techniques for teaching grammar - about the...

Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Dato’ Razali Ismail

Techniques for Teaching Grammar Teaching of Grammar in the Primary Classroom

Ruth Wickham, Brighton Education Training Fellow

30th July 2012

Facilitator’s Manual

Techniques for Teaching Grammar Institut Pendidikan Guru

Kampus Dato’ Razali Ismail

1 Ruth Wickham, Training Fellow, IPGKDRI FACILITATOR’S MANUAL

Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................... 2

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 2

Objectives ......................................................................................................................................... 2

Materials ........................................................................................................................................... 3

Procedures ........................................................................................................................................ 4

Worksheet 1 .............................................................................................................................. 5

Why Use These Techniques for Teaching Grammar? ...................................................................... 6

1. They Defeat Boredom ................................................................................................................ 6

1. Stories ........................................................................................................................................... 8

Worksheet 2 .............................................................................................................................. 9

Strategies for using stories ....................................................................................................... 10

Activity 1: ................................................................................................................................ 10

Worksheet 3 ............................................................................................................................ 11

Activity 2: ................................................................................................................................ 12

2. Songs and Chants ........................................................................................................................ 13

Worksheet 4 ............................................................................................................................ 14

Worksheet 5 ............................................................................................................................ 19

Worksheet 6 ............................................................................................................................ 23

3. Games ......................................................................................................................................... 24

Some Types of Language Games .............................................................................................. 24

Activity: Class Board Game - Grammar Soccer .......................................................................... 25

Worksheet 7 ............................................................................................................................ 26

Worksheet 8 ............................................................................................................................ 32

4. Nursery Rhymes and Poems ........................................................................................................ 33

Worksheet 9 ............................................................................................................................ 34

5. Plays and Dialogues ..................................................................................................................... 36

Worksheet 10 .......................................................................................................................... 38

6. Puppets. ...................................................................................................................................... 39

Project Activity ............................................................................................................................ 41

Evaluation ............................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.




Techniques for Teaching Grammar

Facilitator’s Manual

Acknowledgements

The workshop was organized by Pn Zainab binti Ab Rahman, coordinator for Language Description

courses in the Jabatan Bahasa-Bahasa at IPGKDRI.

Introduction

This is a short (2 hour) workshop prepared for students at IPGKDRI as part of the “Teaching of

Grammar in the Primary Classroom” (TS 3108) course in Semester 2, 2012.

Objectives

Participants (lecturers and IPG students) will:

experience the use of techniques such as

o songs and chants

o Games

o Stories

o Nursery Rhymes and Poems

o Puppets

o Plays and Dialogues

be equipped to create and develop their own materials to use these techniques when

teaching grammar.




Materials

The Facilitator needs:

Facilitator’s notes

PowerPoint presentation file

Plain paper, one sheet for each participant

A short story plan for each participant

A song sheet for each participant

Whiteboard with soccer field drawn on. Soccer players stuck/drawn on, ball to stick on,

speech cards.

The participants need:

a copy of the participant’s worksheets and notes

writing materials (including colours and scissors) and notebook




Procedures

NOTE: Thumbnails of PowerPoint slides are included in this manual.

Grammar is all about ‘getting your ducks in a row’ – seeing and understanding patterns in language.

Briefly discuss the following questions:

What is “Grammar”?

How important is grammar in learning a language?

Is it possible to learn a language well without learning the

grammar?

What is the easiest way to teach grammar?

Students should have already studied around these questions in the course.

Participants fill in the worksheet and discuss briefly. (5 mins)

(Worksheet 1 below)




Worksheet 1

Briefly answer the following questions

What is “Grammar”? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……..

How important is Grammar in learning a language? ……………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……..

Is it possible to learn a language well without learning the Grammar? ……………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……..

What is the easiest way to teach Grammar? ……………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……..

Discuss




The reason for learning Grammar Rules is to pass exams.

The main reason for learning grammar rules is to pass exams.

Knowing the rules has little or no effect on language proficiency.

Natural language learning does not involve learning rules.

However students need to learn rules simply to pass exams.

Why Use These Techniques for Teaching Grammar?

The Techniques we are going to talk about today are more

effective than drilling the rules because:

1. They Defeat Boredom.

With the variety of activities children are more motivated.

(Slide animation changes one picture to the other.)




The teacher (you) is also less likely to become frustrated.

2. They Encourage Natural Learning

In fact these activities are good for all areas of language

learning – especially listening and speaking – as they develop

the students’ natural language learning skills.

