Grammar Games Unit 10

DIY Word OrderGRAMMAR: Word Order

Before class

Prepare 6-12 sentences with grammar structures you want students to review. Write each word (including punctuation) on a separate piece of paper.In class

Using a game of your design, students should re-construct the sentences. You could, for example, arrange the class into 6 ‘stations’ (with 1 or 2 sentences per station) and ask students in pairs to write the sentences in their notebooks. Add time limits, bonus points etc. Note that this is not just a writing game! Use as much classroom Englisg as you can to give instructions and guide students!

Variations1. Add an extra word to the sentence.

2. Omit one word in the sentence but leave a blank piece of paper.

3. Include a spelling or grammar mistake.

Grammar Games Unit 10

RoundersBelow is one example. Instead of adverbs, choose language suitable for elementary school students!Sit in groups of 3-5. Give each group an object (such as a colored cup). The first person names an adverb. The person to his/her right spells the adverb. The person to his/her right must use the adverb in a sentence. The group decides if the spelling and sentence is correct. If it isn't, that person is out of the game. The last student in the game is the winner, ex.)1st - Fluently! 2nd – s-p-e-a-k-i-n-g. 3rd - He speaks fluently. 4th (or 1st again) - Greedily!

Variations1. Re-arrange as a whole class game2. Involve movement

Compare your answers with another pair.Look at this dialogue. (Model the emphatic stress and ask the students to repeat it.)

A - This bedroom is rather small, isn’t it? B - Small? It's absolutely tiny!

In pairs, write similar short dialogues with the words from the matching activity. (Invite pairs to read out some of their dialogues.)

SubstitutionsTake turns to repeat this sentence, but substitute one word with the word I say, ex.) It was very expensive. (I say 'good'.) A - It was very good. (Write 'life'.) B - Life was very good. Go round the class substituting words from the previous (not the first) sentence. Once students understand what to do, have them do this in groups of 3 or 4. If this is too challenging, students may say one word in the sentence which they want to be substituted, ex.) A - It was very expensive. B – ‘expensive’.

1 I drove to the pub with him. (park, them, walked, her, shop, went, we, for, food)

2 This morning I washed the dishes, (he, car, afternoon, drove, she, her, car, crashed, my)

3 Last week I played football with Val. (we, Sunday, them, basketball, against, cricket, year, with)

4 I met my wife in 1980. (husband, 1997, friend, visited, we, September, they, arrested)

5 I didn’t feel very well, (play, we, long, couldn’t, much, see, they, clearly, think)

6 We had roast chicken for dinner, (boiled, potatoes, cold, breakfast, ate, they, mashed, made, us)

Grammar Games Unit 10

I Challenge!Grammar: Word endings & suffixes (ex.) –s -ed -ing -er

In class

The aim of the game is to avoid completing a word yourself and to force someone else into completing it later. 1

1. Ask a student to call out a letter. It should be the first letter of a word she can visualize. Write the letter on the board.

2. Ask the student next to her to call out a letter. Write it immediately after the first one. Continue with the next student in line and so on.

3. The student whose turn it is can call out ‘I challenge’ instead of a letter.A challenge can be because no possible addition of a letter / letters will make an English word. If the student who provided the last letter can suggest a word, the challenge is defeated. The round is over.The other reason for a challenge is that the letters on the board already make a word. This challenge can be defeated if the student who is being challenged can make a longer word which they say aloud. The round is over. Start a new sequence.

ExampleChallenge 1: The first four students produce ‘gree’. The next student challenges but can be defeated by student 4 suggesting ‘greed’.Challenge 2: The first five students produce ‘red’. The next student can challenge because this is a complete word. Student 5 can defeat the challenge by saying ‘reddish’, ‘redder’ etc.

Remember to focus students on your grammar point (Word endings & suffixes) in preparation for the game. Use this basic idea above but add your own rules & methods.ll, Don’t use your instructor as the grammar umpire! Use the internet, a dictionary, or better students to decide on good/bad grammar.

Tic-Tac-Toe(Draw a noughts and crosses grid (#) on the board with these words.) Orgamize the class into teams. Play noughts and crosses. Give teams turns to choose a square. To win it, they have to make a correct sentence with the word in the square.There are 2 examples below, but you should choose grammar suitable for elementary school students.

Grammar Games Unit 10

how much, a lot, plenty, some, not many, a little, a few, too much, any

Example 1: Example 2:

weight funny comfortable

expect Swiss say

borrow boring lately …no behind can’t wait

…she’s such mind quiz promise work out