Dear All,
The following Snake Word game from Bernard Ouedraog, Burkina Faso
is described at.....
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/vocabtry/vocab_activities.shtml....along with some other useful vocabulary activities.
"To check how rich my students' vocabulary is, I have them play the
snake-word game.
Each row or team sends a representative to the blackboard. He/she
chooses a coloured piece of chalk and they stand in a line. I write
a letter and the first student must write a word beginning with that
letter; the following student writes a word beginning with the last
letter of the previous word:
For example: D Data Amount Tomato On Narrow What........
They should write the words so that they make a snake…
Datamountomatonarrowhat….
Time is limited, depending on the level of the class. After the time
devoted has passed, and you haven't written a word, you pass your
turn. If you pass your turn 3 times, you are replaced by another
pupil in your row/team. Only two replacements are allowed. After
that, the row/team is eliminated."
The game is basic and possibly good fun....but I think it can be
improved upon by introducing the simple concept of "connecting
words" - and encouraging students to actually use their vocabulary
in a far more active and authentic manner.
e.g.
D>Data>information/computer/statistic etc(2 points)
or
D>Data>apple/animal/ask (1 point)
Extra points could also be given to students able to use
their "connecting words" to create simple example sentences ...
which may (of course)highlight some grammatical weaknesses - but
this will happen in positive circumstances. The teacher can then
initially address any "mistake", whenever necessary, by simply
providing a "correct" intended sentence in a helpful manner.
Students will generally tend to appreciate such an approach ... and
may also become more motivated to investigate grammar once it has
been related to their own invented sentences (rather than only to
those given in exercises)
Will McCulloch
Vocabulary Developer
http://www.wordsurfing.co.uk Sent by
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