APPLYNG SOME GAMES TO MOTIVATE THE 11TH FORM STUDENTS IN SPEAKING LESSONS AT LE LOI HIGH SCHOOL

THANH HOA EDUCATION & TRAINING DEPARTMENTLE LOI HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE INITIATIVES STUDENTS IN SPEAKING LESSONS AT LE LOI HIGH SCHOOL Teacher’s full name: Trịnh Thị Hoan Job title : Te

THANH HOA EDUCATION & TRAINING DEPARTMENT

LE LOI HIGH SCHOOL

EXPERIENCE INITIATIVES

STUDENTS IN SPEAKING LESSONS AT LE LOI HIGH

SCHOOL

Teacher’s full name: Trịnh Thị Hoan

Job title : Teacher

The field of the experience initiative: Foreign language

THANH HOA, YEAR 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……… 3

A INTRODUCTION ……… 4

I Reason for choosing the study ……… 4

1 Basis of theory ……… 4

2 Basis of practice ……… ……… 5

2.1 For teachers ……… 5

2.2 For students ……… 5

II Objectives of the study ……… 5

III Scope of the study ……… 5

IV Methods of the research ……… 5

V The new features in the experience initiatives……… 6

B CONTENTS AND RESULTS ……… 6

I Contents ……… 6

1 About games ……… 6

2 Why use games in class ? ……… 6

3 When to use games? ……… 7

4 How to choose games? ……… 7

5 Important things to consider when using games in the classroom …… 7

6 Suggested games to teach speaking in the new textbook for grade 12 8

II Results ……… 21

C RECOMMENDATIONS ……… 22

D CONCLUSIONS ………. 22

E REFERENCES……… 23

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

Second, I am indebted to all the colleagues at Le Loi high school forproviding me a lot of useful advice and ideas which are the most needed for thisresearch

I also offer my regards and blessings to all of my family members who havesupported me during the completion of the research

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

Because of its importance, recent years, English has been taught in almostschools in Vietnam.  Since 2006 new English textbooks for students at grade 10,

11, 12 have been officially used in Vietnam. Speaking skill is one of the fourlanguage skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) which the new Englishtextbooks require students to master. According to Ur (1996, 120), of all the four

skills, speaking seems intuitively the most importan [8] “In practice, however,

many learners feel frustrated as they find that speaking in a foreign language is acomplex matter It is because speaking involves many factors The ability to speakfluently presupposes not only knowledge of language features, but also the ability

to process information and language “on the spot” (Harmer, 2001)”[1] In learningspeaking skill, the students often find some problems The common problem is thattheir native language causes them difficult to use the foreign language Otherreason is because of motivation lack to practice the second language in dailyconversation They are also too shy and afraid to take part in the conversation

Many techniques including games can be applied because this technique iseffective to use in teaching speaking. “Games, which are task-based and have apurpose beyond the production of correct speech, serve as excellent communicativeactivities (Saricoban & Metin 2000) Games offer students a fun-filled and relaxinglearning atmosphere After learning and practicing new vocabulary, students havethe opportunity to use language in a non-stressful way (Uberman 1998) Whileplaying games, the learners' attention is on the message, not on the language.Rather than pay attention to the correctness of linguistic forms, most participantswill do all they can to win In a game-oriented context, anxiety is reduced andspeech fluency is generated, thus communicative competence is achieved”.[3]

With many years of experience in teaching English at high school, I haverealized that motivation is one of the key factors that determine students’ success orfailure in language learning For teaching and learning speaking skill, the greatimpact of motivation is not an exception It is undeniable that if the students aremotivated, especially from the warm- up stage, their speaking will be completedmore successfully and their difficulties in speaking will no longer exist

All the above-mentioned reasons have inspired me to choose the theme

“APPLYNG SOME GAMES TO MOTIVATE THE 11TH FORM STUDENTS INSPEAKING LESSONS AT LE LOI HIGH SCHOOL”

2 Basis of practice

2.1 For teachers 

Motivation is essential to success in most fields of learning The importance ofmotivation in speaking has been drawing attention of many researchers andeducators Learners often complain that they cannot think of anything to say andthey have no motivation to express themselves Rivers (1968) believes that thelearners have nothing to express maybe because the teacher had chosen a topicwhich is not suitable for him or about which he knows very little.[ 6]

Many teachers haven’t given students any chances to practice vocabulary,grammar , if there, they just check one or two students before the lessonmechanically, which makes students bored and passive On the other hand, whenteaching, teachers haven’t made full use of the students’ activities and creativeness

so the lessons are usually boring

In conclusion, from about discussion it can be learnt that among the factors affecting student’s motivation, teacher’ teaching method, especially the games used in their teaching, should be put into consideration. 

