Students stand beside their desks-each row comprises a team. The first player receives a piece of chalk. When the teacher calls out a word, the students must run to the board and write it. The team with the most words correctly spelled wins. Alternatively, the teacher can give a synonym, antonym, etc. to convey the meaning of the word, and the students discuss the meaning before the representative runs to write it.
Students play in pairs.
One must fill in vocabulary words vertically and the other horizontally. The students' puzzles contain the words they must define for their partners. B then receives a clue from A for another item and the game proceeds. Students can also design puzzles on blank, numbered grids and then exchange them with other groups. The teacher can then collect the originals for re-use.