Vocabulary instruction doesn’t have to mean copying definitions and memorizing a list of words for Friday’s quiz! Some of the best vocabulary activities for upper elementary encourage students to think about words, make connections, and actually use new vocabulary.
Whether your vocabulary words come from your reading curriculum, a novel, science, social studies, or another subject, you can use simple activities to help students dig deeper into the meaning of those words.
Here are 10 vocabulary activities that can easily become part of your classroom routine.
1. Draw or Visualize the Word
Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words!
Ask students to create a simple illustration that represents the meaning of a vocabulary word. The goal isn’t to create a masterpiece. Instead, students have to think about what the word means and decide how they can represent that meaning visually.
For example, a student learning the word enormous might draw a tiny person standing beside an enormous elephant.
This works especially well with concrete words, but don’t be afraid to challenge students to illustrate more abstract vocabulary, too. Those words can lead to some interesting discussions!
2. Find Examples and Nonexamples
One great vocabulary activity that will help students think more deeply about vocabulary is to ask them what a word is—and what it isn’t. To be truthful, when I was first introduced to this strategy years ago, I didn’t really understand the benefits of this strategy. But after using it with students, I began to see just how effective it can be. But after using it with students, I began to see just how effective it can be. Asking students to come up with both examples and nonexamples makes them look more closely at a word’s meaning and think about what qualities something must have to fit that word.
If students are learning the word fragile, they might list a glass ornament as an example and a rubber ball as a nonexample.
This strategy can be especially effective with science vocabulary. For example, when learning the word producer, students might list grass or a sunflower as examples and a rabbit or a hawk as nonexamples. To choose correctly, students have to understand what makes something a producer rather than simply memorize the definition.
Nonexamples are especially helpful because students have to think about the boundaries of a word’s meaning rather than simply repeat a definition.
You can make this activity as simple as folding a piece of paper in half and labeling the two sides Examples and Nonexamples. It also works well as part of a vocabulary graphic organizer.
3. Explore Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms and antonyms are an easy way to help students connect a new vocabulary word to words they already know. But simply making a list of synonyms and antonyms doesn’t always help students understand the new word more deeply.
Instead, take the activity one step further and encourage students to compare the words they find.
Ask:
- Are these words exactly the same?
- When might you use one instead of the other?
- Which word is stronger?
- Does one word create a different feeling or picture in your mind?
For example, think about the words stroll, walk, march, and stomp. They all describe ways of moving on foot, but they certainly don’t create the same picture in your mind! Someone who strolls down the hallway is very different from someone who stomps down the hallway.
You can even put the words into similar sentences and let students discuss how changing just one word changes the meaning:
Liam strolled out of the room.
Liam stomped out of the room.
What can students infer about Liam in each sentence? How does that one word change what they picture happening?
This type of discussion helps students see that synonyms aren’t always interchangeable. It also gives them practice thinking carefully about word choice, which can carry over into both reading comprehension and their own writing.
4. Investigate Shades of Meaning
Vocabulary activities do not have to be complicated, and one activity that works especially well with upper elementary students is exploring shades of meaning. At this age, students are ready to move beyond simply identifying synonyms and begin thinking about the subtle differences between related words.
Give students several similar words and ask them to arrange the words from weakest to strongest.
For example:
warm → hot → scorching
Or:
look → stare → glare
Then ask students to explain why they placed the words in that order. You may even find that students disagree, which can lead to some great conversations about word meaning and word choice!
Another simple vocabulary activity is to give students one word and challenge them to brainstorm related words with slightly weaker or stronger meanings. This helps students build vocabulary while also encouraging them to choose words more carefully in both their reading and writing.
5. Put Vocabulary Words in Context
Knowing a definition doesn’t always mean a student truly understands a word. That’s why some of the most effective vocabulary activities give students opportunities to see and use new words in context.
You might pull a sentence directly from the reading selection where students first encountered the word or create a new sentence that uses the word in a different situation. Then, ask students to explain how the context helps them understand the word’s meaning.
Another simple vocabulary activity is to have students write their own sentences. The key is to encourage meaningful sentences that actually demonstrate understanding.
Instead of:
The enormous dog was enormous.
Try:
The enormous dog was so tall that its head reached above the kitchen table.
The second sentence gives us much more information about whether the student truly understands the word enormous. It also challenges students to do more than simply fit a vocabulary word into a sentence—they have to show its meaning through context.
6. Use Vocabulary Graphic Organizers
One reason I love using vocabulary graphic organizers is that they allow students to complete a variety of meaningful vocabulary activities while exploring a word in several different ways.
