skkn techniqes of using new language games in teaching grade 10 english lessons effectively

Throughout years’ time of teaching English in the period of general education renovation, I have myself thought that it is necessary to reform methods of organizing activities in teachin

First of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the leaders of Thanh Hoa Education and Training Department for organizing this seminar and for giving me the precious chance to do it

Second, I am very grateful to all the teachers of English at Leviettao Upper Secondary School for offering me useful advice in realizing my ideas

Last but not least, I would like to thank you very much for your presence and observation Your comments and advice would be highly appreciated

Thank you very much!

A- PREFACE

I REASONS FOR CHOOSING THE THEME

1-Basis of theory:

Nowadays, objectives of education are to focus on developing students’ initiative, activity and creativeness to enable them to realize and solve the problems To achieve these objectives, there’s nothing rather than to reform teaching methods This is an indispensable issue and a sound policy of our Party and State Teaching in reformed methods has given teachers the chances to make good use of controlling, guiding, suggesting, and organizing activities effectively

On the other hand, it has helped students to make full use of centered roles-they are able to study hard, apprehend their awareness and knowledge actively and creatively so as to have great understanding and passion for English

Students’ initiative, activity and creativeness are more important in teaching foreign language because no one can use means of foreign language in communication better than students’ communication abilities One of the main

methods in teaching foreign language is Communicative Approach;

communication is regarded as both aims and aids of teaching (teaching in

communication, by communicating, and to communicate) To teach English more

and more interestingly, effectively and communicatively, every teacher must do their best, master their professional abilities, study without cease and apply active and suitable teaching methods

Throughout years’ time of teaching English in the period of general education renovation, I have myself thought that it is necessary to reform methods

of organizing activities in teaching often to motivate students I have positively

realized that only by new language Games can we interest students in English lessons These new language Games can be considered to be new activities or

techniques which are suitable for the students’ psychology The new language Games strongly do delight either learners or teachers when they have skillfully used old games Besides, they can raise the teaching quality In these Games, we can unexpectedly happen to realize students’ talents because they are equal to students, easy to play, suitable for the whole class even weak students Furthermore, the students who hardly prepare the lessons might have high scores

in the games because quick-wittedness and intelligence are much more important than understanding about everything The sense of equality, atmosphere of excitement, feeling of the games in students’ reach, spirit of solidarity, the factors

of which help students to ignore their shyness which prevents them from speaking freely and actively This has a great influence on teaching results Students have chances to use the linguistic data and even they can see that they are using their vocabulary, grammatical structures… Moreover, they feel satisfied when they know they can do as well as others However, learning a foreign language is not only to play Games but it is to communicate more naturally Games in teaching the language can result in the friendly communication between teachers and students, among students and good discussions about any topics All of the reasons are important factors to improve the teaching qualities and effects

English is a language and it is a foreign language so it is too difficult for students, especially rural students to learn although they have been learning for several years It would be too boring for teachers to teach and for students to learn English if teachers didn’t reform teaching methods to interest students I have been thinking of how to change the methods but whatever new methods teachers may use, weak students will become bored, passive and inactive if teachers don’t interest them effectively

It is the reasons above that have been urging me to choose the theme:

“Techniques of using new language Games in teaching Grade 10 English lessons effectively” for my own Seminar on methodology without cease.

2 Basis of practice

a- Achievements

Thanhhoa Education and Training Department has focused on teaching and learning English for recent years We have organized many English advanced exams for teachers and students Annually, we have a lot of conferences and workshops to reform teaching methods We usually have discussions about professional knowledge We have been trying to apply new methods to teaching flexibly and skillfully Students are more hard-working, interested in English Therefore, teaching and learning English has been enhanced effectively

b- Some reasons for the disadvantages of teaching and learning English at high schools

