Coconut

Curry
Celery
Carrot

© Alison DesRoches 2018 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Alisons-Esl-Classroom

 How to play
Choose a category that words need to be chosen
from. For beginners, the broader the better, but for
intermediate and advanced students, a very specific
category will make the game more challenging and
rewarding. You can set a time limit to come up with
an answer (5-10 seconds), and if a student can’t
come up with an answer, they are out. Keep going
until there is 1 winner.

There are two options for the gameplay itself:

1. Shiritori style: the first student says any word
within the category, and the next student must
think of a word that begins with the last letter of
that word.
Ex: Student 1: Mouse
Student 2: Eel
Student 3: Lion
2. One letter at a time: every student must think of
a word within the category that starts with a
specific letter.
Ex: Student 1: Mouse
Student 2: Monkey
Student 3: Moose

Note: For lower level students, it may be beneficial to write

the words on the board as you go, to eliminate having to
spell the word in their heads.

© Alison DesRoches 2018 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Alisons-Esl-Classroom

 Category Ideas

Beginner:
• Any word
• Any noun or verb
• Only nouns
• Only verbs
• Animals & plants
• Food (general; food at a market; food at restaurants)

Intermediate & Advanced:

• Adjectives & adverbs
• Countries
• Provinces/States/Cities
• Things that are (colour)
• Celebrities
• Song or movie titles
• Animals
• That fly
• That live in the ocean
• That live in hot or cold climates
• Things in a place (school; shopping mall; hospital; ocean)
• Idioms/clichés/special phrases

© Alison DesRoches 2018 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Alisons-Esl-Classroom