by Veronica Soroka

School of Dobrovody Uman district

Cherkasy region

2011

Grammar games in teaching English

“Fun can transform a task or drill into a rewording game. It seems logical to suggest that an activity which is fun is going to be motivating”

The C-Wheel

child

• Games are the most serious classroom activity.

• Games are transparent rehearsals for life.

• Real games reflect underlying cultural and psychological frames.

• Games always have an aim and purpose.

• Games are fun and enjoyment.

The benefits of games

Affective

• Lowers affective filter

• Encourages creative and spontaneous use of language

• Promotes communicative competence

• Motivates• fun

Cognitive

• Reinforces• Reviews and

extends

Class Dynamics

• Student centered

• Teacher acts only as facilitator

• Builds class cohesion

• Fosters whole class participation

• Promotes healthy competition

Adaptability

• Easily adjusted for age, level and interests

• Utilizes all four skills

• Requires minimum preparation after development

The criteria for choosing games

• Should have an aim and purpose

• Linguistic relevance

• Children should be able to participate

• Easy and quick to set up and carry out

• Fun for children

Types of games

• competitive• cooperative

• speaking• listening• writing• action

• vocabulary• phonetic• grammar

Games can be used in three ways

diagnostically

for checking-up

revision

Tips for playing games

Go for simplicityAll children are involved

You know the gameClear instructions

Interactive languageBe fair and firm

Keep favourite games at handStop the game while the

children are still “on task”

Advantages of grammar games

Everybody is working at once

Serious becomes fun

Individual responsibility

Teacher finds out what

student knows

Sentence scramble

break

the

we’ll

in

rains .classroom

If

time

it

atstay

,

Find ten differences

Verbs to storyPut Ran Saw

Put on Went in Said

Went out Ate up Jumped out

Walked Put on Ate up

Stopped Lay down Heard

Picked Came Came in

Saw Knocked Killed

Asked Said Lived

Answered Went in

Question board games

References

1. Свиридюк Т.В., Петрук С.П. Все про ігри. Методичні рекомендації. - Тернопіль:Лібра Терра. 2007.

2. Carol Read. 500 activities for the Primary classroom.- Macmillan

3. http://www.teachingenglishgames.com4. http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/courses5. Гис В.М. Методика проведення гри як засобу

активної пізнавальної діяльності. – Англійська мова та література.6, 2010.

6. Давыдова З.М. Игра как метод обучения иностранным языкам.- Иностранные языки в школе,10.