Hunter plays the drums and ukulele, and in this interview, he talks about music and going to Puerto Rico.

In this interview, James talks about his classes at school, his family, and his plans for college.

Certain games are great for practicing specific grammar skills. However, it is also beneficial for every teacher to be able to utilize games that provide students with an opportunity to practice a variety of skills. This week, we present two games that can be used to review many different grammatical concepts.

Skills: This game can be used to practice a variety of grammar skills. Students also practice listening and speaking as they play.

Materials:

• An object that can easily be passed around a circle such as a ball
• Prompts asking students to verbally list five words according to specific criteria (see below)
• A timer

Example Prompts:

• List eight adjectives that begin with the letter ___.
• List eight adjectives to describe ________.
• List eight action verbs in the ________ tense.
• List eight nouns you would find in a ________.
• List eight examples of proper nouns that are people/places/titles.
• List eight synonyms/antonyms for ________.
• List eight adverbs that could be used to describe the verb ________.
• List eight verbs you would do at the _______ in ________ tense.

How to Play:

1. Arrange all of your students in a large circle. Create teams by having students count around the circle (1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, etc.) to designate which team they are on. Students will not move, but should remember their team number. The goal is to have members of each team mixed up and not seated next to each other in the large circle. List the teams on the board to keep track of points. (Note that in this version of the game, points are actually damaging and the team that ends the game with the least amount of points is the winner!)
2. Give the object that will be passed around to the student who will go first. The student should hold on to the object until a verbal prompt is given. This student is “it” for the first round.
3. At the moment the prompt is stated, start a timer for thirty seconds to one minute. The student who is “it” must pass the object clockwise to the next person as soon as they say the first item according to the prompt.
4. Students continue to quickly pass the object around the circle as long as items are being listed. When eight items have been listed, or when the timer goes off, the object stops.
5. If the student who was originally “it” was able to list eight words that correctly adhere to the prompt, then the person who is holding the object gets a point for his/her team. If the student who was originally “it” was unable to list eight words correctly before the allotted time, his/her team gets a point.
6. The student who ends up holding the object is “it” for the next round. A new prompt is given, the timer starts, and the student passes the object clockwise as soon as they list the first word.
7. Continue the game until all of the prompts have been given. The team with the fewest points wins!

Skills: This game helps students practice forming questions using is and does with adjectives, verbs, and prepositional phrases. Speaking, listening, reading, and writing are also practiced during the activity.

Materials:

• Pictures of people, places, or things related to a theme (such as animals, classroom objects, occupations, etc.). You will need one picture for each student playing the game.
• Masking tape

Example Recording Table:

This table can be copied from the board into students’ notebooks. Students can number their classmates’ names 1-20 to keep track of how many questions they have asked.

Example Questions:

• Is it ________? (large, small, tall, short, etc.)
• Is it used for ________? (writing, cutting, cooking, etc.)
• Does it have ________? (feathers, fur, scales, etc.)
• Does it live in ________? (the desert, our country, the water, etc.)
• Does it eat ________? (plants, bugs, animals, etc.)
• Does this worker ________? (help sick people, work with money, use a computer, etc.)
• Does this object belong  ________? (in a desk, on the bookshelf, on the wall, etc.)

How to Play:

1. If necessary, review how to form questions using the words is and does with students as they will need to ask questions in this format during the game. (See the examples above.)
2. Tell students that they will each get a picture of something (such as an animal, classroom object, etc.), but will not get to see what it is. The picture will be taped to their back so they cannot see it.
3. Inform students that they will have a chance to ask up to twenty questions about the picture that is taped to their back by mingling with classmates. They should only ask each classmate one question (unless you have a small class). Students may not ask “Is it a (noun)?” about their picture. Instead, they must ask questions that help them collect information about the item pictured.
4. Students should copy a table like the one above into their notebooks or on a sheet of paper so that they can record the questions they ask and the answers classmates provide. All questions should be formed using is or does, and students can refuse to answer questions that are not formed properly.
5. f a student believes they know what the picture on his/her back shows, they must write down the name of the item, animal, occupation, etc. at the top of their list of questions and immediately find the teacher to see if they are correct. The teacher can determine if the student is correct and check their questions to be sure they are correct.
6. The first five students to quickly identify their pictures are the winners. The game may be repeated by collecting all of the pictures and redistributing them to different students, or by giving students a set of completely new pictures to wear in a second round.
7. The recording tables can also be collected and checked for accuracy and correct formation of questions by the teacher or in small groups or pairs. Common errors should be noted and reviewed.

