USING GAMES IN TEACHING GRAMMAR FOR STUDENTS IN GRADE 10 PART I INTRODUCTION Reason for choosing the topic Teaching is said not to be a work but a mission Everyone whose job is teaching knows that teaching is definitely a hard job and to be satisfied and successful needs actually much more effort, practice and experience than hardly one could believe Nowadays everything changes rapidly, students are not as they used to be, teachers use modern methods and approaches and they can use various equipments to make the education process modern, pleasant and as exciting as possible Teachers try to motivate and involve students into the learning process in the most interesting way And we know that if students are interested in the subject, they feel comfortable and learn better in an easy way However, teaching English in general and grammar in particular at many high schools is still a theoretical process Traditionally, many teachers approach grammar teaching very seriously, making the lesson dull and uninteresting Teacher just stands in front of the board, leads a long speech about some grammar rules, makes a long script on the board and finally, students are expected to all the exercises in the book passively This is “a process of pouring knowledge into students’ mind” like the way people put water into a bottle with a funnel It also means that acquiring knowledge is just for knowing and applying, and it is called “cognitive learning” Especially for teaching grammar, as we know, in the teaching method of Grammar Translation Method, students are not required to learn anything else rather than the formulas in textbooks and then apply them mechanically for doing exercises only Or in Audio-Lingual Method, learners are asked to repeat what they have learnt until they are familiar with them But we learn that those teaching methods are ineffective because they cannot create an interesting atmosphere for students so most of them get bored in grammar lessons in spite of the fact that they know these grammar points are necessary for them Considering all the above situations, in this writing, I mention the application of using games in teaching grammar at Tri An high school And this is my reason for choosing "Using games in teaching grammar for students of grade 10 for my research" I hope that the result of using games in teaching grammar will bring back many practical benefits to both the teachers and the students Aims of the study The major aims of the study are: - To affirm the role of grammar in teaching and learning English - To emphasize the importance of motivation in teaching and learning grammar - To point out the application of games in teaching grammar brings many benefits to students in learning grammar - To contribute a small part to the improvement of teaching and learning at Tri An high school Scope of the study The benefits of using games in teaching grammar in textbook of English of grade 10 create the effectiveness of students’ motivation in learning grammar and the subjects under the study are the 10th form students at Tri A high school (class 10A2) Research questions The study will help to find the answers to the following questions: What are the role of grammar and the importance of motivation in learning grammar? What benefits can grammar games bring to teachers and students? What types of games should be used to teach grammar? PART II RATIONALE OF THE RESEARCH The role of grammar in teaching and learning English According to Harmer’s viewpoint (1987:12) “Without some understanding of grammar, students would not be able to anything more than utter separate items of language for separate functions The expression of functional language is only possible through the use of the Grammar of the language” Therefore, it is undeniable that grammar plays an important role in learning English And in order to communicate effectively in English, students needs to have a good foundation of grammar In fact, grammar is the basis for mastering four language skills When we have concrete foundation of grammar, we feel easy to advance The importance of motivation in teaching and learning grammar Motivation is the desire to study Strong motivation produces good result in study, just as in everything in life As Harmer (1998: 25) says: Most students can remember lessons at school which were uninvolving and where they were ‘switched off’ from what was being taught to them Frequently, this was because they were bored, because they were not emotionally engaged with what was going on Such lessons can be contrasted with lessons where they were amused, moved, stimulated or challenged It seems quite clear that those lessons involved not only more ‘fun’, but also better learning Motivation is a vital element and strongly related to success in language learning If a learner is motivated, she will probably decide to undertake a particular task with certain amount of energy and time needed for it When students are engaged and motivated, they learn better than they are partly or wholly disengaged Especially, in a grammar lesson, as it is often considered as a boring