Spelling tic tac toe
This is a great way to get kids interested in working on their spelling. It works best with small groups, 5-8.
1. Divide the class into 2 teams.
2. Draw a tic tac toe grid on the board and then place different letters of the alphabet into each square.
3. The teams play rock-scissors-paper to determine who goes first.
4. The first team choses a letter, you give them a word to spell that starts with the letter. ( You have to chose words appropriate for their level)
5. They get 20 seconds to spell the word. (10 seconds for a more exciting game) If they spell it correctly, they get that square, if not, the other team gets a shot.
6. Teams alternate in choosing letters, same as real tic tac toe. The first team to get 3 in a row wins that round. 1 point per round.
After each round, place different letters into the grid until you have gone through the alphabet. Keep track of the words that have been used. If you have to start the alphabet over again, you know simply choose different words for each letter.
A variation on this for when the students don't want to play as 2 teams is to make it a spelling race. Similar idea, put the names of the students on the left side of the board with a grid to the right.
Write out the letters of the alphabet under the grid. The students play rock-scissors-paper to determine who goes first.
1. The first player chooses a letter, and then you give them a word to spell starting with that letter.
2. Each time a correct word is spelled, the player gets one square of the grid beside his/her name. The first player to cross the board is the winner.
You can make may variations on this.
Cheers, have fun!
Wayne
Busan, South Korea