Grammar Drills
Goals
Using "Blooms Taxonomy" to create goals and objectives for teachers to set for their students, I have categorized the following grammar drills into 3 sets of Easy, Medium, and Difficult. Each Category has different "learning objectives" for the students depending on the drill. The drills should be used in sequence from easy, medium, to difficult in order for students to achieve a higher level of thinking.
*Below are the main learning objectives for each category
Easy:
Sing, Chant, Repeat, Memorize, Recognize, Translate, Remember
Medium:
Choose, Select, Identify, Change, Manipulate, Modify, Solve
Difficult:
Create, Develope, Apply, Demonstrate, Compose, Produce, Experiment, Analyse, Evaluate
Using "Blooms Taxonomy" to create goals and objectives for teachers to set for their students, I have categorized the following grammar drills into 3 sets of Easy, Medium, and Difficult. Each Category has different "learning objectives" for the students depending on the drill. The drills should be used in sequence from easy, medium, to difficult in order for students to achieve a higher level of thinking.
*Below are the main learning objectives for each category
Easy:
Sing, Chant, Repeat, Memorize, Recognize, Translate, Remember
Medium:
Choose, Select, Identify, Change, Manipulate, Modify, Solve
Difficult:
Create, Develope, Apply, Demonstrate, Compose, Produce, Experiment, Analyse, Evaluate
How to Apply the Drills Below
These drills can be used in multiple ways depending on the age of children and how to make them fun with competition. All of these drills can be used for pretty much any level of grammar and vocabulary. These can be applied to focus specifically on the grammar of the day, or to review all past language lessons.
A.) Young Students: The "Best" student can play a fast simple active game throughout the drill... Ex (shoot a basketball, throw a dart, roll a dice for points, try to hit the teacher with a dodge ball...)
* If a student is not behaving appropriately, the teacher can write their name on the board to show they lose a chance to play the sporty games until they are behaving appropriately... Then erase their name.
B.) Have all students start the drill in the starting position (sitting on floor, standing up, standing on line) The best student throughout the drill may return to their seat. The drill ends when a team or the entire class has returned to their seats.
* If a student is not behaving appropriately, the teacher can have the student move from their seat back to the starting position... (can penalize the team, not only the student that is misbehaving)
C.) Give points to students or team for doing the drill better (if using points, have an ending to the drill such as first student, or team to 7 points wins)
* If a student is misbehaving, the teacher can erase or take away points from that student or team.
*With all drills, make sure all students are doing exactly what you want, whether it be repeating after the teacher, doing actions or sitting nicely. With the above game aspect, this is for fun but, mainly used to enforce good behavior in a positive way.
Grammar Drills
True / False Drills (Level: Medium)
*Can use translation for the first few examples to be sure all students understand the new grammar
A.) The teacher says a statement, Students repeat the grammar all together. If the Teacher says a False statement all students should be quiet. (Or can do an action such as standing up, clapping, putting fingers on their nose... ) The best student or team is the winner.
Ex. For young students: Dogs are fast. The Elephant is big. I have 9 fingers.
Ex. For primary age students: China is a large country. My teacher's shoes are green. John likes to eat flowers.
Ex. For intermediate students: Yesterday was a cloudy day. We will have school next Tuesday. Last summer I swam with a polar bear.
*Be sure statements are very obviously true, and not opinions, and the false statement quite obviously ridiculous.
B.) The teacher says a statement, Students repeat the grammar all together. After each say and repeat call on a student to guess whether the statement was true or false. This is great for older classes because you can use grammar easily to talk about yourself, then students must guess if it is true or false in the teachers opinion, or life.
Ex. Easy: I love to play soccer. My Mother is 62 years old. I have an orange cat. I don't like chocolate ice cream. (These are about the teacher, so each statement could be true or false... depending on you)
Ex. Difficult: Last week I hit a bird with my car. In the future, I will buy a pet snake. I have never eaten octopus. When I was young, I liked to climb trees. I visited America last summer. I have broken 3 bones in my body.