3. They Can Still Practise the Grammar Rules.

These strategies provide for some more interesting ways to

practise the rules - which they need to know in order to pass

their exams.

NOTE: The six techniques below overlap with each other, and are also useful in all the other areas

of English teaching including Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Language Arts.




1. Stories

The KSSR is built on three broad themes – The World of Self,

Family and Friends, The World of Stories, and The World of

Knowledge. But that does not mean that stories can only be used

in lessons related to “The World of Stories” theme.

Stories can (and really should) be part of every lesson in every area of the curriculum. In the words of

the old Indian proverb:

“Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.”

Take a moment to think about this statement. Answer the questions and briefly discuss with your

group. (5 mins)

(Worksheet 2 below)




Worksheet 2

“Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.”

Do you think this saying is true? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Why / Why not? …............................................................................................................. .......................

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Can you remember a time when you were told a story that had a lasting impact on you? ………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Do you like listening to stories? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Told by whom? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

About what? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Do you like telling (or writing) stories? ……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Why / Why not? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Can you think how stories can help Grammar learning? ……………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Can you think of a good story for learning Grammar by? ……………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………




Strategies for using stories

Start with a story, any story – traditional, from a modern

storybook, or just made up on the spot.

Read or tell the story to the children, and include pictures,

actions, and sound effects – whatever it takes to make the

story understandable and enjoyable.

As you do so draw attention to and emphasise the

grammar point that you want them to notice. Maybe add

more of that type of example to the story as you go.

For example:

Articles – definite and indefinite.

Adjectives

Comparatives and Superlatives

Tenses

Imperative

Modals

You can encourage the children to join in as they notice a pattern, or contribute ideas (of other

adjectives, for example, as they look at the pictures), or you can include some sort of short chant

(such as maybe a grammar rule) for them to join in with.

Re-tell the story (and / or get the students to retell it) and make changes to emphasise your

grammar point.

For example:

Change the tense of the story – present to past or future

Change the adjectives, or make them all superlatives

Change the story all to imperative, or interrogative

Change the point of view of the story – 3rd person to 1st person maybe

Activity 1:

With a partner, look at the brief story outline you have been given.

1. Decide how you can tell the story to emphasise a particular Grammar point of your choosing.

2. Decide how you can change the story to bring out the same or a different grammar point.

Prepare to present your story with one of you telling it one way and the partner telling the

changed version.

(Worksheet 3 below)




Worksheet 3

Telling and re-telling a story.

With your partner read the story-line you have been given. It includes only the minimum idea of a

plot which you will elaborate on.

Give your story a title: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What grammar point are you going to emphasise in the first telling of your story?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

What words or phrases will you do this with? …………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Which parts of the story will you encourage the children to join in with?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

In the second telling of your story, what grammar point are you going to emphasise?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

What words or phrases will you do this with? …………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Which parts of the story will you encourage the children to join in with?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………




Activity 2:

Make a little book.

Instructions for making a Little Book:

1. Fold the paper in half.

2. Fold the paper in half a second time.

3. Fold the paper in half a third time.

4. Open the paper up, back to the first fold.

5. Cut, following the fold, from the folded edge halfway to the open edge.

6. Open the paper completely, and fold it the other way (longways), keeping the same side of the paper outwards.

7. Push the two sides together so that the middle part opens up.

8. Fold the pages right around to make a book. The book has a front and back cover, and three double inside pages.

9. Write and draw in the booklet.

With your partner, write (and illustrate) the two versions of your story in your two little books. (It

may need to be a shortened version of your story!)




2. Songs and Chants

Some songs tell a story, and some stories contain a song.

Learning a story song can have the same benefits of a

story with the added advantage that somehow when we

learn something that includes music we remember it

better, it ‘sticks’ in your mind.

a) Using traditional songs

Traditional songs are simple, rhythmical and usually repetitive, and often have fun actions and sound

effects which children enjoy. As children learn the song, the inherent grammar rules can be pointed

out for them to notice. As with the story, with some songs you can change parts of the song to

emphasise particular grammar points.

Activity

In your group, look at the traditional song you have been given. Make sure you all know the tune

and how the song ‘goes’.

Look for Grammar features that could be taught using the song.

What could be altered in the song to emphasise your point or bring out a new point?

Be ready to present your song.

(Worksheet 4 below)




Worksheet 4

What is the name of your song? ………………………………………………………………………………………

What Grammar points could you teach with this song?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Which words in the song show the Grammar points?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

What could you change in the song? ………………………………………………………………………………….

