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Think Twice for Rice:
A Grammar and Vocabulary Game

Subjects

Arts & Humanities
--Foreign Language
--Language Arts
Educational Technology
Mathematics
--Arithmetic
--Measurement
--Statistics
Health
--Nutrition
Science
--Chemistry
Social Studies
--Geography

Grade

3-5
6-8
9-12

Brief Description

"Think Twice for Rice" is a grammar and vocabulary game that provides fun and learning as it helps to feed hungry people around the world.

Objectives

Students will

  • play a team game that reinforces vocabulary or grammar skills.
  • display good "team playing" skills.
  • keep track of time and scores.
  • understand that, by playing this game, they are helping to feed hungry people around the world.

Keywords

rice, Free Rice, hunger, world hunger, vocabulary, grammar

Materials Needed

  • access to the games on the Web site Free Rice
  • a projector hooked up to the computer to display the game on a wall or screen (optional)
  • a watch or another timing device that will keep track of time (15-second intervals)

Lesson Plan

Are you familiar with the Free Rice Web site? This sites sponsors contribute 10 grains of rice to help fight world hunger for every correct answer that visitors give in response to questions. The questions are wide ranging -- covering subjects from chemistry to grammar and famous works of art to world capitals. For the purpose of this lesson activity, we will focus on the sites questions relating to Grammar and Vocabulary.

This activity/game can be used at any time during the school year. It would be especially appropriate to use when students deserve a reward or need a break. You might choose to use it the day after a big project is completed, the day before a vacation break, or the day after state testing ends.

Planning for the Game
Do you have a projector attached to a classroom computer? That is the ideal arrangement for setting up this activity/game. Alternatively, you might read aloud questions.

Arrange students into teams, four students to a team. You might want to mix ability levels within the teams. You might serve as scorekeeper and timekeeper, or -- if you have students left over after arranging teams of four -- you might appoint students to serve as scorekeeper and timekeeper.

Playing the Game
Select Grammar or Vocabulary as the subject of the day's competition.

In order to ensure that every student has an opportunity to respond to questions, have students create an "order of play" within their teams.

Pose the first question of the game to the first team. The question will be directed to the student appointed to respond first. Read aloud the question as students view it on the screen.

Note: Free Rice's grammar questions are arranged in five levels from easy to most difficult; their vocabulary questions are arranged in 60 levels. Once you have answered a question, you can keep going or adjust/reset the level of difficulty by clicking on the Change Level link. You may want to begin your game at Level 1.
Sample Grammar Question (Level 1)
Which is correct?
Let's go to their house.
Let's go to there house.

Sample Vocabulary Question (Level 1)
final means:
terrific
last
rich
speedy

The student must answer the question within 15 seconds. After giving his/her answer, the student turns to his/her teammates and says, "Think twice for rice." Other members of the team have 15 seconds to agree or disagree. If another player on the team has a different opinion, this is an opportunity to weigh in. By the end of the 15-second "Think Twice" period, the player must offer his/her final answer. Click on the answer the student gives to learn whether it is correct or not. If the answer is correct, the team earns a point. If the answer is incorrect, no point is earned.

The next question goes to the first player on the second team. Follow the same procedure as outlined above.

Once the first player on each team has answered a question, resume play with the second players on each team.

Continue the game for a set number or rounds or a set amount of time. The team with the most points at the end of the time or the last completed round is declared the class "Grammar Champion" or "Vocabulary Champion."

More Game Notes

  • As the game is played, the level of difficulty gets automatically adjusted based on responses given. From time to time, you might want to click the Change Level link to reset the level.
  • Each level of the game includes dozens of questions. If you choose to reset the level, however, you may come upon a repeated question. Also, if an incorrect answer is given, that question might pop up again in subsequent rounds. You can choose whether or not to replay those questions that might repeat themselves during the course of a game.

    Extend the Lesson
    As you play the game, an image of a rice bowl appears on the screen. Each time a correct answer is given, ten grains of rice are added to the bowl. A tracker device on the screen will display the cumulative number of grains of rice your students donate during the game. You can also track Free Rices Total Donations page to see how much rice the organization has donated each day, week, month, and year. You might have students graph the amount of rice donated each day that month, each month in the past year, and so on. Or you might create math word problems for students to solve (for example, How many more grains of rice were donated in March than in April?) based on the statistics.

    You might click the SHARE button at the top of this lesson page to share this game idea with other teachers. Share this game idea with colleagues who might make use of Free Rice's other games:
    Art
    Famous Paintings
    Chemistry
    Chemical Symbols (Basic)
    Chemical Symbols (Full List)
    Geography
    Identify Countries on the Map
    World Capitals
    Language Learning
    French
    German
    Italian
    Spanish
    Math
    Basic Math (Pre-Algebra)
    Multiplication Tables

    Assessment

    The team with the most points at the end of the game is declared the classs "Grammar Champion" or "Vocabulary Champion."

    Lesson Plan Source

    EducationWorld.com

    Submitted By

    Gary Hopkins

    National Standards

    LANGUAGE ARTS: English
    GRADES K - 12
    NL-ENG.K-12.3 Evaluation Strategies
    NL-ENG.K-12.4 Communication Skills
    NL-ENG.K-12.6 Applying Knowledge
    NL-ENG.K-12.11 Participating in Society
    NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills

    TECHNOLOGY
    GRADES K - 12
    NT.K-12.1 Basic Operations and Concepts
    NT.K-12.3 Technology Productivity Tools
    NT.K-12.4 Technology Communications Tools
    NT.K-12.6 Technology Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Tools

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    Updated 06/25/2012


     
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