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Etymonline - Online Etymology Dictionary

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The online etymology dictionary (etymonline) is the internet’s go-to source for quick and reliable accounts of the origin and history of English words, phrases, and idioms. It is professional enough to satisfy academic standards, but accessible enough to be used by anyone.

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In this, the first of a series of e-Bulletins, we have outlined some resources and activities which may be used to enrich language learning experiences.

This e-Bulletin will have a focus on Oral Language, Learning Outcome 12. Description, Prediction and Reflection, with a particular emphasis on the skills and language of describing.

There is scope for these activities and resources to be used or adapted when addressing other Learning Outcomes. Some examples are included on the task cards below.

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PDST - Primary Language Curriculum eBulletin 1

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References

Beck, I.L., McKeown, M.G., and Kucan, L. (2013). Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction (Second Edition). New York: The Guilford Press.

Graves, M. F., & Watts-Taffe, S. M. (2002). The place of word consciousness in a research-based vocabulary program. In S. J. Samuels & A. E. Farstrup (Eds.), What research has to say about reading instruction (3rd ed., pp. 140-165). Newark, DE.

Zipke, M. (2008, October). Teaching Metalinguistic Awareness and Reading Comprehension With Riddles. The Reading Teacher, 62(2), 128-137. doi: 10.1598/RT.62.2.4

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References

Beck, I.L., McKeown, M.G., and Kucan, L. (2013). Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction (Second Edition). New York: The Guilford Press.

Graves, M. F., Schneider, S., & Ringstaff, C. (2018). Empowering students with word‐learning strategies: Teach a child to fish. The Reading Teacher, 71(5), 533-543. doi:10.1002/trtr.2018.71.

Graves, M. F., & Watts-Taffe, S. M. (2002). The place of word consciousness in a research-based vocabulary program. In S. J. Samuels & A. E. Farstrup (Eds.), What research has to say about reading instruction (3rd ed., pp. 140-165). Newark, DE.

Lysaght, Z., Scully, D., Murchan, D., O'Leary, M. and Shiel, G. (2019) Aligning Assessment, Learning and Teaching in Curricular Reform and Implementation. CARPE Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin, Educational Research Centre. (Research Commissioned by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment)

National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (2007) Assessment in the Primary School Curriculum: Guidelines for schools, Dublin.

Richek, M. (2005). Words Are Wonderful: Interactive, Time-Efficient Strategies to Teach Meaning Vocabulary. The Reading Teacher, 58(5), 414-423. doi: 10.1598/RT.58.5.1

Wright, T. S., & Cervetti, G. N. (2017). A systematic review of the research on vocabulary instruction that impacts text comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 52, 203-226. doi:10.1002/rrq.163

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Literacy Development in the Primary Classroom

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Fostering a Culture of Writing in the Classroom

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Thesaurus and word tools for your creative needs. Find the word you’re looking for!

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Welcome to IcebreakerIdeas.com

Our site contains everything you ever wanted to know about icebreaker games and activities. Some of the information you will find on this site includes:

We will answer questions you have about when, where, and how to use icebreakers. For example:

What is the difference between an icebreaker activity and an icebreaker game?

Icebreaker games are designed for fun. Icebreaker activities are usually longer and have a purpose or goal. Check out our page that lists the most common, well known, and frequently used icebreaker games. We also have a page dedicated to longer icebreaker activities, including icebreaker speeches.

What are the benefits of icebreakers?

Icebreakers Improve a Learning Environment

Learners must be prepared to interact with materials and others for learning to take place, and icebreakers prepare learners for this interaction. Some of the benefits of icebreakers in the learning environment are:

People learn better when they are involved mentally, physically, and emotionally, and icebreaker activities provide this involvement.

Icebreaker games offer an opportunity for students to share their knowledge and learn from each other.

Since people learn differently - some by hearing, some by seeing, some by reflecting, some by interacting, some by doing, some by talking, some by incorporating music or rhythm, some by solving problems - icebreaker games engage people with diverse learning styles.

Icebreakers can reduce students' sense of isolation or anonymity.

Icebreakers help foster a shared sense of purpose and community in the course of study.

Icebreakers get everyone involved, becoming active participants in the learning process.

Icebreakers create a special learning atmosphere in which students feel comfortable.

Icebreakers open the door to learning new ideas and concepts.

Icebreakers help students think outside the box.

Icebreakers Improve the Work Environment

The best icebreakers are those that add to the goal of the situation in which they are used. With this in mind, we have included lists for specific situations, such as icebreakers for team and staff meetings, where they provide value in the following ways:

Icebreakers games for work can transform an average or dull meeting into something special.

