Definitely!

Cool!

Play Scrabble
during class?
Yes, please!

Absolutely!
Fantastic!

How you can use Scrabble in English

lessons

Why use Scrabble in an English lesson ?

its fun!
it demands accurate spelling
its visual and concrete
it builds teamwork
it increases vocabulary
it encourages use of a dictionary
it facilitates self-learning
it can be a platform for moving on to a new topic

Why teaching Scrabble = teaching English !

children learn spelling
children learn plural nouns
children learn tenses
children learn word transformations
children learn new words
children are keen to keep on learning !

Use Scrabble when teaching vocabulary !

each board played by 2 teams
time limit
if teaching adjectives, groups call out any
adjectives on their board
if none, they may form adjectives from any
other words on their board e.g. vision J visionary
follow up with a level-appropriate written activity

Use Scrabble when teaching grammar !

each board played by 2 teams
time limit
teams then construct sentences using as many
words from their board as possible
or
teams play a form of Taboo!
and use
complete sentences to describe the words on
their board to the other groups
follow up with a level-appropriate written activity

Use Scrabble when teaching creative writing !

each board played by 2 teams
teams are allowed to spell imaginary words, as
long as they are pronounceable and must agree
on a plausible meaning for the new word
e.g. grumpet a grumpy pet that hates attention
pupils create their own Scrabble dictionary of
imaginary words
or
pupils play a normal game and then write a story
using as many of the words on their board
as possible

Use Scrabble when teaching crosswords !

each board played by 2 teams
teams stop when they have formed the required
number of words
the two teams work together to form a
crossword puzzle for the other groups to
complete. They must create definitions or cloze
sentences to serve as clues.
the groups exchange crossword puzzles and
complete them

Use Scrabble tiles even without the board !

each group is given a bag of scrabble tiles
spelling tests ask a question and each group
will need to spell out the answer using the Scrabble
tiles. Pupils may take turns asking the questions too.
tenses give pupils the infinitive and the tense
you want it in and pupils spell out the answer using
the Scrabble tiles
GRABBLE! - a great game for pupils who have
finished their work ahead of the others

Points for Discussion

What would prevent you from using Scrabble in English lessons?
How would you overcome these difficulties?
List a set of rules teams have to follow when playing Scrabble.
Pick an age group.
Design a brief sample lesson plan to share with the group.