Every morning, I challenge myself with The New York Times Connections Game. The daily word puzzle challenges players to group 16 words into four sets of four that share a common connection. On the surface, it’s simple. However, behind the scenes, it’s a powerful workout for the brain. Using the same format, you can create your own Connections Game to challenge upper elementary and middle school students in a fun and engaging way by building vocabulary, critical thinking, communication, and metacognition.
Vocabulary
At the core of the game is vocabulary. Each word in the puzzle encourages students to link words into meaningful groups by understanding relationships between words. They are not just defining words; they’re:
- Recognizing synonyms, antonyms, and definitions
- Identifying multiple-meaning words
- Connecting Tier 2 vocabulary
- Organizing Tier 3 subject-specific terms
By sorting and categorizing, students internalize word meanings and relationships. This strengthens students’ ability to organize vocabulary in meaningful ways.
Critical Thinking
Organizing and grouping words requires higher-level thinking. Students must evaluate the words within the group and the group as a whole. Words may fit in more than one group. Students must evaluate all the options and choose the strongest connection.
Communication
When played in a group, the game promotes discussion. Students practice turn-taking, justifying their thinking, and negotiating skills essential for langauge and social interaction.
Metacognition
One of the best parts of using Connections Games is that students work on building their metacognition. Metacognition is the ability to think about and reflect on thinking itself. Students will determine how and why words go together. They will evaluate the strategies they used to help complete the puzzle.
How to Use the Connections Game with Students
You don’t need to be tech-savvy to bring connections into the classroom or therapy session. Teachers and speech pathologists can create custom grids based on weekly vocabulary, content-area terms, idioms, or even figurative language. It’s a quick, engaging activity that can be used as a warm-up, small group task, or individually. The All In One Langauge Activity Worksheet contains 36 already designed puzzles to be used with upper elementary and middle school students. That’s a puzzle for every week of the academic school year. You can print off the worksheets, and students can work independently or as a group. There is an online platform where you can input your own information to create a Connections Game.
Final Thoughts
The New York Times Connections Game is more than just a brain teaser, but a great tool that can be used by teachers and speech language pathologists to promote language development and target IEP goals. So the next time you are looking for an engaging warm-up or targeting langauge goals, give Connections a try.
For printable versions, example puzzles, click here.
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