Grammar games as a method of teaching English

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Министерство образования и науки Кыргызской Республики

Министерство образования и науки Российской Федерации

Государственное образовательное учреждение высшего профессионального образования

Кыргызско-Российский Славянский университет

Гуманитарный факультет

Кафедра теории и практики английского языка и межкультурной коммуникации

Выпускная квалификационная работа

На тему: Grammar games as a method of teaching English

Выполнила студентка группы ГЛП-1-13 Касымова Айназик

Руководитель ст. пр. кафедры теории и практики английского языка и МК

Погребенная Людмила Иванована Работа к защите допущенa

Заведующий кафедрой к.ф.н., доцент Шубина Ольга Юрьевна

Бишкек 2017

Content

Introduction

Chapter 1. Theoretical foundations of using grammar games in the EFL English as a foreign language) classroom

1.1 Grammar games as a means of teaching for English

1.2 History of grammar teaching

1.3 Advantages and disadvantages of teaching grammar by using games

1.4 Principles of using grammar games

Conclusion to chapter 1

Chapter 2. Grammar games in the classroom

2.1 Types of grammar games

2.2 Principles of selecting grammar games

2.3 Analysis of the lesson plans developed within the current research

Conclusion to the chapter 2

Conclusion

Bibliography

Appendix

Introduction

Learning foreign languages consists of a number of aspects. One of these aspects is grammar. Grammar plays a great role in teaching of English; it is a carcass. The distinction of grammatical forms in a written and oral speech and the correct formalization of statements occur through the formation of grammatical skills.

The well-known scientists like Passov E.I., Bim I.L., and Baker J. worked with problems of teaching grammar. In many schools grammar is taught through memorizing structures and doing exercises of the same type. All this does not lead to the formation of productive grammar skills. One of the easiest and productive ways of developing grammar skills are grammar games. Games have a great educational value and it can be used in the classroom to make learners use the language instead of ordinary thinking about learning the correct forms. Games encourage learners to interact, cooperate, to be creative and spontaneous in using the language into meaningful way. Games are used as methods or techniques to involve students into the learning process. Well-chosen and designed games are invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time allow learners to practice language skills.

Games are effective tools for learning because they offer students a hypothetical environment in which they can explore alternative decisions without risk of failure.

Games also reinforce learning through many of Gardner's multiple intelligences. Since an individual receive and process information in very different ways, it is important that teachers utilize different strategies and styles. Games often incorporate logical reasoning, communication, kinesthetic, visual stimulation and spatial relations. Games include analysis and interpretation of new and old material which makes learning concrete.

Studies show that rote memorization is not necessarily the way to go when it comes to learning grammar. Every day, the EFL teaching community comes closer to the realization that there are more effective and fun ways to teach grammar. One of these methods is games. Games and fun activities are a vital part of teaching English as a foreign language. Whether you are teaching adults or children, games will live up your lessons and ensure that students will leave the classroom with a great wish to learn. Grammar learning has always been viewed as crucial to language learning but nowadays, it is often perceived as a tedious and laborious process. If teachers find ways to fully engage students in the learning process, grammar learning can become more enjoyable, interactive and motivational.

The relevance of this work is grammar game and grammar one of the most difficult skills to develop. Mastering of grammar gives a lot of difficulties, which are enhanced by the terms and grammar rules, and an endless amount of exceptions. Terms make the learning difficult. Students need a lot of practice. One of the ways to make practice effective is using games. However in Kyrgyzstan teachers are not familiar how to use grammar games effectively. Therefore it is necessary to research this theme and this research is relevant.

The aim is to identify principles and techniques for using grammar games to teach English. To achieve this aim, the following objectives have to be completed:

1. To define grammar games;

2. To describe advantages and disadvantages of using games to practice grammar;

3. To identify the principles of selecting grammar games;

4. To identify the principles of using games;

5. To describe common types of grammar games.

The object of this research work is grammar games as a means of teaching English grammar.

So, the subject of the research work is principles and techniques for practicing grammar through games.

The theoretical value of this work is that the study shows the effectiveness of the use of such grammar games as didactic games and role-play games for teaching English grammar.

The practical value of this work is that all the collected material can be used in the time of student-teaching practicum.

Scientific novelty of the work is due to the fact that the material of the textbooks for the junior classes of the secondary school is analyzed in order to identify effective grammatical games used for the development of grammatical skills.

Approbation of research results on the topic « Grammar games as a method of teaching English» on final qualification work. Speech in the form of a scientific report with the results of research at the scientific student conference of the Department of Theory and Practice of the English Language and Intercultural Communication (Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University) in May 2017, Bishkek.

