Hangman (with a Twist) B2 Vocabulary

 Hangman

Rátóti Laura, Fodor Balázs

Part 1: The Game

Level & Learning Outcomes

The level of the game is B2 level, as most of the words are advanced. Playing this game can check and improve spelling and can engage students with vocabulary.

Materials needed

word cards (see appendix)

some way to assign a topic (e.g.: cards)

whiteboard for drawing, scoring

Object of Game

To get the most points by guessing correctly.

Rules of Play

Divide the group into two teams.

The topics are introduced, matched to the suit of the playing cards

After a coin toss, the starting team is decided.

A member of a group draws a card. Then, they choose a  card from the respective category, but cannot look at it.

The card is given to the teacher, who indicates on the board how many letters the word contains.

The starting team can guess for a letter first.

If any team’s guess is correct on their turn, they can guess again.

If any team’s guess is wrong on their turn, then it's the other team’s turn to guess.

Collectively, the teams can make 7 mistakes: rope, head, torso, arms and legs.

Teams can only try for the full word on their turn.

If the groups cannot guess the word, no one gets points.

Scorekeeping

Each word is worth 1 point.

If the collective 7 mistakes are made, no one gets points.

Part 2: Reflection

This game is a competitive, team-based take on the classic game of Hangman. This way, the game escapes the one on one, or plenary-style nature and introduces collective thinking and discussion.

Altering the game came rather naturally and while the rules may seem a bit convoluted at first, in practice, it really does work well. To add, the sense of competition makes it more thrilling.

A criticism of the game was that we had no time limit to guess for a letter. This is a very fair point and Laura introduced it on her own to a degree, which made the game more dynamic. As such, a 30, or a 60s limit would probably make the game better.

Another piece of feedback mentioned that having no ability to guess for the full word outside of the team’s turn is a bit frustrating. However, we think that rewarding the group on a stroll is necessary and I personally do not like the idea of a team solving the game for the other team. If they make a wrong guess, which then leads to the other team solving it, is fine.

While we introduced the four topics as a way to help the groups, seemingly it did not make their job easier. This is not a bad thing in my opinion, it only shows that we managed to choose advanced level words.

All in all, I think that this spin on the Hangman game is rather fun, I enjoyed hosting it and the others had fun too.  FB

I think Hangman is a very enjoyable and classic came. It can be varied and mixed up easily. The words are chosen by the teacher, so this game could be used for vocabulary revision as well. Also, it can be adapted to younger learners with easier words, or make it more complex for advanced learners. 

Putting the words into groups was a good choice in my opinion, as this way, student’s had the topic to think about, they didn’t have to guess words out of thin air. 

If I were to play this game again with a group, I would give time limitations for each group to come up with the letters. In a few cases, it took too long for players to decide on a letter, and this way, the game wasn’t as dynamic as I’ve expected it to be. I think we have chosen words that were appropriate for this group as well. They weren’t too easy, some of them were quite a challenge, but we included words that were part of a beginner/intermediate vocabulary.

It can be changed up in a way that is similar to the Taboo or Activity games as well. One student has to draw the hangman, while the rest of their teammates try and guess the letters in 1-2 minutes. After the time is up, the other team can rob and guess as well. RL

Part 3 Appendix

Crime and law(Spades) ♠

Felony

Probation

Trial

Witness

Defence

Blackmail

Murderer

Sentence

Fraud

Justice

Environment(clubs)♣

Renewable

Footprint

Endangered

Global Warning

Pollution

Energy

Recycle

Sustainable

Rain Forest

Climate

Health(hearts) ❤

Infection

Migraine

Prescription

Recovery

Disease

Pharmacy

Contagious

Rash

Bruise

First aid

Movies and cinema(diamonds) ♢

science fiction

documentary

premiere

soundtrack

subtitles

prequel

screenplay

antagonist

blockbuster

flashback