What Grammar points could you teach with the changed song?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Which changed words in the song show the Grammar points?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

What actions, movements, noises or fun bits would you use or add?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..




b) A song as a text

You can have the children listen to a commercial song, and then

examine the words in a worksheet and do exercises involving the

words, just like you would with a reading text except that they get to

learn the song (where they are unlikely to choose to memorise sections

of a written text).

Of course with young children, from year 3 and upwards, we need to be careful about selecting

suitable songs, and there is not a lot of point if the background music blurs out the song words

either.

To find a song that has a particular phrase or sentence use the website: http://lyreach.com

You simply type in the words you are hoping to find, and it comes up with a list of songs, and links to

the songs.

For example:

I want to find a song using the expression “bigger and better”. These are some of my choices:

When I click on “bigger and better and faster”, it shows me the lyrics of the song and a YouTube

video of the song.

Looking at the lyrics there, I’m not sure that it would be a suitable song for primary school!

http://lyreach.com/




c) A song about the rules

There are actually children’s songs which drill grammar and spelling rules. They are available at

http://www.songsforteaching.com/grammarspelling.htm where there are CDs for you to buy.

d) Chants

Chants take advantage of the rhythm and rhyme of a song,

without the complication of a tune. For this reason at

least, it is very easy to create our own chants.

(Books of “Jazz Chants” are also available commercially by

Carolyn Graham, and sometimes you can find her raps and

chants online.)

Vocabulary Chants

A vocabulary chant is the simplest to create. In the context of Grammar learning, this may involve

learning a group of words that are all a particular type – such as adjectives – or it may involve a

selection of grammar terms – such as past, present, future.

Activity

With a partner, create a vocabulary chant using the following steps.

(Worksheet 5 follows steps)

http://www.songsforteaching.com/grammarspelling.htm




1. Choose your theme For example:

School food animals occupations sport transport music

2. Choose 10-15 words in your theme:

For example:

Monkey zebra elephant crocodile rhino / rhinoceros

Snake bear kangaroo lion

3. Count the syllables in each

Monkey zebra elephant crocodile rhino / rhinoceros

2

2 2

3 1

1

2/43 3




Snake bear kangaroo lion

Choose a 2, 3, 1.

And say your chant:

Zebra, Crocodile, Snake *


Zebra, Crocodile,

Zebra, Crocodile,


* When you say your chant, keep a strong 4-beat rhythm by putting one beat on each word and then

adding a *click at the end of the 1st 2nd and last lines.

zebra crocodile snake




Worksheet 5

Create a Vocabulary Chant

1. Decide on your topic or theme (e.g. grammar terms, nouns with a theme such as animals, verbs of

speaking, adverbs … anything really)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Brainstorm words that fit your topic or theme. Write 10 or 15.

………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………

Next to each word, note how many syllables it has.

Now choose 3 words with 2, 2, 3, and 1 syllable respectively.

(2) …………………..…………………. (3) ………………………………………………….. (1) …………………………………………….

Now write your chant:

(2) …………………..…………………. (3) ………………………………………………….. (1) ………………………………………. *

(2) …………………..…………………. (3) ………………………………………………….. (1) ………………………………………… *

(2) …………………..…………………. (3) …………………………………………………..

(2) …………………..…………………. (3) …………………………………………………..

(2) …………………..…………………. (3) ………………………………………………….. (1) ………………………………………… *

* When you say your chant, keep a strong 4-beat rhythm by putting one beat on each word and then

adding a *click at the end of the 1st 2nd and last lines.




Grammar Chants

A Grammar chant usually consists of a series of phrases, sentences, or grammar rules which are

called out by the teacher and simply repeated by the students.

The first time you teach a new chant, you can make it simply an Echo Chant, for example:

Eat! Eat!

Teacher: Write! Write!

Students: Write! Write!

Teacher: Who writes?

Students: Who writes?

Teacher: He writes.

Students: He writes.

Teacher: What does he write?

Students: What does he write?

Teacher: He writes his homework every day.

Students: He writes his homework every day...

... and so on. (Don't make it too long!)

After that you can change it to a Question and Answer or Call and Response chant using the same words, for example:

Eat! Eat!

Teacher: Write! Write!

Students: Write! Write!

Teacher: Who writes?

Students: He writes.

Teacher: What does he writes?

Students: He writes his homework every day...




Next ...

Now you can switch parts - let a student, or group of students, take the 'teacher's part ... or let students practice it in pairs.