The games presented this week can provide students with an opportunity to practice multiple grammar skills at the same time. To be successful, students have to draw upon knowledge of many different concepts at once. Therefore, these games are especially useful for reviewing multiple related skills. Try the Activate Games for Learning American English Board Games series and the American English Webinar Out of Your Seat Grammar for more great ideas!

Playing games in the English language classroom not only makes learning fun, but also encourages students to take risks and use language in authentic ways. Grammar is often taught and reviewed using worksheets or exercises from a textbook, but playing games can motivate and engage students in new ways. Try the activities presented in this month’s Teacher’s Corner and watch your students’ grammar skills grow!

So far this month, we have presented games to practice subject-verb agreement and verb tenses. While these are very important grammar skills for English language learners to master, adverbs and adjectives are also critical to add detail to students’ spoken and written work. This week, we will focus on two games to help students practice meanings and how to use both of these parts of speech correctly.

Skills: This game practices adverb meanings and syntax. Students also practice listening and speaking as they play.

Materials:

●      Chairs (one less than the number of students)

●      A list of verbs that students can “do” during the game (see suggestions below or have students brainstorm a list)

●      A list of adverbs that can modify the verbs

●      A device to play music if desired

Example Action Verbs and Adverbs:

How to Play:

1. Set up the chairs. One option is to arrange chairs in two back-to-back rows so that students can move around them. Another option is to spread them out in a random way around the classroom and have students move throughout the space during the activity.
2. Explain to students that you will give a command that contains a verb and an adverb, such as “Students, please crawl slowly.” Even if the verb does not usually require movement (for instance, snore) tell students that they must walk and perform the action so that they are always moving around the chairs.
3. Once the command is given, students must follow it, moving either around the chairs in a circle or throughout the room. You can play music during the time that students are moving if desired.
4. When you want students to stop say, “Stop and sit!” and turn off the music if you are playing it. Students must then find a chair as quickly as possible.
5. Each round will end with one student who is unable to find a chair fast enough. This student is out of the game and must not participate in future rounds. Remove one chair each time a student is eliminated so that there is always one fewer than the number of students.  You can allow the student who is gets eliminated each time to give the command for the next round.
6. Continue until only one chair and two students remain. The last student to claim a seat is the winner!

Skills: During this game, students will practice generating adjectives and using them correctly in sentences. Students will also read and write during the activity.

Materials:

●      Familiar objects that students can easily describe in terms of color, shape, size, taste, smell, or other attributes (Suggestions for items include classroom objects, fruits/vegetables or other foods, toys, familiar books/movies, household items, articles of clothing, etc. If you do not have access to the actual objects, you can also use pictures of items printed from the internet or cut out of magazines.)

●      A large bag/box to put objects and/or pictures in

●      Paper and pencils for each team

●      A timer

How to Play:

1. Divide the class into two to four teams with an equal number of students in each one. Have students arrange themselves according to a characteristic such as age, height, birthday month, etc. Designate which student will go first and be sure that those who follow know the order of who goes next. If your space permits, have students line up accordingly.
2. Choose a “recording area” where each team’s paper and pencils will be located. Ideally each recording area should be an equal distance from where you ask teams to line up. One suggestion is to place a desk or chair at the front of the room for each team. Be sure to separate the desks/chairs sufficiently so that teams cannot see each other’s papers.
3. This game is a relay during which each team competes to quickly write grammatically correct, descriptive sentences about an object (or picture). Explain to students that you will start a timer and then pull an object from the bag and hold it up. As soon as the object is displayed, the first student from each team must hurry to their team’s paper and write a descriptive sentence about the object. Tell students that they must not repeat any of the adjectives already used by their teammates, and that each sentence must be grammatically and mechanically correct to earn a point.
4. When the sentence is complete, they return to their team, lightly tag the next person in line, and get behind the last person in line. The process is repeated, with each new player coming to write a new sentence, until time runs out.
5. When time is up, the teacher checks each paper for correct sentences. A point is awarded for each sentence that accurately describes the object, is grammatically correct, and uses a new adjective. Points should be recorded for each team after each round of play. Alternatively, students can check each other’s work and calculate points.
6. The game is repeated until all of the objects (or pictures) have been presented for students to describe. The team with the most points is the winner.

Adverbs and adjectives can add detail to students’ spoken and written English. Both of the games presented this week will help students incorporate these parts of speech in memorable ways. Give students additional practice with descriptions in English using Guess What? and Picture This! from the Activate Games for Learning American English series.