a study on using games to check vocabulary of the sixth pupils form at son thuy secondary school

Mục lục MỤC LỤC STT Nội dung Trang 1 I INTRODUCTION 1 2 1 1 Rationale for the study 1 3 1 2 Aims of the study 1 4 1 4 Methods of the study 2 5 II CONTEND 2 6 2 1 Literature review 2 7 2 2 The descriptions of participants 2 8 2 3 Finding and some suggestions for using games to check vocabulary for sixth form grade at Son Thuy Secondary school 3 9 2 4 Effectives of the study to English teaching process, English teachers and school 7 10 2 5 Some typical games to check vocabulary 9 11 III CONCLUSION.

Mục lục

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HOÁ

PHÒNG GD&ĐT HUYỆN QUAN SƠN

SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM

TÊN ĐỀ TÀI

A STUDY ON USING GAMES TO CHECK VOCABULARY OF THE SIXTH PUPILS FORM AT SON THUY SECONDARY

SCHOOL

Người thực hiện: Bùi Thị Chừu Chức vụ: Giáo viên

Đơn vị công tác: Trường PTDTBT THCS Sơn Thủy

SKKN thuộc lĩnh vực (môn): Tiếng Anh

THANH HOÁ NĂM 2019

MỤC LỤC

7 2.2 The descriptions of participants 2

8 2.3 Finding and some suggestions for using games to

check vocabulary for sixth form grade at Son Thuy

Secondary school

3

9 2.4 Effectives of the study to English teaching process,

English teachers and school

7

10 2.5 Some typical games to check vocabulary 9

11 III CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS 13

I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale for the study

To defeat a country, we do not have to use nuclear weapon or long-range missiles We only need decreasing its’s educational quality Especially in The Fouth Industrial Revolunation, Vietnam- a developing country have to cope with

a lot of chances and challenges In addition, Vietnam has already participated in the biggest trade organization in the world – WTO Therefore, being proficient

in English has become an important key of success English is graduatly becoming a main part on compulsory education, an important subject in secondary school According to Mrs Pham Thi Hang- The Director of Thanh

Hoa Department of Education and Training pointed out: “Although Thanh Hoa

is famous for traditional self- studying and learning, Thanh Hoa’s English point average in the National High School Graduation Examination ranks at 56, 57 in

63 provinces and cities in recent years” To be good at English means that students get necessary knowledge about grammars, pronunciation, structures Vocabulary is one aspects of learning English Without vocabulary, it is hard to study many foreign materials, understand teacher’s guiding or express their own ideas

In fact, at a secondary school, to improve vocabulary, students have to learn and remember a lot of new words which is almost impossible for them all To help students stay interestingly and use the new words far more effectively, English teacher should make vocabulary review as fun as possible One of the

most effective method is using games to check vocabulary

Based on the above reasons, I decide to carry out the study on “A study on using games for checking vocabulary for the sixth grade students at Son Thuy secondary school” to help English teachers check vocabulary effectively

and motivate students learn new words quickly

1.2 Aims of the study

The aims of the study are:

- To point out the advanced effectiveness of using games to check vocabulary than other methods and the positive significance of using games for checking vocabulary

- To provide some useful games for checking vocabulary

- To introduce some principles when using games to check vocabulary

1.3 Objectives of the study

- The reality of checking vocabulary at Son Thuy secondary school

- Using games to check vocabulary at Son Thuy secondary school

1.4 Methods of the study

In order to achieve the aims of the study, I carry some class observations and a survey questionnaire have been answered by 64 students to get the result of study

I observed students’s attitude on English lessons which I use games to check vocabulary Moreover, I check students’s vocabulary by using games in 2 classes of sixth form grade : 6A, 6B

I ask 64 students in grade 6A, 6B to do a survey questionnaire to evaluate the effect of checking vocabulary by using games

II CONTEND

2.1 Literature review

English, a main part on compulsory education, is an important subject in secondary schools.Vocabulary is one aspects of learning English Without sufficient vocabulary, study many foreign materials and understand others or express their own ideas Thus, unless students are good at English, they get bad result