And then you can add actions (such as eating actions) and body rhythm (clap, click, slap thighs, stamp ...) for example:

Write! (clap-clap) Write! (clap )

Write! (clap-clap) Write! (clap )

(clap) Who writes? (clap)

He (clap-clap) writes! (clap)

What does he write? (clap)

He writes homework (clap clap-clap clap clap) every day.

Note: (clap-clap) would be two quick claps, while (clap) is one clap and a pause - make it rhythmical!

Thus it should fit into a four-beat pattern:

1 2 3 4 1 … etc.

Write! Clap clap Write! Clap Write! … etc.

Think about the learning outcomes

Make sure that your chant has correct grammar (and pronunciation by you) Make sure your chant teaches what you want it to teach. Don't try to include too many learning points in one chant. Don't make it too long. Find a way to make sure it is fun.

For example: The chant above teaches the simple present question and answer. "He writes", "He writes homework everyday", "What does he write?"

After that, it might be good to create another chant around "What is he writing?", "He is writing English." to emphasise the difference between Present Simple and Present Continuous which so many ESL learners have problems with.




Substitutions

Now use substitutions ... e. g. "What does she write?" ... to reinforce grammar points and teach vocabulary, such as in this "Likes/Doesn't Like" rap.

1 2 3 4

Za- kiah likes lettuce but she doesn’t like peas. Does Za-

1 2 3 4

-kia like lettuce? Yes, she does. Does Za-

1 2 3 4

-kia like peas? No, she doesn’t. Za-

1 2 3 4

-kia likes lettuce but she doesn’t like peas.

o o o o

Ali likes po- tatoes but he doesn’t like rice. Does

o o o o

Ali like po- tatoes? Yes, he does. Does

o o o o

Ali like rice? No, he doesn’t.

o o o o

Ali likes po- tatoes but he doesn’t like rice.




Activity

Create a short Grammar Chant of your own to teach Adjective-Noun word order. Write your newly-

created chant here:

Worksheet 6

Title: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Leader …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Response …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Leader …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Response …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Leader …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Response …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Leader …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Response …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….




3. Games

The purpose of playing games is to practice drilling as well as encourage some automatic response,

natural language in an exciting, often competitive, atmosphere so that the children are motivated

and concentrating on the game itself rather than stressing about the rules.

The most mundane of practice tasks can become enjoyable when presented in a game, with or

without a physical reward for “winning’. These games are best played in teams to encourage team

spirit and cooperation. An element of chance takes away the sting of losing and makes it possible

for even the less able students to win and feel like winners.

When devising your own games, try to include these elements.

Some Types of Language Games

There are many types of language games, all of which are adaptable to many situations. (Some

games can fit into several of these categories.) These include:

1. Board games: There are so many different board games available, you can easily make your

own, and there are even templates available for making your own. A board game can be

played with a partner, or in a group, or as a class with the ‘board’ drawn on the white/black-

board.

o Students need counters – they can draw their own characters on paper/card, or use

buttons/shells/rocks/whatever – or you can use magnetic buttons or ‘tack’ a piece

of cardboard on the board, or just draw the counters as they move.

o There can be traps along the way – like the ‘snakes’ in ‘Snakes and Ladders’ – and

rewards – like the ‘ladders’ – along the way.

o It’s good if there is a language task each time they move along – they have to say

something when they land on a square – with possibly a penalty (don’t move/move

back) if they fail.

o You need some kind of randomizer – a dice, or one/two coins, or some other clever

method.




Activity: Class Board Game - Grammar Soccer

(Note: a version of this game can be found on

http://bogglesworldesl.com/grammar_soccer.htm )

1. Draw soccer field on white/black board.

2. Stick or draw players on field, four for each side. One could be in the goals, one on the centre

circle, and two in between (maybe out on the wing).

3. Prepare questions. The Bogglesworld version has a set of cards to print out with speech that will

become reported speech – we will use a set of these cards today.

4. Divide class into two teams.

5.Teams take it in turns for representative to pick up a card and read out the statement – with

appropriate acting – and the other team representative must answer in the form of reported speech.

(OR two members from the same team, one reads the card appropriately and the other gives the

answer.)

6. If the answer is totally perfect the ball moves one player closer to the opponent’s goal. Otherwise

it moves towards the player’s own goal.

In this workshop, participants need to be aware of the teaching points in Worksheet 7. (below)

An example of eat type of reported speech will be given for participants to quickly jot down on the

worksheet appropriate answers.

http://bogglesworldesl.com/grammar_soccer.htm




Worksheet 7

Reported speech soccer.

