19 Fun ways to use a hangman game in the classroom

Karel Janson’s article, “19 Fun ways to use a hangman game in the classroom,” was in intriguing piece, revolutionizing the ways in which teachers and students utilize the classic game of hangman within the classroom (2019). Prior to reading Janson’s work, I was completely unaware that the game I played on the chalkboard as a child, was accessible digitally for both teachers and students. I recall playing this game with friends, choosing different categories such as movies, music and phrases, then having classmates guess the missing letters. 

BookWidgets Hangman Widget (Links to an external site.) transforms traditional ideologies surrounding this game, presenting a variety of approaches to tackling content in a fun and engaging way. 

Beginning with the widget itself, I was able to easily download and utilize the technology within minutes. That being said, when downloading BookWidgets, teachers have access to a wide variety of testing and review formats such as flash cards, multiple choice quizzes, exit slips and crosswords. Miscellaneous uses for hangman provided an interesting take on teacher introductions. Thinking about my current placement, as well as, previous placements, bringing hangman into discussion could provide a fun and innovative approach to presenting information about oneself. Moving beyond pen, paper and chalkboard, students can participate in the activity via ChromeBooks, iPads, and other electronic devices, guess a new teacher’s likes, dislikes and hobbies. 

                                    

In terms of language, science, math and history, the possibilities of intertwining hangman with disciplines is endless. Referring to language, students have the ability to extend vocabulary, knowledge and sentence structure with complex terms. When teaching primary and junior grade levels, educators can, “list some words with tough spelling, and let the students spell them from beginning to end” (Janson 2019). Sometimes the simplest tools can be most effective within the classroom setting, especially when their functions are easy to comprehend. 

As an aspiring educator, BookWidgets Hangman Widget (Links to an external site.) is a tool I will bring to future teaching, testing its functions across a wide range of subjects to see which areas students cling to and prefer. 

https://www.bookwidgets.com/blog/2019/05/19-fun-ways-to-use-a-hangman-game-in-the-classroom

Editor: Before you create your own games, have fun first.  See how much fun such a simple game can still be for kids of all ages.  Try these games online just to get you started playing a bit:

Hangman Online (EASY)

https://www.hangmanwords.com/play/kids-easy

Hangman to Learn English (EASY)

https://www.gamestolearnenglish.com/hangman/

Hangman for Kids (EASY)

https://www.hanginghyena.com/hangman

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