Catch+Phrase


 * CATCH PHRASE**

This vocabulary practice game can be played at all levels for any language. I played this in my SPN 2B classroom when the chapter we were covering had a lot of vocabulary to learn.

//How to Play// Just like the real game you play with friends, there will be a timer and words to describe without saying the word written down. Students will choose from a bag a vocabulary word and will have to describe it in the TL to his/her teammates. If they guess the word, the bag is passed and the next team does the same thing. When the timer buzzes, the team not holding the bag gets a point. The teachers chooses how high to go or at what time in class to stop the game and the team at the end with the most points wins!

//What you will Need// Paper bag Timer with buzzer (I used the one from the actual __Catch Phrase__ game. Slips of paper with vocab word written on it with clues

//To set up// Students spend time (20 minutes a day for however many days and depending on how many words) creating their own personal "Catch Phrase" slips of paper. They will write the vocab word, for example //tren// on the paper. Next to the vocab word //tren// they will write down 1-3 clues (in the TL) that describe that word but without using that word. For example, they can write //Un automovil, Mucha gente, Muy largo,// etc. After each student has completed their vocabulary slips, class gets into smaller teams and groups. Groups sit into circles and team members sit every other so that the people next to you are not on your team. In each group, each person then puts all their slips of paper into one bag and mixes them up. When the timer begins, the first person takes out a word and reads off the clues. When your team guess the word correctly, the bag is passed to the person next to you and they do the same. When the timer buzzes, the team without the bag wins a point.


 * If the clues are not good enough for a team member to guess, the person holding the word can use what they wrote for that same word (on their slip they created) to describe it OR they can make something up. The clue must be in the TL, otherwise they lose a point or the bag is immediately passed (the other team monitors their clue giving).

//Purpose// Not only is this a way to have students practice creating clues in the TL for a new vocabulary word without using the word, but because in this game students will have words repeating themselves it is also good to have repetition to help students remember and visualize the new vocabulary. The game is fast and it encourages students to use prior knowledge and think on their feet and yet they can use the clues that are already written down. All players benefit from this game, whether they are reading, guessing, or listening.

//Personal Experience// I played this game for a few days at the end of class and everyday the students had a lot of fun. They got so into it when the buzzer went off. As a teacher, you feel so proud when you see your students demonstrating good team work and also working so hard to come up with clues in the TL to describe a new vocabulary word. They really use the language!

Have fun!

user:doren 4/15/09