Children love competition, especially if there is an incentive to win. Played among small groups or the whole class, Dictionary Race relies on speed. Each child receives a dictionary, preferably identical in print. Once a word is given, students race to find the word first in their dictionary. The team or individual who finds the word first, wins. To extend the game, ask students part of speech, definition or to use the term in a meaningful sentence. Build this game into weekly vocabulary instruction for additional use and to build skills.
Based on the popular word game Balderdash, Dictionary Deception is about tricking peers into believing a definition of a word over the true meaning. With the whole class participating, the teacher writes a word on display in the classroom. Given a blank sheet of paper, each student writes his name and his own definition. Collect definitions and read each student's response to the class. Individuals vote for a word's meaning. Students or teams then receive a point when others select their fake definition or if they select the correct definition. Students take turns using a dictionary to define each word's true meaning. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins.
There are several ways to play Dictionary Treasure Hunt. One is to give a sheet of clues to students and have them work in pairs to find predetermined information. A more engaging method is to create a list of predetermined words and then have students seek the word in the dictionary based on verbal cues given to the group. For example, you want students to find the word "gumption." Start with a general definition, followed by vague clues such as the first letter. As the game progresses, start providing more details, such as guide words, of the page where it might be located. The first person or team to locate the word and its meaning would then earn points.
In this timed game, pairs of students work collaboratively to improve their dictionary skills. Provided with a dictionary and a list of words, beginning with various letters of the alphabet, partners are timed to look up words. After finding each word, students write page numbers and guide words. When time ends, students earn points for each correct set of guide words and page numbers.