(SKKN HAY NHẤT) promotion of enjoyable communicative activities to revise some grammar points in grade 10 at ha trung high school

EDUCATION AND TRAINING DEPARTMENT OF THANH HOAHA TRUNG HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE “PROMOTION OF ENJOYABLE COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES TO REVISE SOME GRAMMAR POINTS IN GRADE 10 AT HA

EDUCATION AND TRAINING DEPARTMENT OF THANH HOA

HA TRUNG HIGH SCHOOL

EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE

“PROMOTION OF ENJOYABLE COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES TO REVISE SOME GRAMMAR POINTS

IN GRADE 10 AT HA TRUNG HIGH SCHOOL”

Full name: Trinh Thi Lien Position: Teacher of English Subject: English.

UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com

2 Contents of the experience initiative

32.1 Rationale of the experience initiative

32.2 Situation of the problem before applying the

4experience initiative

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2.3 The solutions were used to solve the problem

62.4 Results after applying the initiative

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3 Conclusion and requests

153.1 Conclusion

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1 Introduction

1.1 The reason for choosing the topic.

Roger Bacon once said: “Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom.”This statement is far more exact in the globalisation period with the growinginterdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations English as

an international language plays an integral part in the promotion of internationalintegration process of our country.Therefore, promoting the quality of teachingand learning English in schools is at the forefront of the Party, the State and theentire Education sector English has been included in the mainstream curriculum

by the Ministry of Education right from the primary level

For many years of teaching English, I always manage to find and combineappropriate ways of teaching the language efficiently Grammar teachingcommunicatively and practically in a second language classrooms in my school,located in the countryside with a large number of students in one class, hasalways been a problem which I have managed to find solution to One usefulstrategy to encourage language acquisition is using language games When usinggames in the classroom, it is beneficial for teachers to have a completeunderstanding of the definitions of games, which usually are defined as a form

of play concerning rules, competition, and an element of fun Teachers shouldalso consider the advantages of games: the ability to capture students' attention;lower students' stress; and give students the chance for real communication.Lastly teachers need to assess how to use games appropriately in the classroom

It is important to choose an appropriate time and integrate them into the regularsyllabus and curriculum However, because of the limitations of the syllabus,games often cannot be used, as much as they should be Therefore, it may bechallenging for teachers to try to add some games in class in order to developstudents' English proficiency of the target language

By studying this topic, I hope it will partly help to teach more effectively,students learn more actively And above all, they can communicate accuratelyand confidently and use English for their entertainment, exam or future jobs

This is also the reason I chose the topic: “Promotion of enjoyable

communicative activities to revise some grammar points in grade 10 at Ha Trung high school.”

1.2 The purpose of research.

Helping students at Ha Trung High school learn English better through someenjoyable communicative activities in learning some grammar points

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- Observation method: Reading documents, attending classes of colleagues

- Methods of exchanging and discussing: After reading the documents, attendingcolleagues' classes and inviting colleagues to attend my own classes, I exchangeddiscussions and learned from experiences for the lesson

- Experimental method: I conduct experiments in different classes with different contents and topics

- Survey methodology: After applying the new method in a number of differentclasses, I conduct surveys among students by distributing the questionnaire to thestudents to understand, catch students' ability to comprehend lesson content as well

as students' attitude towards my new method

2 Contents of the experience initiative

2.1 Rationale of the experience initiative

2.1.1 Purpose of teaching grammar

David Batstone, an ethics professor at the University of San Fransisco, oncesaid: “Language without grammar would leave us seriously handicapped” Butteaching and learning grammar as a set of rules and structures have been foundinadequate in meeting the communicative needs of second language learners andgive learners monotony during lesson That is why the combination of differentways of teaching grammar is needed including communicative languageteaching

Communicative grammar is based on the communicative approach to theteaching of a second language Language structures must not be taught inisolation but integrated to the four skills of language In this way, a structure ispracticed orally and in written form Grammar patterns must not only be learned

at the utterance level but at the discourse level, the main objective focuses on thedevelopment of communicative grammatical competence, which is understood

as the ability to use and understand a structure in a variety of situationsspontaneously

2.1.2 Basic factors directly impacting the effectiveness of a grammar lesson.

The Students:

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In the correlation between teaching and learning method: Teachers are theorganizers, who control students to dominate knowledge and manage tofacilitate learning by the kinds of classrooms activities, intellectual actions underthe guide of teachers Thus, students must play a positive role in the lesson, must

be the one who actively participates effectively in the lesson In order that thelesson is effective, students must be ready, prepared and proactive in studyingthe topic In addition, it is necessary for the students to be an active involvement

in the leaning process

The teachers

With a new and positive teaching method, the teachers play a leading andguiding role for students to be active in the lessons Although students are thesubject, the teacher's guiding role is very important The person who directs andleads a lesson must know how to choose the appropriate teaching method,organize and control the lesson scientifically, use the teaching equipment andtools proficiently, be able to engage students in their teaching activities

