Scatter Sheets
A sheet of words scattered across the screen. One student describes a word without saying it, and the others guess which one it is. The teacher clicks each word once it's guessed, until the board is clear. Show it on a shared screen in an online lesson or on a projector in class.
Try one
Ideas for using it
- Describe and guess. The classic: one student describes a word without saying it, the others guess. Click the word when someone gets it. Great for vocabulary review at the end of a topic.
- Relative clauses. Ask describers to start with "It's a thing which...", "It's a person who..." or "It's a place where...". Students practise the structure without noticing.
- Yes/no questions. The describer secretly picks a word, and the others ask yes/no questions to find it. Good practice for question forms.
- Three clues. The describer can give only three single-word clues. Harder than it sounds, and it gets students thinking about collocations.
- Make a sentence. Students pick a word and use it in a sentence about themselves. Useful for confusing pairs, phrasal verbs or verb patterns.
- Teams. Split the class into two teams that take turns describing. One point per word guessed within a time limit.
- Story chain. Each student picks two or three words and connects them in a story, building on the last student's part.
- One-to-one lessons. Take turns with your student: they describe, you guess, then swap. Use it as a warm-up to recycle last lesson's vocabulary.
How to play
- Open the sheet and share your screen (or show it on a projector). Press F for full screen.
- A student chooses a word and describes it without saying it.
- When someone guesses, click the word to cross it off. Click again to undo.
- Keep going until the board is clear, or press Reset to play again.
F full screen · R shuffle · + / - text size · C reset
Tips for good word lists
- 15 to 25 words fill the screen nicely and make a game of about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stick to one topic. When all the words are from the same area, describers have to be precise ("it's for the kitchen" isn't enough).
- Mix easy and hard words so everyone can play and stronger students are stretched.
- Phrases are fine. Multi-word items like "job interview" or "take notes" work well.
- Short on time? Use Generate to get a word list from a topic and level, then edit it.
Make your own
Type or paste your words, or use Generate to make a list from a topic and level. Check them, create the sheet and share the link, or open it straight away in class.
More in our collections
Scatter sheets appear in several of our seasonal and topic collections, alongside other activities on the same topic.
Autumn (fall) activities · Winter Activities · Spring & Summer Vocabulary · Halloween Activities · Christmas and New Year · Valentine's Day · Thanksgiving · Football World Cup · Film and TV · Past Simple · All collections
Ready-made scatter sheets
Everyday life
Clothes · Accessories · Family · Drinks · Snacks · Fruit and Vegetables · In the Kitchen · In the Bathroom · In the Bedroom · In the Garden · In the Supermarket · Stationery
Places and travel
Travel · Countries · Transport · The Car (British English) · Town and city vocabulary · The High Street · In the Street · The Countryside · At the Restaurant · Going Out
Work and business
Jobs · Work Vocabulary · In the office · Meetings & Presentations · Money A2 · Money B1 · Computer Hardware · The Internet
Free time and culture
Hobbies · Sports and Games · Forms of Exercise · Music · Musical Instruments · The Movies · Literature · Famous People · Brands
News and society
Current Affairs · Talking about news and the media · The Press · Crime and Punishment · Law and Order
Grammar and words
Action Verbs · Past Simple 1 · Verbs with Infinitive or Gerund · Commonly Confused Words · Relative pronouns
Seasons and holidays
Spring Vocabulary · Autumn / Fall Vocabulary · Winter Vocabulary · Halloween · Christmas · Valentine's Day · Thanksgiving Vocabulary · Football World Cup Vocabulary · Special Occasions