2 2 For students

Since education reform, students have loved learning English but mainlyadvanced students And weak students who understand the lesson slowly learnpassively They wait for the teacher’s or other students’ answers Many of themhave no opportunities or they don’t dare to practice speaking English in class Theyare afraid they speak incorrectly Many can not speak, even they ignore payingattention to the lessons or taking any notes or doing any homework In fact, we cansee these students have no love for English…Therefore, the teaching qualities ofEnglish do not live up to our expectations

II Objectives of the study

The objectives of this research is to simplify the tasks and to present someabilities of using games for some grade 11 English speaking lessons in Englishtextbook 11 to have effective lectures and develop student’s speaking skill

III Scope of the study

This study mainly focuses on the effects of using games to increase motivation in speaking periods in the textbook for the 11th form students at Le Loihigh school during the school year 2016- 2017

IV Methods of the research

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

- Using references to improve

- Pictures and other materials

- Discussing with other teachers,

- Observing and drawing out experiences

V The new features in the experience initiatives.

My research is basically based on the last one completed last year However, there are some innovations:

- Various games or activities were designed at suitable level with the 11th grade students’ English proficency Therefore, they are easier for students to conduct

- In this theme, I apply more pictures, which create students a lot of good

opportunities for brainstorming, memorizing and imagining It’s lively and funny pictures that delight and motivate students in English speaking lessons They are used as precious teaching materials for teachers as well

B CONTENTS AND RESULTS

I Contents

1 About games

"A game is an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun There aretwo kinds of games: Competitive games, in which players or teams race to be thefirst to reach the goal, and co- operative games, in which players or teams worktogether towards a common goal The emphasis in the games is on successfulcommunication rather than on correctness of language." (Toth, 1995) [5]

“Games can be used at any stage of the lesson once the target language hasbeen introduced and explained They serve both as a memory aid and repetitiondrill, and as a chance to use language freely They can also serve as a diagnostictool for the teacher, who can note areas of difficulty and take appropriate remedialaction.” [4]

2 Why use games in class ?

“Games are used as methods or techniques to involve students in learning.Well-chosen and designed games are invaluable as they give students a break and

at the same time allow learners to practise language skills The benefits of gamesrange from cognitive aspect of language learning to more co-operative groupdynamics and as a result games are highly motivating since they are amusing and atthe same time challenging Ersoz (2000) states that games can be used to givepractice in all language skills and they can be used to practice many types ofcommunication

Huyen (2003) identifies the advantages of using games to learn vocabulary

in the classroom: a) Games add relaxation and fun, so the learners retain wordsmore easily b)  Games involve friendly competition, so it keeps learners interestedand motivated c) Vocabulary games bring real world context to the classroom Mei(2000) emphasizes similar points by saying that it encourages active learning, aswell as collaboration and interactivity Interactive learning techniques also hold

memory, performance and social benefits Kim (1995) states more generaladvantages of using games in the classroom and they include:

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

2 They are motivating and challenging

3 Learning a language requires a great deal of effort Games help students

to make and sustain the effort of learning

4 Games provide language practice in the various skills- speaking, writing,listening and reading

5 They encourage students to interact and communicate

6 They create a meaningful context for language use.”[2]

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 As Lee observes, a game “ should not be regarded as amarginal activity filling in odd moments when the teacher and class have nothingbetter to do(1979:3) Games ought to be at the heart of teaching foreign languages.Rixon suggests that games be used at all stages of the lesson, provided that they aresuitable 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 gamesresulted only in noise and entertained students, they are still worth paying attention

to and implementing in the classroom since they motivate learners, promotecommunicative competence, and generate fluency.” [7]

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.” [2]

5 Important things to consider when using games in the classroom.

- “Choose suitable games (depending on the number of students, proficiency level,cultural context, timing, learning topic, and the classroom settings)

- The way students perceive a game depends on the actual design andimplementation of the game

- Give clear instructions, give clear rules and give clear time limits.

- Rather demonstrate than explain

- There must be a clear purpose and achievable goals

- Clear objectives and goals must match the difficulty level of the game and abilitylevel of the students

- Ensure that shy or quiet students are not alienated and have an opportunity to takepart.

- Debriefing, or the evaluation of results/ events in the game, is crucial to thegame’s success

- It must still be fun, but still help the students to learn.” [2]

6 Suggested games to teach speaking in the new textbook for grade 11.

Within the scope of this study, I do not have the attempt to cover all thespeaking lessons in the new textbook for the 11th form I just only suggest heresome typical speaking games which can be used in the process of teaching speakingskill with a view to help teachers of English at this level to apply them in theirspeaking classes I hope that through these games, students can understand thelesson better as well as finish the tasks with more effective results

Unit 1 Friendship - B Speaking (page 15, 16, 17)

Game 1: CATEGORISING

▪ Aims: To arrange words in the same topic

▪ Time allowed: 5 minutes

▪ Material preparation: 24 word cards with different adjectives of physicalcharacteristics and personalities, 2 large papers, glue

▪ Organization: group works

▪ Steps:

1 I divide the class into 2 teams: Team A and team B

2 I hang 2 large papers with 2 columns: physical characteristics and personalities

on the blackboard.Then I deliver word cards

3 I ask students to stick word cards into the appropriate column as quickly aspossible One word can be put in 2 columns

4 I sum up: The group finishing the task in the shortest time and having morecorrect word cards will win the game

Answer key:

curly dark fair (short)

charming attractive good-looking

helpful easy-going optimistic honest reliable generous kind

Game 2 : WHAT’S HE/SHE LIKE?

