Aim of the Game
Learners revise vocabulary topics by putting target language items into sensible and correct context sentences.
Procedure
Put the game board on the white board or a notice board where it is visible to all the learners.
Tell the learners you are going to play a game of Connect Three to revise/practise vocabulary they have learnt recently.
Give out the instructions and read through them together, illustrating them step-by-step on the game board and doing an example or two together.
Decide which team starts and ask them to choose a word to play for.
Remember they can only play for the lowest available word in each column at any time.
If they can put the word into a sensible sentence correctly, they win the square and you place one of the teams counters on top of the square.
The turn moves to the other team. The game continues in this manner, until one team manages to complete a row of three squares (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) and wins the game.
Variations
Instead of putting the vocab in a sentence learners could be required to define its meaning.
To make the game last longer, play connect four!
Once the learners are clear about how to play the game, they could play again in pairs, on the understanding they cannot repeat sentences used in previous games.
If a team wins quickly, play again but from the top of the board, always using the highest placed word in a column instead of the lowest, therefore using the unused words at the top of the board.