Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Unlock the power of words with Sesame Workshop's Vocabulary resources! Designed for educators and caregivers, this vibrant collection offers free, bilingual materials to help young children expand their vocabulary through playful learning. Engaging tools like the Language Activity Cards and Vocabulary Adventure Cards encourage interactive storytelling and word exploration. "The Words Are Everywhere" game turns kids into word detectives alongside Abby Cadabby, while "Word Play" interactive storybooks offer modes to focus on vocabulary development. Additionally, the "Languagizing" with Kathy Hirsh-Pasek webinar introduces six principles to enrich everyday interactions with language. With resources available in both English and Spanish, this platform is an invaluable asset for fostering early language development.

tag(s): preK (288), stories and storytelling (65), vocabulary (241), vocabulary development (96)

Connections lets players create personalized "custom" versions of the New York Times' Connections game. The game's goal is to identify the four words in four categories with connections shared in a 16-word grid. Create your custom activity using the tools to add a title for each category and four clues in each category. If desired, drag and drop categories to order them by difficulty level. When complete, click submit and share the game using the provided URL.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): gamification (75), vocabulary (241), word study (57)

Vocab Scrabble is an engaging online game that helps improve your English vocabulary by challenging you to guess words from a set of letters. You have 60 seconds to find the word provided by AI, and the more words you correctly guess in 5 minutes, the higher your score. It's a fun, fast-paced way to sharpen your word skills.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (216), vocabulary (241), vocabulary development (96)

Smore Words is an engaging, fast-paced word game in which players try to spell as many words as possible using the given six letters. Click play to begin and start the two-minute timer. Click letters to add them from words; press enter after each word to return letters to the starting point, and continue making words. Form a six-letter word to automatically qualify for the next round of play.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): game based learning (215), puzzles (148), spelling (96), vocabulary (241)

WordDB is a comprehensive resource for working with words. It offers various tools, such as rhyming words, antonyms, synonyms, crossword answers, and much more. WordDB assists you with clues when playing word games such as Scrabble, crosswords, and Wordle, reviewed here. Scroll through the home page to find many more tools for words, including finding words by length, trending words, and the latest clues from the New York Times Crossword Puzzle.

tag(s): crosswords (19), DAT device agnostic tool (124), dictionaries (48), rhymes (22), thesaurus (22), vocabulary (241), vocabulary development (96), word study (57)

Customize and share personalized Wordles based upon the popular word game, Wordle, reviewed here using Make a Custom Wordle. Enter a word of any length (unlike the original word for five-letter words only) to generate a shareable link for your word. Make a Custom Wordle also offers the option to create words in several languages, including Spanish, French, Hindi, and German. Share the link with students using email, classroom management system, or class website. When complete, copy the URL to share by pasting it into an email or your blog or classroom website.

tag(s): game based learning (215), sight words (22), spelling (96), vocabulary (241)

WordWanderer is a fascinating experimental visual tool that seeks to improve your experience with a text. See how it works by selecting from texts included in the dropdown box or copy and paste the text of your choosing. After making a selection, click the "wander" icon to use the tool. Hover your cursor over any of the words to highlight additional words connected to the original. Click on a word to view a list of uses of that word within the text. Select words and draw lines to view connections within the text. Use the options box to select types of speech to include in your visual or to hide common words. Be sure to look at the help box to understand the three different views offered within the WordWanderer interface.

tag(s): parts of speech (38), reading strategies (87), vocabulary (241), word clouds (12)

Create digital materials for teaching and learning about vocabulary with Wordstool. Create an account as a teacher or as a student. Use your teacher account to browse and find vocabulary sets or create your own. Vocabulary sets include word cards that feature example sentences, pronunciation, translations, images, and more. Create sets and build folders to organize materials by topic or teaching unit. Once built, use sets to provide vocabulary practice with five different activities. Free accounts allow educators to assign topics to individual students and track their progress, including tasks completed and the number of errors.

tag(s): flash cards (43), vocabulary (241), vocabulary development (96), word study (57)

Quickly create and share interactive learning games created from your vocabulary terms using Educandy. Activities include match-up games, memory matches, crossword puzzles, and more. Go to the top right of your screen and click download the free app. After creating your account, follow the prompts to create a list of words, matching pairs, or quiz questions. When finished, edit or play the game using links found under your activities. Share using the link provided or copy the embed code to embed your game into a website.

tag(s): assessment (134), DAT device agnostic tool (124), game based learning (215), preK (288), quizzes (86), vocabulary (241)

Semantris is an engaging pair of word association games offered as a Google experiment in predicting the use of words by players. Arcade is a quick-thinking game; write a word associated with the shared selection to drop words to the bottom of a list as quickly as possible. Block is a slower paced game; try to provide a short phrase to describe one of the words in the blocks to drop the blocks and prevent them from reaching the top of the page.

tag(s): game based learning (215), logic (158), puzzles (148), vocabulary (241), vocabulary development (96), word study (57)

Dictionary.com provides much more information than a typical dictionary. Browse the page to find the Word of the Day, grammar tips, and word trends. Use the menu tabs at the top of the page to play games, find the meaning of Emojis, Slang, Acronyms, and more. Creating an account isn't necessary; however, it allows you to save words as favorites.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (124), dictionaries (48), game based learning (215), thesaurus (22), word choice (13)

Keep the dictionary on the shelf and tap into the power of words with Wordsmyth, an online dictionary, thesaurus, and word reference tool. There are three "levels" of readers included at this site. WILD (Wordsmyth Illustrated Learner's Dictionary) is an online dictionary designed for K-3 early readers (or ENL/ELL students). Each entry includes a written definition with audio available. For older elementary students, try Word Explorer, containing words, synonyms, word mapping ideas, and more. You will also find images and animations for many topics including; the human body, the human mind, everyday life, history and culture, communication, living world, physical world, natural environment, economy, and government and law. The highest level (Comprehensive Dictionary-Thesaurus Suite) includes three reading levels and thousands of images to explore. It also offers definitions at three reading levels (great for differentiating). Outside of the three main references, there is much to explore. The search feature finds words with similar spelling. Use the anagram feature to help to form words with given letters in your Scrabble game. The Crossword Puzzle finds words using key words and the number of letters in a word. If you register (free version, but requires email) you can create and save up to 10 word activities with up to 12 words per activity. Quizmaker makes fill in the blank, matching, and multiple choice quizzes. Design customized glossary pages with the words you choose with your applicable definition. Add the widget to your toolbar, a floating widget, or embed on your school web page. Check the blog for the word of the day, new entries, games, and upcoming teachers' tools, and roots and affixes.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): crosswords (19), dictionaries (48), preK (288), quizzes (86), spelling (96), thesaurus (22), vocabulary (241), vocabulary development (96), word study (57)