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Feri Latief
www.teachingenglish.org.uk
1 Language
1.1 Fun and games with words 1: Words with pictures
Do you sometimes play word games with your learners? For example, crosswords, wordsearches, bingo, etc.
In this section of the module we explore ideas for using word games as a teaching tool.
Work with your partner. Look at the pictures below of things a teacher may need. Write the names under the
pictures. If you dont know the name, ask another pair, e.g. Do you know the name of or Its something that
you use for/to
c_______ c____
_____e
____ _i______r
__s_
r______
_i_
____
__________r
appeals to learners
Consider the two word puzzles: Words and pictures and Wall race. Were they successful according
to the checklist?
Its something
very, very
big
Ask it in
a question
form
Its an
elephant!
Is it an
elephant?
Is it a
skyscraper?
Is it a
mountain?
No, its
not
Is it a
bus?
Is it an
airplane?
No, its
not a bus.
Heres another
clue its
something you
ride in
Now you are going to do a similar word puzzle. Listen to the clues your trainer gives you. Guess the word!
Part 2
What other word puzzles do you know? Can you explain what a wordsearch is?
Your task is to create a wordsearch. Firstly, brainstorm and note below the procedure for creating
a wordsearch.
Work in groups. Your trainer will give you a theme. Make a list of ten words related to the theme, then create
clues for each one. Write your clues onto one of the templates your trainer will give your group one each.
Dont make the clues too easy or too hard. Use the Useful language box to help you.
Now write your words into the wordsearch template. You can write them horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
Then fill in the other squares with random letters.
Use a blank template to put in the words this is your answer sheet.
Useful language
Its somebody who
You use it to
Part 3
Exchange your wordsearch with another group. Complete the wordsearch, then give each other the answer
sheets to check answers.
Give the other group feedback on their wordsearch:
Did it work?
Part 4
In your group, discuss these questions:
How much preparation did the trainer have to do for the wordsearches?
What are the benefits of asking learners to create material for games/puzzles/quizzes?
Language analysis
1.6 Grammar
Discuss these sentences from the discussion between Jamilah and Kamaruddin. Put a tick in the column that
is true for that sentence.
The words in bold
provide key
information
No, the one above that one.
Which of the two groups of examples can you call defining relative clauses?
Which of the two groups of examples can you call non-defining relative clauses?
Write defining relative clauses and non-defining relative clauses on the lines in the bottom row.
Choose the correct column!
5. The Chinese restaurant, which I visited it yesterday, has great dim sum!
6. Tomatoes, which are a fruit not a vegetable, they are good for making soup.
7. I have just seen the two girls where I met at the party last night.
2 Pronunciation
2.1 Commas in relative clauses
The sentences in the box below are all correct, but they have different meanings and different pronunciation.
Work with your partner. Draw arrows to show intonation
and
3 Methodology
3.1 Why supplement?
What influences your decision to use or create activities to supplement your course book?
Look at what some other teachers said in answer to this question:
The activities
are boring
The language
levels are
inaccurate
There are
no images
Theres
no space
to write
Dialogues are
artificial
Do you agree with any of their comments? Tell your group which ones you can relate to, and together
decide if you have any more comments to add.
Reading/listening texts
Worksheets
Speaking activities
Writing activities
Activities
Role-plays
All
Quizzes
Word games
Discussions
Questionnaires
Board games
Class surveys
Information gaps
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4 In the classroom
4.1 Teacher-created supplementary activities
Look at the following examples of how teachers have created supplementary activities. What do you think of
the activities? Can you think of any other activities which would have suited these situations?
Anna
Anna teaches a class of eight year olds. Recently they read the fairytale Little Red Riding Hood. The tasks
in the course book consisted of comprehension questions. Anna found this useful but limited, and her
class tend to switch off if they sit down for long periods. She decided to ask the children to do a role-play.
She allowed them to change the story in any way they liked, but they had to keep the same characters.
The children wrote their own scripts then acted them out in class. This generated a lot of good language
use and motivated the children. It took time to set up and carry out, but Anna feels she will be able to use
this technique again in the future and next time they children will do it more quickly.
Ibrahim
Ibrahim teaches a class of 15 year olds. The most recent course book lesson was based around writing
an account of a typical day in their lives. Ibrahim knew that his learners would not be interested in this,
so he decided to do it differently, as a survey. He divided the class into four separate groups of boys and
girls. Their task was to compile questionnaires to find out how boys and girls typical days and weekends
differed. Before compiling their questionnaires the groups discussed and noted how they expected
boys and girls to be different. Two groups focused on the typical day and two groups focused on the
weekends. Each group then made a presentation to the class, showing the results of their surveys and
comparing them with their expectations. They then wrote their surveys for homework. The class response
was very favourable, and they asked Ibrahim for more of this kind of activity.
Mia
Mia teaches a group of university students. They need to know grammar well in order to pass their
exams. However, they are often de-motivated and inattentive, because the course book is very dry.
The class have recently been studying ways of expressing the future in English. Mia designed a simple
snakes and ladders board game with future predictions, e.g. at the top of a ladder: you will get a fantastic,
well-paid job; the woman/man of your dreams is going to fall in love with you. On a snake: you will fail the
course and have to start again; your best friend is going to steal your boy/girlfriend. The students felt
motivated by the game and agreed that it had provided valuable practice in the target language.
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5 Magazine
The Teacher
The magazine for teachers everywhere
THIS WEEKS HOT TOPIC
Now read the next part of the blog. How similar were your ideas to the ones below.
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Games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the language class.
Learning a language requires a great deal of effort. Games help students to make and maintain
the effort of learning.
Games provide language practice in the various skills speaking, writing, listening and reading.
M. Martha Lengeling and Casey Malarcher, writing in Forum journal in 1997, further explored the ways in
which students may benefit. They classify the benefits like this:
Affective
Cognitive
Classroom
Dynamics
Adaptability
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6 Vocabulary
reinforce learning
healthy competition
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7 Activity page
The page where you try out classroom activities.
The aim of this activity is to practise non-defining and defining relative clauses.
Players 1, 2 and 3 each put a card down on the table. Player 4 has to make a sentence using all three
cards. For example: uncle + Australia + bicycle = My uncle, who has emigrated to Australia, is planning
to travel across the country by bicycle.
Both defining and non-defining clauses can be used. But player 4 should be careful to use the correct
intonation. The others decide if its defining/non-defining, based on the intonation.
Next, players 2, 3 and 4 put down cards, and player 1 makes the sentence.
7.2 Discussion
How could you play it without cutting up cards for each group of students?
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8 Reflection
8.1 Reflection origami
Part 1: Reflective questions
Look back through the module. Write eight different reflection questions for this module. You can use the
prompts in the box or use your own ideas. The first one has been done for you.
activities
benefits
games
supplementary
activities
game
idioms
suggestion
cards
intonation
1. How will your learners benefit from what you have learnt in this module?
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Now work with a partner. Compare your questions. Make any changes if you wish, but dont ask or answer
them yet.
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11. When you finish spelling out the colour, ask your
partner to choose one of the numbers thats showing.
Then lift up the flap with that number and ask your
partner the question thats written on the other side.
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