subject, teacher needs to arouse students’ interest, thus involving their emotions The application of games in teaching grammar Games are said to be the most natural way to learn something Playing is an effective method for students of all age Through playing, students understand many principles of how things work and they can remember those structures longer since they connected with pleasure, fun and interesting To this, teachers have to make students get excited in the lessons and help them learn grammar English in a relaxing and joyful way The class atmosphere is very important It makes students more eager and more interested in the lessons Broughton et al (1980: 87) pointed out that teachers should save room for songs, puzzles and games beside the lessons Therefore, games or grammar games are very useful and effective It makes the learning process a good deal more interesting And it is teacher’s duty to set up a system of various and attractive games to get students’ curiosity, interest and participation Why use games in teaching and learning grammar? Using games in teaching and learning grammar brings many benefits Firstly, they are very motivating, even for those who are shy or are afraid of making mistakes Secondly, games support using new grammar rules unconsciously Thirdly, games teach students to communicate, cooperate so they learn not only grammar but other four skills- speaking, listening, writing and reading Students may like to play games just for fun so teachers must be careful with which games to use, when to use and how to link the games with the grammar points in the English textbook grade 10 5 Types of games used to teach grammar Competitive games: the aim of this type of games is to finish the game as soon as possible before others Communication games: They are used to exchange information Students get information and they must react on it Cooperative games: these games are very important They create the cooperation among students Code-control games: students must not make mistakes when playing these games because they are controlled If not, they will lose points PART III THE STUDY Tri An high school and current situation of teaching and learning English at the school Tri An high school was established 15 years ago In spite of being located in a rural area, it has many good students who gets high prize in the exam of Dong Nai province taken place every year The school is well-equipped with modern technology, which helps to create its success However, most of the students are good at natural subjects and like to learn those subjects so the school is trying to look for new methods which engage students in both natural and social subjects, especially English The 10th form students in class 10A2 They are both male and female Lots of them come from large and poor families so their learning condition is not high Although they have learnt English for four years at lower secondary school, their knowledge of English in general and grammar in particular is still limited, just some students are good at English Analyzing results of class observation The researcher observes different lessons and carry out experimental lessons in class 10A2 ( 36 students), lessons with grammar games and lessons without games * Using grammar games UNIT 5- PRESENT PERFECT PASSIVE Game: Activity: Scramble game Aim: to use the grammar point “present perfect passive” Interaction: the whole class When to use: When teaching Unit 5, part E- Language Focus Time: 10 minutes Procedures: + Teacher asks students to work in groups of + Teacher prepares 15 sentences using passive voice, each sentence is cut up and put into a separate numbered envelope + Teacher tells students that they are going to unscramble and write the sentence in their notebooks, and then return the envelope to the teacher + The first group to unscramble all 15 sentences is the winner Teacher’ sentences The house has been painted I have been given a present This e- mail has been sent by my boss Some ink has been spilled on the carpet She has been misunderstood today The burglar has stolen the jewellery John has been disappointed by his friend Another Man- satellit has been sent up into space made e have been killed in the forest fire have been shown in since Hanoi June Thousands of animal today s 10 More 50 films than 11 The computer 12 A has new hospital been repaired by the technician for children has been built in our city 13 This kind of computer has not been used for a long time 14 The problem has been discussed since last week 15 More more have been cut down for wood by farmer and trees s UNIT 10: THE PASSIVE VOICE Activity: Passive description Aim: to practice the first conditional Interaction: the whole class When to use: When teaching Unit 8, part E- Language Focus Time: 15 minutes Procedures: - Teacher divides students into groups - Teacher writes the verbs they will need on the board: Is /Are made of / in Is / are found in Is / Are grown / in Is / are used to / for - Teacher cut up the following pictures and put them face down on the table Each group takes turns to pick up one