Creativity: Associated Word Grid Game
A lot of articles have been written extolling the benefits of lateral thinking or brain enhancing exercises.
Here are some examples of some exercises that may demand "thinking out of the box" or searching for
the odd connection of neurons. Here is how this associated word grid works. On the blackboard draw one
of the following grids.
Your students should be broken down into teams. Explain to your students that there are four categories
and that each of those categories has four of the words in the grid. Each team will get a point for naming an
additional word in a category that is known or unknown at that time. Here is how it works in detail. Each
member of a team will postulate a propose a word. Then, a second teammate will select a second. If the two
words are in the same category their team gains a point. If not the next team is up. So it is possible if you
listen closely to obtain all the words in a category by random.
At any time after they have added a word, the team may identify the category for three points.
However if they are wrong their turn ends
When all four words are identified the team must identify the connection among the words or pass their turn
to the next group in line. When all the teams have had their chance and fail the category is disclosed.

Usually there is a single word that can connect all of the words in a category.
Here is an example: turn, 2, tube, & nit
answer: add a u to them and they become U turn, U tube, U2, and Unit

Cold	Southern	Polar	Six Days
Victoria	Eastern	Central	Black
Brown	Roses	Pacific	100 Years
Red	Teddy	Maltese	Mountain

Wars: Roses, 100 years, Six Days, Cold
Crosses: Victoria, Red, Maltese, Southern
Bears: Teddy, Brown, Black, Polar
North American Time Zones: Eastern: Central, Mountain, Pacific
or

Short	Witted	Break	Point
Friend	Lineup	Bus	Motion
Poke	Food	Lane or Track	Out
Down	Sign	Gun	Gap

Stop: Shortstop, Stopgap, Bus Stop, Stop Sign
Slow: witted, motion, poke, down
Fast: Break, Food, Lane or Track, Friend
Starting:
Meta Category: movement or speed

Cheer	Knowledge	Look for	Business
History	Make	World	Consulting
Innovation	the Yellow Brick         Road	Ship	Your dreams or heart
Up	Micro	Suit	Home

Leader: Cheer, Business,Team, Ship
Management: Micro, Innovation, Consulting, Knowledge  hint: project
Follow: Up, the yellow brick road, your heart or dreams, suit
Work: Make, Home: History: Look for                                hint: class  (release for law students)

Some suggestions for how to make your own word grids:
Once you have one word in a category...
Take it to the following:
Any of the online dictionaries will give you some ideas. I particulary like:Merriam-Webster Online
When you have Google Suggest activated you will also find some connections you may not have thought about.
Finally google has a AdWords: Keyword Tool which will usually provide some unexpected links. Of course
here are many other keyword suggestion tools which you can use to fill in your grids.




For your students

Short	Witted	Break	Point
Friend	Lineup	Bus	Motion
Poke	Food	Lane or Track	Out
Down	Sign	Gun	Gap

Cold	Southern	Polar	Six Days
Victoria	Eastern	Central	Black
Brown	Roses	Pacific	100 Years
Red	Teddy	Maltese	Mountain