In order to be more proficient at English, learning vocabulary is a mightily

vital part of language learning process Wilkins (1972) defines that “… without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” (p.111-112) or Lewis (1993) writes that “… lexis is the core or heart

of language” With the idea that the more words you know, the more you will

be able to understand what you hear and read in an English lesson, the better you will be able to say what you want to when speaking or writing Especially as students develop greater fluency and expression in English, it is significant for them to acquire more productive vocabulary and to develop their own personal

range of vocabulary Michael West also agreed that " The primary things in

learning a language is the acquisition of a vocabulary, and practice in using it."

In short, vocabulary is the key part in learning a foreign language,

vocabulary allows students to express their emotions in communication However, learning vocabulary is really a challenge for students To build students' vocabulary, English teacher uses some ways, which include checking vocabulary by using games

Games are very popular in varieties aspects of the life because of their benefits to people Games are fun and relaxing; games also improve eye- hand co- ordination for playing uninterrupted actions and games encourage

movement, competition According to Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman "A game

is a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome." In the "Your dictionary" , it defined that:

"A game is something you play for fun, sport or as a competitive activity" It is written that: " an activity that you do for fun that has rules, and that you can win

or lose " in the "Macmillan Dictionary" in the " Effective Ways to Build Your Vocabulary", Johnson O'Connor defined that: "Building vocabulary is a powerful

way to enhance your life and career " It is vital process to improve vocabulary by

using some games to enrich the vocabulary treasure

2.2 The descriptions of participants

In school years 2018-2019, Son Thuy secondary school has been trying to

upgrade facilities and teaching quality to be recognized as national standard schools.The school is provided with good conditions for both teaching and learning: 8 classrooms, a projector and a library.There are 213 students from grade 6 to grade 9 My participants are 64 pupils of the sixth form grades which

is devided into 2 classes: 6A and 6B In general, pupils in class 6A are better than class 6B about both awareness and the education result in the primary school In specific, they are not students in gifted classes, so they are not good at some subjects In addition, most of them do not have habit of learning English independently and tend to depend on the textbooks and the teachers for knowledge In addition, not only are all of the students ethnic minorities, they are used to communicating in Vietnamese and their ethnic groups’s languages but this also is the first time they have learnt English Some pupils are shy, some pupils are pasive in learning Moreover, using games to check vocabulary is seldom on English lessons

2.3 Finding and some suggestions for using games to check vocabulary for sixth form grade at Son Thuy Secondary school.

2.3.1 Data analysis results

* Comments of classrom observation

According to the procedure of teaching and checking vocabulary I use a classroom's observation sheet to survey some general knowledge about checking vocabulary for sixth grades at Son Thuy Secondary school

My classroom's observation sheet includes some factors of teaching and checking vocabulary such as:

- The level of student's attention to the learning and checking process

- The level of student's understanding and memorizing vocabulary after using games to checking vocabulary

-The student's attitudes when they are checked vocabulary

Based on my classroom's observation when teaching some lessons, I realised that when checking vocabulary by using traditional methods, (write down on the board, talk loud in front of the class ), only some students work The others do not pay much attention to English teacher and their classmates In addition, the atmosphere of the class is not in high spirit When teachers use

games to check vocabulary, students often pay more attention to their teacher and checking vocabulary stages They also have many opportunities to remember and use their vocabulary, most students have to work The classroom's atmosphere rises up

In conclusion, using games to check vocabulary are more effective than using some traditional methods

2.3.2 Analysis and interpretation of the questionnaires for students

In order to survey students' opinion and appropriate the effects of using games for checking vocabulary at 2 class: 6A, 6B at Son Thuy secondary

school, 64 pupils at 2 classes are asked to answer a survey questionnaire The survey questionnaire includes 7 questions By totalizing, I found out that:

Tables 1: The important role of vocabulary in English learning

Theo bạn, từ vựng có đóng vai trò quan trọng trong Tiếng Anh không?

