TITLE: The Alphabet Game
AUTHOR: Joyce Bean, Enid, OK
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT: Third through sixth graders have
enjoyed the game using appropriate grade level words. This
exercise may be incorporated into spelling lessons,
geography, social studies, any lesson that would be helped
through spelling of words. It also may stand alone as a fun
exercise.
OVERVIEW: Many children tend to see learning as a chore.
This exercise is designed to encourage children to see words
as a challenge. In the game, being a good speller is a
definite advantage. Being a good leader helps and working
as a team wins the game. To be successful as a team,
children learn to cooperate, be responsible for the letters
they hold and help others. The normal classroom will work
if the desks can be pushed to face each other but need some
room to work and still be somewhat separated. One of the
more desirable rules is quiet helpfulness. The quieter the
teams are, the more points they gain. This also forces more
leadership and more cooperation.
PURPOSE: Children are encouraged to see words/learning as
something fun and challenging; the good spellers are an
important part of the team rather than being looked down on
as "bookworms". Natural leaders surface helping the group
form the words. Group cooperation becomes important and a
reachable, seeable, profitable entity rather than some
teacher's unimportant words.
OBJECTIVES: This program may appear to be almost a noisy
disaster the first time it is done. When it happens, a very
important lesson is there to be worked with and through.
Causes are usually related to some of the group's inability
to work together as a team. As they, with the teacher's
help, work through what happened and how the game may go
better next time, they see the need for cooperating. They
see the importance of a leader. They see the importance of
the points lost because of excess noise. The next game will
be composed of different team members and certainly will go
differently. The second time around invariably does better
even if the first game was excellent. The children do learn
to work together quietly and efficiently.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS: Two sets of alphabet cards. I made
cards approximately 4" x 5", wrote a large letter in the
middle with a small letter in the corner with a line under
it when needed to differentiate between w and m, for
example, and laminated the cards for permanence. A
chalkboard for scoring purposes is all you need, otherwise.
ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES: The class is divided into two
groups in any way that is nonthreatening. Counting off one-
two, one-two or a-b, a-b works well. Each group is given a
set of the alphabet with each letter on a large colored
card. One group might have green letters, the other yellow.
These cards are randomly split as evenly as possible among
the team.
1. The first group to spell a word given by the teacher
wins the points for that word.
2. The quietest group, if a difference can be heard, wins
and extra five points.
3. Exceptional noise of either team = five points lost.
4. Words are given a value before they are given to the
teams and the teams are told that value. For example,
for third graders, the word fox might be worth five
points, while the word green would be worth ten points
because it has the problem of double letters in it.
The phrase The End might be classed as a fifteen
pointer.
A potent ending of 25 points is to have each team put
their letters in alphabetical order as quickly and
quietly as possible.
5. Double letters or two same letters in a word must be
handled in a specific way. The first letter is in
place as usual. Another letter that is not being used
in the word is used as the second "same" letter. The
difference is the odd letter is turned over and the
back of the card is used. For example, the word Xerox
would be spelled; Xero(blank card) or green would be
spelled; gre(blank card)n.
6. Some children may be responsible for more than one
letter. When their letter is needed, they must hold
the card in front of their chest right side up and in
the proper order in the word. The word is to be read
from left to right. For example, the team on the left
of the teacher would start their word closest to the
teacher. The team on the right would start their word
farthest from the teacher.
7. If the child has another letter that is needed in the
word called (for example, the word is felt and he has
both the letters l and t), he cannot hold both letters.
He must quietly and quickly find someone whose letters
are not needed and give him the needed letter. That
child will get in the proper place.
8. When possible, a "judge" is helpful. It might be an
aide in the classroom or someone from another class.
9. A scorekeeper from the class may also be helpful. Some
kids would see this as a great reward.
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: A discussion at the end helps the
kids work out what worked in the group, what didn't work in
the group and what they might like to change. The children
learn how to criticize constructively and change their own
behavior in a productive manner.
Possible word list:
third grade - cats, joy, love, quit, boys, smooth (10
points), map, box, never (10 points), saw, girl, dogs, blue,
fox, away (10 points), green (10 points), help, yellow (10
points), purple (10 points), quiet (10 points), the end (15
points)
fifth grade - loving, people (10 points), zipper, quiet,
Xerox (25 points), helpful, sharing, wonderful (15 points),
wearing, kick (10 points), joyful, loving, purple, silly (10
points), putty (10 points), summer (10 points), pretty (10
points), zip-code, beautiful (20 points), vacation (15
points), cooperate (15 points)
When other lists are used, and you will want to compile
your own list, be sure that each letter is used at least
twice. It is discouraging for a student to have two letters
which are never used.
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org