Good / Bad (young) (Level: Easy)
The Teacher says a statement, then all students repeat. Then the teacher asks one student if it was a "good or bad" sentence (in their opinion). This is to practice speaking, learn about young students opinions, or just to get silly answers. Also learn if students are paying attention and fully understand the sentence.
Ex Good sentences: I like to eat ice cream. My Mommy is beautiful. I have 10 toes. My shoes are green.
Ex Bad sentences: I like to kiss giraffes. My Daddy is stupid. I have 3 eyes. My nose is purple.
*If a student gives you an odd answer (such as "My Daddy is stupid" is a good sentence... stop and translate to see if there is a misunderstanding, or if the student is just being silly...If silly, great, if misunderstood, that is an incorrect answer, explain and move on to next example.)
Agree / Disagree (older) (Level: Difficult)
The Teacher says a statement, then all students repeat the statement. Then ask one student if they agree or disagree, and WHY. If they can give a good reason, they win. If they cannot get across their opinion, help them with an example or two and then move on to the next example statement.
Ex: I think we should stop spending money to go to the moon. (Student: I agree because we should spend money on saving the earth)
Thailand is the most beautiful country in the world. (Student: I disagree because Indonesia has the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to)
Homework should be limited to 1 hour a day. (Student: I disagree because doing homework makes me a smarter student)
Elephants are smarter than bears. (Student: I agree because I can ride elephants)
Choose A or B Grammar Focus Fragments (Level: Easy)
To start this drill break down to the smallest part of the grammar concept...
This is or This are
He like or He Likes
Do you or Does you
(Past tense) I catch or I caught
(Future tense) I will drink or I drink
(Present continuous tense) She is run or She is running
The teacher will say the focus grammar as shown above as an A or B choice for students to ONLY repeat the correct answer.
EX. Teacher says This is or This are...(students repeat "This is")
Ex. Teacher says He like or He likes... (Students repeat "He likes")
Ex. Teacher says Yesterday...(Students repeat "Yesterday") I catch or I caught...(Students repeat "I caught")
Ex. Teacher says Tomorrow...(students repeat "Tomorrow") I will drink or I drink...(Students repeat "I will drink")
Ex. Teacher says Now...(students repeat "Now") She is run or she is running...(Students repeat "She is running")
When the teacher feels the students are doing well repeating together, break down to smaller groups to find who may still be confused... Team by team, 2 by 2, one by one...
*Have grammar written on the board or TV for students to visually see grammar concept
*When the class is comfortable with the grammar, move on to full sentences as described in the next part below
Choose A or B Complete Sentences or Questions (Level: Medium)
The teacher says a statement with an A or B option for students to repeat as a group. This can be performed by all students repeating (but may be difficult to hear if students are making a mistake) or team by team (to more easily hear individual students and if they are saying the correct answer.)
Ex. Teacher says: I like or I likes...(students repeat "I like") to eat ice cream (students repeat "to eat ice cream")
Ex. Teacher says: You are or You is... (students repeat "You are") a smart teacher (students repeat "a smart teacher")
Ex. Teacher says: Yesterday...(students repeat "Yesterday") they fight or they fought....(students repeat "they fought") a large monkey...(students repeat "a large monkey")
Ex. Teacher says: Tomorrow... (students repeat "Tomorrow") she go or she will go... (students repeat "she will go") to the cinema...(students repeat "to the cinema")
Ex. Teacher says: Does you like or Do you like... (Students repeat "Do you like") to play basketball??? (students repeat "to play basketball?)
*This is a simple manner to practice new grammar and learn the difference between correct grammar and common mistakes
*This can help tremendously with tenses IF the "time" is placed at the beginning of the sentence (Yesterday, Now, Tomorrow, Everyday, On Mondays, 2 weeks ago, Next year, Last night...)