Answer Number of students Percentages

In the first question, 100 % of students have been asked think that vocabulary is very necessary with English learning process According to

Jen-Yih Tim Hsu, he had written " second language reading has powerful influences

in the role of second vocabulary in English teaching in the past, present and challenges ahead" Therefore, vocabulary also helps students in both productive

skills ( speaking, writing) and perceptive skills ( listening, reading) However,

students learn vocabulary by different ways It makes the different results about

process of learning vocabulary

Table 2: Student's attitudes when taking part in some games

Bạn cảm thấy như thế nào khi tham gia vào những trò chơi để kiểm tra từ vựng trong giờ học Tiếng Anh?

Thú vị và rất thoải mái 60 93,75

Thu được nhiều từ vựng qua những trò

chơi này

Nobody thinks that joining in games is boring and stressful In contrast, 64 students agree that playing games helps them memorize a lot of vocabulary 60 students( account for 93,75%) feel relaxed and interested In addition, to

participate in games encourages students more competitive Therefore, using games on checking vocabulary is really an useful method

The third question is about the students’ interest when using games to check vocabulary, there are 57 pupils agree that they can learn vocabulary more interesting by using games than using old methods, such as: learning by heart, reading vocabulary loud in front of the class, writing words down on the board…There are only 7 pupilss who do not agree with this sentence

Table 3 : The number of students who want to be the winner during

playing games

Bạn có muốn giành chiến thắng trong trò chơi không?

Answers Number of students Percentages

To be asked this question, only 5 students do not want or try to be the winner when they play games 59 students think that they want to be the winners This question also shows that using games for checking vocabulary encourages the motivation and competition in class

Table 4: The numbers of students who feel interested with using games to

check vocabulary

Bạn có nghĩ rằng các trò chơi ngôn ngữ làm cho học sinh được giải trí, trở nên năng động và có nhiều cơ hội để bày tỏ ý kiến, tình cảm trong giờ học Tiếng Anh không?

Answers Number of students Percentages

The table shows the positive effects of using games to check vocabulary 54 students agree that games are highly motivating, entertaining Playing games is a chance for timid students participate in games and competitions Only 10 students (account for 15,625 % of total students) disagree that games do not motivate and entertain with students

Table 5: Students' level of remembering vocabulary

Tham gia các trò chơi giúp bạn nhớ từ vựng nhanh hơn và tốt hơn không?

Answers Number of students Percentages

In this survey question, there are 56 students ( account for 87.5 %) who choose “yes” They realize that playing games helps them remember vocabulary faster and better In fact, using games in checking vocabulary helps students learn vocabulary in an active way

Table 6: Learning vocabulary while playing games

Theo bạn, bạn có thể học trong khi chơi trò chơi không?

Answers Number of students Percentages

Có, hoàn toàn như vậy 8 12.5

Có, nhưng chỉ một ít 54 84.375

Không một tí nào cả 2 3.125

In this question, 8 students think that they can completely learn English vocabulary while they play games Only 2 students learn nothing while playing game On the contrary, 54 students (account for 84.375 %) learn a little bit of vocabulary Students can learn vocabulary from using games is a successful effect to achieve on teaching process

Table 7: Students' opinions about using games to check vocabulary.

Theo em, có nên áp dụng trò chơi để kiểm tra từ vựng không? Háy đưa

ra một số ý kiến giúp học từ vựng qua sử dụng trò chơi để kiểm tra một cách tốt hơn

Answers Number of students Percentages

The last question includes 2 offers: It asks students to choose 3 levels of applying games for checking vocabulary at Son Thuy secondary school It also asks students to write some comments to make checking vocabulary become more useful and interesting stages with English learners

It is easy to find that nobody disagrees with this points, only 8 students are not sure about using games or not using games for checking vocabulary in their high school However, 54 students want to apply games into English lessons

In addition to this, students are also asked to give some of their comments

to make checking vocabulary become more useful and interesting Here are their answers:

- Teachers should use games to check vocabulary instead of using traditional methods

- Teacher should use many types of games to encourage students’ spirit

- Using games on lessons for fun and reduce stress.

