Dictionary Dash

Meghan Hawkes

OBJECTIVES:

1. To have students look up English words, their definitions, and synonyms, through a group race activity.

2. To give students practice using a Japanese/English dictionary.

3. To introduce new vocabulary.

4. To promote group work and quick thinking.

PROCEDURE:

1. Before class, create 5-6 cards or slips of paper, each with one word for the students to define and multiple choice answers – the answer should be an English synonym of the word’s definition. For example: freezing, (a) small (b) difficult (c) cold (d) delicious (e) cute. You can use the template provided or create your own. Makes copies of the cards, enough for each student.

If you like, the answers could be the words’ definitions in Japanese. I chose English synonyms to make the activity more challenging – the students invariably look up definitions of the answers as well, which is great practice.

2. Divide the class into groups of 4-6 students, lunch groups work well. Give each student the first card and instruct them to work together to find the definition.

3. Once they have an answer, one representative from the group comes to you and answers simply, “A equals B” or “A means B” - “freezing means cold”, for example. If they are correct, give them the next card, one for each member of the group. To promote a little more conversation practice, ask the student “How many cards?” and have them respond in English. You can add a rule saying the group representative must rotate, if you want to make sure everyone is participating.

With my class, I didn’t make the students find the definitions of each possible answer before giving their final answer to me – if you play this way, you might get a sharp student who already knows “horrible” means “bad” and his or her group has an answer right away. If you want to stretch for time, or even the playing field, have them look up all definitions.

4. Repeat step 3 until the groups have defined all the words. Tell the students that the letters corresponding with each correct answer spell out a secret word, and the first group to tell you the secret word wins! Be sure to tell them from the onset that finding the secret word is the final step to victory, this helps keep the activity competitive and energetic. If you use the templates provided, the secret word will be l-u-c-k-y. Announce the winner when the first group finishes, but keep the word a secret so that the other groups continue and can find the answer themselves.

5. Finally, have the students fill out the worksheet with the words’ definitions – either the English synonym like on the cards, or the Japanese meaning, whichever you choose.

NOTES:

• My JTE said it was a requirement of 1st grade curriculum to teach a class about dictionary usage. My first thought was, “A dictionary activity? The kids will be bored out of their minds!” I’m happy to say I was mistaken. The students were upbeat because of the competitive aspect and really worked together. They soon figure out that they finish quickly if they split up the words and answers between themselves, so I didn’t see any students slacking. Plus it’s great to see their looks of elation/relief each time they get a correct answer.

• If you create your own cards, don’t make the words too difficult. Being a word nerd, my first draft of the activity included things like defenestration, lugubrious, antidisestablishmentarianism…you know, practical everyday words. I had to revise drastically after looking at the dictionaries the students would be using. Similarly, make the possible answers slightly easier – try for old vocabulary that they should know or review.

• It’d be near impossible to stretch this activity for an entire class hour, especially for the speedy groups. To fill the rest of the time, I gave each student a copy of a Where’s Waldo page and had them list as many items as they could from the picture – in English of course, encouraging them to write words they didn’t already know. Therefore, they practiced English>Japanese during the race activity, and Japanese>English for the word find. It’s more entertaining for the students if they remain in groups; they don’t have to write the same words, but they like to point out funny things in the picture to their friends. Better yet, they like to share all the interesting words they find! I also rewarded the student with the most correctly spelled words at the end of the class hour.

Handouts and Resources:

Worksheet here

Cards here