Icebreakers introduce meeting participants to one another in an informal and fun way.

Icebreakers relax people, so that they get to know each other far more quickly.

Icebreakers energize and motivate those who participate.

Icebreakers provide a quick assessment of the group, gauging how much they know about the topic, how comfortable they are in groups, and what their background and expertise is.

Icebreakers help people to find out what they have in common.

Icebreakers allow people to move around and keep interest high.

Tips for Success

To get the most out of your icebreaker games and activities, follow these tips:

Identify the objective of the icebreaker game to select the right activity.

If possible, prepare for the icebreaker activity in advance, gathering materials and rehearsing what you will say.

After explaining an icebreaker activity to the participants, check to make sure that they understand how the game works.

Make notes of things that happen during the icebreaker activity so you can discuss them later if appropriate.

Consider debriefing participants after the icebreaker by asking thought-provoking questions such as: What did you learn from this activity? How will you apply what you learned from this activity?

If the purpose of the icebreaker activity was to learn something, reinforce learning that occurred by referring to the activity when appropriate and incorporating results in discussions about daily work.

Remember to build upon successful icebreaker games to enjoy fully the communication benefits that result.

Icebreakers can be used in many different situations. Icebreaker jokes are a fun way to begin a meeting, especially if your goal is to get people to relax. Get to know you games get people familiar with each other and ready to approach a new or difficult task.

In addition, you may have a look on our collection od trivia questions & answers

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Welcome to IcebreakerIdeas.com Our site contains everything you ever wanted to know about icebreaker games and activities. Some of the information you will find on this site includes: We will answer questions you have about when, where, and how to use icebreakers. For example: Icebreaker games are designed for fun.

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Number-Letter Codes, Hink Pinks, Rhyming Pairs, Weird Words, and More Challenging Brain Teasers!

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Discover Irish Kids Books - A world of wonder and adventure awaits

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Discover Irish Kids Books promotes Irish childrens books to raise awareness of Irish authors and titles and to get all children reading Irish books #DiscoverIrishKidsBooks #LeabhairĖireannachaDoPháistíAbú

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A Balanced Approach to Literacy Instruction

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Describing BubbleE Bulletin 1 Describing

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Welcome to Fun-with-words.com, the Wordplay Web Site
Fun-with-words.com is dedicated to amusing quirks, peculiarities, and oddities of the English language: wordplay. Playing with words and language is both entertaining and educational. Here you can have plenty of fun with words with over 500 pages of word puzzles, games, amazing lists, and fun facts.
The site is divided into topical sections. Use the menu on the left to access them. Recommended pages: Books on Etymology (Origins of Words/Phrases), words that end in gry (puzzle) and Anagram Generator.

What will you find at Fun-with-words.com?
Wordplay Books * Anagrams * Anagram YOUR NAME * Anagram Software * Angry, Hungry, and GRY * Hilarious Headlines * Spoonerisms * Prinderella and the Cince * Tongue Twisters * Rebus Puzzles * World's First Crossword * Etymology Word Histories * Longest Word in the English Language * Oxymorons * Homonyms * Heteronyms * Pangrams * Redundant Acronyms * Smiley Dictionary * Malapropisms * Mnemonics * Tom Swifties * Rhyming Slang * Hangman * World's Shortest Poem * Phobia Words * Hyphen Fun * Who Has Your Name? * The Devil's Dictionary * Neologism Competition * Funny Signs
And many more Wordplay Articles...

Looking for something particular? Try the site index.

New on BBC: Michael Palin New Europe

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What It Means

Pandemonium refers to a situation in which a crowd or mass of people act in a wild, uncontrolled, or violent way because they are afraid, excited, or confused.

// Pandemonium ensued when a power failure knocked out the city's traffic lights during rush hour.
See the entry >
pandemonium in Context

I went to the ______ store to buy a birthday card.

Did You Know?

When John Milton needed a name for the gathering place of all demons for Paradise Lost, he turned to the classics as any sensible 17th-century writer would. Pandæmonium, as the capital of Hell is known in the epic poem, combines the Greek prefix pan-, meaning "all," with the Late Latin daemonium, meaning "evil spirit." ( Daemonium itself traces back to the far more innocuous Greek word daímōn, meaning "spirit" or "divine power.") Over time, Pandæmonium (or Pandemonium) came to designate all of hell and was used as well for earthbound dens of wickedness and sin. By the late-18th century, the word implied a place or state of confusion or uproar, and from there, it didn't take long for pandemonium to become associated with states of utter disorder and wildness.