The diploma paper consists of 75 printed pages and contains an introduction, two chapters, a conclusion, a bibliography, and an appendix.

In the introduction the general characteristics of the course paper, the aim, the subject and the object of the research and objectives are given.

The first chapter is theoretical; it is devoted to grammar games as the method of teaching English.

The second chapter is practical in its nature. It deals with the analyses of the developed integrated lessons which illustrate techniques from the first chapter and are enclosed in the Appendix. It contains the analysis of the 5 lesson plans which were specifically developed for the current research.

The conclusion summarizes the main points of the paper and sees whether the aim and the objectives of the research have been achieved. The bibliography consists of 45 sources which were used while doing the current research. The appendix contains four developed lesson plans based aimed at presenting and practicing grammatical structures through games to elementary level EFL students. All the lesson plans are accompanied by all the necessary handouts.



Chapter 1. Theoretical foundations of using grammar games in the EFL English as a foreign language) classroom

1.1 Grammar games as a means of teaching for English

Teaching and learning of a foreign language like English is not an easy task. The situation becomes more difficult when the learners are primary school children and the focus of teaching and learning is grammar. An activity is often regarded as `boring, `uninteresting' and `'tedious'. Therefore, systematic attempts to teach grammatical rules and structures are made by the language teachers from the beginning of language teaching and learning process. However, the success or failure in learning, mastering and using the grammatical rules and structures is largely determined by the technique and approaches used by grammar teachers. The learner-centered, interesting, motivating technique of grammar teaching is believed to generate positive results whereas traditional, teacher-centered, uninteresting, uninvolving method is believed to be a cause of failure for learners to learn and master grammar rules and structures .Therefore, the grammar teaching technique, which involves language learners to learn in amusing and creative way that motivates, challenges and stimulates his/her mental processes, and reduce classroom anxiety and fear, is desired and recommended for successful language teaching and learning process [3, 23-24].

Grammar games are fun activities that promote interaction, thinking, learning, and problem solving strategies. Often, games have an aspect that permits the players to produce information in a short time period. Some games require the players to be engaged in a physical activity and complete a mental challenge.

Playing games in the language classroom should have a specific pedagogical purpose and a specific outcome. Games are not something you should use because you are tired or you want to entertain your students. A teacher's job is to teach, but you should try to allow students to help each other in teachable moments before jumping in to explain every point. This will encourage them to help each other outside of game situations and, let's face it, when you actively explain something, you understand it much better than when you internalize it passively.

If you use non-confidential information from your students in some of your games, you will allow them not only to learn the language but also about each other. This will help to create positive bonds in class and bring your students closer together.

Games are effective tools for learning because they offer students a hypothetical environment in which they can explore alternative decisions without the risk of failure. Thought and action are combined into purposeful behavior to accomplish a goal. Playing games teaches us how to strategize, to consider alternatives, and to think flexibly [1, 56].

Games provide a constructivist classroom environment where students and their learning are central. Learning through performance requires active discovery, analysis, interpretation, problem-solving, memory, and physical activity and extensive cognitive processing. Students draw their own meaning from these experiences while learning from their mistakes and also from each other [1, 56].

The students also build the knowledge upon their previous knowledge and use their new knowledge in a situation separate from the activity in which they have learned it. Furthermore, a teacher is now able to make observations on each student and see what areas the class or individuals are struggling with or excelling at as well as the social dynamics of the group [1, 56].

Games allow creativity, independence and higher order thinking. Usually, questions posed by the classroom teacher are fact based and have only one answer, not allowing creativity, personal expression, or testing hypotheses. The answer is either right or wrong, but games can allow multiple answers. They improve participation, self-esteem, and vocabulary usage and allow the learners to see that there are many ways to solve the same problem. In addition, it is more like real life. For instance, most conversations start with open ended questions: “How are you?”, “What did you do yesterday?”, “How can I help you?”, and “What would you like for dinner?” As foreign language learners, it is important that they are provided with scenarios that are as realistic as possible. Games, if produced well, can do the same thing. Easy ways to do that involve the students for finishing a sentence, listing the words which begin with a certain letter, answering questions on a board game or telling a story.Games also reinforce learning through many of Gardner's multiple intelligences.