*This works well, only if the sentences are broken up easily for students to be able to think about each part of the sentence... (also easier for the teacher)
*Can be done in question and answer format which is quite common while teaching early grammar
Finish the Sentence (Who, What, Where, When, Why) (Level: Difficult)
The teacher says a statement, then all students repeat the sentence together. The teacher then poses a simple question...(Who, What, Where, When or Why) The teacher can then choose one student to answer, in which case if the answer is correct, that student "wins"... Or have one student from each team answer for a competition of "best or most interesting answer", to be the "Winner".
Continue the exercise until all students have answered at least once.
Ex. Teacher says: Jane likes to eat bananas... (students repeat "Jane likes to eat bananas") WHEN??? (Choose a student to answer... Student says "on Fridays")
Ex. Teacher says: I have a big TV... (Students repeat "I have a big TV") WHERE??? (Choose a student to answer... Student says "in my bedroom")
Ex. Teacher says: Last week I went to my grandmothers home... (Students repeat "Last week I went to my grandmothers home") Why??? (Choose a student to answer...Student says "Because it was my birthday")
Ex. Teacher says: Tomorrow I will go fishing... (students repeat "Tomorrow I will go fishing") With WHO??? (Choose a student to answer... Student says "with my uncle")
*If too difficult, the teacher should give example answers after each example
*As the drill goes on students should be listening, and learning from other students answers
*I don't usually have students repeat the students answer as that would draw the drill out much longer... But it is good to do so once in a while to emphasize a great answer
Positive to Negative (Level: Medium)
*Often teachers forget to focus on verb negation
*Different verb tense negation can be confusing ( I ran... I did't run... verb change) (She likes... She doesn't like..."S" switches verb)
The Teacher says a Positive sentence, then all the students repeat the Negative sentence. Afterwards the teacher repeats the correct negative sentence to make sure there are no misunderstandings. Once the class seems to be understanding, the teacher can break down the class to teams, or one by one, to be sure all students are repeating correctly.
Ex. The teacher says: I like to play basketball...(Students repeat "I DON'T like to play basketball.) Teacher then repeats correct answer to avoid confusion.
Ex. The teacher says: I have a small dog... (Students repeat "I DON'T have a small dog.) Teacher then repeats correct answer to avoid confusion.
Ex. The teacher says: She wants to eat breakfast... (Students repeat "She DOESN'T want to eat breakfast")
Ex. The teacher says: We are boys... (Students repeat "We AREN'T boys")
Ex. The teacher says: There is a Monkey on my head... (Students repeat "There ISN'T a monkey on my head")
Ex. The teacher says: I bought a plane yesterday... (Students repeat "I DIDN'T buy a plane yesterday")
Ex. The teacher says: We will play basketball next week... (Students repeat "We WON'T play basketball next week")
Ex. The teacher says: It has been a beautiful day...(students repeat "It HASN'T been a beautiful day")
Best Answer Wins (Level: Difficult)
After the grammar has been taught using examples, translations, and mistake drills, the teacher can now see how well the lesson was taught by having students apply what they have learned.
In this drill students face off to answer questions, or create their own sentences. The best answer is the "winner". This can be done on a 1v1 competition, or more. If a certain topic is popular among students I will take more answers, and award one or maybe 2 winners depending on how many students answered.
*The winner can be chosen by the answer that is the...smartest, most creative, funniest, most elaborate...To win the answer MUST be grammatically correct.
*Continue the drill until each student has answered at least once.
*If this exercise is too difficult, then simply go back to a different grammar drill to give them more examples and practice more.
Correct the Verb Tense (Level: Medium)
State a "Time", and then a sentence with the verb spoken in the incorrect tense. Students as a class must then say the sentence together correctly. When the class is comfortable with this the Teacher can break students down in to teams, or 1 by 1 to be sure everyone understands. Every few sentences the teacher can choose a "winner" that is doing the exercise very well.
Ex. Teacher says: Every Tuesday... (Students repeat "Every Tuesday") Bob dance in his room... (Students repeat "Bob DANCES in his room.")
