Spectacular vernacular
You’ll need
- Dictionaries and thesauruses (if you don't have physical copies, there are many versions available online)
Before you begin
- Write or cut out the clues from the Spectacular vernacular worksheet. This game is best done in small groups of four, so ensure you have enough sets of clues for each team.
- Each team will need a dictionary and thesaurus. Everyone can bring these in from home, or you could borrow them from a library or school. If you don’t have physical copies, you can also use online versions such as Collins’ dictionary and thesaurus, or dictionary.com and thesaurus.com.
- Remember that dictionaries and thesauruses are updated, so it’s worth checking that the clues make sense for the editions you are using. If not, this can be remedied with some small changes, or you could substitute some of your own clues.
The game
- Players should use their dictionaries to solve the first three clues, and thesauruses for the last three.
- The winner is the team that correctly completes the six-word sentence correctly in the quickest time.
Reflection
Now that you've shown you can use a dictionary and thesaurus, can you think of any ways that these books/online resources can help us become better readers and writers? (If you read a word you've never come across before, or you stumble across a word you are familiar with but it seems to have a different meaning in a sentence to the one you know, you can use a dictionary to find precise definitions. Thesauruses are a great way to learn new words that have a similar, or the same, meaning to words you already know.)
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
Use the hints provided to simplify this activity, and help anyone who might be struggling to untangle the riddles.
You could link this activity into a local library visit, particularly useful for those groups or members with limited access to dictionaries or the internet.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
Try creating your own dictionary and thesaurus riddles. Start off by writing or choosing a phrase or statement, and then use these books to come up with clues that help the player locate each word by words it’s next to, its definition or its synonyms.