The benefits of using games in language-learning can be summed up in 9 points:

1.Games are learner centered;

2.Promote communicative competence;

3.Create a meaningful context for language use;

4.Reduce learning anxiety;

5.Integrate various linguistic skills;

6.Encourage creative and spontaneous learning environment;

7.Construct a cooperative learning environment;

8.Increase learning motivation;

9.Foster participatory attitudes of the students.

Since individuals receive and process information in very different ways, it is important that teachers utilize different strategies and styles. Games often incorporate logical reasoning, communication, kinesthetic, visual stimulation and spatial relations. Games include analysis and interpretation of new and old material which makes learning concrete. Furthermore, the hands-on experiences are integral to critical learning, retention and recall [12, 45-48].

Games stimulate interactivity. The students are actively processing and working with the material as well as with classmates. In a grammar translation classroom, the students are working solely with the text and few voices are heard throughout the class session. In a foreign language classroom, it is imperative that the students practice speaking with each other. The goal of the foreign language learner is to speak proficiently and independently in various situations. He or she will never be able to do so unless there are ample opportunities for guided and independent practice. The interactivity amongst the students also promotes a community of learners. The students will begin to see each other's as individuals and will learn more about each other instead of seeing what they are on the surface [12, 45-48].

Games allow the students to work as a team and to work collaboratively towards a common goal. This collaborative effort is more than just learning to work with others. It promotes a symbiotic relationship where they can learn from each other. Students must supply reasons for why their answer is the best, listen to their teammates' rationale and then determine which answer is the best and why. So now, the collaborative effort is promoting a spontaneous discussion about the material, improving pronunciation, increasing participation, aiding in comprehension, all while the students are thinking quickly on their feet. The students are also developing trust and self-esteem in this process. Trust develops within and among the players. The learners must trust their own instincts and others' rationale about the answer as well as the ability to produce it. Self-esteem grows as their answers are validated and teammates rely on them to be pivotal players in the game [6, 18-19].

1.2 History of grammar teaching

At the moment, English is a world widely spoken foreign language but it was not like that before and the history of teaching English passed through many stages of development. New approaches were promoted and different authors came with new methods. Now we can look at grammar from different points of view and the choice of grammatical methods is really wide. Initial stage of teaching grammar proceeded from the same procedure Latin was taught at school. That means learning a language through grammatical rules and mainly translation .Speaking played a secondary role. Till the 19th century, an approach to language teaching was quite rigid. Central method was so called grammar-translation method which is more described in chapter concerning methodology.

Richards and Rodgers describe that later on, in the 19th century Reform Movement against grammar-translation method was established. This movement was launched because of the need for new methods and approaches. Many innovations in language teaching occurred and oral proficiency was supported. Some authors were inspired by the way children use to learn a native language (first language acquisition) and many of them also considered teaching language in a context as very important. A big progress came with establishing phonetics because it helped to understand how speech process works. In 1886, IPA (The International Phonetic Association) was established and among other things, one of its aims was to upgrade the way of language teaching. An inductive approach to teaching grammar started to be more and more significant.

Linguist Henry Sweet defined the progress of methods in language teaching. He suggested four main steps of development:

1. Selecting of what should be taught

2. Defining the limits of the subject matter

3. Describing the process regarding the four basic skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing)

4. Arranging materials from simple to more complicated

Richard and Rogers conclude that “reformers in the late nineteenth century shared many beliefs about the principles on which a new approach to teaching foreign languages should be based.”

At the beginning of the 20th century, new researches concerning language teaching were carried out. Linguists in the USA pointed out that there is not just one method that could warrant really good results and direct method which was so popular in Europe was criticized. In the 1920s and 1930s, so called British approach to teaching English was developed and a basis of audio-lingualism and oral approach theory was set. From 1960s on, many new methods and approaches arose and each of them was specific by its goal, the way language is taught, different teaching techniques etc. The productive stage of developing methods and approaches was from the 1950s - 1980s. Many new methods as well as approaches emerged during that period of time and teachers were aware of the fact that the choice of suitable method is essential for high-quality language teaching.

Traditionally, grammar has been considered as being of primary importance in language teaching. It is regarded as structure-based and formal activity. This attitude, however, is no longer maintained and as a result direct grammar teaching has been eliminated from today's second language classes. In 1980s an anti-grammar movement was experienced, perhaps influenced by Krashen's idea that grammar can be acquired naturally from meaningful input and from opportunities to interact in the classroom. In other words, grammatical competence can develop in a fluency-oriented environment without conscious focus on language forms. Changes in language teaching methods throughout history have reflected a shift of focus from reading and writing proficiency to oral proficiency. Consequently, grammar teaching now also addresses oral skill in addition to the usual practice of teaching grammar for reading and writing purposes.