This particular version of this game would be too difficult for primary school students – it has been

adapted to be fun for IPG students.

This is a revision exercise, so - remember the rules for reported speech?

On the back of each card is a word or two telling the original speaker how to say the quote so that

their partner can give the correct answer. The categories on the cards are:

say, agree, refuse, promise, threaten, yell/shout, whisper, read, write, ask (if), ask (wh-), wonder (if),

wonder (wh-), brag/boast complain, deny, confess.

How would you report the following:

(Say) “I am in a good mood.” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Yell/shout) “I hate living in this house.” ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

(Whisper) “I need an eraser” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Agree) “OK. I’ll sell it for $200.” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Refuse) “I WON’T help you!” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

(Wonder wh-) “What will I be when I grow up?” ……………………………………………………………………………….

(Wonder if) “Will it rain tomorrow? “ ……………………………………………………………………………………………….

(Promise) “I’ll take you to a movie tomorrow.” …………………………………………………………………………………

(Threaten) “If you don’t do it, I’ll hit you.” …………………………………………………………………………………………

(Confess) “I robbed the store.” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Deny) “I didn’t kill the boss.” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..




2. Card games: This can involve using

o Playing Cards as a randomizer (each number has a meaning, requires a particular

response),

o specially designed Language Cards (a word or sentence or letter on each) for games

designed like ‘Snap’ (turn over cards one at a time and say ‘snap’ when you see two

the same, or two that match in some way), or ‘Happy Families’ (players try to collect

sets of cards).

o Regular classroom Flash Cards with a word / sentence / letter on each. As a whole

class activity – besides holding them up and asking the class to call out the answer –

it can become a competitive or cooperative game. Individual/pairs/groups/teams of

students can be asked to match the card(s), put them in a particular order, find the

correct card from a display or heap, throw the card into a hoop or bin, guess what is

on the card, draw or describe a picture for another to draw … the list is endless. (The

cards may need to be laminated to make them durable, or just accept that you need

to keep making more – especially as once the game is played many of the words will

be ‘known’ and new ones will be needed anyway.)

3. Dice games: Obviously dice can be used for randomizing movements of counters in board

games and the like, but they can be used for other specific language ideas as well.

o Create a largish dice out of card, and write a question word (who, what, why, where,

when, how) - or other prompt for a different aspect of learning - on each face.

Students / pairs / groups / teams have to use the appropriate prompt after throwing

the dice.

o More than one dice can be used – maybe with a different letter on each, or a noun

on one and adjective on another, or a word on one and an instruction on another.

o You can get dice with a lot more than 6 sides, for instance one for each letter of the

alphabet – if you get one of these, there are obvious games you can play.

4. Word-Making Games: Commercial games such as ‘Scrabble’ and ‘Boggle’ can be played in

the classroom in pairs/groups if you have enough sets. You could have several different

games and groups rotate in different sessions. This type of game can also be played using

cards with letters on (instead of the little tiles in something like Scrabble) and words can be

formed on the floor or a desktop.

o Whole class games at the black/white-board can also be devised along these lines

with a pool of letters that they need to make into words, or making little words out

of a big word.




5. Circle games are especially relevant for young children but can also be used with good

results with older children (and even adults!) In the circle it is easier for the teacher to

maintain control of the game, and develops cooperation and community feel among the

participants. If the class is too big, or the space not suitable, the game can be played in 2 or

more smaller groups, although this is harder to maintain control of, and loses some of the

community feel.

o The game can involve a song/chant which everyone joins in and then each

participant in turn has to sing/say something.

o The game can involve changing seat/position in response to certain prompts – this

can for part of the reward/penalty. There can be one less seat than the number of

participants.

o There are many possibilities for cumulative circle games where one person makes a

statement mentioning one object (such as “I went shopping and I bought … an egg”)

and subsequent participants have to repeat all previous items and then add one of

their own. The game is cooperative, and keeps going as long as the group can

manage it.

o Some examples of good circle games are “I like People Who …” (where participants

who fit the description have to quickly change places, and the slowest one ends up

standing and making the next statement) and “What are you doing?” (where

participants each mime the action from the previous participant while naming a

different action for the following participant to mime).

o Games like “who stole the cookie” – where participants pat knees/clap/click a

rhythm and pass turns by calling someone’s name – can be adapted to use other

parts of language. Students can even each wear a word on a flashcard to be referred

to and respond to.

6. Role play games are an obvious extension to conversational/speaking topics. These can be

easily set up as a ‘line-up role-play’ where each student is part of a group which plays a

particular role.

o For example: In a shopping role-play some students are sellers and some are buyers.

