This is a great activity to use when the students have only recently received the vocabulary words they need to learn. It involves the students standing in a circle, and one at a time saying a word and definition while making a movement to help illustrate the idea. The class then repeats exactly what the presenter said and did. This combination helps them associate the definition with the word and is particularly effective for kinetic learners who have trouble with writing. As each student presents a word and movements, he also learns a few basics of speaking to the class and leadership.
This is a variation of flash cards, which is perfect for reviewing vocabulary that the students already know somewhat. The activity involves each student having a card with a question about a vocabulary term on one side and the answer on the back. At their own pace, each student finds a partner and they quiz each other with their cards. Once they have finished, they trade cards and go find a new partner.
Mantle of the Expert is better for older learners, such as fourth- or fifth-graders. It is a bit more involved, so that it can't be squeezed into a gap of ten minutes or so on days when the students work quickly through their lessons. Mantle of the Expert involves the students becoming "experts" on their words, either through research or creative writing. Then they present their work to the class, so that they are teaching, and the class should feel free to ask them questions while treating them as "experts" on the words.
This exercise nicely combines poetry with vocabulary learning. The students can create acrostic poems for the vocabulary terms by writing the word vertically down one side of the the page and using each letter to begin a line of poetry. Acrostic poems do not need to rhyme, so students incorporate the definitions into their poems. Acrostic poems are a good way to reach visual learners by allowing them to be creative and decorative with their poems. These can end up being an appealing addition to the classroom Word Wall.