Balderdash+-+Rachelle+S.

=BALDERDASH - Great Learning, Great Last Minute Time Filler, Great Fun!!= By Rachelle Stinson

Like many of you, I have chosen a game that is excellent to have standing by just in case your lesson runs a bit short of the allotted class time. Many of you are probably somewhat familiar with the game, but for those of you who are not here's how it works. Balderdash is basically a vocabulary and definition game whereby teams must attempt to guess / create the definition of a difficult or unfamiliar term. Points are collected by either guessing the correct definition (which is read out loud by the teacher along with the definition decoys) or by creating a false definition that is so convincing as to be believed correct by other teams. Because this game both teaches new vocabulary and forces students to practice writing skills in composing plausible definitions, it is an excellent addition to an English classroom. I witnessed it in action during my elementary block and it was amazing the way the kids responded to it and begged the teacher to play it again and again. The difficulty of the terms is suited to all ages, and the only thing that would change from grade to grade is the level of sophistication in the student-generated definitions. Highly recommended, try it out!!