Vocabulary Games: Pyramid

PYRAMID (based on $25,000 Pyramid)
Overview

This activity is a vehicle for students to test their ability to provide clues for, and guess the identity of, words having particular word elements. It allows students to work in teams either to give clues, or guess which word the clues are leading to.
Procedures
The class is divided into six teams of approximately equal size. In both of the activity's two rounds, each team will have one turn. Each competing team will divide itself into two groups, two members to provide clues, the remaining members to guess the activity words. The clues can come only in the form of definitions for the activity words; no other verbal clues or hand signals are allowed. Each turn will last two minutes, with five words per turn.
The game proceeds as follows
            1. Prior to the activity, the teacher draws a pyramid of six boxes on the board (one at the top, two in the second row, three in the third row), which are unmarked. On a separate sheet of paper, he or she has assigned a word element from the activity word list to each box. For instance, the box on the top row could be "dict" (to speak); the boxes on the second row could be "equ" (equal) and "gen" (race or birth); and the boxes in the third row could be "ology" (study of), "ann, enn" (year) and "bio" (life).
            2. Each team chooses a box and is assigned the word root that accompanies it.
            3. Each team then splits up into two parts. Team #1, for instance, might split into two parts consisting of students A and B on one side and C and D on the other. The members of each team are then given a choice of which half will be clue givers and which half will be word guessers. Once they make this decision the two halves split up.
            4. One half of the team, the clue givers, is given the five words that include the word element they selected from the pyramid. They may discuss the definitions for the words; their task is to develop a set of clues that will enable their teammates to guess each of the five words. You might suggest types of clues, such as
            A. fill in the blank clues; for the word biography, for instance, a team might say, "In order to learn about George Washington's life, I read a [blank] of him."
            B. synonyms
            5. While the clue givers are preparing, their partners may work at making a list of all words they can think of that include their word element. They may use this list during the competition to try to match up with the clues they are given.
6. When the teams are ready, the competing team has one minute following a signal to provide clues to the other team members. The clues they give may be definitions for the word, but may not include portions of the word itself; for instance, a clue for "misbehave" may not be "behave badly." They may skip a word if the effort is fruitless. For each word correctly guessed, the team receives one point. The teacher may use discretion to determine whether a response is correct or not. For instance, variations of words could be acceptable; "suspicious" might suffice when "suspicion" is the designated word.
7. If time allows, the class may play a second round with identical structure, except that the teacher selects six new word categories, and the roles of the students are reversed, with the clue-givers and the word-guessers switching positions. Following this round, the two teams with the highest point totals are eligible to compete in the championship round. (If one team has the highest total, and two are tied for second place, the teams tied for second may use the championship round to determine who finishes in second place.)
8. The Championship Round is similar to the regular rounds, except that the lists are longer and the length is three minutes. Scores from this round are added to the regular competition scores to determine the final rankings.
Note: The activity as described will probably take longer than the standard class period. You may wish to eliminate either the second round or the Championship Round, depending on how quickly the activity proceeds; or, you may wish to let the activity occupy two class periods.
Following are the pyramid box categories, and the five words for each.
            Condensed Rules for Pyramid
1. Students organize into teams of 4-5, and then split in half. One half provides clues, the other half guesses the words.
2. Draw a pyramid of six boxes on the board, with each box representing a category.
3. Each team chooses a box and receives five words. The half of the team that gives clues should spend 10-15 minutes determining their clues; at the same time their teammates should make a list of all possible words they can think of from the category they've selected. All teams do this simultaneously.
4. Clues may not include the word itself, but may include definitions and context sentences.
5. When all teams are prepared, Team #1 sits at the front/center of the room with the two halves facing each other. Turns last two minutes.
6. Clue-givers can go in any order they wish, and skip a word if their partners can't guess it. They may return to skipped words.
7. For each word correctly guessed, the team gets 10 points.
8. For the second round, repeat procedures, with clue-givers and receivers switching roles and the words becoming more difficult.
