Vocabulary instruction is key to boosting students’ reading comprehension. These vocabulary Activities for 3rd grade students are so engaging. Students will broaden their vocabularies without even realizing they are working!
Students need repeated exposure to new words so they can master them. Studies have shown that students need to see a word 15-25 times in order to master it. For this reason, I try to find as many ways as I can to have students see, read, speak, and write the words we learn.
I want them to learn the words, but I also want them to enjoy doing it! I am always seeking ways to make my instruction more engaging. Here are some of my favorite activities.
Activity #1: HeadBands
One student sits in the “hot seat” and holds a card on their forehead. I sit beside them and hand them the card so they can’t see it. The other students give clues as to what the word may be. We have a mini-lesson about this during our first game. It has to be clues that give away the MEANING. You can’t say things like “It starts with an O” or “it rhymes with cat.” Students get very good at this quickly.
I like this game because it makes it very obvious to me who knows the words and who doesn’t I can also tell when the whole group is week on a word, because they will struggle to provide clues. I pull that word out and make a mental note to work on that word more often.
You can easily make your own headband games using this easy template.
NOTE: I have students hold the card up because I am scared of lice. But, if you want you can use several different headbands to attach the cards to the students head like in the real game.
Activity #2: Desk Graffiti
When I have a few extra minutes of class time we do desk graffiti. Students get an expo marker and I write a word on the board. They can write anything the word makes them think of. They may also choose to draw a picture of the word meaning. This is great practice for their words. And, students love any opportunity to write on their desks!
In this example, students were showing meanings of the word “achieve.”
Activity #3: Graffiti Walls
Speaking of Graffiti…. Graffiti walls are almost always part of our weekly stations. I take a sheet of chart paper and break it into sections. I write one of their weekly words in each section. Students work with their groups to put anything on the poster that the word makes them think of.
In this example, a student chose to draw “A man stealing a dragon egg and the dragon breathing fire on him.” This is not what comes to my mind when I think of irate, but her response is 100% accurate! I would imagine a dragon would become irate and breathe fire on a person who steals his/her eggs! The beauty of this activity is that students LOVE it, they connect to the words (in their own ways), and are learning at the same time! BEAUTIFUL!
When I have 5 extra minutes of class time, I’ll throw a word up on my ActivBoard and students will create a graffiti wall for the word. They love any chance to write on the Board! This is a super easy way to get your students thinking. I use this slideshow so I don’t have to come up with a word, they are already listed for me!
I have also used Padlet to do virtual graffiti walls. This works very well! I am always impressed with the things my students post on the wall. You can read about that here.
Activity #4 What’s my word?
Use a clothespin to attach vocabulary words to the back of students’ shirts. Students walk around asking others questions about their word until they figure it out. The other students give them clues to help them determine their word. The clues or questions must be meaning based. Students cannot ask what letter their word starts with or anything of that nature.
Activity #5 Human Word Sort
Pass out one word to each student. Students group themselves based on the meaning of their words. For example: circle, triangle, square, and rectangle would stand together. In order to do this successfully, you’ll need to check the words before-hand to ensure they work well for grouping.
You can also do this for shades of meaning. In this activity, you have similar words with slightly different degrees of meaning. Students sort themselves from Most to Least. For example: walk,
Activity #5 Pictionary
Just like the traditional game you know & love… this activity is a winner. Secretly give a student a word. He or she must go up to the board and draw an example of the word. Students in the audience can make guesses based on the picture. The artist will continue adding to his picture until someone guesses the word.
I LOVE student artwork. I think it is so precious!
If you want your students vocabulary to grow, you must devote class time to introducing them to words and giving them time to TALK and write about those words. These vocabulary activities for 3rd grade are a great start.
Looking for more vocabulary activities for 3rd grade?
Click here to read the next post in this series about digital vocabulary activities that can be done any time you’ve got an extra 5 minutes!
Don’t miss the other posts in this vocabulary series!
Academic Vocabulary
Digital Vocabulary Activities
Weekly Vocabulary Words