Early textbooks consist of statements with abstract grammar rules, lists of vocabulary, and sentences for translation. These sentences are constructed to illustrate the grammatical system of the language and consequently bear no relation to the language of real communication. Students labor over translating sentences such as, the philosopher pulled the lower jaw o/the hen, He has a book and a dog This approach to foreign language teaching became known as the Grammar Translation Method.

In Grammar Translation Method the learning occurs through memorization drilling exercises. When students want to use it in real life conversation, it is found that they are not able to speak in the target language. So the learning becomes purposeless to a large extent. On the other hand, using creative techniques and providing plenty of opportunity to practice language in situations, which encourage them to communicate their needs, ideas and opinions, will enable them to operate grammar effectively in the real world. So the importance of communicative and creative activities is essential for learning grammar. These types of activities share some features with Communicative Language Teaching.

Again Halliday observed that students must learn to apply as well as learn the language itself. Halliday has talked about seven functions of language (Instrumental, Personal, Interactional, Regulatory, Representational, Heuristic, and Imaginative) which are effective for learning grammatical chunks because grammar is learned through the activities in a communicative and interesting way. Students can learn to communicate meaningfully in a target language through different creative activities.

However, the best way of grammar teaching is to present the grammar rules in such a way that subconsciously learners will learn the rules and it will only be possible through communicative activities. Through communicative activities students will first communicate and later on they will learn the grammar inductively. Chomsky's theory of language acquisition is based on the hypothesis that innate knowledge of the principles of Universal Grammar (UG) force all children to acquire the language of their environment, during a critical period in their development. When a child learns the first language during the critical period, he or she does not memorize any rule but acquire by practicing it in daily situations or activities. Presuming that first language acquisition is similar to second language learning, some linguists now argue that Universal Grammar offers the best perspective to understand the second language acquisition.

1.3 Advantages and disadvantages of teaching grammar by using games

Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of grammar games can help the teacher to decide if she wants to integrate these games into her classroom. Grammar games offer many advantages to the learning process. They are following:

Games motivate learners. Motivation is some kind of internal drive that encourages somebody to pursue a course of action. Games are highly motivating since they are amusing, interesting and at the same time challenging. The activities on a game get all the students to move around, activate their mental capacities and stimulate neural networks, thus motivating learners in learning and retention. At the same time, students who are shy also attend the activities with fun, forgetting their shyness and felling of fear. Further, games add interest to what students might not find interesting. Sustaining interest can mean sustaining effort. It can be clearly seen that games can capture student's attention and participation. Thus, they can motivate students to want to learn more. Moreover, they can transform a boring class into a challenging one. Games also help the teacher to create context in which the language is useful and meaningful. The learners want to take part and in order to do so must understand what others are saying or have written, and they must speak or write in order to express their own point of view or give information. Thanks to games, shy language learners will have more chances to speak and show their feeling and opinions in English as much as they can.

Games promote learners interaction. Interaction comprises the nature if the classroom pedagogy and classroom behavior. Pair or group work is one of the main ways to promote interaction. In most games, learners have to play in groups in which everyone has a turn, encouraging everyone to take a turn, rather than letting others do all the talking and other actions and discouraging one or two people from shutting out others. Naturally when playing games, students are trying to win or to beat other teams for themselves or on the behalf of their team. They are so competitive while playing since they want to have a turn to play, to score points and to win. In the class, learners will definitely participate in the activities. Therefore, in groups or in pairs, they are more willing to ask questions, communicate and discuss with their partners and think creatively about how to use English to achieve the goal. The competition in the games gives students a natural opportunity to work together and communicate in English with each other a lot.

Games improve learners' language acquisition. Thanks to the motivation and interaction created by games, students can acquire their lessons better and more interestedly than other ways. Games can stimulate and encourage students to participate in the activity since naturally they want to beat the other teams. A part from having fun, students learn at the same time. They acquire new language. Students begin to realize that they have to use the language if they want others to understand what they are saying. It is clear that in the easy, relaxed atmosphere which is created by using games, students remember things faster and better. According to Duong (2008), 90% of his students confided that they could remember new words faster and better due to the relaxed atmosphere created by playing games. This is doubly reinforced by the same sentiment. The meaning of the language students listen to, read, speak and write will be more vividly experienced in a game and, therefore, then they will better remember the language they learnt.