Ex. Teacher says: Last year... (Students repeat "Last year") I go to my Aunts house...(Students repeat "I WENT to my Aunts house")
Ex. Teacher says: Right now... (Students repeat "Right now") My mother is cook dinner... (Students repeat "My mother is COOKING dinner.")
Ex. Teacher says: Next Saturday...(Students repeat "Next Saturday") We play football at the park... (Students repeat "We WILL play football at the park."
Ex. Teacher says: Yesterday... (Students repeat "Yesterday") They were ate bananas... (Students repeat "They were EATING bananas")
Ex. Teacher says: Last night... (Students repeat "Last night") She is watching a movie... (Students repeat "She WAS watching a movie")
*Be sure to say the "TIME" of the sentence first, so that students are aware of what tense the verb will be in
*This can be used to focus on the grammar of the lesson, but also great to review other tenses previously learned
*This is very difficult drill as ALL of the sentences have mistakes... The students must be very familiar before doing this exercise
Mistake Grammar (Level: Medium)
The teacher makes sentences using the grammar focus with students repeating the sentences. Every few sentences the teacher will make a mistake that applies to the specific grammar concept. When the teacher makes a mistake students should then do an action to show they understand that the sentence was incorrect.
*Make mistakes ONLY for the main focus of the grammar of the day, NOT for other parts of the sentence
*Mistake "actions" can be many different things: clapping, standing up, sitting down, being quiet, throwing a ball, jumping...
*Mistakes can be group actions that teams must do together: make a circle, team hug, passing an object from first student to last student...
*Mistake games can reward fastest student, or have the slowest student lose... as in the opposite team wins
Example grammar: Have Has
Teacher says: I have a blue shoe... Students repeat
Teacher says: They have big shoes... students repeat
Teacher says: He has a cool watch... students repeat
Teacher says: She have a pink bike... Students DO NO REPEAT... students do action
Example Grammar: Past tenses verbs
Teacher says: She ate breakfast at 9:00... Students repeat
Teacher says: They brought gifts for their teacher... Students repeat
Teacher says: It run very fast... Students DO NO REPEAT... students do action
*Continue this drill util all students are very familiar with the change of the verb tense
*If students cannot speak together clearly, break down the sentence into shorter parts
Example: Teacher says: They brought... (Students repeat) gifts... (Students repeat)... For their teacher... (Students repeat)
Silly Sentences (Level: Easy)
The teacher says a silly sentence using the focus grammar of the day. Students then repeat the sentence together as a group. The teacher then asks 1 student to translate the sentence. If the student is correct he/she is the winner. When all students have translated at least one sentence the drill is complete.
*It may help to have a Local teacher translate the first few sentences to be sure students understand the new grammar content
Ex: Teacher says: I am a chicken... Students repeat... 1 student translates
Ex: Teacher says: I have an elephant in my bathroom... Students repeat... 1 student translates
Ex: Teacher says: There are monkeys in my desk... Students repeat... 1 student translates
Ex: Teacher says: Tomorrow we will throw bananas at our teacher... Students repeat... 1 student translates
Ex: Teacher says: Last night, I rode a dragon to Shanghai... Students repeat... 1 student translates
Ex: Teacher says: She has danced with the president of Japan... Students repeat... 1 student translates
*If the translation is wrong, just ask a different student to translate
*If translating is too difficult then perhaps teaching the grammar again in their native tongue is needed
Best Actions (Level: Easy)
Hopefully teachers are using actions to help students understand what they are saying on a regular basis. Total physical response is proven to further students understanding of a language, and also remembering new language through actions. This exercise pushes students to create their own actions and use previously learned actions without the teachers help.
Teacher says a sentence broken into 2 or 3 simple parts, with students repeating and also doing actions to show their understanding of the content. After each sentence the teacher can choose 1 student as the "winner" for doing the actions the "Best". Continue the drill until all students have won.
