The Last Word

Do you think you can remember the last word of every sentence I say? Today, we will play a game which requires memory and listening skills. You will need to remember the last word in each sentence and put them together in the correct order to make a new sentence.

1. Before playing the game, write down a short sentence (noun-verb-noun), such as “goats eat potatoes,” but do not share the sentence with students.
2. Then think of three consecutive sentences, each of which ends with one of the three words from the noun-verb-noun sentence. For example: “Lyuba has two pink goats. Stephanie likes to eat. Max grows potatoes.”
3. To play the game, slowly read the three sentences aloud. Tell students they should remember the last word of each sentence.
4. Then, ask students to put the three words together to make a new sentence.

• What about this game was easy or hard for you?
• What strategies did you use? What might you do differently next time?
• When do you need to use your memory at home or at school?
• How else would you like to play this game?

For primary school students:

• To decrease the memory challenge, use shorter sentences or emphasize the words students should remember.
• Invite students to lead the activity.

For students in grades 5-6:

• Invite students to form teams and facilitate the activity themselves.
• Combine two activities together, for example: “The Last Word” and “Telephone.” Pass the three sentences to each person in the circle and see if the last person can correctly share the shortened phrase.
• To increase the challenge, use longer sentences or ask students to remember a different word in each original sentence, such as the first word or the second-to-last word.