Colours

Objective & content

Vocabulary topic: colours. By the end, A1 students can sort familiar words into a category and spot the word that does not belong. This one-page worksheet has 5 lines of four words: students circle the odd one out in each line, and an answer key page gives each answer with a short reason. Print-ready A4, ideal as a quick vocabulary check or lesson starter.

Pedagogical guide

This is a pure vocabulary-categorisation task with no grammar point: use it to revise words already taught, not to introduce new ones. In every line three words belong to the topic and the odd one out is another kind of adjective (a feeling or a size), so students can decide by meaning alone. In the last line, the key counts dark and light as shades of colour, so tall is the odd one out: be ready to explain this. Read each line aloud so that pronunciation does not get in the way of the task. Use the reasons in the answer key to prompt short spoken justifications.

Suggested procedure

1. (3 min) Do line 1 together on the board: read the four words aloud and ask why one of them does not belong.
2. (6 min) Students circle the odd one out in lines 2 to 5 on their own, then compare answers in pairs.
3. (4 min) Check as a class with the answer key: for each line, elicit the category and the odd one out.

Materials & prerequisites

Print A4 (the worksheet and the answer key page). A low-ink black-and-white version is also available. Assumes students already know the vocabulary of the topic (colours).