Ex: Teacher: I am.... Students: I am (With actions) Teacher: a boy.... Students: a boy...(With actions)
Ex: T: We are... S:We are (with actions) T: climbing... S: climbing (With actions) T: a tree... S: a tree (With actions)
Ex: T: Last Friday... S: Last Friday (With actions) T: they kicked... S: They kicked (With actions) T: a watermelon... S: a watermelon (With actions)
*Sentence fragments are really important so that students can focus on the speaking and also doing actions (Keep it simple and short)
*Actions for pronouns and time are very important, The teacher should have their own way of doing these actions that are simple and consistent
*Total physical response... (speaking and using actions at the same time) is a great way to teach as it helps students understand better
*Teachers should encourage students to do actions regardless
*This exercise pushes students to do actions, without the help of the teacher
Student to Student Speaking Practice (Level: Difficult)
When students have been taught the new grammar concept, and practiced thoroughly with the teacher students can then practice using the grammar themselves.
1.) Pair up students; one from each team. EX. AAAAA team vs BBBBB team.... Pair students AB, AB, AB, AB, AB... Have each pair spread out across the room standing next to each other.
2.) Set a "Time Goal" on the board so that students know how long the exercise should take... Usually 2 to 4 minutes depending on the level.
3.) Tell students they will take turns speaking to each other using the grammar just used. Examples of what to talk about, or Questions for students to talk about should be written on the board, so there is no confusion.
4.) Tell students that to "WIN" the game, they must remember what their partner had talked about in their conversation.
5.) Tell students when they are finished talking to sit on the floor and be quiet.
When the teacher says "GO" students then talk to each other and practice the grammar... This can be done in Question Answer form, OR Student A talks first , then student B talks. When students are finished have them sit on the floor quietly until all students are finished, and sitting on the floor.
Finally have the students play "Paper, Scissor, Stone" to decide a winner from each pair. The winners of each pair then has the chance to "Win" by telling the teacher what the OTHER student had told them. If the student can explain clearly what he/she had learned from the other student... They "Win".
*If the opposing student says that the statements made by their partner were not true, then they do not win. (Some students make up answers, or are mistaken about what they heard.
*This exercise is difficult the first time or 2, but becomes very simple when students understand what to do, and the competitive side of the activity
*This drill gives all students a chance to practice in a very short amount of time... But with a competitive "Winning" aspect
*With the teacher having one student from each team talk about what they learned from the other student, it is a great way to understand if the students understand the content of the day
Team Writing Race (Level: Difficult)
After students have been taught the new grammar concept thoroughly, teachers can test their understanding with a writing competition.
1.) Give the students an example on the board of what they are to write
EX. 3 Questions and Answers
EX. 4 Statements using the new grammar concept
EX. Rewrite lyrics to the grammar song
2.) Tell students that ALL students must complete the writing exercise in their books
3.) When students are finished writing, they are then to help correct their teams writing... (Edit each others writing, but only help their own team)
4.) When students feel as a team, they are ready, put their books/papers on the teachers desk in a pile. (one pile for each team... do not mix up teams writing)
5.) The team that finishes the fastest is the " winner"
*I award 10 points but this can be 10 short games (Basketball shots... Dart throws... etc)
6.) The teacher then reads the Answers from the winning team. Each mistake the winning team has, they lose 1 point (OR game)
*This drill helps the teacher see, where students are making mistakes in their writing in a quick and efficient way
*This also helps students learn to edit writing, and learn to find mistakes in their own writing
*With the winning team losing 1 point per mistake, the "Losing" team can easily end up winning if the "Winning" team had written and edited very poorly
*This drill can be difficult the first few times, but gets much easier over time. (Especially as students learn to edit their own writing)
These drills can be used in multiple ways depending on the age of children and how to make them fun with competition. All of these drills can be used for pretty much any level of grammar and vocabulary. These can be applied to focus specifically on the grammar of the day, or to review all past language lessons.