Instead of simply writing the word and its definition, students might:
- illustrate the word,
- identify synonyms and antonyms,
- give examples and nonexamples,
- explore shades of meaning,
- use the word in context, or
- make connections to what they already know.
You don’t have to use the same organizer—or the same vocabulary activity—for every word, either. In fact, changing the format can keep vocabulary practice from becoming repetitive while giving students different ways to think about new words.
My Vocabulary Graphic Organizers include a variety of organizers that can be used with the vocabulary you’re already teaching. This makes them easy to pair with your reading curriculum, science or social studies units, novels, or other classroom materials.
Rather than adding another vocabulary program to your day, you can simply choose a vocabulary activity or graphic organizer that fits the words and skills you’re already teaching. Students benefit greatly from using vocabulary graphic organizers.
7. Sorting and Categorizing Vocabulary Activities
Word sorts are simple vocabulary activities, but they can lead to some great thinking and discussion.
Give students a group of vocabulary words and ask them to sort them into categories. Sometimes you can provide the categories, but other times, let students decide how the words should be grouped.
The best part may be asking students to explain their thinking afterward.
Two students may sort the same words differently—and both may have perfectly reasonable explanations!
You can also ask students:
Which word doesn’t belong?
The discussion and reasoning behind the answer can be just as valuable as the sort itself.
8. Play With Vocabulary Words
Vocabulary practice doesn’t always have to be a worksheet. Quick games are wonderful vocabulary activities that can get students talking about words, recalling definitions, and using vocabulary in context.
Infinite Tic-Tac-Toe: I first saw this fun classroom game shared by Redneckedtech on Facebook. He has so many simple, fun, and engaging teaching ideas—definitely check him out!
To turn Infinite Tic-Tac-Toe into a vocabulary review game, divide your class into two teams—X’s and O’s. Take turns asking students vocabulary questions. You might ask students to:
- define a vocabulary word,
- identify the vocabulary word that matches a definition, or
- complete a sentence with the correct vocabulary word.
When a team answers correctly, they get to place an X or O on the tic-tac-toe board. An incorrect answer means they lose that turn.
Here’s what makes the game interesting: each team only gets three pieces! Once all three X’s or O’s are on the board, the team’s next correct answer allows them to move one of their existing pieces to a new spot instead of adding another one. Play continues until one team gets three in a row.
This simple twist keeps the game going longer than traditional tic-tac-toe—and adds a little strategy to your vocabulary review!
You can also mix in other quick vocabulary games such as:
Guess My Word: Give clues while students try to identify the vocabulary word.
Which Word Am I?: Give students several clues that gradually become more specific.
These games are an easy way to squeeze in a few extra vocabulary exposures while keeping students actively involved.
9. Make Vocabulary Cross-Curricular
Vocabulary instruction isn’t just for reading class.
Think about all the important words students encounter during a school day:
Science: habitat, erosion, adaptation, energy
Social Studies: government, economy, region, migration
Math: equivalent, product, factor, estimate
The same vocabulary strategies you use during reading can be used with content-area vocabulary.
Students can draw a representation, create examples and nonexamples, find related words, use a word in context, or complete a graphic organizer for vocabulary from almost any subject.
This is another reason I like keeping vocabulary activities flexible. You can use the same familiar routine even when the words change.
10. Revisit Vocabulary Throughout the Week
Vocabulary shouldn’t disappear after students complete an activity.
Look for quick vocabulary activities and strategies that will bring previously taught words back into your day.
You might ask students to:
- use one of the week’s words during a class discussion,
- find a vocabulary word in their independent reading,
- choose the best word to complete a sentence,
- explain a connection between two vocabulary words, or
- use a vocabulary word in their writing.
You don’t need a long activity every time. Even a quick two-minute review gives students another opportunity to think about and use a word.
The more opportunities students have to encounter vocabulary in meaningful ways, the better chance those words have of becoming part of the vocabulary students actually understand and use.
Keep Vocabulary Activities Simple
Effective vocabulary practice and vocabulary activities don’t have to take over your reading block.
A drawing one day, a word sort the next, a quick discussion of synonyms and antonyms, and a vocabulary graphic organizer later in the week can give students several different opportunities to interact with the same words.
That’s exactly why I created my Vocabulary Graphic Organizers. They give students different ways to explore vocabulary while giving teachers the flexibility to use the words they are already required to teach.
Use them with your reading curriculum, a novel, science and social studies vocabulary, small groups, centers, or independent practice. Simply choose the organizer that works best for the vocabulary skill you’re focusing on that day.
Most importantly, keep students thinking about, talking about, connecting, and using words. That’s when vocabulary instruction becomes much more than memorizing definitions.