card and describes the object to the other group using the present perfect passive - If the student fails to describe the object, this group misses a turn - The group guessing the object wins a card - The winner is the group with the most cards at the end of the game 10 Procedures: - Teacher divides the students into team A and team B Put a noughts and crosses grid (12 squares) on the board like this one leave choose finish live watch have wear learn listen to be start go think meet see take 19 - Teacher explains the rules of the game: + Someone from team A chooses the verb and makes a sentence using that verb which is in the simple past form If it is correct, teacher puts a cross in that square + Team B plays in the same way - The team that has the first row of noughts or crosses in any direction is the winner UNIT 2: WH-QUESTIONS, GERUND AND TO+ INFINITIVE Game 1: WH-QUESTIONS Activity: Make a correct question Aim: to practice the Who- questions Interaction: the whole class When to use: When teaching Unit 2, part E- Language Focus 20 Time: 15 minutes Procedures: - Teacher divides the class into groups Each group gets a set of Whoquestion words (where, when, who, what, why, how, how long, how often) - Teacher reads the sentence, one student from any group must stand up and raise the correct who- question word The student who stands first has a chance to produce the whole question If it is correct, that group gets points If it is wrong, another group can stand up and read out the question, this time it is worth 10 points - If there is a tie, T can use the bonus round It is worth 20 points for each correct question, 40 points if the first group gets wrong answer Sentence lists I went to France  Where did you go? For a few days  How long did you stay there? Just a few days ago  When did you go there? With my friend  Who did you go with? I went cycling and played a lot of activities  What did you there? 21 I like it very much  How you like it? I go there twice a year  How often you go there? Because it is interesting  Why you like it? I am doing my homework  What are you doing? 10 I went to town on foot  How did you go to town? Bonus round: I went to the shopping centre  Where did you go? I went shopping  What did you do? Game 2: GERUND AND TO+ INFINITIVE Activity: Bingo Aim: to review the gerund and to+ infinitive Interaction: the whole class When to use: When teaching Unit 2, part E- Language Focus Time: 20 minutes 22 Procedures: - As a warm- up, teacher asks students what they enjoy doing in their free time Correct any errors in their use of gerund and infinitive - Teacher distributes handouts to each student - Teacher tells students that they are going to hear teacher’s sentences Each sentence has a verb followed by a second verb The second verb is not read out - Students should look at their board and find the correct gerund or infinitive form of the verb teacher does not said - If students find a correct form, they have to write an “X” over it When they have four “X”s in a row from any direction, they should say “Bingo” - The winner is the first student to say “Bingo” and have the correct infinitive of gerund forms marked * Sentences (answers in brackets) They enjoy _ to the beach in the summer (going) John prefers inside when it is hot (to be) My mother likes movies at a theatre (to see or seeing) My father enjoys movies on his computer (watching) She wants a short rest (to take) 23 He’s expecting a trip to Ha Long Bay (to make) Students stopped when the teacher came in (talking) * BINGO BOARD going to be talking playing to make watching to see to create to listen doing running spending buying to take advising to have I enjoy to classical music (listening) Would you mind me a newspaper? (buying) 10 Would you like a dance with me? (to have) 11 It’s no use him (advising) UNIT 4- USED TO+ INFINITIVE 24 Game 1: Activity: Pictures comparison Aim: to elicit the grammar point “used to+ infinitive” and simple present Interaction: the whole class When to use: When teaching Unit 4, part E- Language Focus Time: 10 minutes Procedures: + Teacher divides the class into teams + Teacher shows two pictures of a woman One picture was taken 20 years ago and the other is new The old picture shows her riding a bike and the new one shows her with a car 25 + Then ask them to compare the two pictures by taking turns to write on the board + The group which gets many correct sentences is the winner + Then teacher makes a transition from the game to the grammar point by showing the same pictures and tell the differences with “used to” and “simple present tense” Ex: She used to ride a bike to work, but now she doesn’t, she drives a car + Teacher asks students to formulate the rule on the board, base on the given sentence She used to ride a bike S + used to + infinitive 26 Game 2: Activity: Find someone who Aim: to use the grammar point “used to+ infinitive” Interaction: the whole class When to use: When teaching Unit 4, part E- Language Focus Time: 10 minutes Procedures: + Teacher asks students to work individually and have them write down on a piece of paper