Up and Away - National Council for Curriculum and Assessment

Class Organisation
Pairs/small groups.
Theme
This activity is not theme-based.
Type of activity
Pair/group writing.
Materials needed
Dictionaries.
Class set of Worksheet A.
One copy of Worksheet B per
pair/small group.
Aims
Revise vocabulary.
Reinforce spelling.
Develop writing skills.
Develop speaking skills.
Variation
If pupils’ finished work is to be part of a quiz
booklet for other classes/groups to complete,
make the activity more challenging by leaving
out the numbers on the grid.
Word chains
Focus Time
60 minutes over
two sessions.
Section 5 Examples of classroom activities
Suitable for
Fourth class and
above.
Approach
1. Prepare a word chain in advance of the class. Draw the grid
on the board, read out the clues and model the activity.
2. Put pupils into pairs/small groups and distribute copies of
Worksheet A. Ask the pairs/groups to complete the exercise,
checking their notes or dictionaries for correct spelling.
3. Gather pupils around the board and involve them in the
process of making a word chain.
Choose the first word.
Choose a second word, starting with the last letter
from the first word and so on.
Think of clues for the words.
4. Put pupils into pairs/small groups. Working with one piece
of paper, each pair/group prepares the first draft of their
word chain together with the clues.
5. Monitor. When ready, hand out one copy of Worksheet B
per pair/group, and ask pupils to copy their work.
Observations
Demonstrating the activity at the start of the
class makes it clear that the last letter of one
word is the first letter of the next.
When helping the groups to create their word
chains, check that the grids are numbered
correctly.
Thinking of the clues can be very challenging.
Allow pupils time to formulate sentences and
encourage peer co-operation.
If pupils devise a long word chain, instruct them
to create a second grid below the one provided
on Worksheet B.
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