Teach grammar through games

Meanwhile, the teacher writes the product on the board for everyone to see so that the merchandise is no longer for sale. Play the game quickly and set a time limit.

After 10 or 15 minutes, stop the game, and all the children who managed to acquire at least eight items are the winners. Then, repeat the game, having the children swap roles, so the shopper becomes the storeowner and vice versa.

Asking questions is a crucial point when teaching English grammar. To play, have a child come to the front and be Grandma. Grandma, or grandpa, faces the wall with her back to the class. If the grandma sees a child moving, that child has to answer the question earning one point if correct.

This is one of the most cherished games in the ESL classroom since it creates excitement and tension. Players are eager to avoid being caught, but they gain a point by answering the question correctly if they are. Moreover, they like the movement and the quick pace of the game. Make a rule that any child being loud, other than saying the target language, has to return to the start immediately. This trick will allow the game to be played quietly. I have many of your books including E L games for C and yet receiving a reminder in an email is always very useful.

Thanks a bunch! Thank you for you tips and ideas. It always refreshes my way if teaching and helps to change rhe strategies. Best wishes. Your ideas and games are great ,and I really find them interesting. Thank you a bunch. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Next Learning English through drama Next. There was a significant difference in the scores of test between the computer based group and the traditional based group.

The group which was taught by using computer scored better in the open ended question category in immediate posttest and delayed posttest compared to the group which had teacher directed grammar teaching. Graphic images, clear photos, sounds and videos can be used to help teachers in grammar teaching. Grammar lessons will become more effective, motivating and interesting.

Students can use courseware to study grammar and with the guidance from a skilled teacher, grammar can be learned effectively and interestingly. The courseware to teach grammar can be strengthened with other multimedia elements like video and animations and these will help students to understand complex concept in grammar.

Language educationists have been integrating the use of technology, most particularly computer in teaching. Educational software is creatively developed to help teaching and learning of English. However, it is best to remember that computer is not a substitution for teachers but rather it is an enabler to help both teachers and students have more opportunities to experience various innovative methods in teaching and learning.

Therefore, games are used suitably in the way in which learners are led to participate in the games so that learners can have a chance to practice or use the new language items they have just learnt eagerly and willingly instead of forcing them to do the tasks unwillingly. It is more effective in a way that students can play and learn at the same time.

There are many kinds of games designed for different levels as well as topics, so that students with different language proficiency levels can enjoy and gain the best results from them. Hadfield explains two ways of classifying language games.

First, language games are divided into two types: linguistic games and communicative games. Linguistic games focus on accuracy, such as supplying the correct antonym. Communicative games focus on successful exchange of information and ideas, such as two people identifying the differences between their two pictures which are similar to one another but not exactly alike. Correct language usage, though still important, is secondary to achieving the communicative goal. Effort is required at every moment and be maintained over a long period of time.

Games help and encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work. The activities in a game get all the students to move around, activate their mental capacities and stimulate neural networks, thus motivating learners in learning and retention. At that time, students who are shy also attend the activities with fun, forgetting their shyness and feeling of fear.

Further, games add interest to what students might not find interesting. Sustaining interest can mean sustaining effort. Hand out pictures of food that your pupils already know. The pupil with the bananas tries to change places with the pupil holding the pie without the person in the middle taking one of the spots in the circle.

Continue until everyone has had a go, repeating the target structure each time. With a class that learns quickly you can also introduce the rest of the declension he and she would like, etc. You are now ready to proceed to a speaking game where your pupils use the target structure, as they will have heard it repeatedly by now.

You can follow the speaking game up with a writing game, and hey presto your children can understand, say, read and write the new target structure. Now what better way is there to teach grammar than that? You are teaching grammar by absorption and repetition, which is the way we learn our native tongue, and for children it is by far the best way to go.

Written by Shelley Vernon Shelley Vernon, conscious of the vital role teachers can play in the lives of their pupils, promotes learning through encouragement and games. Sign up for free games and ideas on www. Make your job easy and fun teaching English to children through games. For those teachers who are having trouble teaching prepositions to kids, I have a great and motivating game one of my colleagues shared with me, and it worked marvellously!

It consists of putting the lights off in the classroom and having a torch, first switch on the torch and reflect it on the board, and ask your students to give the light a name.