Use strips of red and green paper. On the red paper, write clauses that could act as the beginnings of sentences. On the green paper, write clauses that could act as the second half of sentences. Distribute all of the cards to the students, divided into groups by their colors. Have students put the correct clauses together. Award a small prize to the person or team who puts all of the sentences together in the shortest amount of time.
Provide outdated printed material with words on it, such as old newspapers, magazines and advertisements. Have the students look through this material, either writing down the words they want to use or cutting them out of the pages. Require each student to construct a poem out of these words, either as a typed assignment to be handed in or on poster board to be displayed.
Divide the class into a few small groups and have each group select a captain. Write a category on the board such as mathematical concepts of ancient civilizations or examples of dramatic irony. You might want to relate the category to a recent novel that the class read or a chapter in a history book that you just reviewed. Once you announce the category, the students will have a few minutes to write down as many words as they can think of in the category. The captain must write down the words. Spelling should count in this game.
Assign different lyrics or poems to each student or allow them to bring in some of their own favorites. With the help of a dictionary, thesaurus and the Internet, ask students to rewrite some of the words to the song or poem, without changing the meaning. You might want to make this activity even more challenging by requiring them to maintain either the rhythm of the song or the rhyme scheme of the poem.