USING SONGS, GAMES AND COMMUNICATIVE TASKS IN GRAMMAR LESSONS

SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM USING SONGS, GAMES AND COMMUNICATIVE TASKS IN GRAMMAR LESSONS ____________ Người thực hiện: NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG ANH Lĩnh vực nghiên cứu: PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐỒNG NAIĐơn vị: Trường THPT Thống Nhất A

Mã số:

SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM

USING SONGS, GAMES AND COMMUNICATIVE TASKS IN GRAMMAR

LESSONS



Người thực hiện: NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG ANH

Lĩnh vực nghiên cứu: PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN

Có đính kèm: 1 đĩa CD

Năm học: 2011 – 2012

SƠ LƯỢC LÝ LỊCH KHOA HỌC _

1 Họ và tên: NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG ANH

2 Ngày tháng năm sinh: 20/ 02 / 1976

7 Đơn vị công tác: Trường THPT Thống Nhất A

II TRÌNH ĐỘ ĐÀO TẠO

1 Trình độ chuyên môn: cử nhân ngoại ngữ

2 Năm nhận bằng: 2000

3 Chuyên ngành đào tạo: Anh văn

III KINH NGHIỆM KHOA HỌC

1 Lĩnh vực chuyên môn có kinh nghiệm: Giảng dạy

2 Số năm có kinh nghiệm: 12 năm

BM03-TMSKKNTên sáng kiến kinh nghiệm:

USING SONGS, GAMES AND COMMUNICATIVE TASKS IN GRAMMAR

LESSONS

I THE REASONS FOR THE TOPIC BEING CHOSEN

English is a structure based language which has sets of grammar rules To be successful in examinations as well as communication, learners should master those structures and grammar rules

Students are supposed to acquire structures and grammar rules in language focuslessons with a considerate amount of time However, students often find language focus lessons boring, dry and stressful They also find it daunting to remember so many rules Why don’t we try teaching structures and grammar rules in more

interesting ways and in context Only by doing so can students find it easier to

remember English grammar rules and be able to use the grammatical points they have learnt to do the tests as well as to express their thoughts, opinions and feelings

Senior high school students are asked to do most of the revision in grammar

lessons They already studied these grammatical points in junior high school

2 Difficulties

High school students are not as motivated as learners in language centres Learners

in those centres study English partly because they love it and because they have a cleartarget to study it Therefore, they try their best in learning Meanwhile, high school students learn English simply because it is a subject at school

Most of my students do not like English 9 out of 10 classes in my school major in natural science subjects They don’t like social science subjects English is not their favourite

Teenagers like something funny However, some teachers think that students must

be serious in studying grammar Therefore, they like to conduct structure based, formalrather than structure-discourse match activities in grammar teaching

English language has so many grammar rules to remember And the speaker must stick on these grammar rules to produce good English This is so challenging

3 Statistics

Grade Number of

students

Mark 5 and over Under mark 5

of it for a long time The same goes for the studying of students When they find

something interesting, their learning becomes more enjoyable and their motivation increases If they “enjoy” their lesson, they will learn it the easy way and they will remember what they have learnt for ages

Let’s have a look at the national curriculum High school students are required to dothe revision in most of the language focus lessons, which is a favorable condition to exploit songs, games and communicative tasks.

In order to make a grammar lesson effective, beneficial, and interesting a teacher should use some well-developed and fascinating techniques in the classroom We can employ the use of songs, games, and communicative tasks to make grammar lessons interesting, memorable, motivating and meaningful

There are many advantages of using songs in the classroom Through using popular songs, which are already familiar to teenagers, the teacher can meet the challenges of the teenage needs in the classroom Since the meaning is an important device in

teaching grammar, it is important to contextualize any grammar points Songs are one

of the most enchanting and culturally rich resources that can easily be used in languageclassrooms Songs offer a change from routine classroom activities As stated by Lo and Fai Li (1998:8), learning English through songs also provides a non-threatening atmosphere for students, who usually are tense when learning English in a formal classroom setting Since they provide authentic texts, they are motivating

In consequence, if selected properly and adopted carefully, a teacher should benefit from songs in all phases of teaching grammar Songs may be used for the presentation

or the practice phase of the grammar lesson, to review or introduce grammar points.Songs can be used with several techniques Some examples of these techniques are:

