Talk a Mile a Minute

Purpose

Students make inferences about words and then draw a conclusion about the categories they belong to in this fast-paced game.

Materials

• Talk a Mile a Minute game board prepared with words and category titles
• Talk a Mile a Minute template (English/Spanish)

Instructions

1. Prepare the Talk a Mile a Minute game board using the template provided.
2. Organize students into partner pairs and assign roles of clue giver and guesser.
3. The clue giver provides clues, hints, and descriptions for each word in column #1. When their partner correctly guesses the word, they do a soft drumroll on their desk to indicate to the teacher they are ready to move to the next word.
4. After guessers have correctly guessed the words in the column, they then guess the category for all the words in the column (or what the words have in common).
5. Students raise their hands and shout, “Woo Hoo!” after successfully guessing each category.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 with each word column until all 3 columns are completed.
7. Observe which words are troublesome and clarify/verify as appropriate.

Classroom Management

• Rehearse first with simple ideas (candy, soft drinks, etc.) before playing with academic content.
• Remind students there will be no harm or humiliation for incorrect answers because correcting mistakes is a sign of intelligence!

Differentiation

• Promote access by previewing the words before the activity and/or providing a word bank including descriptions and visuals.
• Promote access by partnering with a supportive peer and/or adjusting the pace of the game.

Think It Up!

• Have students think more deeply about the concept by responding to a Think It Up prompt as an exit ticket or journal entry:
  • Select a difficult word and make a connection to another word you know better.
  • Categorize the words into different categories.
• Encourage students to use lead4ward’s Thinking Stems (English/Spanish) to frame their responses, if needed.