Games increase learners' achievement. As far as we know, games can involve all the basic language skills, i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and a number of skills are often involved in the same game .Games are a good way of practicing language, for they provide a model of what learners will use the language for in real life in the future exercises that practice and utilize the new language have been completed, games can then be introduced as yet another means for enabling greater comprehension.” As strongly emphasized above, games can motivate learners, promote learners' interaction, and improve learners' acquisition. As a result, games can increase learners' achievement, which means that learners' test scores, ability of communication, some skills, knowledge of vocabulary, or other language skills can improve. In brief, games prove to be a useful tool employed regularly in language teaching. Games not only offer learners a highly motivating, relaxing class, but most importantly meaningful practice to all language skills. Consequently, games can motivate learners, promote learners' interaction, improve their acquisition and increase their achievement.

When language learners can apply grammar and use it in a fun way, there is a better chance that they will retain it all. They will be able to practice and internalize grammar phenomena extensively rather than just learning a bunch of rules superficially. When language learners are exposed to repeated target grammar through different and varied activities, they will be more motivated to work and retain the grammar as much as possible. They know that games are coming up, and they need to be prepared if they want to win.

Grammar games for learning English do not only motivate, but they also boost the idea of competition in the EFL classroom. Students will strive to be their very best when thrown into action, and they will need to outperform their peers and surpass their own expectations [5, 44-45].

Students learn through the process of playing game they are able to understand a new concept or idea, take on different perspectives, or experiment with different opinions or variables.

Games also provide a competitive element that enhances effective learning as they keep learners interested [5, 44-45].

Games can help the learners to remember and learn grammar rules.

Another advantage is that they lead to spontaneous practice and consolidation of grammar through the learner's natural desire and the desire of children is they naturally like to play.

Most students enjoy the challenge of participating in games, and the process of playing some of the activities may actually make them smarter and more capable.

Among other abilities, games help develop students' motor skills, social capacities, memory and creativity [5].

The use of games in a learning environment will not only change the dynamic of the class, but it will also rejuvenate students and help the brain to learn more effectively. She says that games allow students to work co-operatively, to compete with each other, to strategize, to think in a different way, to compare and to share knowledge, to learn from others and from mistakes, to work in a less stressful and more productive environment, and to allow the students to have fun, and to be able to help students use and practice the language in relaxed way.

Games enable learners to use English in a meaningful communicative context.

Games bring real world context into the classroom [7, 67-68].

Grammar games make learners use the language instead of thinking about learning the correct forms.

Grammar games can also give practice in all the skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). There are countless skills that students can develop through game playing such critical thinking, teamwork, and good sportsmanship.

Games also help in constructing a cooperative learning environment. Games help students to build good relationships between students and it will help in their learning [7, 67-68].

Games have some certain disadvantages too, they are the following:

Choosing or designing the right game or the lesson you want to teach can be more time-consuming than planning a traditional grammar lesson. Teachers should take this extra workload into account when planning their lessons.

Sometimes games are fun and game play involves a lot of relaxed and informal interaction between students and teachers, some teachers and even students may view them as unproductive busywork.

Another disadvantage is that the game may create anxious feeling if it ends before finishing the tasks because the time runs out, so teachers must put a time limit for each game to solve such problem. However, when done strategically and skillfully, teaching through games can be more effective than teaching through traditional methods of drill and memorization [8, 28-29].

1.4 Principles of using grammar games

Nowadays, a lot of available EFL journals, magazines and books are available which provide information on different grammar games that are suitable for different levels of learners. However, in order to gain maximum benefits from the game, various things must be taken into account. If teachers wish to adopt some games from books or from the internet, they must read the instructions carefully and make sure they have the necessary material. Either they should explain or demonstrate their learners how the game or activity works. “All participants of the game must know the rules and aims of the game. Rules should be clear and easy for understanding. They need not to be long. Thus, teachers should be very careful about choosing games if they want to make them profitable for the learning process. Teachers must have convincing reasons for choosing the game because some students may wish to play games purely for fun. Teachers also need to consider the purpose of the game, which games to use, when to use them, how to link them up with the syllabus, textbook or program and more specifically, how different games can benefit students in different ways [10, 32-33].

The time is also important factor while using games. That means games must have a time limit. The teacher also should consider the length and the time limit for the games that she wants to use in the class. The teacher can either allocate more or less time depending on the students' level, the number of people in a group, or the knowledge of the rules of a game, etc. Classroom management is important too. It means that the teacher must manage the class while playing games by providing clear instructions, grouping the students in a way suitable for the game i.e. pair work, group work or the whole class and controlling the time [10, 32-33].

