Backward Spelling is a simple filler activity you can play at the end of your class for a few minutes before the lesson ends.

It helps with concentrated listening‏‎, vocabulary‏‎ and spelling.

Simply choose a word which the class will know and begin – slowly – to spell it backwards. Award a point to the first person who can guess the word correctly.

T: A… N…
S1: Can?
T: Sorry, no! A… N… A… N… A…
S2: Banana?
T: Good! One point for your team!

Of course the word you choose should be one the class is familiar with and one recently used. This activity helps reinforce what has been learned earlier.

Variations on a Theme

Once the class is familiar with the game there are a few to expand and vary it.

• have students work in teams to guess the word
• whoever guesses comes to the front of the class to spell backwards their own word (or one from a flashcard‏‎)
• try throwing in a palindrome once in a while to see what happens!