▪ Aims: To choose the suitable adjectives in task 2 (page 16 ) to describe a person

▪ Time allowed: 5 minutes

▪ Material preparation: 9 sentences describing someone’s personalities.

▪ Organization: The whole class

▪ Steps:

1 I ask students to discuss the meaning of the words in task 2 at page 16

2 I read 9 sentences aloud and ask students to choose a word that is suitable withthat personality I let students write 9 words into their notebooks

3 After reading twice, I ask some students to write their answers on theblackboard

4 I comment and give answers

Teacher’s speaking

9 sentences describing the personalities Student’Answers

2 Tom is willing to give money to his friend 2 generous

4 Linda is so aware of what other people thinks or feels 4 caring

5 Paul doesn’t talk much about his own success 5 modest

6 Jim always tells the truth and never cheats 6 honest

7 Susan shows sympathy for other people’s problems 7 understanding

8 Daisy likes to welcome guests and is friendly to visitors 8 hospitable

9 David only says what he thinks or feels 9 sincere

Unit 2 Personal Experiences – B Speaking ( page 25, 26 )

Game 1: Find someone who……

▪ Aims: To practise ‘present perfect’ and ‘past simple’ in communicative way

▪ Time allowed: 5 minutes

▪ Material preparation: handouts

▪ Organization: The whole class

▪ Steps:

1 I distribute the handouts to the class

2 Students go around the class interviewing as many students as possible about

their experiences If someone answers “Yes” to the questions, they write the name

of that person on the sheet

3 I ask students to try to get many “Yes” answers as possible.

4 I require students to use ‘present perfect’ and ‘past simple’ when conducting the interviews

5 After the students’ interviews, I ask the students the questions in this format “ Who has ever seen a lion?” The students look at their sheets and if someone said

“Yes”, they should say, for example: “ An has seen a lion” If no one in the class has , then the answer is “ No one has ever seen a lion”

6 As a follow up and in order to get more dialogue going, I get the class to ask An

follow up questions, for example: “ Where did you see a lion?”, Can you tell us how you feel?, “Were you scared?”.

Handouts

Find someone who…

“ Have you ever…? Yes ( Write names) No

see a lion (not on TV)

be to Africa

witness an armed robbery

date someone on the internet

see a football match ( not on TV)

eat pizza

drive a truck

look after a very old person

write a love letter

Unit 3: A party – B Speaking (page 35, 36 )

Game: BRAINSTORMING

▪ Aims: To revise the vocabulary on the topic party

▪ Time allowed: 5- 10 minutes

▪ Material preparation: No

▪ Organization: group works

▪ Steps:

1 I divide the class into 7 groups

2 I write the key words relating to the topic party on the blackboard Each group is given a key word: occasion, place, food, drink, game, music, gift.

3 I ask groups to find as many words as possible for each key word

4 After 3 minutes, I invite a representative of each group to write the words on theblackboard

5 I check the answer This group can add the words to other groups

New Year Christmas

Occassion

chicken beefsteak Fanta

sandwiches bread curry mineral water milk fruit juice

draw dancing contest jewerlry doll souvernir

Unit 4: Volunteer work – B Speaking (page 49, 50 )

Game : DESCRIBE THE PICTURES

▪ Aims: To warm up and to lead the new lesson

▪ Time allowed: 7 minutes

▪ Material preparation: some sets of 9 pictures about different kinds of activitiesrelated to volunteer work

▪ Organization: group works

Music

3 After 3 minutes, I invite some groups to present their discussion in front of theclass.

4 Which group finishes first and has the most correct and meaningful sentenceswill be the winner

1 The student is teaching the poor children.

2 The students are taking part in directing the traffic.

3 The medical students are examining the old people.

4 The students are repairing the old houses.

5 The students are taking part in a Blood Donation activity.

6 The student is helping a woman to cross the road.

7 The students are building the road.

8 The students are helping the examinees during the University entrance exam period.

9 The students are playing games with the disadvantaged children.

Unit 6 Competitions – B Speaking (page 69, 70 )

Game: - ING CATALOGUES

▪ Aims: To warm up the lesson and to present illustrative activities of

Competitions.

▪ Time allowed: 5 minutes

▪ Material preparation: large papers, black markers, glue

▪ Organization: group works

▪ Steps:

1 I divide the class into 4 groups