Sellers need to have a list or pictures or objects to sell, and buyers have money and

shopping lists. It can become competitive as individuals/pairs/groups endeavour to

buy/sell a certain amount first.

o Other simple role-plays could include various community places/events such as

doctor’s rooms, post office, travel agent, hotel lobby, library, marketplace, student

services.




7. Discussion games can be another type of role-play.

o For example: “Alibi”. In this game a student/pair/group are accused of a crime and

have to get together to clarify their ‘story’ of exactly where they were and what they

were doing at the time of the ‘crime’ including as many details as possible. Other

class members in pairs/groups are the police who will separate and question each of

the suspects who rotate around the groups, and see if their stories match.

o Another discussion game can involve reading two texts (fiction or non-fiction). Half

of the class reads one text and the other half reads the other. Then the papers are

removed, and the students pair up with someone who read the other text. Each

carefully tells their partner everything they can remember about their text. Then

they swap to another partner who read the other text, and they are given a list of

questions with which to test their new partner on what they have been told.

8. ‘Game Show’ and Quiz games can be a great whole class learning activity. Examples are

o ‘Typhoon’ (where each team has to answer a question and can then choose a box

from the grid. The box may contain points, or an opportunity to ‘blow away’

someone else’s points),

o ‘Jeopardy’(modelled on the TV show of the same name),

o ‘Wheel of Fortune’ (from the TV show), or a similar ‘Hangman’.

o All of these simply create a framework for winning points so that the students work

together with their team and are motivated.

o ‘Celebrity Heads’ can also be played by the whole class with 2/3/4 … students at the

front facing the class with a famous name worn (as a crown, maybe) around their

heads so that they can’t see it (or it can be written carefully on the board behind

them as long as they don’t turn round to look …) They take it in turns to ask

questions of the class in order to discover who they are. (They must be yes/no

questions, and a ‘yes’ response means they can then ask another before their turn

ends).

9. Drawing games: One well-known game is ‘Pictionary’ where one student/pair/team is

shown a word/phrase/sentence and they have to draw something until the other

student/pair/team guesses what it is. There are lots of ways to adapt this to learning

objectives.

o To give practice in describing, a simple picture or drawing can be pinned to the back

of a chair so that a person at the white/black-board cannot see it but the class can.

They then have to explain to the draw-er what to draw. There can be rules about

who explains, or they can just call out. There can be two draw-ers, and it can be

made into a competition.




10. Vocabulary games:

o In the game of “Scattergories” players have to come up with vocabulary words

which start with a particular letter. First of all select your categories (eg an animal, a

fruit, a vegetable, a form of transport, a country, a body part, …etc). Then devise a

method for choosing the letter – you can ask a student to say the alphabet silently in

their head and someone says “Stop!” and the letter they are on is the one you use –

or any method that works. Players/pairs/groups then rush to choose a word for

each, and when the first one shouts to say they have finished then everyone must

stop (or use some other time limit). Players get (for example) 5 points for any

correct word no one else has, and only one point if someone else has the same

word. Maybe swap papers to let someone else mark so less cheating!

o In the game “taboo” you need to prepare papers/cards with a target word (or

phrase) and a number (usually 3) of ‘taboo’ words. The team/player has to explain

the target word so that the other team/player can guess it, but is not allowed to

mention the taboo words (all of which are the most obvious important words to the

explanation.) Students/groups can be set the task of creating taboo cards for a

future game.

o Bingo (below) is an excellent way to learn a body of vocabulary.

11. Competitions: Not all ‘games’ are competitions; sometimes the students must endeavour to

cooperate rather than compete. Even in a competition, however, if the students are working

in pairs/groups, they are still learning cooperation within their team. Anything can be made

into a competition. “Let’s see who can ……. the _____est” makes any simple activity into a

game or competition. It is good to make sure that you don’t do this all of the time, or maybe

sometimes surprise them by going for the ‘slowest’ or ‘smallest’ so that they work carefully,

and so that anyone has the possibility of being a winner.

12. Racing / Running / Jumping Games: Where children are the students, sometimes they just

have too much spare energy. With care and planning, it is possible to play educational

language games that allow them to run off a little of that energy, without doing damage to

themselves, other students, or school property!

13. Singing / Chanting Games: Many of these are ‘circle games’, but singing and chanting games

do not always have to be done in a circle. As a listening/speaking activity students can ‘fill in

the gaps’ in a song once they have learnt it. The teacher/another student/a group can sing

the song and stop and various students/groups have to carry on or fill in the words.




