Activity: Vocabulary Review (Circumlocutions Game)

Skills: Speaking, Listening

Level: Intermediate

Class Time: 30 minutes

Preparation: However long it takes you to print this page, copy onto cardstock, and cut up.

Directions: Divide the class into small groups. (If you have fewer than ten students, you could play together--just pair students and have each pair be a team.) Take out the italicized category words from each deck. Then, give each group a set of vocabulary cards. Instruct students to place the cards face down in the center of the group. Play begins by one student choosing a card and providing an oral definition. No gesturing or spelling is allowed. The person who answers with the word on the card gets to keep the card. Play continues clockwise. If a student does not know a vocabulary word, the card is returned to the middle of the deck and the student forfeits his/her turn. Play continues until all of the cards have been defined. The winner is the person with the most cards. Once a group has finished, give them the italicized category cards and ask them to group the words by category.

Variation: Use the cards and your classroom blackboard to play team Pictionary or check out Ideas for Using Vocabulary Cards for more suggestions.