Games have got a rather big part in the process of teaching of foreign languages.
Games have got their own educational aims:
- games develop imagination and memory
- games enlarge mental outlook
- games stimulate learning activity
- games stimulate creative activity.
Games have got several technological principles:
- communicative trend - everybody takes part in the game; recurrences and novelty; favorable conditions for communications;
- the principle of activity - games are supposed to draw each student into speaking and mental activity at the expense of reducing of a teacher's speaking activity;
- the principle of solidity - games suppose "recurrent meeting" with the given material.
We should realize that games are a kind of control. We can see the level of mastering vocabulary, grammatical structures, speech patterns, intonation and tunes, logical stress. It depends on what exactly we work at in this or that game.
At my lessons I use a lot of games, but most frequently the following ones:
A game on broadening. Here we control the reservation of grammatical structure and attributive and adverbial expressions included into it. We should pay special attention to intonation, logical stress and the rate of speech.
It is important that my own activity reduces to minimum here - I produce only a short a basic phrase. The aim of students is to broaden this given phrase:
There is a dress on the chair.
There is a red dress on the chair.
There is a red dress on the big chair.
There is a new red dress on the big brown chair.
There is my new red dress on the big brown chair.
There is my beloved red dress on the big brown chair in the room: e.t.c.
The game is a communicative task. We must take into account our students' peculiarities and abilities: somebody's memory is worse - so, he/she should be given an opportunity to speak somewhere at the beginning of the game; somebody's abilities are very poor - so, such person should be asked may be the first: every student should be able to participate and feel successful.
Very similar is the game "Snowball". The aim of this game is broadening too. But we have got some other task here - to consolidate vocabulary on some definite topic. For example, the topic is "Presents":
I'd like to get a CD.
I'd like to get a CD and a box of sweets.
I'd like to get a CD, a box of sweets and a doll.
I'd like to get a CD, a box of sweets, a doll and a bike: e.t.c.
Here we also work at the pattern "I'd like to:"
A peculiar kind of Broadening games can be used on pre-intermediate level. I do it on the base of listening or reading. After listening/reading students retell the text: the first one produces the first phrase, the second one repeats it and says the next sentence. The third student reproduces two previous sentences and adds his own one, e.t.c. The last student has to retell the text from the beginning to the end (it can be up to 15 - 17 sentences, it depends on quantity of students in a group and surely on its "quality").
In the game "Disagree" I work at the building of negative sentences and vocabulary of some definite topic. For example, topic "Animals":
T.: The horse eats meat.
P.: No, the horse does not eat meat.
T.: The fox can fly.
P.: No, the fox can't fly.
T.: The mouse is big.
P.: No, the mouse isn't big:
The game "Ping-Pong" acquires to respond to questions quickly. It teaches the skill of using necessary verbs in answers, that is to observe the main rule of the general question: which verb is the first in the question the same one must be in the answer. This skill is developed up to automatism.
T.: Do you like to play tennis?
P.: Yes, I do.
T.: Can you play it well?
P.: Yes, I can.
T.: Did you play it last year?
P.: Yes, I did.
T.: Is it difficult to play?
P.: No, it is not.
T.: Will you teach me to play it?
P.: Yes, I will. e.t.c.
In the last two games the part of the teacher is bigger than in the previous ones, but playing them we achieve a rather good result: when we ask the question "Do you like:?" we can be sure that now we won't hear the answer so "favorable" for our students: "Yes, it is" (or: "Yes, I am").
TPR - games. Total physical response. I use such games on elementary level. I give commands - pupils fulfill them. The aim is to develop understanding.
Sound - games. Two ways are possible here.
I give commands or statements - pupils respond with a sound which they think is suitable here:
T.: Silence!
P.: Sh - Sh - Sh :
T.: The beetle is flying.
P.: Zh - Zh - Zh : e.t.c.
I give the topic - "Weather", for example:
T.: It's cold and snowing.
P.: Br - Br - Br :
T.: It's raining.
P.: Pit-a-pat.
T.: It's sunny, it's hot.
P.: Phew:Phew:
T.: It's windy.
P.: Whash, whash :
Begin-and-finish game. This game is for older students. On the blackboard I write:
::.. the best season of the year, because ::::
Students must name the season and give their reasons.
Dialogue-games. They can be different, but the main condition is the same - only students take part in them. They are for pre-intermediate or even intermediate students.
Question - answer
Question - question (it is more interesting)
Is it your pen? - Why do you ask?
Is it black? - Can't you see yourself?
May I take it? - Haven't you got yours? ::
Students can answer only by a question. They cannot say "Yes" or "No".
Statement - statement.
I'll go to the forest after classes. - And I'll stay at home.
I'll pick beautiful flowers. - And I'll read an interesting game.
I'll have a good rest outdoors. - And I'll learn something new: e.t.c.
Students should remember that at the end of the game the must have a short story, separate statements. Quick reaction and realization of active vocabulary, and may be partly even passive, are the most important goals here.
Wrong story. The aim of this game is comprehension and good reaction. The role of the teacher is leading here. I say some wrong things in a story or a tale which is well-known for students. They must correct me.
Red Hat.
Once upon a time there lived a boy ("No, a girl."), called Red Hat. He ("No, she") lived with his ("No, her") father ("No, mother"). One day her grandpa ("No, granny") : e.t.c.
Mastering English in artificial conditions demands the creation of imaginary situations, which are capable to stimulate the wish and possibility to associate in the language they study.
Games are very useful from this point of view. It's impossible not to notice how reckless and passionate children are - they play and want to win without realizing that they are in the process of studying. They "hear" errors both their own and their classmates, while in usual lessons in common exercises only few of them pay attention to mistakes. These exercises seem very boring to them.
Even very simple games are a kind of competition for students, even weak students are eager to take part in them.
Teaching and methodical games, as a part of communicative method, teach our students not to be afraid of speaking, develop memory, imagination, reaction and creative abilities.
Materials studied and used