Vocabulary

Objective & content

This A1 word scramble covers food, family, numbers, free time and the seasons, with words such as brother (REBROTH), cinema and summer. Each of the six rows prints a clue and the answer's jumbled capital letters, and students write the word in the last column. It is a spelling and recall task, so use it after the words have been taught. The answer key is on a separate page.

Pedagogical guide

Unscrambling makes students look inside a word, where beginners stop looking once they recognise its shape. The clue is the safety net: it narrows the answer before a letter moves. The clues for meal and food are close in meaning and both answers have four letters, so students must test the letters, not only the meaning.

Suggested procedure

1. (3 min) Read the six clues aloud without showing the sheet and let students call out guesses.
2. (10 min) Students work alone: they read the clue, then write the word in the last column.
3. (5 min) Check with the answer key: a student spells each word aloud in English while you write it on the board.
4. (5 min) Each student picks two words and says one true sentence with each.

Adaptations

[S] Give the first letter of each word, or read each clue aloud and offer the answer as a choice between two words.

[A] Students write one new clue and one jumbled word for a partner, then check each other's answers.

Materials & prerequisites

One printed sheet per student; keep the answer key page for yourself.