things they did in the past but don’t now + Then teacher collect the pieces of paper, and write on the board one activity from some students randomly + Teacher asks students to circulate, ask each other questions using “used to” to find out who used to what + The first student to find out all the names of the person who did those things in the past is the winner + Teacher checks and announces the winner UNIT 8: CONDITIONAL SENTENCE TYPE Game: CONDITIONAL SENTENCE TYPE Activity: Guessing game Aim: to practice the first conditional Interaction: the whole class When to use: When teaching Unit 8, part E- Language Focus Time: 15 minutes 27 Procedures: - Teacher divides class into groups - T asks them to make sentences about their normal reaction to the following situations: Situations: If I wake up late, If I want to know the latest gossip, If I have a difficult personal problem, If my son cries at night, If I have a chance to meet that beautiful girl, ……………… If I go out, …………………………………………………… If I feel depressed, …………………………………………… If I have a lot of money, …………………………………… If I gets home late, ………………………………………… 10 If I am bored, ……………………………………………… 28 - Teacher tells students that they are going to take turns to read out the part they have written for the other group to guess which sentence it comes from - The correct guess gets 10 points - Ask students to read out the whole sentence - Teacher takes notes and checks later - The group with more points is the winner PART VI RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS Conclusion Teaching grammar to students in grade 10 is a really hard job They have already learned or known some of the grammar structures in the textbook before Therefore, they may ignore or feel bored during the grammar lessons In order to show students that learning grammar could be funny and interesting, there are many approaches carried out including using games The result of this study is that the use of games in teaching and learning grammar brings many benefits to both teachers and students It is also my wish to 29 have effective and interesting method in teaching and learning English grammar In fact, I have applied using games in teaching grammar and get good results so I write this report to help teachers and students at Tri An high school develop their ability in teaching and learning English I hope that using games in teaching and learning grammar will really be used in practice since it is definitely a good way of making grammar lessons more pleasant and accessible for students Recommendations In order to achieve effective results in using games in teaching and learning English in general and grammar in particular, it is essential that teachers develop their knowledge and teaching method Therefore, teachers should be self- equipped with new and interesting ways of teaching Besides, they need to study materials, discuss and learn from colleagues’ experience Although the preparation of games for teaching grammar is a little bit timeconsuming and it needs much thinking and creative approach for the teacher, it is definitely worthy so teachers should devote their time to choosing materials that are suitable for time, level and content of the lesson When using games in teaching grammar, teachers need to give clear and easy rule to students to understand Considering all the above recommendations, teachers can help students in general and shy ones in particular to enjoy the lessons and learn better Suggestions for further research For further research on using games in teaching and learning grammar, more games, actual activities and techniques should be conducted on different types of learners at different levels, such as using games in teaching grammar in textbooks of English grade 11 and 12 30 PART VII REFERENCE Broughton, et al (1980) Teaching English as a second language, nd edition, London and New York, Rutledge Harmer, J (1998) How to teach English, Longman, and London Harmer, J (1987) Teaching and Learning Grammar, Longman Group UK Ltd 31 TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I INTRODUCTION 1 Reason for choosing the topic Aims of the study Scope of the study Research questions .3 PART II RATIONALE OF THE RESEARCH The role of grammar in teaching and learning English The importance of motivation in teaching and learning grammar .4 The application of games in teaching grammar Why use games in teaching and learning grammar? 5 Types of games used to teach grammar PART III THE STUDY Tri An high school and current situation of teaching and learning English at the school The 10th form students in class 10A2 Analyzing results of class observation .7 PART IV EFFECTIVENESS OF USING GAMES IN TEACHING AND LEARNING GRAMMAR .13 Real situation of teaching and learning grammar at Tri An high school 13 Benefits gained through using games in teaching and learning grammar 13 PART V GAMES DESIGNED TO TEACH GRAMMAR POINT IN TEXTBOOK OF ENGLISH GRADE 10 14 PART VI RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 29 Conclusion 29 Recommendations 30 Suggestions for further research 30 PART VII REFERENCE 31 32 33