Chris Speck: Good Wordgames as warmers / fillers or coolers from your English class.

In need of a quick warmer / filler or cooler for a lesson? Don't turn your nose up at word games, they are quick, easy and give students vital spelling and word practice.

Make words from these letters
This is an old favourite. Find a long word like 'democracy' and draw all the letters in a box like this:

d	r	c
a	e	o
c	y	m

Now get students to make as many words as they can from only these letters. You can use almost any long word you like

Make sentences from this box
Just the same as the above, but rather than using letters you use words and get students to make sentences. Like this:

jumped	fox	fence	fit	because
to	lazy	he	wanted	get
the	over	white	The	brown

The sentence is : The lazy brown fox jumped over the white fence because he wanted to get fit.

Put the sentences in the correct order
Another old favourite is putting words in the right order in a sentence. Even though this quite dry and boring -lots of language students, especially those who use a different written script, need to practise their handwriting - even just forming the letters. An activity like this allows students to do this as well as testing their sentence skills.

Here's my sample PowerPoint for arranging mixed up sentences, save it and change the words to whatever you like http://chrisspeck.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/arrange-the-sentences-directions.ppt

Online wordgames to show on your IAWB
Of course, the internet is abound with word games you can play in your browser. Send these to students as homework, play them in the computer room (in pairs is best) or play them together in the classroom on the interactive whiteboard or projector.

BBC Skillswise - many great word games here http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/spelling/

Blocks with Letters on 3 - Amazing game to play with the class http://www.gimme5games.com/play-game/blocks-with-letters-on-3