After finishing the games, and from questionnaire collected, I found out 4%

of the students strongly agreed and 88% students concurred that those kinds of game should be applied in Son Thuy secondary school

Almost all students think that games not only are useful for vocabulary acquisition but also create a very relaxing, motive and competitive atmosphere which can help them to learn more effectively Before getting acquaintance with games, some students considered games as a very time-consuming activity But after the game played, most of them showed their willingness and desired to have the games taught in their classes some latest days in Son Thuy secondary school It

is obvious that their negative prejudice on games have been faded since then Games truly bring educational and efficient results to students to acquire vocabulary more than just for fun

2.4 Effectives of the study to English teaching process, English teachers and school.

After analyzing data, I found that there is great effectiveness that games bring to English students as an interesting method for vocabulary acquiring Here are the results gathered from my questionnaire and classroom observation + Creating a relaxing and interesting atmosphere

From my questionnaire and observation, I noticed that most of Son Thuy students who participated in the games were very eager, willing and excited with them 93,75 % of students felt relaxed and interested in playing games 6.25 % of students believed that they could learn many new words from these games

Furthermore, 57 students agreed that through games they can learn vocabulary more interestedly than they did through other methods such as learning by heart, reading new words out loud many times, and writing new words down on the paper again and again, and so forth A student of class 6A confided that to acquire new words she always writes repeatedly again and again the English words For example, she may write like this “healthy, healthy, healthy ." in many pages in order to memorize the word “healthy” She realizes that this method is boring and turns out really ineffectiveness, because she only learns the word superficially and does not understand in depth the meaning of the words, and because it takes her much time on writing over and over again Another student of the same class told me that she usually reads English text books as a method for enhancing vocabulary However, there are

so much new words that she could not remember, and that she must look them

up in the dictionary This is really boring because it takes her much time and occasionally hinders her from continuing reading or even more she could not learn those vocabulary due to the tiredness of looking up these words

+ Stimulating motivation and competition

Healthy competition that forms an elementary part of the English games encourages player’s discovery, examination and a voluntary involvement of the students in the checking vocabulary process Besides, it leads to a better bonding between the teachers and the students 92,7 % of the students expressed during game play They did their best to be winners Throughout the competition, I observed that students were more engaged in and committed to using English than they would be in the classroom They were attentive to instructions, which they are not usually in regular class In each of the games, students found their own ways to express themselves Participants tried to recall all their knowledge of English to win the game Moreover, they try harder at games than in other courses Naturally when playing games, students are trying

to win or to beat other teams for themselves or on the behalf of their team They are so competitive while playing because they want to have a turn to play and

to win Therefore, it is possible for a teacher to introduce students to vocabulary As in the game, students are so competitive that they want to finish first and win It can be clearly seen that games can capture students' attention and participation They can motivate students to want to learn more Moreover, they can transform a boring class into a challenging one

The experience creating a competition for Son Thuy students also confirmed that games stimulate communicative skills Competitors revealed that they felt less afraid of using their English during game play The competition gave students a natural opportunity to work together and communicate in English with each other Thanks to the motivation and competition created by games, students can acquire their checking vocabulary stage better and more interestedly than other ways The main reason why games are considered effective checking aids is that they encourage motivation and students get very interesting in the competitive aspects of the games

Therefore, it is possible for a teacher to introduce students to vocabulary It can be clearly seen that games can attract students' attention and participation They can motivate students to want to learn more Moreover, they can transform a boring class into a challenging one

+ Offering better and faster remembrance

87.5 % of students confided that they could remember new words faster and better due to the relaxed atmosphere created by playing these games

In fact, it has been proved that learning through several fun English language games takes in 100% of the lesson and retains 82,07 % of it The pupils’s interests rise up spirits on learning and self- studying; getting success in this steps will graduatly encrease English educational quality at Son Thuy and Thanh Hoa’s English point average in the National High School Graduation Examination

2.5 Some typical games to check vocabulary