• Gap fills or cloze texts

• Focus questions

• True-false statements

• Put these lines into the correct sequence

• Dictation

• Add a final verse

• Circle the antonyms/synonyms of the given words

Working with grammar can be frustrating for students and teachers Concepts of grammar, such as tenses, sentence structure, types of sentences and word composition can be difficult for students to understand Playing grammar games in the classroom provides valuable practice while keeping the atmosphere fun and engaging While playing games, the learners’ attention is on the message, not on the language In a way, students acquire language unconsciously since their whole attention is engaged by the activity The use of games is a more effective way to teach grammar than structured formal lessons According to Arif Saricoban and Esen Metin, they help students learn how to apply the knowledge they've learned Grammar games increase motivation and excitement, cooperation and competition in the classroom

The latest concern of the foreign language teachers is to make the students use the language communicatively Games and problem-solving activities, which are task-based and have a purpose beyond the production of correct speech, are the examples ofthe most preferable communicative activities Such activities highlight not only the competence but also the performance of the learner They are the indispensable parts of

a grammar lesson, since they reinforce a form-discourse match In such activities the attention is on the discourse context

In short, the use of songs, games and communicative tasks in language classrooms provides many advantages They entertain and relax the learners while they are

learning or practicing a structure, and they often eliminate the students’ negative

attitude towards learning Through providing authenticity and context they make the grammar points more understandable and easy As language teachers, we can benefit from using songs, games and communicative tasks since our concern is to motivate thestudents and draw their utmost attention on the subject during teaching

Syllabus overview

1 - The present simple - Infinitive with to Tense revision

- The past simple

2 - Wh- questions

- Gerund and to infinitive

- Present simple indicating past time

- Tense revision: past simple, past

progressive and past perfect

Tense revision

3 - The past perfect

- The past perfect vs the

past simple

- Infinitive and gerund

- Passive infinitive and gerund

5 - The present perfect

- The present perfect

passive

- Who, which, that

(omitted) Conditional sentences

6 - The present progressive

with a future meaning

- Be going to

- Reported speech with gerund

Relative clauses

7 - The present perfect

- Because of and in spite

of

- Conditional types 1 and 2

- Conditional type 3

- Conditional in reported speech

Prepositions and articles

- Conditional sentence

type 2

clauses (revision)

- Non-defining relative clauses (revision)

10 - The passive voice Relative pronouns with

Modals in the passive voice

12 - To infinitive to talk

about purposes

- Wh-questions

- Relative clauses (revision)

- Omission of relative pronouns

Transitive and intransitive verbs

13 - Attitudinal adjectives

- It is/was not until…

that

- A/an and the

- Cleft sentences - Comparative + and +

- Will: making offers

- People say that…

Adverbial clause of time

3 Illustrations

3.1 Tenses

a Exploiting songs

- Past tense:

Teacher can jumble the verses and ask student to rearrange them after listening to the song After that teacher can ask students to underline all the verbs in simple past tense and state the uses of the simple past This exercise can be done in presentation stage.

"Yesterday" by The Beatles

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far awayNow it looks as though they're here to stayWhy she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say

Oh, I believe in yesterdaySuddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be

Oh, I believe in yesterdayThere's a shadow hanging over me

I said something wrong, now I long for yesterdayYesterday, love was such an easy game to play

Now I need a place to hide away

Oh, I yesterday came suddenlyWhy she had to go I don't know she wouldn't sayYesterday, love was such an easy game to play

I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday

Now I need a place to hide away

Oh, I believe in yesterday

Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm

The correct answer:

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far awayNow it looks as though they're here to stay

Oh, I believe in yesterdaySuddenly, I'm not half the man I used to beThere's a shadow hanging over me

Oh, I yesterday came suddenly

Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say

I said something wrong, now I long for yesterdayYesterday, love was such an easy game to play

Now I need a place to hide away

Oh, I believe in yesterdayWhy she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say

I said something wrong, now I long for yesterdayYesterday, love was such an easy game to play

Now I need a place to hide away

Oh, I believe in yesterday

Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm

Another song that can be used for past simple is “Hotel California” by Eagles Teacher can leave out some verbs and asks students to fill in the gaps This exercise should be done in practice stage

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hairWarm smell of colitas, rising up through the air

Up ahead in the distance, I (1) a shimmering light

My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim

I had to stop for the nightThere she (2) in the doorway;

I heard the mission bellAnd I was thinking to myself,

’this could be heaven or this could be hell’

