I have used crossword puzzles and word search puzzles. The crossword puzzles are a fun way to help students practice and retain medical terminology
I have used Scrabble game of only the terms which were studied. For example if we were to study local anesthetic then the only addition to the scrabble game could be those words associated with local anesthetic. I had to provide about 3 games in order to accommodate the entire class.
erin, thank you for sharing how you use the make me a match game.
Michele Deck
I have used the make me a match game for other science courses. The students find this as a great way to review material and I can use it as an informal assessment to see how well they may do on an upcoming test. I also get an idea of areas they may not be strong in and need more review.
in doing some of these activities i find that you can assess the student to see exactly where they are with learning the terms. And also their learing styles. And from there I can know what is needing in helping them find other ways to learn the terminology and how to retain the information.
We regularly use crossword puzzles for terminology homework. The students seem to enjoy them!
I have used crossword puzzels in the past, and find that they are very useful in reviewing and inforcing repetition.
Caryn, I think offering these for extra credit gives your students a choice and can be a help to many of them.
Michele Deck
I use these for students to earn bonus points. This then gives each student the freedom to chose. Not everyone cares for crosswords, but those that do are first to take a copy and complete it.
Robert, I'm glad you have found success with this teaching strategy.
Michele Deck
I generally try to have crosswords available for each unit and utilize them as filler activities or a homework activity.
I have given out packets containing a mixture of crossword puzzles and word searches, along with other contect, such as fill in the blank and true/false.
Katrina, they are reinforcers of content, so many people use them with that purpose in mind.
Michele Deck
Unfortunately, due to the limited time we have to disseminate the course content (I teach an accelerated program), I have not utilized these activities in the classroom; however, I have used them as a form of homework. I do like the idea of using them as fillers.
Linda, I like that you used it for chapters with many new vocabulary words. This does encourage students to look up words and spellings.
Michele Deck
I like to use crossword puzzles for chapters that have a lot of new vocabulary words. Crossword puzzles are are a good way for a student to challenge themselves and force them to look up the words they are unsure of.
I'm very excited to create some "make me a match" boards...i think that is going to be a great activity!
Yolanda, it is the results that convince students that activities can be effective teaching tools.
Michele Deck
I get positive feedback due to all my students enjoy having to do the activities because they realize its not so hard and the y can remember all the terms .
Mary , I'm so glad you like some of these suggested activities. Start with the one that is your favorite (concentration) which you can be enthusiastic about, then use hangman.
Michele Deck
