New Junior English Revised Further activity on Categories of Nouns

Bin It ! Categori es of nouns

The teacher is the Binmaster. The teacher (i) calls out the nouns to be binned, and (ii) uses two different sounds (a bell and a whistle, for instance) to indicate whether or not the noun has been binned correctly. The class is divided in two. Players take turns identifying categories to which nouns belong by coming forward and placing a bottle top or other token in one of four colour-coded bins, labelled with the category name. (The teacher and/or students prepare the bins and tokens ahead of time.) The items listed are for eight categories. There are also extra items provided at level two. That way the game can be varied by changing the categories, and, in the case of level two, varying the items. The categories and colours are: Animals (red), Reptiles (blue), Insects (green), Clothes (orange), Musical Instruments (purple), Headgear (yellow), Dwellings (azure) and Birds (black). For each noun correctly binned, the teacher rings the bell, toots a horn, etc., and the player scores four points. (Two students, one from either team, keep score.) There are no points for incorrectly binned nouns, which are recognised by a buzz or whistle or some other negative sound. If one team bins an item wrongly, the other team gets a chance with the same item. The game ends when the Binmaster has read 20 items in four categories. The team with the most points wins. When students can bin all the items at level one correctly, they move on to level two, which is played in exactly the same way. Teachers and students can of course add new categories and items, and modify the game and scoring system to suit their needs.

Level one
Animals manatee sloth armadillo raccoon agouti Dwellings longhouse yurt igloo tepee manor Reptiles boa constrictor iguana gecko python anaconda Birds pheasant dodo vulture ibis crane Insects glow-worm cricket termite hornet weevil Headgear skullcap bonnet turban crown tam Clothes dashiki pantaloons waistcoat muu-muu singlet Musical Instruments tambourine clarinet saxophone maracas harmonium

Level two
Animals oryx nutria sand puppy platypus anteater Reptiles caiman viper tuatura komodo dragon skink Insects praying mantis cochineal gnat aphid earwig Clothes sari kaftan shalwar chimese bolero

aye aye dugong Dwellings roundhouse hogan rondavel bohio palloza ger trullo

gharial terrapin Birds grebe loon plover emu kiwi grouse nightjar

nit cicada Headgear sombrero beret tiara mitre yarmulke fedora tuque

burka kimono Musical Instruments euphonium didgeridoo castanets spinet tabla calliope xylophone