Here’s a word scramble activity that was introduced to me at a PD day at my practicum school, with a focus on strategies for improving student literacy. It was designed to help students with spelling, and vocabulary by breaking words into parts and working together to spell and define them. It encourages active participation and peer learning and reinforces both word recognition and understanding in a fun, interactive way. This resource can be adapted for any subject where students are learning new vocabulary.

In my grade 9 electricity unit, the activity was effective in helping students engage with new vocabulary. This class, in particular, is fairly quiet, and it is difficult to get them talking to each other, but this activity prompted laughter and engagement. It is also scaffolded to offer opportunities to students of all language levels.

Try it out in your classroom!