Appendix D: How to use Matching Sets


In the health module there are several matching sets to cut out and use with your students. Here is an example of the definition cards for a set:

Example: Health Maintenance and Personal Medical History - Definitions
 

a test that looks for cancer in a woman's breast fat and other things similar to fat in the body
cancer in part of a man's reproductive organs a test to look for cancer in the cervix, part of a woman's reproductive organs.
A test to look for cancer inside the rectum and colon in the bottom part of the digestive system. Another name is colonoscopy. Something inside animals. We get more when we eat meat. If you have too much, it makes it difficult for blood to move inside your arteries.
Something in your neck that regulates many body functions, like food digestion, breathing, blood circulation, and your energy level. When your blood sticks together instead of moving. It can be good if you are cut because it stops your bleeding. It can be bad if it is somewhere else inside your body, because it might stop blood from moving around your body correctly.

Example: Health Maintenance and Personal Medical History - Terms
 

Mammogram Lipid
Prostate Cancer Pap smear
Sigmoidoscopy cholesterol
thyroid clotting

Constructing the Set

  • Copying. When making card sets, it is recommended that you copy the definition page on one color of paper, and the terms page on another color so that learners can easily distinguish them.
  • Making cards to last. Cut along the grid lines to make individual cards. To strengthen the cards, you can either copy them on card stock paper, or copy them on regular paper and glue them onto index cards. If you want to make them even stronger, you can laminate them.
  • How many to make. Decide how many groups you want in the class when working with on the matching activity. Four students is a good size for a group in matching activities. Make enough copies of sets for the number of groups. If your class has 24 students in it, for example, you will want to make 6 sets, one set being all the definition cards and all the term cards.
  • Storage. Zip lock storage bags are a good way of storing the cards and keeping them in good shape.


    Variations on Use

  • The basic use. The basic use for the matching sets is to have the group of students place them face up on a desk top and take turns matching definitions to terms. The player who collects the most pairs wins.
  • Pre-game reading. Before they start to play, you might want to have groups read the cards like flash cards, so they gain familiarity with terms and definitions and can ask you for clarification or pronunciation help as necessary.
  • Incorporating grammar. Extra mileage can be gotten by saying that the player who picks up a matching set has to make a sentence or a question using the term. For the medical terminology below, examples could be w/ the present perfect, e.g. 'Have you had a mammogram this year?' or 'I haven't had a cholesterol test this year.' Only when they make the example do they get to keep the pair.
  • Copying. When groups are finished matching, they should copy down the terms and definitions in their notebook.
  • Concentration. If one group is faster than another, while they are waiting they could turn all the cards over and play concentration. This can take a long time, so it is not recommended as a first step in using the matching sets.
  • Whole group variation. This activity could be a review for the day after the class first uses the matching set. Give definition cards to half the class and give term cards to the other half. Learners should stand up and mingle. The people holding vocabulary cards should approach people holding definition cards. Remember, the cards are different colors, so the learners can easily identify each other. The people with term cards should ask a question that has to be answered by the other person reading the definition. For example, the question could be, "Excuse me, could you explain what 'clotting' means, please?" The other person would read their definition. If the definition matches, the two students stand together and wait for the others to find their matches. When everyone has found their match, the pairs take turns reading their terms and definitions to the class, which gets to give the ok as to whether the match is ok or not.
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