English is one of the most important subjects at schools but it is not easy enough for any students to learn Some students, especially the students who have

no sense, no mood and no patience in learning can’t keep up with the new methods of learning They have their puzzle in understanding and applying their knowledge to practice Many students haven’t understood the significances of English at the age of the International integration Some students learn English for their curiosity but when they have difficulties, they let things run Some students lack their basic knowledge from the junior high schools Therefore, students have

no sense, no mood, no motivation to learn English effectively and actively

c- Facilities and teaching aids

To meet the demands for education reform, facilities of the school are becoming better and better However, students would be more interested and active if we had a lab or a computer room for learning Moreover, teaching aids are supplied quite enough but if only we had large pictures for the lessons, our lessons would

be more exciting and interesting

d- For teachers

Being a teacher of the foreign language, realizing a new method of teaching

is a big problem Personally, I see that many teachers haven’t given students any chances to practice vocabulary, grammar , if there, they just check one or two students before the lesson mechanically, which makes students bored and passive

On the other hand, when teaching, teachers haven’t made full use of the students’ activities and creativeness so the lessons are usually boring

e- For students

Since education reform, students have loved learning English but mainly advanced students And weak students who understand the lesson slowly learn passively They wait for the teacher’s or other students’ answers Many of them have no opportunities or they don’t dare to practice speaking English in class

They are afraid they speak incorrectly Many can not read, speak, listen and write,

even they ignore paying attention to the lessons or taking any notes or doing any homework In fact, we can see these students have no love for English… Therefore, the teaching qualities of English do not live up to our expectations Following is the convey on the quality of English of 3 classes: 10A, 10B, 10D at the beginning of the first term in school year 2012-2013

classes Number

of students

Well mastered and applied

Badly mastered and applied

Well mastered and applied

Badly mastered and applied

10A 42 18 42.8 24 57.2 20 47.6 22 52.4 10B 46 20 43.5 26 56.5 21 45.6 25 54.4 10D 45 22 48.8 23 51.2 23 51.2 22 48.8 Total 133 60 45.1 73 54.9 64 48.4 69 51.6

classes Number

of students

Well mastered and applied

Badly mastered and applied

Well mastered and applied

Badly mastered and applied

Well mastered and applied

Badly mastered and applied

10A 42 16 38.0 26 62.0 22 52.4 20 47.6 19 45.2 23 54.8 10B 46 18 39.1 28 60.9 24 52.2 22 47.8 22 47.8 24 52.2 10D 45 18 40.0 27 60.0 26 57.8 19 42.2 21 46.6 24 53.4 Total 133 52 39.0 81 61.0 72 54.0 61 46.0 62 46.6 71 53.3

( * Note: Q : Quantity )

From the tables of the statistics above, we can see that the rates of the students who didn’t master the knowledge and those who applied all the skills weakly are rather high It has shown that students didn’t master the methods of learning English and they weren’t hard-working, active and creative in applying the knowledge the teacher guided them to communicate

II- AIMS OF THE RESEARCH

From the matter of fact, as a teacher, I have endlessly been considering and researching for the methods to improve the quality of teaching English Knowing that the students’ psychophysiology is doing what they enjoy, liking new things, indulging in pleasures rather than study, I give them a new method of learning in

which they can work for both study and pleasure This method gives them the

feeling of delight and easiness when they learn English lessons through some new language Games which are considered to be the new teaching techniques in place

of the old one that students are too familiar to and bored with These new language Games , in fact, are competitions They require students’ quick decisions such as: How to act?, What to speak? How to win the games? Wanting to solve those questions makes students’ thoughts quicker, more sensitive and intelligent because they must make use of their intellectual abilities for pleasure and

excitement Thanks to this way, students are naturally absorbed in the lessons.