Test Your Vocabulary

Fill in the blanks to complete a word meaning "hell" or "eternal damnation": p _ r _ i _ _ o n.

VIEW THE ANSWER

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When John Milton needed a name for the gathering place of all demons for Paradise Lost, he turned to the classics as any sensible 17th-century writer would. Pandæmonium, as the capital of Hell is

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Introduction

Learning is remembering. If we respect this axiom, the review and recycling of new language items will be critical if they stand a chance of becoming readily accessible in long-term memory. In fact, students do the majority of their forgetting shortly after the lesson and then the rate of forgetting diminishes. To avoid this lexical vanishing act, one solution offered is to follow the 'principle of expanding rehearsal'. This idea suggests that learners review new words shortly after they are presented, and then at increasingly longer intervals. To stimulate long-term memory then, ideally, words would be reviewed 5-10 minutes after class, 24 hours later, one week later, one month later, and finally six months later. Teachers might even consider doing a quick review of words and phrases which were introduced just a short while ago in the lesson. But unless these new language items are noticed and understood on multiple occasions, they will likely fade from memory and be forgotten.

Experts these days concur that learners actually need as many as 5 to 16 'meetings' with a new language item in a variety of contexts before it can be truly learned and activated for genuine use. Teachers then can help solidify new words in long-term memory by creating regular opportunities in their learning program that encourage students to make form-meaning connections of new vocabulary items. Both repetition and retrieval practice of new items are key. In my experience, this is best achieved by organizing fun, competitive, and motivating vocabulary games and activities which adhere to the expanding rehearsal mentioned above. Over the past decade, I've put together a variety of sure-fire and engaging vocabulary recycling activities drawn from a number of sources: resource books, teachers, trainers, and some of which are of my own invention. Give them a try, and have your students start remembering today.

1. Taboo (aka Hot Seat)

Divide the class into Teams A and B. Team A sits in a group on one side of the classroom, Team B sits on the other side. Bring two chairs to the front of the room so that when seated, a student is facing his or her respective team and their back is to the blackboard or white board. One member from each team sits in their team's chair. The teacher writes a word, phrase, or sentence on the board. The students in the chairs mustn't see what's written on the board. Once the teacher yells 'go', the teams have one minute, using only verbal clues, to get their seated teammate to say the item written on the board. The only rule (or taboo) is that they MUSTN'T say the item written on the board, in full or part. The first student in the hot seat to utter the word scores a point for their team. When the round is over, two new team players are rotated into the hot seat and a new item is written up. The first team to score X number of points wins.

Variation: To ensure a slightly quieter and less chaotic game, the teams can take it in turns. Rather than two students in the hot seat, only one member from each team plays at a time. The teacher as usual scribbles a word on the board and gives the team one minute to get their teammate to say the item. If the hot-seated player manages to say the word, the teacher quickly writes another item on the board and so on until the minute is up. The team scores a point for every item they manage to say within one minute.

2. Memory Challenge

Put the students into pairs or small groups. Give them a time limit (e.g. 3 minutes) and ask them to write down as many words, phrases, and/or expressions as they can from the last lesson on topic X. The pair or group that can remember the most items wins.

Variation: To add a spelling accuracy component, teams can also earn an extra point for each correctly spelt item.

3. Last One Standing

Give the class a topic (e.g. food, clothes, animals, things in a kitchen) and ask them to stand up, in a circle if possible. Clap out a beat and say, one, two, three, followed by a topic-related word. After the next three beats, the next student in the circle gives a word related to the topic, and so it continues. Anyone who can't think of a word or repeats a word already said has to sit down and it's the next person's turn. The winner is the last one standing.

4. Pictionary

Divide the class into Teams A and B. Team A sits in a group on one side of the classroom, Team B sits on the other side. One member from each team goes to the board. The teacher flashes them a word, phrase, or expression written on a piece of paper. The students have one minute to get their respective team to say the item only by drawing pictorial clues on the board. Written words, verbal clues, or gestures are forbidden. The first team to say the word scores a point.

Variation: The teams review their notes from prior lessons, and collectively come up with a list of items the other team will have to draw.

5. Bingo

The teacher writes up 10 words, phrases and/or expressions on the board. Each student chooses any 5 of the items from the board and writes them down. The teacher then selects one of the items at random (bits of paper from a hat, for example) and offers a brief definition or synonym of the item but does not say the word itself. If a student thinks they have the word the teacher described, they tick it. When a student ticks all of their words, they shout BINGO!! The first student to shout BINGO wins the round. Additional rounds can be played with different sets of words.

