Games to recycle language:

Pictionary
One student chooses a word (perhaps picked from a word bag) and draws the
word on paper or a board to his team who has to guess the word. The ‘drawer’
is not allowed to speak. The team is awarded a point if they can guess the word
correctly in a set time. If they can’t guess it, the other team can have a guess.
You can make this as easy or as difficult as you want by choosing the words
students draw. This can be played in small groups once students understand
the game.

Taboo

This is a great game to get your learners to think in English. Give one student a
keyword and then 3 or 4 words that they cannot use when explaining the word
to their team. The team must try and guess what the keyword is within a time
limit. Students will need to dig deep and think of different ways to try and
explain the words in question.

For example, the keyword could be: Painting (n)

The student must explain the keywords but cannot use the words: artist / paint
/ museum

A Marathon Story
Give each student a word, they need to go around in a circle making a story.
The tricky thing is the story must flow and the sentence must have a link with
the previous sentence.

Category Games

Put all the words you have looked at in class into categories. Every now and
then select 3 or 4 words from each category and ask the students to come up
with a sentence.

Food item Country Verb Adjective

Cheese Finland To laugh Happy

Vinegar New Zealand To reduce Blue

Examples:
When people eat cheese in Finland, they are happy and laugh a lot.

People in New Zealand need to reduce their consumption of vinegar as it

turns their hair blue!

The sentences (orally or written) can be sensible or funny. You can add and
take away words each lesson, once a week, once a month and so on.

Hangman

An old favourite to go over new words again and again.

Post-it notes
Definition and word match up. Give half the class definitions and half the class
words to match up with the definitions. Ask the students to mingle and find their
correct partner.

A Communicative Crossword in Pairs

This is a good student to student interaction activity and it can also be a

mingling activity, so it is a good way to get the students up and moving around
whilst recycling vocabulary. One student has a set of words and the other
student a different set of words. They need to ask for clues and guess the
words. This will also help with spelling as they will need to spell all words
correctly to make sure they fit in the spaces.

Vocabulary Wall
Have a vocabulary wall in the classroom, put laminated words on the wall that
you can move around. Concept check the words on a regular basis, when the
students are confident in using the words, move it to the active category, the
other category is passive.

Buzzers

Write a word on the board at the end of each class, put students into teams and
give them a buzzer (or something that makes a noise, for example, a bell or a
whistle). They need to buzz (ring the bell or whistle) when they are confident in
the meaning of the word and how to use it in a sentence. Adding a competitive
element is a great way to get all the class involved.

Use a Vocabulary Recording Sheet

Get the students in your class used to using it and filling it in, encourage them to
go over it at home and use it as a revision tool for new words.
Example:
Word Pronunciation You can add many things in this Context
category:
Prefixes
Suffixes
Antonyms
Synonyms

fantastic /fanˈtastɪk/ Fantastically (suffix) The meal at the new restaurant was
fantastic.

Awful (antonym)

Great (synonym)
Use a Word Bag

Each time students come across a new word, write it down, laminate it and put
it into a bag. Keep using the bag at the beginning of a lesson, in the middle of a
lesson or at the end of a lesson. Students need to select a word from the bag
and:
 Act it out
 Draw it
 Give a sentence using the word
 Think of a suitable definition
 Write the correct pronunciation in phonemic script
 Think of any prefixes and suffixes you can use with the word
 Think of as many suitable synonyms as possible for the word
The activity you choose to do will depend on the level and needs of the class or
individuals.

Hot Seats

A classic game used in TEFL classes around the globe! Ask a student to come
to the front. They need to face the other students in the class, behind them write
a word on the board. The students need to act out the word to the person sitting
in the hot seat. The person in the hot seat needs to guess the word they are
acting out. This is a fun way to help review vocabulary you have looked at in the
classroom.

Grammar Auction

Before the class, prepare a list of sentences that contain a mistake. Students
need to find the mistake and for each correct answer, they will get a point.
Distribute green flashcards to the students to use when they think they know the
answer. This will ensure you do not get confused about who answered the first.
Read the sentences out loud, let the students identify the mistakes and give
points for each correct answer. The student with the most points wins. This can
also be played in teams.

Skills circuits

These are a fun way to review language. You can find an example of this here.

Board Game

You can create your own board game so that when a student lands on a certain
square they have to ask/answer a question in a specific tense or define a piece
of vocabulary.

Pick up 5

This is a fun mingling activity, it doesn’t have to be 5, it can be any number.

Each learner needs to pick up the required number of words (this will depend on
the level of the learners). When they have chosen their words, they need to
mingle with class members and use the words in a conversation. Pick up 5 is
fun, interactive, fast-paced and very engaging. It can also be adapted so that
learners are recycling certain language structures they have learnt in class.

The Class Board - Active to passive vocabulary

Make a large display board for your classroom. Laminate each new word, when
the students are unsure of the word it stays in the passive column and when
they are sure and can use it with confidence, move it to the active section. You
can repeat this, revisit words and use it to recycle language with the whole
class.

Remember:

There are so many ways that you can recycle language in the classroom.
Choose the best methods to suit your class and individual learning styles. Try to
re-introduce the recycled language in a different context or through a different
skill as this will help students extend their range of the new item. A combination
of activities is recommended to keep learners engaged and motivated.