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Creative
Games for the Language Class
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There is a common
perception that all learning should be serious and solemn in nature, and that if one is
having fun and there is hilarity and laughter, then it is not really learning. This is a
misconception. It is possible to learn a language as well as enjoy oneself at the same
time. One of the best ways of doing this is through games.
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There are many advantages
of using games in the classroom:
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- Games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the language
class.
- They are motivating and challenging.
- Learning a language requires a great deal of effort. Games help
students to make and sustain the effort of learning.
- Games provide language practice in the various skills- speaking,
writing, listening and reading.
- They encourage students to interact and communicate.
- They create a meaningful context for language use.
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Many of us in the teaching
profession use games occasionally in the classroom. Most of us are familiar with some of
the more popular language games such as "Twenty Questions," "The Whispering
Game," "Making a Sentence," "Asking Yes/No Questions" or
"Kim's Game."
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I would like to introduce
to you some games which I have adapted from the radio and television for the language
class. These games have been successfully tried out in class. The students thoroughly
enjoyed themselves, whilst using and practising the language.
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The first game is called
"Just a Minute" and it is adapted from a radio game show broadcast over the
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). It was aired over the BBC many years ago and was
highly entertaining. This is how you play the game:
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1. Divide your students
into groups. Get each group to give themselves a name.
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2. The objective of each
group is to get as many points as possible.
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3. The task is to speak on
a topic for a minute. The referee (the teacher) will provide the topics.
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4. The competition-members
of the other groups-should try to "wrestle" the topic away from the person who
is speaking on it. There are three ways to do this:
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- Hesitation: When a student pauses for too long a break, it is
considered a hesitation.
- Repetition: When a student keeps repeating a particular word or
phrase, it is considered repetition.
- Deviation: When a student digresses, he can be faulted for
deviation.
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5. A timekeeper will ring
the bell once the minute is up. The person who is speaking when the bell rings will win 10
points.
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6. The group with the most
points is the winner.
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7. The teacher should
determine the topics based upon the students' level of proficiency. Some examples of
topics are:
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- My Childhood
- My Family
- My Favourite Things
- Ghosts
- My Ideal Partner
- Teenagers
- A Country I'd Like to Visit
- My Favourite Food
- If I Had Three Wishes, I'd Like . . .
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The choice of topics would
also depend on what is being taught in the lesson for the day. For example, if the teacher
is conducting a lesson on describing people and places, s/he could provide topics such as
My Mother, Someone I Admire, A Teacher I'll Never Forget, My Hometown, or My School.
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This game is particularly
suitable for teaching oral communication skills. It is also useful as a pre-writing or
pre- reading activity. It can be effectively utilised when teaching topics such as
describing, narrating, expressing viewpoints, agreeing, disagreeing, and describing
procedures.
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The second game is quite a
well-known one. It is currently being aired on television in Malaysia, and is called
"Win, Lose, or Draw." You can play it with as many teams as you like, preferably
keeping it to a maximum of four or five teams.
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Instead of giving the
students the words to draw, I find it even more effective if you get the students to
concoct the words themselves. The words should be "drawable," not too easy nor
too difficult. Give the groups about 10-15 minutes to come up with the words; then the
teacher should go round to the different groups to check out the words. Tick out those
that are suitable and try and offer alternatives for those words that you consider
unsuitable. Each topic should then be written out on a small piece of paper which can be
rolled or folded up. Then, collect all the topics and place them in separate boxes in
front of you.
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The game is then played as
follows:
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- Divide your class into groups.
- Start with the first group. A member of the group should come to
the front of the classroom and pick out a piece of paper containing a topic given by
members of the other groups. S/he then has to draw the topic on the blackboard once the
timekeeper gives the "begin" signal.
- Appoint someone to keep time. A student has a maximum of 60
seconds to draw the object. This can vary according to your students' abilities.
- The objective is to try to score as few points as possible.
- The task is for group members to try to guess what the student is
drawing in as little time as possible.
- The student doing the drawing cannot talk, make any sound, nor act
out the word. Only when his/her group members have guessed the word correctly, can s/he
indicate or gesticulate that they have done so.
- The teacher has to be alert and listen carefully whilst the
students try to guess what their friend is drawing. Once they have guessed the topic
correctly, the teacher stops the action.
- The timekeeper announces the time taken and records it on the
board.
- After this, the next group takes its turn. The game can be played
for many rounds. Students in each group should take turns drawing.
- At the end of the game, the scores are tallied. The group with the
fewest points is the winner.
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This game is suitable for
teaching vocabulary items, but phrases or sentences can also be given. For example,
"singing in the rain," "a school of fish," "the fat woman
fainted," "the ostrich kicked the zebra," "the spaceship landed on the
moon," etc. Tenses and sentence structures can also be introduced through this game.
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It is important that the
language teacher be creative and innovative in his/her job. Dare to deviate occasionally
from the humdrum routine and do something refreshing and different in the class. It does
not require too much effort, and the rewards are plenty-the joy on the students' faces,
the mirth, the hilarity, and the enthusiasm generated. Finally, when playing the game,
teachers should be totally committed and enthusiastic.
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This
article is based on a paper-cum-demonstration presented atan international conference of
the Malaysian English LanguageTeachers's Association on May 24-27, 1993, in Kuala Lumpur.
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Lee Su Kim is a lecturer in ESL at Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia in Selangor, where she teaches courses in writing and communication skills. |
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