Games are highly motivating because they are amusing and interesting They can

be used to give practice in all language skills and be used to practice many types

of communication They can willingly apply the knowledge the teacher expects, which has worried them for ages

Throughout years’ time of teaching English for different students, especially students of the Old Semi-state school where there are much more weak

students than advanced ones, I would like to present some abilities of techniques

of using new language Games for some Grade 10 English lessons Also, I would

like to exchange my own initiative experiences and methods of teaching for the colleagues so that we can find out new and interesting methods in the period of education socialization our Party and State laid down

III- OBJECTS OF THE RESEARCH

-Teachers at between junior and senior high schools

-Undergraduates

-Advanced students

IV-METHODS OF THE RESEARCH

-Using the text-book to apply to each lesson and section

-Using references to improve

-Pictures and other materials

I CONTENTS

1 What is a Game?

"A game is an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun There are two kinds of games: Competitive games, in which players or teams race to be the first to reach the goal, and co-operative games, in which players or teams work together towards a common goal The emphasis in the games is on successful communication rather than on correctness of language." (Toth, 1995)

2 Why to Use Games

Language learning is a hard task which can sometimes be frustrating Constant effort is required to understand, produce and manipulate the target language Well-chosen games are invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time allow students to practice language skills Games are highly motivating since they are amusing and at the same time challenging Furthermore, they employ meaningful and useful language in real contexts They also encourage and increase cooperation

* Games are fun and children like to play them Through Games students

experiment, discover, and interact with their environment

* Games add variation to a lesson and increase motivation by providing a

plausible incentive to use the target language For many students between thirteen and nineteen years old, especially the high school students, language learning will not be the key motivational factor Games can provide this stimulus

* The Game context makes the foreign language immediately useful to the

students It brings the target language to life

* The Game makes the reasons for speaking plausible even to reluctant students

* Through playing Games, students can learn English the way they learn their

mother tongue without being aware they are studying; thus without stress, they can learn a lot

*Games stimulate the students so they look forward to class

* Even shy students can participate positively.

3 When to Use Games?

*Games are often used as short warm-up activities or when there is some time left

at the end of a lesson Yet, as I observe, a game "should not be regarded as a marginal activity filling in odd moments when the teacher and class have nothing better to do Games ought to be at the heart of teaching foreign languages I suggest that Games be used at all stages of the lesson, provided that they are suitable and carefully chosen

*Games also lend themselves well to revision exercises helping learners recall

material in a pleasant, entertaining way All authors agree that even if Games resulted only in noise and entertained students, they are still worth paying attention to and implementing in the classroom since they motivate learners, promote communicative competence, and generate fluency

4 How to Choose Games?

* A Game must be more than just fun.

* A Game should involve "friendly" competition.

* A Game should keep all of the students involved and interested.

* A Game should encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than

on the language itself

* A Game should give students a chance to learn, practice, or review specific

language material

*A Game should focus on the certain aims of certain stages in a lesson, but not

only for fun

5 How to Organize Classes?

*Think ahead If you mix up the rules or get confused, the students will rebel The

class can fail over blame Rehearse Games yourself or with friends before class

*Distinguish noise from chaos To prevent noise, make students sit near the

teacher and explain clearly what they are going to do

6 Some Advice

*Games should be regarded as supplementary activities The whole syllabus

should not be based on Games only - even for young learners

*When choosing a Game, the teacher should be careful to find an appropriate one

for the class in terms of language and type of participation

*Once the Game has begun, the teacher should not interrupt to correct mistakes in

language use

*The teacher should not compel an individual to participate Some learners may

not want to participate due to personal reasons Forcing students to participate usually does not have successful results

*A Game which looks wonderful on the paper may not work in the actual

classroom setting If it is tiring or boring, it should be stopped

*Give clear instructions Unless the learners know what he is expected to do and

how to do it, the aim cannot be achieved, and the Game cannot be played

*When giving instructions to beginners, a few words in the mother tongue would

be the quickest way to make everything clear More English exposure is needed at

a later stage

*Games are best set up by demonstration rather than by lengthy explanation.

*When using Games, teachers should be good at controlling the class and careful

with chaos and noise

*It is very important not to play a game for too long

*Teacher should prepare the materials in sufficient quantities

*Teacher should "check" answers at the end of an activity

*Making sure everyone participates It is best to stop a game at its peak (5 – 7

minutes)

7.There are many advantages of using Games in the classroom:

*Games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the language class

* They are motivating and challenging.

