IXL’s guide to the Vocabulary Bowl

In the Classroom

 

Unlock your students’ lexical potential in the Vocabulary Bowl—the world’s largest academic competition! For the very first time, IXL customers can join in on the word-learning fun as part of their Language Arts site licenses. 

Didn’t register by September 30? Don’t sweat it—you can register your students anytime before November 30 so they can start mastering words and accumulating points.

Check back here throughout the Bowl season! We’ll be updating this article with tips and tricks you can use to motivate your students and celebrate every word-learning milestone.

Table of contents: 

#1: Teacher’s guide to the Vocabulary Bowl 

Maximize student achievement in the Vocabulary Bowl with the teacher’s guide to the Vocabulary Bowl!

This guide breaks down the basics of Vocabulary Bowl participation so you can be ready to go on day one of the competition. Plus, you’ll find links to fun printables like a Vocabulary Bowl poster, word mastery tracker, and student activity tracker to get your students engaged and ready to become word winners.

#2: How to earn points

Every word mastered on Vocabulary.com = 1 point towards your school’s total! There are two places where your students can earn points on Vocabulary.com:

VocabTrainer– VocabTrainer is an adaptive game that helps students master their unique trouble words and fill knowledge gaps. As students play, VocabTrainer serves up questions based on the words they need more practice on. Every mastered word earns points for the Vocabulary Bowl. Just 15 minutes a day can go a long way in building word confidence and moving you up the leaderboards!

Practice activities– Targeted, adaptive exercises where students tackle words from a vocabulary list you assign them on Vocabulary.com. If students are struggling with a word, they’re given additional questions on that word until they’re ready to master it. Once students finish a Practice activity, they can click Finish Mastery to prove their expertise and earn points for the Vocabulary Bowl!

Getting started is easy:

  1. Have students visit IXL’s Vocab Zone.
  2. From there, click the login button to instantly enter Vocabulary.com. 
  3. Start mastering words in the VocabTrainer and Practice activities.

Remember: Students must sign into Vocabulary.com to access these activities and earn points for the Vocabulary Bowl! Students can not earn points by viewing word lists or flashcards on IXL’s Vocab Zone. 

Read the full guide to scoring Vocabulary Bowl points, or watch the video below, and start mastering words today!

#3 Implementation ideas 

Make word mastery a part of your classroom routine! With Practice activities and VocabTrainer, your students can build word confidence and earn points for the Vocabulary Bowl. Here’s how you can implement these Vocabulary.com activities in your classroom: 

  • Designate the first 15 minutes of class as VocabTrainer time! Have your students launch Vocabulary.com through the Vocab Zone and click on VocabTrainer in the navigation bar. From there students can get their daily dose of personalized word learning.
  • Browse the thousands of word lists in the Vocab Zone to find one aligned to a book or nonfiction text you’re teaching in class. Click the “Launch Vocabulary.com” button at the bottom of the list page to instantly enter Vocabulary.com. Then, assign a Practice activity so that students can master words on your chosen list. 

Check out the implementation guide for more on how to get started with Vocabulary.com!

#4 Engagement strategies

Your students have done incredible work all month long to master words and earn points for the Vocabulary Bowl. Now’s the time to celebrate progress and keep the momentum going! 

  • Set SMART goals: Set individual and class goals with your students, and print out goal trackers so they can track their progress. Put up a class progress tracker in your classroom, and spend some time every day or week to announce where students are in reaching their goals.
  • Showcase the leaderboards: Display the live Vocabulary Bowl leaderboards in your classroom so that students see their school or class advance in the competition! Make a habit of reviewing the leaderboards and celebrating your progress. 
  • Celebrate word mastery: Recognize every point earned with an achievement wall where students can add a sticky note highlighting every word they’ve mastered. For every 10-20 words mastered, reward them with a shout-out in class, a certificate of achievement, or a simple “well done.” 
  • Make it a party: Hold lunch and after-school word-learning rallies where students can work on VocabTrainer while socializing with peers. 
  • Share the wins: Share your vocabulary success with parents, administrators, and your broader community! Announce your leaderboard rankings and any wins in newsletters, social media, district publications, and anywhere else your community celebrates its students. These students were even featured on their local news channel! 

Read the full list of engagement tips on Vocabulary.com for more. Choose the methods that work best for your students, and keep working together to climb the leaderboards!