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Categories - A Vocabulary / Warm up Game
Materials:
One pack of alphabet cards. 
TIP: You can easily make these yourself by using a package of index cards 
and writing one letter of the alphabet on each card. Make sure you write big, 
and make sure the ink doesn't show through on the back of the card.
Objectives: 
This is a great warm-up activity to get students to think in English. 
It can also be used to review a particular group of vocabulary words.
Here's how to play: 
*Divide the class in half.
*Mix up the alphabet cards.
*Write the category on the board. (See suggestions below)
*Show the students one card at a time.
*Students must shout out a word that begins with that letter in the category. 
 
An Example:
If the category is "Present Tense Verbs" and you show the students the letter "B", they can shout out BITE or BEAT to win the card, but if they shout out BITTEN or BANANA, then they get no card.

*Whoever you hear first with the correct answer, wins the card for their team. 
*Whichever team has the most cards at the end, wins the round. 
*I usually play 3 rounds and add up the points at the end.
*Warning: this game can get quite noisy, but it's FUN!
Some suggestions for Categories:
*Animals *Fruit and Vegetables *Famous Dead People *Celebrities 
*Household Goods *Things in the Ocean *Gerunds *Past Tense Verbs 
*Things in the Grocery Store *Past Participles *Adjectives *Jobs 
*Things Found in Nature *Things in the Kitchen *etc.
Variations:
*In advanced classes, when the students make a mistake, take away a card!
 
An Example:
If the category is "Anatomy" and the letter is "N", and a student calls out the word "knees", then that team loses a card!

*Instead of having both teams (the whole class) yelling out words at once, you 
can have representatives for each team stand up and have a shot at getting the 
card, for the next card, the next two students take their turn, and so on.

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