14. Games of Chance: Everybody loves ‘Bingo’, and this game can be adapted so many ways.

There are programmes available on the Internet where you can enter (9/16/)25 words, and

the programme will randomise the words so that every card contains the same words in a

different order. Or you can add more than the required number, and then the students

won’t be sure if the word is on their card or not. There are other ways to play, too, where

the caller does not read the words that are on the cards, but a clue or question for which the

answers are in the grid on the cards. Students will need some form of counters to use as

bingo markers (sunflower seeds work well – but you have to decide whether the students

are allowed to eat them), rather than marking the cards, so that they can play the game

several times over.

15. Story Games: Games can be created around well-known / traditional / recently studied

stories, especially if there is a repetitive action or character to be named. Listeners must

wait for a particular cue, and then perform a specific action. An example could be: the

teacher tells the story of the 3 Bears. Participants/groups are assigned particular characters

(Father Bear, Mother Bear, Baby Bear, Goldilocks etc.) The group sits in a circle around the

storyteller, and as the story is told, if their character is mentioned they must stand, turn

around, and sit down again. The storyteller holds a (flimsy, harmless) roll of paper and

attempts to swipe the backside of students as they turn. The story as it is told can be varied

to have (for example) Father Bear popping up repeatedly and unexpectedly. Alternatively,

(for example) a student could tell the story, several students are assigned each character,

and must swap places and risk losing their seat … the one left standing must continue the

story.

Activity

With a partner, select one of the above games and consider its usefulness for Grammar lessons.

Comment on the worksheet below.

(Worksheet 7 below)




Worksheet 8

My partner and I have chosen to consider the game:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Because …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I/we have/haven’t used this game (or a version of it) before.

This game would be good for practising …..................................................................................

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

I see the following problems with this game: …………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

This game could be improved or adapted by: ………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I think I will use this game in the future. ………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….




4. Nursery Rhymes and Poems

Nursery Rhymes are essentially very old poems that have

become traditional and lasted the test of years mostly because

of their rhythmic quality. Some of them have tunes and have

become traditional songs for children, and some of them are

traditionally chanted. As with the traditional songs we looked

at already, the rhythms, tunes and words are simple and easily

adapted to suit our Grammar needs for the purpose of

Having fun, motivating students

Practising natural rhythmic language

Providing a structure for practising Grammar rules (in order to pass exams!)

Activity

Choose one of the Nursery Rhymes listed below.

Explain to your partner what Grammar it demonstrates and how you could use it.

What could you change or substitute to reinforce a grammar point?

(Worksheet 9 below)




Worksheet 9

Choose one of these Nursery Rhymes. Little Bo-Peep Has lost her sheep, And doesn't know where to find them. Leave them alone, And they'll come home, Wagging their tails behind them. Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow; And everywhere that Mary went The lamb was sure to go. It followed her to school one day Which was against the rule. It made the children laugh and play To see a lamb at school. The old woman must stand At the tub, tub, tub, The dirty clothes To rub, rub, rub: But when they are clean And fit to be seen, She'll dress like a lady And dance on the green. Betty Botter bought some butter, But, she said, The butter's bitter; If I put it in my batter It will make my batter bitter. But, a bit of better butter Will make my batter better. So, she bought a bit of butter Better than her bitter butter, And she put it in her batter And the batter was not bitter. So, 'twas better Betty Botter Bought a bit of better butter. Doctor Foster went to Gloucester In a shower of rain He stepped in a puddle, Right up to his middle, And never went there again.

Little Miss Muffet Sat on a tuffet Eating her curds and whey. Along came a spider And sat down beside her And frightened Miss Muffet away. The Queen of Hearts She made some tarts, All on a summer's day. The Knave of Hearts He stole those tarts, And took them clean away. The King of Hearts Called for the tarts, And beat the knave full sore. The Knave of Hearts Brought back the tarts And vowed he'd steal no more! There was a crooked man, And he walked a crooked mile, He found a crooked sixpence Against a crooked stile; He bought a crooked cat, Which caught a crooked mouse, And they all lived together in a crooked little house. There was an old woman Lived under a hill And if she's not gone She lives there still. Baked apples she sold, And cranberry pies, And she's the old woman That never told lies. Alas! Alas! For Miss McKay! Her knives and forks Have run away. And when the cups And spoons are going, She's sure there is No way of knowing.




Worksheet 9 continued Which Nursery Rhyme did you choose? …...............................................................................................

