New Word Order
Jumbled words, one correct sentence. Students physically rearrange AI-generated phrases until the grammar clicks — and their instinct for word order builds.
Open App →Pairs
- 1Works equally well with one student working alone or a small group collaborating around a single screen — the drag interface is designed for one device at a time.
- 2For a class activity, project the app on the main screen and let a chosen student arrange the words while the rest of the class suggests quietly.
- 3Swap the active student every 1–2 sentences so everyone gets a turn and contributes to the reasoning out loud.
- 4Pause before confirming the answer to ask whether any other arrangement could also be grammatically correct — near-ambiguous orderings produce the most useful discussion.
The Teaching Logic Behind New Word Order
New Word Order is a word-order reconstruction activity. The AI generates a grammatically correct sentence within the CEFR level's word-count band — 4 to 7 words at A1, up to 18 words at B2 — then scrambles all words into random order. Students must reconstruct the correct sequence.
Each sentence is guaranteed to have exactly one correct reordering. The app validates this before presenting the sentence, ensuring there are no ambiguous arrangements that would make the task unfairly difficult.
At A1 and A2, sentences use simple SVO patterns with everyday vocabulary. At B1, sentences introduce relative clauses and basic conditionals. The result is a single activity type that scales smoothly from beginner to mid-intermediate.
Why It Works
Noticing word order drives acquisition
Schmidt's Noticing Hypothesis (1990) argues that conscious attention to form is a prerequisite for acquisition. When students reconstruct a sentence word by word, they must notice the functional position of each element — auxiliaries, negators, adverbs — in a way that skimming never forces.
Reconstruction is more effective than production from scratch
The reconstruction format reduces the dual burden of generation and form monitoring. Students can focus entirely on syntactic relationships — why does the adverb come before the verb? — without simultaneously generating meaning. This targeted attention is where word-order intuition develops.
Repeated exposure to correct word order builds automaticity
Ellis (2002) argues that implicit knowledge of grammar develops through repeated encounters with correct exemplars. Each reconstructed sentence provides one more correct-word-order exemplar, gradually calibrating the student's internal grammar toward target-like output.
Step-by-Step in Class
Set up CEFR level, grammar focus, and topic
Choose a CEFR level (A1–B1) — this controls word count and grammar complexity. Optionally set a grammar focus (such as relative clauses or conditionals) or leave it on random to vary structures across rounds. Add a custom topic to keep vocabulary on-theme for your lesson.
Present the scrambled sentence
Project the scrambled words on the main screen. One student — or the group together — drags the words into the correct order within 60 to 90 seconds before the answer is revealed.
Compare and discuss
After time is up, reveal the answer. If different pairs chose different orders, discuss why — some wrong orders may be grammatically acceptable even if not the AI's intended sentence. The discussion is often more valuable than the task itself.
Increase complexity gradually
Run 4–6 sentences per session, scaling from simpler to more complex within the same level. A B1 session might start with a conditional clause and finish with a complex time expression. Keep the pace brisk so students complete multiple reconstructions.
How to Set It Up for Different Levels
Generates 4–7 word sentences using only present simple or past simple with high-frequency vocabulary. Scrambles are immediately solvable by students who know basic word order.
A1 students have fragile word-order knowledge. Short, unambiguous sentences with familiar vocabulary let them experience success quickly — success that builds confidence for longer reconstructions.
Generates 5–9 word sentences that join two clauses with 'and', 'but', or 'because'. Students must place the connector correctly and maintain the subject-verb relationship on each side.
A2 learners often produce run-on sentences or place connectors mid-clause. Reconstruction from a correct exemplar gives them a concrete, analysable model of how conjunctions attach to clauses.
Generates 8–14 word sentences with an embedded relative clause. The relative pronoun must be correctly positioned adjacent to the noun it modifies — a common error for B1 learners.
Relative clauses have a fixed internal logic that students often feel but cannot articulate. Forced reconstruction makes the clause boundary visible and memorable, reducing the 'that I bought the book' type error.
Ways to Extend the Game
Race to the Board
Write each word of a scrambled sentence on a separate card. Give one card to each student. On 'go', students physically walk to the board and arrange themselves into the correct sentence order.
Error Trap — one word is wrong
After successful reconstruction, swap one word for a plausible wrong word (a wrong tense, a misplaced preposition). Students identify and correct the deliberate error.
Translation Challenge
After reconstruction, students translate the sentence into their L1, then reconstruct a different sentence from the L1 version. Effective for noticing where their L1 word order diverges from English.
Sentence Expansion
Once the correct order is confirmed, students add one word to the sentence without breaking the grammar. Run three rounds of expansion — the original 6-word sentence can grow to 9 words across the class.
Pair It With
Sentence Lab
Sentence Lab is the production counterpart: once students have practised recognising correct word order via reconstruction, they build original sentences from given words — a harder, generative version of the same skill.
Grammar Smash
Use Grammar Smash to target the specific grammar pattern that appeared in New Word Order — for example, if students struggled to place relative clauses, a Grammar Smash fill-in-the-blank on relative clauses reinforces the rule explicitly.
Dialogue Factory
After word-order practice, Dialogue Factory provides authentic sentence models in conversational context, showing students how the same structures appear in natural turn-taking.