in daily planner format, into English. They then illustrate and record their own daily routines in storyboard (film...

Help your students practice reading an article to improve their literary skills with new terms and summarizing information. They read silently and then play a game by asking each other questions and finding out answers individually. A...

Students identify and describe what consequences are and how they affect others. Then they play the "Kids' Court" game as a class as outlined in the lesson. Students also identify how consequences and their actions are linked using their...

By reading two books aloud, Ben and Becky in the Haunted House and The Ghost in the Classroom, youngsters learn new words and understand story events. They workin small groups to review the vocabulary in a game-like setting. 

Students explore similarities and differences between people. In this diversity and literacy lesson, students read Maniac McGee and consider character traits. Students play a game in which they locate classmates with similarities and...

First graders practice using describing words. In this descriptive word lesson, 1st graders read the story The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs and match the pig descriptions to their names. They play a game where they describe an object...

Elementary schoolers explore writing conventions. First they play a ball toss game to practice spelling high frequency words. (A link to a 2nd grade list is attached.) The class works together to correct spelling, punctuation, and...