A.) Young Students: The "Best" student can play a fast simple active game throughout the drill... Ex (shoot a basketball, throw a dart, roll a dice for points, try to hit the teacher with a dodge ball...)
* If a student is not behaving appropriately, the teacher can write their name on the board to show they lose a chance to play the sporty games until they are behaving appropriately... Then erase their name.
B.) Have all students start the drill in the starting position (sitting on floor, standing up, standing on line) The best student throughout the drill may return to their seat. The drill ends when a team or the entire class has returned to their seats.
* If a student is not behaving appropriately, the teacher can have the student move from their seat back to the starting position... (can penalize the team, not only the student that is misbehaving)
C.) Give points to students or team for doing the drill better (if using points, have an ending to the drill such as first student, or team to 7 points wins)
* If a student is misbehaving, the teacher can erase or take away points from that student or team.
*With all drills, make sure all students are doing exactly what you want, whether it be repeating after the teacher, doing actions or sitting nicely. With the above game aspect, this is for fun but, mainly used to enforce good behavior in a positive way.
Grammar Drills
True / False Drills (Level: Medium)
*Can use translation for the first few examples to be sure all students understand the new grammar
A.) The teacher says a statement, Students repeat the grammar all together. If the Teacher says a False statement all students should be quiet. (Or can do an action such as standing up, clapping, putting fingers on their nose... ) The best student or team is the winner.
Ex. For young students: Dogs are fast. The Elephant is big. I have 9 fingers.
Ex. For primary age students: China is a large country. My teacher's shoes are green. John likes to eat flowers.
Ex. For intermediate students: Yesterday was a cloudy day. We will have school next Tuesday. Last summer I swam with a polar bear.
*Be sure statements are very obviously true, and not opinions, and the false statement quite obviously ridiculous.
B.) The teacher says a statement, Students repeat the grammar all together. After each say and repeat call on a student to guess whether the statement was true or false. This is great for older classes because you can use grammar easily to talk about yourself, then students must guess if it is true or false in the teachers opinion, or life.
Ex. Easy: I love to play soccer. My Mother is 62 years old. I have an orange cat. I don't like chocolate ice cream. (These are about the teacher, so each statement could be true or false... depending on you)
Ex. Difficult: Last week I hit a bird with my car. In the future, I will buy a pet snake. I have never eaten octopus. When I was young, I liked to climb trees. I visited America last summer. I have broken 3 bones in my body.
Good / Bad (young) (Level: Easy)
The Teacher says a statement, then all students repeat. Then the teacher asks one student if it was a "good or bad" sentence (in their opinion). This is to practice speaking, learn about young students opinions, or just to get silly answers. Also learn if students are paying attention and fully understand the sentence.
Ex Good sentences: I like to eat ice cream. My Mommy is beautiful. I have 10 toes. My shoes are green.
Ex Bad sentences: I like to kiss giraffes. My Daddy is stupid. I have 3 eyes. My nose is purple.
*If a student gives you an odd answer (such as "My Daddy is stupid" is a good sentence... stop and translate to see if there is a misunderstanding, or if the student is just being silly...If silly, great, if misunderstood, that is an incorrect answer, explain and move on to next example.)
Agree / Disagree (older) (Level: Difficult)
The Teacher says a statement, then all students repeat the statement. Then ask one student if they agree or disagree, and WHY. If they can give a good reason, they win. If they cannot get across their opinion, help them with an example or two and then move on to the next example statement.
Ex: I think we should stop spending money to go to the moon. (Student: I agree because we should spend money on saving the earth)
Thailand is the most beautiful country in the world. (Student: I disagree because Indonesia has the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to)
Homework should be limited to 1 hour a day. (Student: I disagree because doing homework makes me a smarter student)
Elephants are smarter than bears. (Student: I agree because I can ride elephants)
Choose A or B Grammar Focus Fragments (Level: Easy)
To start this drill break down to the smallest part of the grammar concept...
