List-Group-Label

A three-step brainstorm in which learners generate associated words around a topic, group them into categories, then label the categories themselves — building vocabulary while revealing how they organise conceptual knowledge.

Procedure

1. List: Write a topic or key concept on the board (e.g., climate change, the gig economy, city life). Learners call out every word or phrase they associate with it. Scribe everything without evaluating. Aim for 20–30 items.
2. Group: In threes or fours, students copy the word bank and cluster items into 3–6 categories. The same word may appear in more than one group. Items they cannot place go in an "unsure" pile.
3. Label: Each group invents a label for each of their categories — the label must be their own phrasing, not a word already on the list.
4. Compare: Groups present their categories and labels to the class. Different groupings reveal different conceptual angles on the same topic.

Why it works

Listing activates schema before any reading or listening input. Grouping forces learners to articulate relationships between words, a much deeper cognitive act than simple recall. Labelling is where the language production lives — inventing a category name demands precise, often abstract lexis, and it reveals whether learners have a concept but lack the word to name it, exposing gaps the teacher can then fill.

Variations

• Pre-reading: List-Group-Label before a text, then revisit after reading to add new items and reorganise.
• Post-unit review: Use at the end of a thematic unit to consolidate the vocabulary covered.
• Silent grouping: Pairs work silently, which focuses attention on the written word.

Tips

• Do not correct category logic during the group stage. Ask "Why did you put these together?" instead — the justification is the language practice.
• If learners struggle to label a cluster, that is the teachable moment. Offer the missing word only after they have tried.