Vocabulary Pyramids

I adapted this idea from the Hot Spot series of young learner coursebooks, and use it to review vocabulary from previous lessons.

At the start of a lesson, I ask learners to write the names of:

  • one activity
  • two animals
  • three household chores
  • four sports
  • five foods
  • six colors.

They write this with one activity in the top line, followed by two animals in the second line, until the list looks like a pyramid with six colors at the bottom.

You can adapt this to other word categories, and extend it by adding extra levels.

Learners take turns to write each word on the board, so each person writes one or two words per activity. However, the game is collaborative because the other learners can help the writer if they get stuck.

You can also group learners at the beginning of the activity, to create the lists together.

David is an author, professor of TESOL and teacher trainer with over 25 years of teaching experience. You can find him on ELT Buzz or LinkedIN ELT Professionals. Home page - https://ddeubel.me