Let's take a quick view at what a game is. What is a game? One working definition is that of an enjoyable activity involving an objective that is achieved by following certain rules, usually in competition with one or more other people."

Although the competition element is what characterizes a game most often, for the purpose of this work, both competitive and non-competitive games will be considered as a subject of the thesis, both can be, and are, used in language teaching.

The use of games in teaching English is not, however, appropriate at all times. Using various games can help students memorize vocabulary or grammar; it can eliminate the anxiety aroused from using a foreign language or uncertainty about the correctness of the output. While playing language games, students can be exposed to the target structures. However, because this is done in a context of a game, they relax and forget that they are being watched.

They often become so involved in the game that they stop feeling anxious about their mistakes. At the same time overuse of games may take away the time the students can use to be working individually, having the matter explained properly or simply working with the language seriously. It can also create the overall class atmosphere in such a way that it is not a real learning, making it more difficult to concentrate on studying for serious purposes, like exams. The last consequence of overuse of games in language teaching to be mentioned here is the fact that the students might get bored with all the play [34, 21-22].

The reason is that students, especially students of higher secondary schools or adults, usually do not like to be treated like little children. The teacher must place challenge before them too, they need to have the feeling of having accomplished something more difficult than a good game result. Having said the above, experience, however, confirms that abandoning games in the classes of the older group age would deprive the teaching-learning process of enjoyment, which enriches and motivates the students. To be complete, it is also necessary to mention the teachers" need to enjoy their work, enjoy the classes and activities realized. The moment we enter the classroom, we must act as people who are looking forward to whatever is coming. To fulfill that, games are of great help to keep the teaching work still enjoyable [34, 22-23].

Simply put, the teacher must carefully consider how much and when it is appropriate to use games in the language teaching in order to be beneficial to the students and the whole teaching process.

When utilizing game-like activities in the teaching process, it is necessary to realize that, despite many shared features, between the games and studying there is also a certain variance, as whereas play does not pursue strictly defined objectives, tuition is essentially target-orientated [35, 67-68].

While overcoming this tension, the didactic play must avoid two extremes: pursuance of the teaching aims must not superimpose the essence of play itself to such an extent that the pupil does not perceive the activity as a game; on the other hand, inexpedience and latitude of the game must not reach a degree when the actual aim of the teaching slips out.

There are many types of games the teacher may make use of. They are aimed to train different kinds of skills desired for students to be acquired. Over the time, it is profitable to keep changing the types of games to ensure the novelty and a surprise effect for the students. This way it is ensured that the outcome will have the highest possible impact. An experienced teacher is also able to recognize situation when a game is needed to be introduced to change the classroom atmosphere, therefore has several games on hand at all times.

There are many types of games the teacher can make use of. In the following part, some of the types will be introduced, coupled with examples of games, using the particular type of activity. However, it needs to be mentioned that no game uses only one type of activity or practices only one skill. Therefore the games in this chapter are filed under a type of an activity and skill which benefits most. There are some principles how teacher should use grammar games:

1. The game must have a clear learning objective and purpose. It should be clear what the students are learning and practicing in the activities and procedures of the game.

2. The teacher may assign students to teams. The grouping may depend on many things but it should ultimately depend on the task the students will be completing.

Having fair teams depends on how well a teacher knows the students' abilities and personalities. Teacher can separate the smartest or best and also those that struggle the most so each team has a fair chance. This will also allow those that are struggling to learn from the ones who are more secure and confident about what they have learned. Random grouping is not recommended because often one group may have an unfair advantage intellectually, or students will choose to work with their friends. Obviously, the latter option does not usually promote much discourse about the language or learning in general. Other students will try to pair up with the know-it-all and be carried through the game [36, 15-19].

3. A teacher is recommended to explain all necessary procedures and rules clearly and slowly.

Make sure everyone is listening and understands. If necessary, ask the students to restate them. With games that have been played before, ask the students to state the rules and procedures prior to beginning game play.

4. Be consistent. If necessary, use a timer to make sure that everyone has the same amount of time to answer. Do not start another round if all the teams will not have a chance to go before class ends. Decide if only the first answer will be accepted because sometimes students say things incorrectly, realize it after they say it and then fix it [37, 19-21].

5. Be prepared. Make sure that there are enough materials, time, questions, etc.

As an educator the unexpected always happens: an assembly, absent students, extra or not enough time. It is the facilitator's job to make educated and well-thought out decisions on the spot. Knowing how the game works helps making those decisions.

