Secondary:

Challenge, autonomy and absurdity

Teenagers can be complex, confusing and challenging, and at the same time, communicative,
creative and collaborative. They hate being patronised and talked down to. They thrive on proving
themselves and so need a challenge. They are moving towards adulthood, prepping and practicing
and so love to have autonomy in their lives. If activities can be designed which encourage this, it
helps with their attitude to learning and confidence. They often respond to the quirky and unusual.
They tend to remember obscure or funny facts and words, and often enjoy the absurd. If we are
aware of this as teachers, we can design vocabulary activities that appeal to teenagers in these ways.
Below are a few vocabulary ideas that teenagers will love.

The Random Word/Phrase activity *

This activity harnesses challenge and the absurd. In a writing task give learners a word or phrase that
they have been studying, that has absolutely nothing to do with the topic. The challenge for the
learners is to include it in a way that appears natural. For example, if they are writing an informal
email to a friend ask them to use the phrase “to gain suitable investment”. This requires both
creativity, and a knowledge of the word and grammar. The challenge can be increased by giving out
different words or phrases to the class, and the learners read each other’s writing and try to identify
the given word/phrase.

A Living dictionary

Each learner is given a new word to learn for homework and told that they are going to ‘present’
that word the following lesson. They should think of the part of speech, a definition and example
sentences. In the following lesson, the learners sit in a circle. The teacher chooses 3 or 4 learners
evenly spaced around the circle to teach the word to the person sitting next to them. The person
being presented with the new word can ask for clarity until they are confident they understand the
new word. This is because the new word is going to be passed around the whole circle until
everyone has “learnt” each new word. The word gets ‘taught’ by each learner teaching the person
next to them. If there is any doubt about the word, learners must refer back to the learner who
taught them and not the class teacher. The teacher randomly chooses students to check their

Ushapa Fortescue – December 2019 – Teaching Teenagers Newsletter – Oxford University Press
understanding. If they don’t know the word, they must ask the person who taught them for more
clarity. If there is still misunderstanding the word is passed right back to the original learner for
clarity. This encourages the learners to really know the word and not simply say they understand the
word to speed up the activity. It works best with classes of around 12-20. If the class is bigger there
can be 2 circles working simultaneously.

Dice Vocabulary

Teachers often have a vocabulary box in the classroom which is used for a variety of activities. This
activity helps learners to understand what they need to know when they learn a new word. The
teacher chooses 6 activities that correspond with the sides of a dice. For example:

1. Define it

2. Part of speech

3. Say a synonym

4. Use it in a sentence

5. Draw it

6. Say an antonym

When a word is chosen from the vocabulary box, students roll the dice to see what information they
have to give about the word. This encourages students to have a wider knowledge of new words
learnt.

Say the word

This activity allows learners to show their understanding of vocabulary by saying the word when it
applies, or remaining silent when it doesn’t. Teachers can select adjectives from the Oxford 3000
word list (you can find the list at www.oxford3000.com).

For example: “Say ecstatic if any of these things would make someone feel ecstatic.”
- Representing your country at the Olympics
- Walking to the post office
- Getting free tickets to see your favourite band

Ushapa Fortescue – December 2019 – Teaching Teenagers Newsletter – Oxford University Press
- Cleaning your room

This is where teenagers’ love of absurdity comes in. They may choose an example which isn’t
obvious for example cleaning your room, but they may be able to give a convincing reason to why
this would make someone feel ecstatic. This shows their understanding of the word and is likely to
be more memorable for them and the other learners.

It’s nice for teachers to remember what it was like to be a teenager. To enter into their wonderful
world for a while and to have more fun with how vocabulary is taught and learnt.

*E Dudley (2018) ETpedia Teenagers Pavilion Publishing

Ushapa Fortescue – December 2019 – Teaching Teenagers Newsletter – Oxford University Press