Have you heard this Nursery Rhyme before? …………………………………………………………………………………….

What Grammar points could you practise with this Nursery Rhyme?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

............................................................................................................................. .....................................

What could you change or substitute to reinforce a grammar point? ………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Can you think of any other activities you could/would do while practising it?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Share with your partner.




5. Plays and Dialogues

Plays do not have to be a major production involving costume, stage

and props. Children generally love acting or playing a part. Any story

can be dramatized, giving opportunities for children to repeat

sections of natural dialogue which demonstrates a particular point.

Plays can be easily created from the stories we looked at earlier, and

the dialogues changed and adapted to bring out a particular point.

Children can be asked to write or adapt their own part.

Very short dialogues and role plays are easy to develop involving everyday situations and

appropriate language. Children can have fun with minimal added wardrobe such as a hat or a name-

tag to put them in the role.

The dialogue could be taken out of a movie, or the stimulus could be a picture or cartoon or just an

object.

For example:

In the movie “Finding Nemo”, there

are many examples of Imperatives being used,

such as when young Nemo goes out to touch

the boat.

Students could watch the video segment, practise with it, perform without it, and make changes as

well.

What is this conversation?

Any day-to-day situation such as shopping or eating in a restaurant

can become a play.




Activity

Create a dialogue from this picture. Use the Grammar points in the worksheet.

(Worksheet 9 below)




Worksheet 10

Look at the picture. What might each of the three men be saying?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

..................................................................................................................... .............................................

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Discuss with your group.

Decide on and practise a short dialogue.

Consider applicable Grammar points.

Be prepared to present to the whole group.




6. Puppets.

Puppets are an even more fun way of doing drama.

Children who are maybe a little bit shy are often willing to do funny

voices and everything when it is the puppet talking.

And then there is all the fun of designing and creating the puppets.

A puppet dramatization can be presented by an individual using both hands and varied voices, or it

can be performed by several individuals each operating one or more puppets.

Puppets do not have to be ‘fancy’ or complicated. However, Soft Toy type puppets and string

puppets can be purchased and used repeatedly, especially if you want to create a class character

(dinosaur, teddy, clown etc.) that becomes part of regular English lessons with children asking him

questions and the like.

When the students create the puppets they will work with, then there is opportunity for even more

learning to take place. As the puppet is being created, the child is hopefully thinking about its name

and identity and English language associated with it, and conversing with the teacher and other

students using (hopefully) target language.

Some types of puppets to make:

Finger Puppets A face can be drawn directly onto the child’s finger, or something small (such as a bottle-top, cut corner of a cardboard box or envelope, cardboard roll etc.) can be decorated and placed on the finger. Alternatively, puppets can be made from cloth material and/or felt, or cut out from paper/card templates and constructed. The puppet can be placed over the end of the finger, or have two holes to poke two fingers through to appear as legs of the puppet. Sock Puppets If children can be persuaded to bring in spare socks – the ones that have lost a partner in the wash – these can be put to great use as puppets. Or cheap socks can be bought new. The child puts their hand inside the sock and pushes the sock into the palm of their hand to form a working ‘mouth’, and then it needs to be decorated with eyes etc.




Stick Puppets and Spoon Puppets Pop-sticks, twigs, or even spoons can be dressed up as puppets. Familiar Face Puppets – this is another idea from Family Fun, similar to the above ones. A person-shaped template is provided, and then a familiar face from a photo can be added so that children can dramatize interactions involving friends or family members. The person shape can be held on a stick, straw or just stiff card.

String Puppets / Marionettes These are slightly more difficult to make, and complicated to use, but can be very satisfying to use.

Shadow Puppets Special arrangements would need to be made to give a show with shadow puppets, but making the puppets can be quite simple and many children may be aware of shadow puppetry as a cultural activity.




Project Activity These 2-finger puppet templates are from www.enchantedlearning.com, and are designed for

specific stories or themes such as nursery rhymes. (There are others available on the website.)

They are reproduced here slightly smaller than they should be – the holes need to be big enough for

children to put their fingers through.

Task: Design and create your own set of 2-finger puppets for a specific story or role-play activity.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/




Workshop Evaluation

Name (optional) …………………………………………………………………………….. Class …………………………………………

Date of Workshop ……………………………………………………………. Presenter ……………………………………………….

Please feel free to add specific comments.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

I enjoyed the workshop. (comments?)

I learnt something useful and new. (comments?)

I will use this material when I start teaching. (comments?)

I would like more like this. (comments?)

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