6. Maintain a non-threatening environment. All standard classroom rules and procedures should be observed when playing games. For example, unacceptable behavior should include name calling and belittling. However when playing a game, some students become emotionally charged and may react negatively, especially if the outcome is not what they expected. Sometimes they may be little others, including their teammates. Before we play our very first game we discuss how to treat and talk to others. However, if in the heat of the moment a negative comment may surface and at this point, I remind the students that games are meant for fun and by saying those things the fun is being minimized. Additionally, by saying those things certain students may become less likely to participate and thus their learning is curtailed and they are entitled to more [38, 39-41].

7. It may be useful to have students create games. I only recommend this after the students have had exposure to educational games in the classroom setting so that they are familiar with game operation and how the teacher chooses to manage them. It is important to set boundaries or requirements for the games so that the students can narrow the focus of their creativity. For example, the students must: include fifteen current vocabulary words, use the past tense, or focus on the culture of Mexico. If the students do create games, I usually make them the facilitators of the game groups. They will lead the class since they are the “expert” and will be responsible for facilitating the game.

It is fascinating to see the learning process at work in young adults just like when they were young children. There is an air of excitement about what is occurring in the classroom, as well as an immersion in and focus on the material. The students are producing spontaneous responses and building confidence because they do not spend too much time thinking about what to say, an answer just comes to them. Sometimes it is right, sometimes not. But, what I love is that they are clueing into their instincts, going through the file drawers in their head to find the right answer, interpreting the `clue', saying words in Spanish that could be the right answer, and getting corrective feedback and positive encouragement from their teammates, not just from the teacher [ 39, 55-57].

Games allow the students to show a little of their true personalities, build relationships with others, and practice various skills. They also allow the facilitator to see who knows the information and who is or is not afraid to share it. Also it become more apparent what students need more instruction or what concepts can or cannot be performed adequately.

The more you use games, the easier facilitating becomes. Furthermore as you progress, making groups, sharing and implementing rules and procedures, being consistent, dealing with competition and collaboration as well as evaluating the benefits of educational games becomes second nature [139, 56-58].



Conclusion to chapter 1

The variety of games that a teacher can use in the lessons of a foreign language is enormous. Games in the classroom give us the opportunity to justify, in fact, an unreasonable for the child requirement to communicate with a partner in English; Find ways and show the significance of English phrases, built according to the simplest models, make it emotionally attractive to repeat the same speech patterns and standard dialogues.

Any foreign language teacher does not need to be convinced that the game is a powerful stimulus for mastering the language that it leads to development. The developmental value of the game lies in nature itself, for the game is always emotions, and where emotions, there are are activities, there is attention and imagination.



Chapter 2. Grammar games in the classroom

2.1 Types of grammar games

Grammar games in English classes have the following objectives:

To teach students to use speech patterns containing certain grammatical difficulties;

To create natural situations for practicing a given speech pattern;

Development of speech activity and formation of student's independence.

Games include the most important grammatical material: the verbs to be, to have, may, can, must, etc., the construction there is/are, tense verbal forms: Simple, Progressive, Perfect, indirect speech, subjunctive mood and so on.

Most of the games are based on competition with mandatory scoring. Games can be held between students on the principle of individual or teams championship.

Characteristics of good grammatical games:

1. A game, even for a short period of time, contributes the creation of a language environment in the classroom or outside it. The pupil is mentally transferred from the school's walls to the life around him and imagines that he takes an active part in it. So, he can "reincarnate" in an interpreter, in a guide, in a tourist, in a student conversing with a foreigner, etc. It gives children a real pleasure and at the same time helps the teacher to create a language environment in the classroom, i.е. conditions approaching those in which people talk in a foreign language in a natural setting. And this is now one of the most urgent tasks facing the teaching of a foreign language in high school.

2. Experience shows that the game is one of the best means of combating the pattern in the teaching of a foreign language, if it is applied along with visibility, technique and various methods and forms of teaching students to a foreign language, if the types of the lesson change as the material pass. It is known that many teachers experience great difficulties when working in the lesson on the development of students' skills and practical knowledge of the language. The main reason is the inability to select and correctly combine various forms of work. The game helps the teacher to overcome the monotony of this work, to conduct training in speech activity in an interesting and fascinating form.

