Gareth's Grammar Session

Making grammar fun

Gareth session. This is the handout if you came to Gareth’s version of the session.

Whatever type of grammar teacher you are, grammar needs to be made fun so that it is memorable for students.

Below are the five ideas I showed in the session. Let me know if they work for you.

Ideas

Change Places if…

Ask students to stand in a circle. Say a sentence using the grammar point you want to practice. Students respond if it is true for them. Ask students to then come up with their own statements.

Examples:

Change places if you like Twilight

Change places if you are wearing green.

Change places if you have been to Wales. etc etc.

Human Pexeso

Ask your students to stand up  and stand in  a circle. Give each one a pexeso card.

In the session I used simple words but you could use pictures.

Start by doing a demonstration.

Ask one student randomly ‘ What can you do?’

the student looks at their card and says I can …

then you ask a second student ‘What can you do?’

the students say what is on their card. If it is a match the question wins a point.

Now ask the student on your left to ask a question to any student randomly  wait for the answer then the student asks another student if it is a match then the student  who questions wins a point and the ones with the cards put their cards down. But stay in the circle because it will be their turn to ask soon.

If the student picks someone with a match to themselves they win 2 points.

Now move on to the next student in the circle who can ask the question.

this could be done with a range of other language points.

what have you got – cards with bike football doll etc

what do you look like – cards with picutres of people

where are you going  - cards with words or pictures of places   railway station etc etc

This activity is fun but it is a drill of a language form .  what can you do I can play tennis etc.

Controlled Practice Runaround

After a multiple choice controlled practice ask your students to stand up. Tell them that the back of the classroom is option A, the left is option B and the right is option C  Read out the question and ask them to move to the part of the room they think is the correct answer. Then confirm the answers for them.

This gets some movement into the lesson and brings some fun to a gap fill.

If you feel this would be too disruptive ask students to point to the correct answer.

Substitution Tables

Create a substitution table like the one below. Ask students to create true sentences for themselves using the table. see how many they can make. See who can make the most. This personalizes the language but provides safe controlled practice.

Alphabet game.

Ask the students to come up with 5 items that begin with the same letter.

Verb, adjective, girl’s name, place and sport. Ask them to write a sentence using the grammar structure you are working on.

Timelines and concept check questions

See my video blog on these. You’ll find it here.

http://gareth140words.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/in-praise-of-humble-timeline.html