* Learning a language requires a great deal of effort Games help students to

make and sustain the effort of learning

* Games provide language practice in the various skills- speaking, writing,

listening and reading

*They encourage students to interact and communicate.

*They create a meaningful context for language use.

8 How and when to apply new language Games to teaching some Grade 10 English lessons effectively

8.1-Using Games in Warm-up stage to check, revise vocabulary or grammatical structures or lead students to the new lessons :

Game: Number matching

-Aims: To check or revise vocabulary, grammar or structures which have pairs of words, or clauses….or lead students to the new lessons in Warm-up stage

-Time allowed: 5-7 minutes

-Material preparation: Teacher should prepare a table of words, phrases or clauses

in advance and stick it on the board

-Steps:

+Teacher divides the class into 2 teams: Team A and Team B and asks each team

to choose 5 or 6 couples

+Teacher asks couples in the 2 teams to come to the board and stand on 2 sides +Teacher numbers each member of 2 teams: Team A-1a,2b,3c,4d,5e,6f

Team B-1a,2b,3c,4d,5e,6f

+Teacher shows couples in the 2 teams the pairs of words, phrases or clauses +Teacher asks couples to find and match each other in each team The couple who have the perfect match will score one point for their team

+Teacher translates the meaning of the words, phrases or clauses each couple matched Then teacher corrects

+Teacher sums up: The team having more points will win the game

* For example: English 10 ( Basic curriculum) ( page 81)

Unit 7: The mass media - Lesson 5: Language focus ( Exercise 3)

-Aims: To lead students to the new lesson in pre-teaching Grammar stage: Uses of Phrases “Because of” and “ In spite of”

-Time allowed: 7 minutes

-Material preparation: I prepare a table of phrases and clauses (exercise 3) in advance and stick it on the board

-Steps:

+I divide the class into 2 teams: Team A and Team B and ask each team to choose

5 couples (for 5 sentences)

+I ask couples in the 2 teams to come to the board and stand on 2 sides

+I number each member of 2 teams: Team A: 1-a,2-b,3-c,4-d,5-e

Team B: 1-a,2-b,3-c,4-d,5-e

Students in Numbers Students in Letters

1 Because of the cold weather

In spite of the cold weather

2 Because of his illness

In spite of his illness

3 Because of the large crowds

In spite of the large crowds

4 Because of the meat shortage

In spite of the meat shortage

5 Because of the bad condition of the house

In spite of the bad condition of the house

a We could not see what was going on

b He had to cancel the appointment

c We kept the fire burning all day

d He managed to come to school

e There were enough seats for everyone

f We all wore shorts

g They enjoyed living there

h Everyone is living on beans

i The council demolished it

j We have managed to get some beef

+I show couples in the 2 teams the pairs of phrases and clauses:

+I ask couples to find and match each other in their own team

+The couple who have the perfect match will score one point for their team

+I translate the meaning of the words, phrases or clauses each couple matched +I correct the answers

+I sum up: The team having more points will win the game

 Students 1 go with c + f, 2 with b + d, 3 with a + e, 4 with h + j, 5 with i + g.

 After students understand the meanings of the sentences above, we can ask them to give the form and uses of the phrases “Because of” and “In spite of”.

* (Note: We can do the same in Exercise 1_Unit 1_Language focus, page 19, 20; in Exercise 3_Unit 2_Language focus, page 31)

8.2- Using Games in Post reading or listening stage to summarize the ideas.

