Learning Technique: Dictionary game

• Biology
• Geography
• +4
• Primary Education
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)
• Higher Education (degree)

Introductie

The dictionary game is a fun and educational activity where players must guess which definition is correct from a list of real and fake ones. It's perfect for group play and can be adapted for different school subjects.

Instructies

What is it?

The dictionary game is a game where students choose an unfamiliar word and invent fake definitions. One player, the word master, selects a difficult word and reads out the real definition along with several fake ones. The other players must guess which definition is the correct one.

Scoring:

• You get 1 point for correctly guessing the real definition.
• You get 1 point if someone chooses your fake definition.

The goal is to earn as many points as possible by either identifying the correct definition or misleading others with your fake one.

How do you create it in LessonUp?

To play the dictionary game using an open question in LessonUp, follow these steps:

• Add an open question to your lesson. Give the question a clear title, such as "Guess the meaning!" or "Which definition is correct?"
• Divide the class into five teams. Each team joins the lesson via www.lessonup.app and enters a question mark (?) as their team name. Alternatively, you can make the open question anonymous.
• Team 1 (the word master) chooses a word from a new chapter or the vocabulary list for that topic.
• Each team, including team 1, submits a definition they believe is the correct one.
• Ask students to either explain in their own words which definition they think is right, or to choose the number of the correct definition.
• Keep track of points per team. Repeat the activity several times so that at least three different teams get to be the word master.

How do you use it in different subjects?

The dictionary game can be a powerful way to activate prior knowledge in various subjects. It encourages students to recall what they already know and introduces key vocabulary and concepts in an engaging way.

• History: Use it to review historical terms or important events.
• Languages (e.g., English or French): Great for practising vocabulary and grammar. It also helps students encounter unfamiliar words from texts they’ll be reading.
• Chemistry: A fun way to refresh students’ understanding of chemical terms and concepts before starting a new unit.
• Geography: Introduce or revise geographical terms, place names, and natural phenomena essential to the topic at hand.

Ready to use this activity?

Create your own Dictionary Game in LessonUp! Save this lesson using the ‘Save’ button and easily adapt the slides to suit your own subject.

Difficulty (design): *

Dictionary game

Learning Technique

Which word will the word master team choose?

Guess the meaning!

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