9. Championship Round - Rounds are three minutes, with the game's most difficult words.
            METHOD #1
            PYRAMID CATEGORIES AND WORDS
ann, enn (year): anniversary, annual, perennial, millennium,            centennial
bio (live): biology, amphibian, biography, biodegradable,    antibiotic
dict (to speak): predict, contradict, dictation, dictionary,       dictate
equ (equal): equator, equate, equation, equinox, equity
fid (faith): confide, confident, confidential, fidelity, infidel
gen (race, birth): generation, degenerate, generous, genius, gene
ology (study of): geology, zoology, psychology, archeology,           astrology
meter, metr (measure): barometer, perimeter, symmetrical, diameter, geometry
path (feeling): sympathy, pathetic, apathy, telepathy, psychopath
ped (foot): expedition, centipede, pedal, biped, pedestal
phon (sound): symphony, phonograph, saxophone, microphone,      phonetic
pre (before): prejudice, precede, prefix, preposterous, prescribe
pro (forward, before, for): promotion, projectile, procession,           professor, provide
sed, sid (to sit): president, sedative, sediment, sedan, reside
super (above, over): supervisor, superstition, superb,            superficial, surplus
syn, sym, syl (together, with): symbol, synthetic, symmetry,            symptom, synonym
tele (far): telegraph, telescope, telegram, telepathy, television
tort (twist): torture, distort, retort, extort, tortoise
voc (to call, voice): vocation, provoke, vocal, revoke, advocate
arch (top, first): archenemy, archbishop, architect, monarch,            archangel
aster, astr (star): astronomy, astronaut, asterisk, asteroid,      disaster
cid, cis (kill, cut): suicide, precise, scissors, incision,            homocide
clud, clus, claus, close (close, shut): closet, exclude,             claustrophobia, include, enclosure
contra, counter (against): contrast, contradict, controversy, counterfit, encounter
cycl (circle): cycle, cyclone, bicycle, encyclopedia, motorcycle
dia (through, between): diameter, diagnose, diagonal, diagram,       dialogue
dis (not, away): disallow, dismiss, distort, dissect, discredit
duc (to lead): conductor, duke, educate, introduce, reduce
fac, fic (make, do): factory, manufacture, faculty, beneficial,           factor
fin (end): finite, finale, definition, infinite, finish
fort (strong): fortify, fortress, comfort, fortitude, forte
frag, fract (break): fragile, fraction, infraction, fragment,      fracture
inter (between): interim, intercept, intermission, international, internal
intro, intra (within): introduce, intramural, intravenous,        introspection, introvert
mit, mis (send): transmit, missile, dismiss, submit, mission
mort (death): mortician, mortify, immortal, mortgage, morbid
para (beside): paragraph, paranoid, parallel, parenthesis,      paraphrase
poli (city): politics, police, metropolitan, policy, cosmopolitan
port (carry): portable, import, transport, support, porter
psych (mind): psyche, psychiatry, psychology, psychoanalysis,       psychedelic
sent, sens (feel): sentimental, consent, consensus, resent,     sensation
terr (earth): extraterrestrial, territory, terrier, terrain,             subterranean
uni (one): unique, unison, union, uniform, unify
ven (come): convention, adventure, event, invent, souvenir
vid, vis (see): improvise, envision, supervisor, video, invisible
viv, vit (live): vivid, survive, revival, vivisect, vitality
            Championship Round
mis (wrong, badly): mistake, misbehave, miscalculate, mischief,     misdemeanor, miserable, misfit, misfortune, misgiving,            misjudge, mismanage, misplay, mistrial, misunderstanding,             mistrust
bi (two): bisect, bicentennial, binoculars, biped, bilingual, bicycle, biceps, bifocals, bilateral, bimonthly, bipartisan,       bipolar, biweekly, bicuspid, biannual
com, con, col, cor (together, with): companion, consensus, coherent, concede, conduct, confidant, congregation, consent,            conference, convention, convert, convene, contemporary,    community, communist
ex, es, e (out): excursion, escape, educate, emigrate, exclude,          exit, expedition, export, escapade, exact, exaggerate, exhale, examine, excess, execute
sub (under): substitute, subtract, subterranean, submerge, subscribe, submarine, subordinate, suburb, substance, submit, subconscious, subdivision, subdue, subjective, subsist
vert, vers (turn): convert, advertise, controversy, divorce,     anniversary, universe, verse, vertebrae, introvert, versatile, adversity, diverse, reverse, versus, extrovert
re (again): recur, refer, retain, reflect, reside, reduce,            referee, report, revise, recede, rebellion, respect, repel, recall, repeat
spec, spic, spect (look): inspect, suspect, spectrum, conspicuous, spectator, expect, respect, prospect, aspect, spectacle, spectacular, spectacies, perspective, speculate, despicable
            METHOD #2
            With very little adaptation, you can use Pyramid with any chapter in VCBS that emphasizes word elements or thematic categories. As suggested in Method #1, boxes in the pyramid could represent prefixes and affixes such as those found in Chapter 4, "Words Derived from Greek," Chapter 5, "Words Derived from Latin," and Chapter 7, "Anglo-Saxon Vocabulary"; or they might stand for clusters such as those listed in Chapter 3, "Building Vocabulary through Central Ideas," and Chapter 6, "Words from Classical Mythology and History." The pyramid box categories and words listed at the end of this section are based on Chapter 8, "French Words in English," Chapter 9, "Italian Words in English," and Chapter 10, "Spanish Words in English," and illustrate the application of Pyramid to chapters containing thematic clusters as opposed to the word element categories described in Method #1. Since these chapters contain far more words than you would use in a single class, we have provided a limited number appropriate for one session of Pyramid.