Game: Paper planes of numbers

-Aims: To summarize the ideas of the text in Post reading or listening stage

-Time allowed: 7-9 minutes

-Material preparation: Teacher should ask students to prepare some papers and make planes of paper

-Steps: (After reading or listening)

+Teacher divides the class into 8 or 10 groups of 5 (depending on the number of students in the class)

+Teacher asks students to copy the numbers in the reading or listening to their paper planes and then draw the turns to fly (throw) the planes

+Teachers gives the instructions that the first group can fly (throw) their first plane to any other groups they like If the plane lands at any group, this group will open it to read the number in it This group will give a sentence in the reading or listening which includes this number If the group don’t answer or answer incorrectly, they will have no points and no chance to throw the plane to others If they answer correctly, they will have one point and fly the plane to others If the plane lands at no groups, it will be thrown again

+Teacher asks students to take turn to throw their planes until there’s no numbers left Then teacher corrects the answers

-Teacher sums up: The group having the most points will win the game

* For example: English 10 (Basic curriculum) ( page 142, 143)

Unit 14: The World Cup - Lesson 1: Reading (After you read)

-Aims: To summarize the ideas of the text in Post reading stage

-Time allowed: 9 minutes

-Material preparation: I ask students to prepare some papers and make planes of paper

-Steps: ( After reading)

+I divide the class into 6 groups of 7

+I ask students to copy the numbers (2002; 1904; 1930; 13; 17; 32) in the

Reading to their paper planes and then draw the turns to fly ( throw) the planes +I ask the first group to fly (throw) their first plane to any other groups they like

If the plane lands at any group, this group will open it to read the number in it This group will give a sentence in the Reading which includes this number

For example, they receive the plane with the number 2002, they must give the

sentence: “ the final game of the 2002 World Cup tournament attracted more than one billion viewers” ( line 4, 5 paragraph 1)

If the group don’t answer or answer incorrectly, they will have no points and no chance to throw the plane to others If they answer correctly, they will have one point and fly their own plane to others If the plane lands at no groups, it will be thrown again

+I ask students to take turn to throw their planes until there’s no numbers left +I correct the number students take out from the Reading

-I sum up: The group having more points will win the game

 Group’s answers:

2002: the final game of the 2002 World Cup tournament attracted more than one

billion viewers ( line 4, 5 paragraph 1)

1904: 1904, FIFA, the governing body for football, was set up( line 1- para 2)

1930: i t was not until 193 0 that the first World Cup was held ( line 2, 3, para 2)

13: Only 1 3 teams took part in the first tournament. ( line 3,4, para 2)

17: By 2002, the world had witnessed 1 7 World Cup tournaments (line 6 para2)

32: National football teams must now compete in elimination games within their own

regions before becoming one of the 3 2 finalists (line 7, 8, para 2)

After students finish playing the Game, it is they who summarize the Reading text without any boredom and reluctance

* ( Note: We can do the same in Unit 1_Reading, page 12, 13 ; Unit 3_Reading, page 32, 33; Unit 7_Reading, page 74, 75; Unit 1_Listening, page

16, 17 ; Unit 10_Listening, page 107, 108 ; Unit 14_Listening, page 147,148).

8.3- Using Games in Pre-writing stage to present the suggestions for ideas or structures.

Game: Sentence Arranging (like : Jumbled sentence game )

-Aims: To present the suggestions for ideas, grammar, structures…in Pre-writing stage

-Time allowed: 5 – 7 minutes

-Material preparation: Teacher should prepare some pieces of paper or some extra-boards in the large or small size depending on the content the teacher needs

to suggest for the writing lesson

-Steps:

+Teacher prepares some sentences he/she needs to suggest and writes down each jumped word on the pieces of the paper (or extra-boards)

+Teacher divides the class into 2 teams: Team A and Team B

+Teacher calls students in each team to come to the board (the number of students

the teacher calls depends on the sentences the teacher prepared: Example, there

are 5 jumped sentences, teacher calls 5 students in each team)

+Teacher jumps the words in each sentence And then gives each student one jumped sentence

+Within limited time (for example, 30 seconds) , these students finish putting the correct orders of the words in each sentence so that these sentences are perfect +The team having the fast and correct sentences will have 2 points

+Teacher corrects and sums up: The team having more points will win the game