6. Outburst

Divide the class into Teams A and B. The teacher assigns each team a particular topic (e.g. sports, vehicles, things in an office) which is to be kept secret from the other team. Each team meets for 5 minutes in private and collectively draws up a list of ten items related to the topic. After the lists are made, the game begins. The teacher tells Team A the name of Team B's topic. Team A then has one minute to try to guess the items on Team B's list (hence producing a noisy outburst). The members of Team B must listen and tick the items which Team A manages to guess. For every word Team A guesses correctly, they score a point. For every word they miss, Team B gets a point. After the points are recorded, it's Team B turn to guess Team A's list. Additional rounds can be played with different topics assigned by the teacher. The first team to score X number of points wins.

7. Concentration

Divide the class into small groups. Each group is given a set of cards which are spread out on the table face-down. The sets are made up of two kinds of cards: word cards + definition/picture cards. Students in turn pick up a card, turn it over, and try matching it to its corresponding card. If there's no match, the cards are returned to their original place on the table and play passes to the next student. If a match is made, the student keeps the pair and tries to make another match. Once all the cards are matched, the winner is the player who has matched the most number of cards.

Variation: Rather than using word + definition/picture cards, students can match the first and second half of common phrases, expressions, idioms or other multi-word lexical items; e.g. "have" on one card, "a good time" on the other card.

8. Scrambled Letters

Write up eight words with their letters shuffled (e.g. eicscen for science) on the board. When the teacher says 'go', the students, individually or in pairs, endeavor to untangle the words as quickly as they can. The first student or pair, to do so wins. The teacher can then quickly run through each of the scrambled letter groups on the board, eliciting information about each word or concept. Tip: Don't make them too difficult.

Variation: Phrases, expressions, and idioms larger than 2 words can also be used (e.g. "you're having when time flies fun" for "time flies when you're having fun".)

9. Q & A

Write up two separate word lists on the board; an A list and a B list. Assign half the class the A list and the other half list B. Each student takes each word from their list and contextualizes it into a coherent question. Ideally, the question should demonstrate some understanding of the word (e.g. Is your family very hospitable?, NOT What does hospitable mean?). If students need help, they can consult the teacher, their notes, or their textbook. When the students have finished writing their questions, As and Bs pair up and exchange their list of questions. The students read each question and write an answer to the question on the same piece of paper. In their answer, they need to use the same word that is underlined in the question. After the answers are written, the papers are exchanged again and read by the original student.

example:
Student A's question: Are there any skyscrapers in New York City?
Student B's answer: Yes, New York City has several skyscrapers.

10. Categories (aka The Alphabet Game)

Divide the class into 3 or 4 teams and assign a secretary for each group. On one side of the board, write down six categories related to the current topic or syllabus of your course (e.g. countries, sports, jobs, movies, furniture, verbs, things that are round). To start the game, the teacher randomly selects a letter of the alphabet and scribbles it onto the board. Each team must then work together to quickly find a word for each of the six categories that starts with the chosen letter. The first team to complete all six categories shouts "stop!" The class then stops writing, and a member of the team goes to the board to fill in the categories. The teacher then checks each word with the class and also elicits what other teams had for each category. If the quickest team has filled in each category correctly, they earn one point for their team. The teacher then chooses a different letter and another round is played. The first team to score X number of points wins.

Bibliography

Baddeley, A. 1990. Human Memory: Theory and Practice. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Beck, I.L., M.G. McKeown and R.C. Omanson. 1987. The effects and use of diverse vocabulary instruction techniques. In. M.G. McKeown and M.E. Curtis (Eds.) The Nature of Vocabulary Acquisition: 147-63. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Bloom, K.C. and Shuell, T.J. 1981. ŒEffects of massed and distributed practice on the learning and retention of second-language vocabulary‚, Journal of Educational Research, 74, 245-248

Gairns R. and S. Redman. 1986. Working with Words. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Nation, I.S.P. 1990. Teaching and Learning Vocabulary. New York: Newbury House.

Nation, I.S.P. 2001. Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Pimsleur, P. 1967. 'A memory schedule'. Modern Language Journal 51/2: 73-5

Thornbury, S. 2002. How to Teach Vocabulary. Pearson ESL.

