Dictionary game
by Andrzej Modrzewski and Joanna Szelkowska
Level: Intermediate and higher
Age: 12 +
Time: ~30 minutes
Aims: learning vocabulary with the help of a monolingual dictionary
Objectives: uderstanding spoken word, being able to put new words in context
Materials: monolingual dictionaries (one for each pair of students)
Procedures:
Students work in pairs.
Student A opens the dictionary at a random page, reads out a random word and then Student B makes a guess about the possible meaning of the word in English. If the guess is wrong, student A provides an explanation of the word's meaning.
The student who was guessing the meaning of the word is supposed to write a sentence as an evidence that he understood the word properly.
Then the students switch roles.
Repeat this activity as many times as the time allows.
Teacher's role:
The teacher prompts students how to explain the meaning of the words. Checks if all students communicate only in L2. Helps to make gramatically correct sentences and checks if words are used appropriately to their meanings.
The activity ends when at least 7 sentences are written by both students.
Words used during this exercise can be written in a notebook and later used in a vocabulary quiz.