"Ad Libs" is a game that your middle school class -- or any class level -- is guaranteed to enjoy. Aside from the fact that the game can go on a humorous tangent, it allows students to cover a variety of word types, such as nouns, adjectives and adverbs, to name a few. You can purchase "Ad Libs" books at any book store. These books consist of stories that pause momentarily, asking for a specific type of word. Before reading the story to your class, determine how many different words need to be gathered and ask the students to name some from each category. Next, read the story, incorporating the chosen words where appropriate. If your class is studying a certain theme, you can try limiting the word choices to encompass that particular subject.
Word scrambles can be played in two ways. In one instance, take a grade-appropriate word or sentence and rearrange the letters to make the phrase illegible. Give your class some time to decipher the phrase. This can be played in a group, as well, where you reward the team that figures out the answer first. Another way you can play this game is to give your class a word and have them create as many alternate words from the letters provided. For example, if your middle school class is studying the American Revolution, you can provide a word like "Washington" or "Continental" and see how many other words the students can create from these words.
A synonyms spelling bee has a dual learning effect: it gives your students a chance to understand synonyms while honing their spelling skills. One by one, instruct each child to come to the front of the class. Give her a word and ask her to come up with a correct synonym and then spell it out. If she cannot think of one, have her turn to other students for suggestions.
Games such as crosswords and word searches provide students with a quiet written exercise. You can create these items from a template and gear them toward a certain theme or lesson. For example, if your class is studying geography, you can create crosswords or word searches that contain words relevant to that particular subject. Alternately, you can obtain these puzzles directly from sources such as puzzlechoice.com.