            Prior to starting, group the words into the categories suggested by a desired chapter and prepare student word lists for each round. If a chapter does not suggest neat divisions into six categories (thus preventing the creation of a perfect pyramid), simply choose a convenient number of categories, stack the boxes on the board in the geometric configuration of your choice, and continue to use the game format that Pyramid provides. Again, you may wish to group words by degree of difficulty so that they become more difficult as the rounds progress.
            Procedures for Method #2 are identical to those for Method #1. After clue-givers have received their categories and word lists, they may use the appropriate section of the book to define the words and prepare their clues. Simultaneously, their partners can study the section of the book corresponding to the word element or category their team has chosen. Since students competing in Pyramid may provide original fill-in-the-blank context sentences in addition to definition clues, you may wish to sequence this activity after a session of Context so that students are already practiced at writing context clues.
            The following are pyramid box categories and five words for each taken from Chapters 8-10 of VCBS.
            METHOD #2
            PYRAMID CATEGORIES AND WORDS
French Words Dealing with Conversation: adieu, entre nous,           repartee, riposte, tete-a'-tete
French Words Dealing with History and Government: coup d'etat, detente, entente, laissez-faire, regime
French Words Dealing with Writing: canard, cliche', mot juste,       precis, resume
French Words Describing Traits or Feelings of Persons:
            au courant, esprit de corps, malaise, naive, rapport
French and Spanish Words Dealing With Dress: chemise, coiffure,             cravat, mantilla, poncho
Italian Words Dealing with Arts Other Than Music: canto,
            chiaroscuro, fresco, patina, terra-cotta
Italian Words Dealing with Situations: dolce far niente, fiasco,        imbroglio, incognito, vendetta
Italian Words for Persons: dilettante, maestro, mountebank,             prima donna, virtuoso
Italian and Spanish Words Dealing with Food: antipasto, Chianti,
            gusto, pimento, tortilla
Spanish Words Dealing with Architecture: adobe, cabana, hacienda, patio, pueblo
Spanish Words Dealing with Geographical Features: arroyo,
            canyon, mesa, pampas, sierra
Spanish Words for Persons: aficionado, conquistador, desperado,
            junto, peon
            Championship Round
French Words Dealing with Food: a la carte, aperitif, bonbon,
            cuisine, demitasse, entree', filet, hors d'oeurves,
            piece de resistance, table d'hote
French Words for Persons: attache', bourgeoisie, connoisseur,
            debutante, devotee, envoy, gourmand, ingenue, martinet,
            protege
French Words Dealing with Situations: bete noire, carte blanche,
            cause celebre, cul-de-sac, debacle, fait accompli, faux pas,
            impasse, liaison, melange
French and Italian Words Dealing with Architecture: campanile,
            cupola, facade, foyer, mezzanine, milieu, piazza, portico,
            rotunda, stucco
French and Spanish Words Dealing with the Arts: avant-garde,
            bas-relief, bolero, castanets, denouement, genre, olio,
            palette, repertoire, vignette
Italian Words Dealing with Music: a cappella, aria, baritone,
            cantata, crescendo, falsetto, libretto, oratorio, sonata,
            staccato