Introduction
I invented this game myself. It is a fun game for a shorter time that might be a good way to test material from a specific teaching unit or to see what previous knowledge students have.
Target group and Time
The game can be played with kids from ~5th grade up. The game itself is fast about 7-15 min, depending on the amount of students and the difficulty of the material.
Learning objectives
The objective is to revise specific vocabulary group and make the students lose inhibitions about speaking up. Furthermore, students pick up words from their peers and (if they are explained) can incorporate them into their own vocabulary.
Instructions to set up the activity
The students and the teacher together all stand in a circle, the teacher explains that the game follows the order of the alphabet and that you always have to say a word (or a word from a specific vocab field if desired) starting with the correct letter of the alphabet going around the circle. A possible variation is to award points: Any word gives 1 point, words from specific word field 2 points (e.g. adjectives, animals, etc.)
Letting it run
The teacher starts with A and then counts off the letters loudly for the children. Young children will need help and tips (e.g. "Do you remember an animal that makes a 'bzzzz' sound?" for B)
One can also introduce scaffolding by splitting the game into rounds. The first round one can say any word with the correct letter. Second round one changes from clockwise to counter-clockwise direction and introduces the point system, so that it is still possible to say any word if one cannot remember a word from the specific word field. The third round one changes teh direction again and students are encouraged only to use words from the specific word field that is supposed to be practiced. If one wants to do more rounds even, just let the students change places.