Then she (3) up a candle and she showed me the way

There were voices down the corridor,

I thought I (4) _ them say

Welcome to the hotel California

Such a lovely placeSuch a lovely facePlenty of room at the hotel CaliforniaAny time of year, you can find it hereHer mind is tiffany-twisted, she (5) _ the Mercedes bends

She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends

How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat

Some dance to remember, some dance to forget

So I (6) _ up the captain,

’please bring me my wine’

He (7) _, ’we haven’t had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine’

And still those voices are calling from far away,

Wake you up in the middle of the night

Just to hear them say

Welcome to the hotel California

Such a lovely placeSuch a lovely faceThey livin’ it up at the hotel CaliforniaWhat a nice surprise, bring your alibis

Mirrors on the ceiling,The pink champagne on iceAnd she (8) _ ’we are all just prisoners here, of our own device’

And in the master’s chambers,They (9) _ for the feastThe stab it with their steely knives,But they just can’t kill the beastLast thing I remember, I was

Running for the door

I had to find the passage back

To the place I (10) _ before

’relax,’ said the night man,

We are programmed to receive

You can checkout any time you like,But you can never leave!

Answers: 1 saw 2 stood 3 lit 4 heard 5 got

6 called 7 said 8 said 9 gathered 10 was

- Present continuous

Teacher can use the song “Lemon tree” by Fool’s Garden for Present continuous Teacher takes out some lines and ask students listen and put them in the correct places Eg:

a I'm wasting my time

b I'm sitting here

c I'm driving around in my car

d I'm steppin' around in the desert of joy

e I'm waiting for you

I'm sitting here in the boring roomIt's just another rainy Sunday afternoon(1) _

I got nothing to doI'm hanging aroundI'm waiting for youBut nothing ever happens and I wonder

(2)

I'm driving too fastI'm driving too farI'd like to change my point of view

I feel so lonely(3)

But nothing ever happens and I wonder

I wonder how

I wonder whyYesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue sky

And all that I can see is just a yellow lemon-tree

I'm turning my head up and down

I'm turning turning turning turning turning around

And all that I can see is just another lemon-tree

Isolation is not good for meIsolation I don't want to sit on the lemon-tree

(5) _

Baby anyhow I'll get another toy

And everything will happen and you wonder

I wonder how

I wonder why

Yesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue skyAnd all that I can see is just another lemon-tree

I'm turning my head up and downI'm turning turning turning turning turning aroundAnd all that I can see is just a yellow lemon-tree

And I wonder, wonder

I wonder how

I wonder whyYesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue skyAnd all that I can see, and all that I can see, and all that I can see

Is just a yellow lemon-tree

Answer:

1 I'm wasting my time

2 I'm driving around in my car

3 I'm waiting for you

4 I'm sitting here

5 I'm steppin' around in the desert of joy

E.g Threading a needle and sewing on a button

Washing dishes, and perhaps breaking one

Bowling

Reading a newspaper while eating breakfast

Combing your hair

E.g Feed the lion

E.g.: A: The sun rises in the west

B: No it’s not true It rises in the east

3.2 Conditionals

a With songs

Teacher can ask students to listen and do the gap filling then elicit the verb tense used

in if clause and main clause, the usage of this type of conditional

- Type 2:

Because I Love You by Shakin Stevens

If I …(1)… down on my knees and I pleaded with you

If I …(2)… a million oceans just to be with you

Would you ever let me down?

If I …(3)… the highest mountain just to hold you tight

If I …(4)… that I would love you every single night

Would you ever let me down?

Well I'm sorry if it sounds kinda sad, it's just thatWorried, so worried that you let me down

* Chorus: Because I love you, love youLove you, so don't let me down

If I swam the longest river just to call your name

If I said the way I feel for you would never change

Would you ever …(5)… aroundWell I'm sorry if it sounds kinda bad, just thatWorried, cuz' I'm so worried that you let me down

* Chorus

Teacher can also exploit the song “NOTHING'S GONNA CHANGE MY LOVE FOR YOU” by Air Supply for conditional sentences by asking them to underline once the conditional type 1 and underline twice the conditional type 2

If I had to live my life without you near me

The days would all be emptyThe nights would seem so longWith you I see forever oh so clearly

I might have been in love beforeBut it never felt this strongOur dreams are young and we both knowThey'll take us where we want to go

Hold me nowTouch me now