AGO Products

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AGO Phonics cards are a fun learning aid for emergent readers and beginner English students!
The six levels EACH contain 36 different target phonemes / patterns and over 100 new useful / high frequency words to practice!

AGO Phonics box set
The AGO Phonics box set contains levels 1-3 in a sturdy magnetic box! 
  • Target phoneme sounds are highlighted on the cards, with three illustrated examples for each. 
  • Players quickly learn to recognize all of the target vocabulary on the cards (over 100 items per deck)). 
AGO Phonics Zero

         

  • AGO Phonics Zero is a two deck set that focuses on 3 letter words (CVC words). All words are phonetically regular (they can be read using the simplest set of pronunciation rules).
    Deck two features 6 CVC words in random order (for decoding practice). This game deck is a good place for beginners to start!
 
 


MORE ABOUT THE AGO PHONICS LEVELS:

AGO Phonics card game level example cards
The five main AGO Phonics levels each feature 36 phoneme / word family targets and 108 words to learn!
  • Level 1 (Aqua) A-Z, plus 10 “double letter” sounds (bb, ck, dd, ff, nn, pp, rr, ss, tt, zz).
  • Level 2 (Green) Blends, consonant digraphs (sh, ch, ph, etc.), single letter long vowels, “magic e”.
  • Level 3 (Orange) Vowel digraphs, diphthongs, soft sounds, r controlled vowels,  and more…!
  • Level 4 (Purple) Tricky phonemes and word families (silent letters, common suffixes, and more).
  • Level 5 (Black) More tricky and unusual phonemes and word families! These spelling patterns often go beyond your regular phonics program, and are they types of words emergent readers often have trouble reading and spelling correctly!

AGO phonics works best alongside a phonics coursebook. Capable students can work through all levels within a year or so (before moving onto bigger things!).

The AGO Phonics sound pad makes it easy for English students to listen to and model correct pronunciation outside of the classroom.

The playing deck is optimized for “Last Card” – a Crazy 8’s typegame. However, just like a regular deck of playing cards, AGO cards are versatile and many different games can be played.

Contents:
54 playing cards per deck (36 phoneme targets, and 18 ‘action cards’).
Instructions.

AGO Q&A games each feature 36 carefullygraded illustrated Q&A questions and 18 action cards.

AGO QnA sample cards of all five levels
The question cards sneak in a whole lot of grammar and vocabulary in a fun way!
AGO QnA box set sample image
AGO Q&A card games were nominated for a prestigious ELTon award. It is the world’s best selling EFL card game product!
AGO QnA card games structure
AGO Q&A games build vocab and grammar understanding alongside practicing conversational skills.


AGO Q&A PRODUCT FEATURES:

  • A game focuses the conversation onto sets of useful questions, which players ask and answer as they play. 
  • AGO is fun and gets everyone talking, so it’s great a way to start a lesson, or play at the end as a reward for hard work in class.
  • Questions are dynamic (i.e. answers can change depending on context).
  • Questions pop up in random order, and players practice both asking and answering.
  • Playing AGO at home is a sure way to get students SPEAKING English outside class, and it’s homework that is willingly done. Siblings and parents enjoy playing and learning, too!
  • Supplementary materials such as an Award Card and an App are available.

 

Contents:
54 playing cards per deck (36 phoneme targets, and 18 ‘action cards’). 
Most games work best with 2-6 players (but for example ‘signature game’ can work with 36!).
For ages 6 to adult.
The five levels contain progressively difficult grammar and vocabulary targets

Click here for a one page cheat sheet on how to use AGO QnA

AGO Brainbox EFL game
AGO teamed up with UK company Green Boardgames to make this BrainBox game specifically for the EFL market!

Contents:

54 square cardboard cards, dice and a timer. 2-5 players.
Contains simple English Questions (approx AGO Q&A Aqua / Green level) that refer to the content on the picture side.  

AGO Link is inspired by the popular Japanese word game Shiritori. There are several ways to play, but generally the goal is to match the last letter of one word with the first letter of another word.

AGO Link card diagram
Link last and first letters between cards! This game introduces 150 picture words to learn and practices scanning skills.

 

Contents:
54 jumbo sized cards, plus a 5 gatefold instruction sheet (featuring rules for 3 ways to play).

These games are similar in structure and content to the AGO Q&A games, but customised to capture the quirks and culture of each language. Currently only Aqua level is available. Contextual picture clues make these games playable even by those with no experience in the languages!

(Note: we recommend beginners to download the relevant translations sheets to aid understanding! – check in the downloads)

AGO Q&A Level 1 is now available in four languages besides English! We hope to add more languages and extend the content to all AGO levels in the future!

AGO Halloween card game features 55 jumbo sized cards with Halloween scenes and “keyword” sentences at the bottom.
An optional board game extension is also available.

The Basics:

Players match KEYWORDS between cards on their turn. (In contrast to other AGO games where you match color or number).

Besides Halloween related vocabulary, reading, scanning, grammar and prepositions of place skills are practiced as students play. “Pick up” cards and the all new “Magic” action cards add to the excitement!

AGO Halloween Board Game is an extension for the cards. It’s a strategy game, where players try to place chips in straight lines of 4 or more in a row.

Contents:

Card deck contains:
54 jumbo sized cards.
Board game is A2 size (when unfolded). Printed on poster paper.
Game chips are not included (you’ll need about 2×20 to play).

AGO Christmas EFL card game cards
AGO Christmas is a QnA card game with 36 Christmas themed questions. It is similar to AGO Green difficulty-wise.
AGO EFL Christmas card game poster
the A1 sized poster looks great on the wall, and features all the vocab used in the game!

Contents:
54 cards inside a box, with instructions, including an illustrated vocab sheet (i.e. similar to poster).
The A1 sized poster is sold separately.

AGO Phonics and QnA card game apps
AGO apps supplement the cards, easing the reading burden for younger students, and providing clear sounds for students to model. The Apps can be downloaded and used for free on both IOS and Android. Click the image to visit the download links page.
Scratch My Back EFL card game
Scratch My Back is an evolving role play card game, where you negotiate asking and answering crazy requests! Combining strategy and luck, it is also the first ever AGO card game!

Included when you buy Scratch My Back:

  • 108 high quality cards, in a plastic case with detailed instructions in English and Japanese. 
  • Access to online tutorials and downloads, including classroom resources. 

About the Game:

  • Scratch My Back is suitable for ages 12+ and requires two or more players. 
  • There are several ways to play. Games take around 15 to 40 minutes (depending on the game version). 
  • The cards contain over 200 natural English phrases.
  • An intermediate (or above) understanding of English is recommended.
  • The game works great with Jr High and High Schoolstudents!

Contents:
108 playing cards inside a box.
2-5 players.

AGO Posters brighten up any classroom or bedroom! Their content matches and sometimes even extends the card game vocabulary

AGO Posters are A1 sized, usually folded to A4 (for shipping and storage convenience).

Poster packs contain 3 A1 sized posters.

General AGO Product Info:

There are many ways to use AGO cards, limited only by your imagination!
 ‘Shedding’ type card games (such as Crazy 8s), ‘Go fish’ and ‘Speed matching’ games are a good place to start for those familiar with them. 
You can find more game ideas, tips and instructions on the downloads & videos page.


Q&A and Phonics Games usually have 36 unique educational cards, and 17 ‘action’ cards. With this combination, many games can be played!