Content Area Vocabulary Chatter Game
Tips for Multilingual Learners (MLs)
Breaks from school are so important for all of us—teachers and students. Unfortunately, after a break, it can be difficult to get students back on task. Here’s a quick idea that takes very little prep and can get students talking about vocabulary.
First step:
Introduce or review about 7-8 vocabulary words that are part of the unit/topic or book you are studying. Decide on about 3-4 words that are especially important for students to know. Share each word with a picture and simple definition on a slide to project to the class.
Example for chemistry class:
Second step:
Assign each student a partner ahead of time. Think about what students work well with newcomers/MLs. Also, you could allow two students who speak the same language to practice the vocabulary in their language. I like to create a chart with the partners on a slide and project them. That way, the students don’t say, “Who am I with?” It’s clear. You can always make quick changes if students are absent.
Third step:
Project the 7-8 words on the board with * by 3-4. Ask the students to write the words on an index card. Let MLs know they just need to practice the 3-4 as a scaffold. Tell the students to stand up and talk with their partners on any subject using as many of the words as possible. They should strive to use at least 7-8 of the unit’s words in their conversation and check them off on the index card as they use them. For dominant English-speaking students, they can sit down after they have used 8 (or 7, if that’s what you decide) in the conversation together. For MLs, they just need to use 4, and then they can sit down. It’s also helpful to give MLs sentence starter cards to help with the conversation. Here’s an example from Colorín Colorado’s website.
Also, this short video is helpful.
Fourth step:
As the students are conversing, circulate the classroom during the game to engage students in conversation and keep them on task. The first students to finish can get recognition or some extra credit points if they are willing to share their conversation with the class and use the words correctly. I would ask the students to check the words they share on their index cards to keep them engaged.
Tell me what you think. Have you tried this? Was it motivating?
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