The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. XII, No. 7, July 2006
http://iteslj.org/ http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Koprowski-RecylingVocabulary.html

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Learning is remembering. If we respect this axiom, the review and recycling of new language items will be critical if they stand a chance of becoming readily accessible in long-term memory. In fact, students do the majority of their forgetting shortly after the lesson and then the rate of forgetting diminishes.

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What s Up With Words  A Systematic Review of Designs  Strategies  and Theories Underlying Vocabulary Research

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Fourth Grade and Fifth Grade Student Center Activities Advanced Phonics | Fluency | Vocabulary | Comprehension

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Useless Etymology is a collection of editorialized word histories released in no particular order by Jess Zafarris. It's possible you've read some of my work over on Reddit's /r/etymology subreddit, the community that first encouraged me to create this website, or on Twitter @UselessEty. The posts vary in length and style, but many include gifs and images of questionable quality.

Jess is also the author of the middle-grade nonfiction book ONCE UPON A WORD: A WORD-ORIGIN DICTIONARY FOR KIDS (Rockridge Press, February 2020), which is available for preorder at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound. Learn more about the book here.

My usual hard sources are as follows, with inspiration from the Online Etymological Dictionary.

The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology

Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins (Oxford Quick Reference) by Cresswell, Julia

Etymological Dictionary of Modern English by Ernest Weekley

The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, 1st Edition by Robert K. Barnhart

Dictionary of Word Origins: The Histories of More Than 8,000 English-Language Words by John Ayto

The Dictionary of American Slang, Subsequent Edition by Robert L. Chapman

Note: I first published many of these writeups on Reddit's Etymology Subreddit, but they are, in fact, my original work.
About Jess Zafarris
Jess Zafarris is the author of Once Upon a Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary for Kids. She is also an award-winning innovator of digital content and marketing solutions and a prolific online and print journalist, having served as the Executive Director of Marketing & Communications for Gotham Ghostwriters. Before that, she served as Content Strategist and Digital Content Director for Writer's Digest and Script, and she still occasionally writes for WD. Her nine years of experience in digital and print content direction and marketing include such roles as editor-in-chief of HOW magazine and online content director of HOW and PRINT magazine, as well as writing for the The Hot Sheet, the Denver Business Journal, ABC News, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal. She has a bachelors in English Literature (with minors in Arabic and Anthropology) from DePaul University and a masters in Journalism & Mass Communications from the University of Colorado Boulder. She spends much of her spare time researching curious word histories and writing about them at UselessEtymology.com. Follow her at @jesszafarris or @uselessety on Twitter, or on Instagram at @uselessetymology.

CONTACT

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Useless Etymology is a collection of editorialized word histories released in no particular order by Jess Zafarris. It's possible you've read some of my work over on Reddit's /r/etymology subreddit, the community that first encouraged me to create this website, or on Twitter @UselessEty.

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Our entertaining video series on confusing language usage, uncommon word histories, and other fun facts. Featuring the editors of Merriam-Webster.

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TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and share your big ideas.

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Mother Tongues Podcast More than 100 languages are spoken in Ireland, so we have teamed up with RTE'Jr to showcase the stories of children who speak some of these languages. In this fun children's podcast you will hear tales, traditions, phrases and tongue-twisters... listen and try out a few words yourself!

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Create your own jeopardy template online, without PowerPoint. Or browse the pre-made templates created by other people!

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Teach Teidi, was created by Sadhbh Rosenstock, author, and owner of Picnic Press. Come with us on our adventures in our new book Teach Teidí, for children of all ages! Teidí and his family invite us into their house and bring us to the land of make-believe.

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Leagan Gaeilge den chluiche Wordle dar teideal Foclach. Irish language version of the word game Wordle

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Cluiche litrithe ina mbíonn ar an imreoir 5 fhocal a litriú gach lá. Cluintear na focail a rá sna 3 canúintí agus bíonn 5 iarracht agat an focal a litriú i gceart.

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Poem of the week

They wander the streets with me, searching
for a steering wheel, a trolley, a pram, a hand.

I give them the edge of my scarf, the belt
on my coat, the button on my lapel, stuff them
in my pockets to burrow in the debris of home

receipts from that new old-fashioned sweet shop
wet wipes used for sticky fingers or muddy hands
tags from new toys, tickets, coins. But it is no use.

Skin cracked, knuckles raw, fingertips barbed
like fishhooks from bottles plunged and scrubbed
in scalding water, my hands will not rest until

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Poetry Ireland connects people and poetry. We are committed to achieving excellence in the reading, writing and performance of poetry throughout the island of Ireland.