3. Correctly organized games evoke and support students' interest in learning a foreign language. Anticipating the joy of the game, the guys are happy to practice at the lessons of a foreign language. When an interesting game is being conducted, students have a desire to learn, memorize a foreign language, and practically master it. This is one of the keys to working with students' passivity. For all, and especially lagging behind, the game is an incentive to learn the language. However, you cannot get too involved in games. It is necessary to alternate them with other diverse forms and methods of work, otherwise the game will become something ordinary and interest in it and, therefore, to learning a foreign language to drop. Besides, as K.D. Ushinsky, you cannot build all the training on interest, because many students will have to take the effort of will.

4. The game causes involuntary attention even where in normal conditions the teacher has to be content with arbitrary attention, sometimes resorting to disciplinary measures. Properly conducted game contributes to the improvement of discipline. Interest, attention and conscious discipline are the guarantee of the strength of knowledge.

5. Games, especially with a pronounced element of the game, cause exceptional activity of students. But the task of the teacher is to direct the students' activity along the necessary channel to achieve the set goal. It is necessary not to slow down the pace of the lesson, but to pay due attention to correcting language errors to require students to be extremely attentive to the language.

A prominent place in the classification of games used in foreign language lessons is occupied by the works of M.F. Stronina. He believes that the games can be divided into 2 groups: preparatory and creative. Preparatory games include grammar, lexical, phonetic and spelling. They contribute to the development of speech skills. These games can be held in the form of individual or team competition. All of them are connected with each other. Creative games contribute to the further development of speech skills and abilities [16, 66-67].

Speaking about the importance of various preparatory games, it should be said that grammar games should take the leading place, since mastering the grammatical material creates an opportunity for transition to active speech of students. Training in the use of grammatical structures, requiring repeated repetition, wearies with its monotony, therefore grammatical games make this work interesting and fascinating [16, 66-67].

These games have the following goals:

Teaching students to use speech patterns that contain certain grammatical difficulties;

Creation of a natural situation for the use of this speech pattern;

To develop the speech creative activity of students.

Grammar games can be used to facilitate the repeated use of certain target structures, this is vital to the learning and retention of new grammar forms. Grammar games come in many forms, but they all have this single aim at their heart, to repeatedly and accurately use or manipulate language structures to achieve specific aim. Grammar games are:

Alibi

This is the classic ESL grammar game for practicing past tense forms (mainly past continuous). Students are accused of a heinous crime and must make sure they've got their stories are straight.

Board games

A various selection of board games to give students practice of using various tenses and other grammatical structures.

Crosswords

Crosswords can be used to test your students' knowledge of irregular verb forms.

Describe the (imaginary) picture

In this challenging activity aimed at more advanced ESL classes, students must describe a picture to their classmates. The trick is that sometimes there is no picture for the student to describe and they must use their imagination to bluff their way through.

Find someone who …

An extremely useful and flexible mingling activity. A great way to get students up on their feet and talking to their classmates. Works as the perfect, first lesson ice breaker.

Fortune teller: practice the going to future form

There's some cutting up involved, but the work pays off with this nice way to practice predicting the future.

Four in a row

A printable three person game in which students compete to join up four suitable answers.

Jeopardy

One of the best ESL grammar games ever created. Great for giving students a nice send off at the end of the course or before the holiday break. Here's my own take on the game as well as some questions to get you started.

Kim's game

Test students' memories, add useful vocabulary and practice there is and there are, all by collecting some random household junk before you go out.

Past perfect predicaments

A humorous activity to practice the past perfect / continuous tense.

Past tense stories

Students practice making stories using the past simple tense.

Poker face

A spot the lie type game using playing cards.

Preposition constructions

This activity gets students using prepositions of position to copy their classmates' creations. It's more than worth the little bit of preparation and gathering of equipment that's needed beforehand.

Present continuous mime games

Students act out familiar activities in a guessing game designed to practise the present continuous tense.

Snap! : present tense to be

Get students familiar with the different forms of to be with this cut-out and play card game.

Stand up if you've ever…

One of my favorite ESL grammar games. It's great for practicing the present perfect and always sparks off plenty of fascinating conversations.

Tic Tac Toe

A quick and easy way to review various grammatical structures.

What's in your fridge?

A materials free game to practice using countable and uncountable nouns - there is / there are, some / any, etc.

Lexical games

Of course, these games are not purely grammatical. Grammar games may well be lexical and vice versa. Lexical games continue to build the foundation of speech.

In real life, we never say words simply because the use of words is always conditioned by motive and purpose. Therefore, when organizing lexical games, the teacher should think of both the motivation for familiarization and the motives of each task and exercise in the organization of training and application. At the initial stage, students should realize that they need words that they will pronounce and study [17, 143]. Lexical games are:

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