Grammar activites incorporation

- Integration of form-focused exercises with meaning focused experience

- Incorporation of a focus on grammar into a meaningful communication

- Students should be encouraged to find other examples and work out rules for themselves

Teaching aids and devices in service of teaching

listening: The equipment needed for the subject:

- Blackboard, speaker, Micro

- Textbooks, handouts

- Pictures illustrating lesson content in textbooks (if necessary)

- Self-created pictures of teacher supplies

2.2 Situation of the problem before applying the initiative experience.

2.2.1 Advantages

Although there are objective and subjective conditions that directly affect theteaching process, we have overcome the difficulties, gradually improving thequality of learning English in the communicative purpose in classes to meet thepurpose of the new textbook program

For teachers:

- Initially, using tasked-completion techique

- Coordinate quite flexibly the teaching techniques

- Create some teaching aids such as handouts in accordance with the content of lessons

For students:

- Students learn by heart structures and complete garmmar exercises

- Some students have found other examples and work out rules for themselves

- Some students reuse fluently grammar structures in communication mainly in classrooms

2.2.2 Disadvantages:

For teachers:

There are still a number of teachers who have certain difficulties in teachinggrammar communicatively, in choosing techniques or classrooms activities thatare suitable for each lesson period, each stage of the lesson, using or not yetproficient in teaching aids Teaching grammar only pleases to the exam target

For students:

- The motivation to learn English is limited

- Many children have few opportunities to speak, only complete some exercises

Means and teaching aids:

- Shortage of teaching aids, large classes prevent each student from have

chances to practise speaking and being corrected

- Students don’t have opportunities to take part in clubs to reuse what they have learnt, which makes class knowledge bookish

2.3 The solutions were used to solve the problem.

2.3.1 Plan a free practice for a grammar revision:

For teachers:

In order for a class to revise well the grammar phenomenon (free practice), the teacher should follow the following steps:

- Prepare an activity in which the students will practise the new grammar

without the teacher’s assistance

- Explain clearly what the students have to do

- Ask students to practice in pairs or small groups

- Walk around listening and encouraging but do not correct errors or interfere in the activity

- Stop the activity Finish the lesson by asking two studentsto repeat their freepractice in front of the class or asking several students what they found about theirpartners

-There are a great number of language games So teachers have a variety ofchoices However, in deciding which game to use in a particular class and whichgames will be most appropriate and most successful with their students, teachersmust take many factors into account

Teachers should first consider the level of the game to fit their students'language level They should choose the game that fits the purposes of that class

or the content Moreover, teachers should consider students' characteristics:whether they are old or young, serious-minded or light-hearted, and highlymotivated to learn or not They should also consider when the game should beused because there is a big difference between using the game in the morning or

in the afternoon, on Monday or Friday

In addition to the factors mentioned, teachers should also be able to play andoveract sometimes to help students feel comfortable and want to join theactivity This means teachers should thoroughly understand the game and itsnature and be able to lead the game

It is quite difficult to find a game that meets all of the teachers' requirements.Some games must be adapted in order to fit students' language level, natures,and characteristics The most important factor is that games should be usedwhen they can give students both fun and educational meaning otherwise theywill be a waste of time

For students:

The teacher asks students to prepare well for the next class by:

- Make a system of suggestive questions about the lesson that you are about to learn so that students have time to think, study materials

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- Ask students to perform a number of exercises related to the content of the grammar lesson, but for other skill lessons, the results are the same.

- Encourage and encourage students to be confident, proactive and creative in raising issues and questions related to the content of the lesson

2.3.2 Procedures

For a grammar lesson or vocabulary, usually in the course of the lesson periodthere are 3 stages: Presentation - Practie - Production This teaching process notonly helps students understand the lesson but also helps them to use new item inreal communication The prerequisite, however, is that the teacher needs toclearly identify the required purpose for each specific grammar lesson so that he

or she can guide students to perform their tasks in the next stages

Presentation:

One of the best ways to present grammar is to follow this method

- Choose a text or a dialogue which uses the new grammar item

- Prepare questions based on the text which use the new grammar item or which can only be answered by using the new grammar item

- Introduce the text or dialogue in an interesting way elicit predictive answer from students

- Students read or listen to the text or dialogue

- Ask the questions we have prepared and elicit the answers

- Write the questions and the correct answers on the blackboard underlining the new grammar

- Name the new grammar and describe how it is formed

- Check that the students understand the new grammar by asking more questionsusing the new grammar

