Classroom Vocabulary Bingo Cards

Bingo as retrieval practice

Vocabulary bingo is one of the few classroom games that is also a decent review activity, provided the caller never says the word. Read the definition ("a word that means the opposite of another word"), give the class five seconds, and students who know the answer mark "antonym". Students who don't know it hear the definition, see classmates mark a square, and can look at their own card for a word that fits, which is a small act of reasoning rather than a guess.

The list is the academic vocabulary that appears across subjects in upper elementary: the comprehension terms (main idea, infer, evidence), the literary ones (theme, setting, narrator, conflict), the word-study set (prefix, suffix, root word, context clue) and the verbs that show up in test questions and assignment instructions (analyze, evaluate, justify, paraphrase). Students meet these words in every subject, so a game that cements them pays off beyond the English lesson.

Three ways to call

1. Definition. Read the meaning; students find the word. The standard version.
2. Gap sentence. "The ___ of the story is a small town in winter." Harder, because the student has to parse the sentence; good for the second round.
3. Example. Read an example ("happy and joyful") and students mark the term it illustrates ("synonym"). Best for the word-study terms.

Say the word after a few seconds so everyone marks the right square and nobody is left behind, then move on. Keep the pace brisk; a round should feel like a game, not a quiz.

When in the lesson

The last fifteen minutes of a Friday, the lesson before a vocabulary assessment, or the first lesson back after a break when the words need dusting off. Hand out cards once the class is seated and settled, and collect them at the end if you want to reuse them; the card numbers make it easy to give the same card back next time, or to swap cards deliberately.

Patterns

A line for round one. A plus sign (middle row and middle column) for round two, since it needs eight marks and passes through the free centre. A full card as a longer activity when you want to get through the whole list: with 50 words it takes most of the list and nearly every definition gets read, which is the point.

Prizes in a classroom

Class points, first in line, choosing the read-aloud, a homework pass if that is part of your system, or the winner reads the next definition. Avoid sweets if the game is weekly; it adds up.

Printing a class set

• 4 per page on plain paper for a one-off; 2 per page, laminated, with dry-erase markers for a set that lasts a year.
• Keep the header row off, or set it to "WORDS", so the card looks like a learning resource rather than a party card.
• Print one caller sheet and clip it to your definitions list. Press Shuffle each term so the call order and the cards change but the list stays the same.
• For a mixed-ability class, make a second game on 4 x 4 cards from the 20 most important words and give those cards to students who need a shorter list; the two games can be called together from the longer sheet.

The 50 squares in this list

Cards are 5 x 5 with a free centre square. Edit the list, add your own squares or change the card size above; the cards update as you type.

• Analyze
• Compare
• Contrast
• Summarize
• Predict
• Infer
• Evidence
• Sequence
• Cause
• Effect
• Main idea
• Detail
• Theme
• Setting
• Character
• Plot
• Conflict
• Resolution
• Narrator
• Point of view
• Synonym
• Antonym
• Prefix
• Suffix
• Root word
• Context clue
• Fact
• Opinion
• Describe
• Explain
• Classify
• Define
• Evaluate
• Justify
• Paraphrase
• Cite
• Claim
• Argument
• Conclusion
• Genre
• Draft
• Revise
• Edit
• Persuade
• Metaphor
• Simile
• Dialogue
• Audience
• Purpose
• Tone