This is a fun activity to teach young learners the concepts of hyponym and hyperonym and review vocabulary at the same time. For those who are not familiar with these terms, these are the definitions that are found in Oxford Dictionaries:
1. Hyponym: A word of more specific meaning than a general or superordinate term applicable to it. For example, spoon is a hyponym of cutlery.
2. Hypernym: A word with a broad meaning constituting a category into which words with more specific meanings fall; a superordinate. For example, colour is a hypernym of red.
1. Hyponym: A word of more specific meaning than a general or superordinate term applicable to it. For example, spoon is a hyponym of cutlery.
2. Hypernym: A word with a broad meaning constituting a category into which words with more specific meanings fall; a superordinate. For example, colour is a hypernym of red.
Children are often confused with these ideas or concepts. This activity will help them to understand that there are some words that belong to a bigger category and vice versa.
Having clarified these concepts, I will carry on with the explanation of the game:
1. Get a ball that you can catch with a hand (ideally a soft ball).
2. Stand in front of your students.
3. Throw the ball to one of your students at the same time as you say a category (hypernym). For instance, throw the ball as you say "animals".
4. The student who catches the ball will pass the ball back to you as he or she says a word
that fits in that category (hyponym). For instance, "dog".
5. When you receive the ball you can pass the ball to another student without changing the
category by saying "another". In this case, the student who catches the ball will throw the
ball back to you saying another animal.
6. You can change the category whenever you want. But I recommend you to play with a
category for a while to make the game more interesting.
7. It is important that students pass the ball back to you and not to another student.
8. You can pass the ball to the same student several times consecutively.
9. Students cannot repeat a word within the same round.
How to get points:
I play this game as a competition between my students and me. I write the points on the blackboard so everyone can see them.
I (the teacher) will get a point if...
1. I hear a student speaking in a language that is not English.
2. A student repeats a word within the same round.
3. A student doesn't know the answer.
4. A student invents the answer.
5. The student says a wrong answer.
6. The ball falls down and it stays on the floor more than 5 seconds.
My students will get a point if...
1. They speak in English during a long period of time.
2. Depending on their age, if they play without failing for a certain period of time.
3. I don't speak in English.
4. When I consider that they are doing a good job.
FOLLOW UP
Once students have mastered how to play the game, you can make it a little bit more complicated. Imagine this situation:
1. Get a ball that you can catch with a hand (ideally a soft ball).
2. Stand in front of your students.
3. Throw the ball to one of your students at the same time as you say a category (hypernym). For instance, throw the ball as you say "animals".
4. The student who catches the ball will pass the ball back to you as he or she says a word
that fits in that category (hyponym). For instance, "dog".
5. When you receive the ball you can pass the ball to another student without changing the
category by saying "another". In this case, the student who catches the ball will throw the
ball back to you saying another animal.
6. You can change the category whenever you want. But I recommend you to play with a
category for a while to make the game more interesting.
7. It is important that students pass the ball back to you and not to another student.
8. You can pass the ball to the same student several times consecutively.
9. Students cannot repeat a word within the same round.
How to get points:
I play this game as a competition between my students and me. I write the points on the blackboard so everyone can see them.
I (the teacher) will get a point if...
1. I hear a student speaking in a language that is not English.
2. A student repeats a word within the same round.
3. A student doesn't know the answer.
4. A student invents the answer.
5. The student says a wrong answer.
6. The ball falls down and it stays on the floor more than 5 seconds.
My students will get a point if...
1. They speak in English during a long period of time.
2. Depending on their age, if they play without failing for a certain period of time.
3. I don't speak in English.
4. When I consider that they are doing a good job.
FOLLOW UP
Once students have mastered how to play the game, you can make it a little bit more complicated. Imagine this situation:
Teacher: "Animals!"
Student 1: "Dog!"
Teacher: "Another!"
Student 2: "Cat!"
Teacher: "Another!"
Student 2: "Horse!"
Teacher: "Another!"
Student 2: "Bird!"
Student 1: "Dog!"
Teacher: "Another!"
Student 2: "Cat!"
Teacher: "Another!"
Student 2: "Horse!"
Teacher: "Another!"
Student 2: "Bird!"
Now it would be the teacher's turn. However, instead of saying "another" or changing the category, the teacher can say another example of animals (hyponym) such as "bear" and throw it to the student. In this case, the student will have to throw the ball back to the teacher saying the category (or hypernym) in which "bear" belongs to. Look at the example:
Teacher: "Animals!"
Student 1: "Dog!"
Teacher: "Another!"
Student 2: "Cat!"
Teacher: "Another!"
Student 2: "Horse!"
Teacher: "Another!"
Student 2: "Bird!"
Teacher: "Bear!"
Student 2: Animals"
Student 1: "Dog!"
Teacher: "Another!"
Student 2: "Cat!"
Teacher: "Another!"
Student 2: "Horse!"
Teacher: "Another!"
Student 2: "Bird!"
Teacher: "Bear!"
Student 2: Animals"
After this, the teacher will change the category.
PD:
1. You can carry out the game without naming the words "hyponym" and "hypernym" but it is important that you explain what they mean. These concepts are usually taught in their native language during their "Language Arts" period at some point. You have the decision of introducing these new words or not.
2. These are some of the categories that you can use to play: Animals, parts of the body, numbers, clothes, food, classroom objects, colors, shapes, buildings,sports, languages... You can make the categories a little bit more difficult for higher levels such as things in the kitchen, adjectives, verbs in the past, adverbs...
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