- If the students make mistakes using the new grammar, give some more

- Prepare an activity in which the students will practise the new grammar

without the teacher’s assistance

- Explain clearly what the students have to do

- Ask students to practice in pairs or small groups

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- Walk around listening and encouraging but do not correct errors or interfere in the activity

- Stop the activity Finish the lesson by asking two studentsto repeat their free practice in front of the class or asking several students what they found about their partners

* Applying “Promotion of enjoyable communicative activities to revise some grammar points in grade 10 at Ha Trung high school.” by designing acitvities/games in free practice with a view to revising the new grammar item

- Activities/games in free practice “Be going to” in Unit 6 and Unit 14, basic

textbook, grade 10 after teaching the new grammar item

Possible activity 1: Here is a free “be going to” speaking activity to use to

revise grammar in class In the activity students talk about future intentions by discussing ways to improve their English Divide the students into groups of four and give each student a coppy of the worksheet The students discuss and brainstorm how they could improve their English in six categories (speaking, listening, writing…) The group then chooses the best three ideas for each category and each student notes these down on the worksheet Working alone, the students then choose six things that they are going to do to improve English They choose one idea from each category and write a sentence with be going to When the students have finished, they paired up with someone from another group The pairs of students compare their ideas and give reasons for their choices Finally, there is a class feedback session to find out which were the most popular ideas for improving English

GROUP…

I’m going to improve my English A In your group, discuss and brainstorm how you could improve your English, write your best idea for each category in the space provided Categories Ideas How to 1 ………

improve 2 ………

speaking skill 3 ………

How to 1 ………

improve 2 ………

listening skill 3 ………

How to 1 ………

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improve 2 ………

writing skill 3 ………

How to 1 ………

improve 2 ………

reading skill 3 ………

How to 1 ………

improve 2 ………

vocabulary 3 ………

How to 1 ……… ………

improve 2 ………

grammar 3 ………

B Now, choose six things that you are going to do to improve your English Choose one idea from each category and write sentences with “be going to” Speaking I’m going to………

Listening Writing Reading Vocabulary Grammar Possible activity 2: In the activity, students ask and answer questions about their future plans Give each student a copy of the worksheet The students read each question in the first column on the worksheet and then write a follow-up question using “Be going to” When everyone has finished writing their follow-up questions, divide the students into pairs Students then take it in turns to ask their partner about their future plans using their questions on their worksheet When a partner answers “Yes, I am” to a question, the student puts a tick and asks his or her follow –up question If a partner answers “No, I’m not”; the student put a cross and moves on to the next question When the students have finished interviewing each other, they tell the rest of the class about their partner’s future plans Read each question in the first column then write a follow-up question using “be going to” in the third column Then ask a particular about plans and write down their answer Are you going to…… √/x Follow-up questions Answer 1 go out for dinner this evening? Where……… ?

2 watch a film this weekend? What……… ?

3 meet someone after class? Who……… ?

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4 write a email today?

2.4 Results after the application of the topic

Applying these enjoyable activities, I myself have achieved some verysatisfactory results Language games are not activities mainly aimed to break theice between students or to kill time Byrne (1995) gave the definition to games

as a form of play governed by rules They should be enjoyed and fun They arenot just a diversion, a break from routine activities, but a way of getting thelearner to use the language in the course of the game Similarly, Jill Hadfield(1990) defined games as "an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun."Therefore, games involve many factors: rules, competition, relaxation, andlearning, in particular The main focus of using game in class is to help studentslearn and have fun However, to use games in classrooms, it is equally importantthat before playing the rules of the games are clearly explained and wellunderstood by the students There should be only a few, well-explained rules.Demonstrations also can be very helpful because it can help students understandthe game and help them follow the rules Otherwise, they will misunderstand thepurpose of the game and they may not get the benefits they should from thegame For example, if students do not understand the rules of the games called

"Questions/Interview" and just write without following the instructions, then it isjust an exercise in copying, and it doesn't help students with accuracy,pronunciation, or spelling at all

In playing games, competition is very important because it can stimulate andencourage students to participate in the activity since naturally they want to beatthe other teams As it happens, in the “interview game” students ask as many

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questions as possible, remember as much as they can and speak or report asloudly and clearly as they can They move back and forth in the classroom,trying to memorize the content as much as possible While playing, studentshave fun, relax, exercise, and tease their friends Apart from having fun, studentslearn at the same time They acquire new vocabulary along with its spelling andpronunciation Students begin to realize that they have to speak or pronounce thewords clearly if they want others to understand what they are saying.

I have found that my students’ ability to speak in public has considerablyimproved, they have become more confident, fluent, relaxed and especially moreinspired in learning English I have a feeling that they have found a good reasonfor learning English, they practise speaking English not only because of theircoming exams but also for pleasure, which has made our English lessons morefascinating, motivating

These are some samples and photos scanned from my students’ preparations fortheir activities required and their presentation, their performance in my classes