This is or This are
He like or He Likes
Do you or Does you
(Past tense) I catch or I caught
(Future tense) I will drink or I drink
(Present continuous tense) She is run or She is running
The teacher will say the focus grammar as shown above as an A or B choice for students to ONLY repeat the correct answer.
EX. Teacher says This is or This are...(students repeat "This is")
Ex. Teacher says He like or He likes... (Students repeat "He likes")
Ex. Teacher says Yesterday...(Students repeat "Yesterday") I catch or I caught...(Students repeat "I caught")
Ex. Teacher says Tomorrow...(students repeat "Tomorrow") I will drink or I drink...(Students repeat "I will drink")
Ex. Teacher says Now...(students repeat "Now") She is run or she is running...(Students repeat "She is running")
When the teacher feels the students are doing well repeating together, break down to smaller groups to find who may still be confused... Team by team, 2 by 2, one by one...
*Have grammar written on the board or TV for students to visually see grammar concept
*When the class is comfortable with the grammar, move on to full sentences as described in the next part below
Choose A or B Complete Sentences or Questions (Level: Medium)
The teacher says a statement with an A or B option for students to repeat as a group. This can be performed by all students repeating (but may be difficult to hear if students are making a mistake) or team by team (to more easily hear individual students and if they are saying the correct answer.)
Ex. Teacher says: I like or I likes...(students repeat "I like") to eat ice cream (students repeat "to eat ice cream")
Ex. Teacher says: You are or You is... (students repeat "You are") a smart teacher (students repeat "a smart teacher")
Ex. Teacher says: Yesterday...(students repeat "Yesterday") they fight or they fought....(students repeat "they fought") a large monkey...(students repeat "a large monkey")
Ex. Teacher says: Tomorrow... (students repeat "Tomorrow") she go or she will go... (students repeat "she will go") to the cinema...(students repeat "to the cinema")
Ex. Teacher says: Does you like or Do you like... (Students repeat "Do you like") to play basketball??? (students repeat "to play basketball?)
*This is a simple manner to practice new grammar and learn the difference between correct grammar and common mistakes
*This can help tremendously with tenses IF the "time" is placed at the beginning of the sentence (Yesterday, Now, Tomorrow, Everyday, On Mondays, 2 weeks ago, Next year, Last night...)
*This works well, only if the sentences are broken up easily for students to be able to think about each part of the sentence... (also easier for the teacher)
*Can be done in question and answer format which is quite common while teaching early grammar
Finish the Sentence (Who, What, Where, When, Why) (Level: Difficult)
The teacher says a statement, then all students repeat the sentence together. The teacher then poses a simple question...(Who, What, Where, When or Why) The teacher can then choose one student to answer, in which case if the answer is correct, that student "wins"... Or have one student from each team answer for a competition of "best or most interesting answer", to be the "Winner".
Continue the exercise until all students have answered at least once.
Ex. Teacher says: Jane likes to eat bananas... (students repeat "Jane likes to eat bananas") WHEN??? (Choose a student to answer... Student says "on Fridays")
Ex. Teacher says: I have a big TV... (Students repeat "I have a big TV") WHERE??? (Choose a student to answer... Student says "in my bedroom")
Ex. Teacher says: Last week I went to my grandmothers home... (Students repeat "Last week I went to my grandmothers home") Why??? (Choose a student to answer...Student says "Because it was my birthday")
Ex. Teacher says: Tomorrow I will go fishing... (students repeat "Tomorrow I will go fishing") With WHO??? (Choose a student to answer... Student says "with my uncle")
*If too difficult, the teacher should give example answers after each example
*As the drill goes on students should be listening, and learning from other students answers
*I don't usually have students repeat the students answer as that would draw the drill out much longer... But it is good to do so once in a while to emphasize a great answer
Positive to Negative (Level: Medium)
*Often teachers forget to focus on verb negation
*Different verb tense negation can be confusing ( I ran... I did't run... verb change) (She likes... She doesn't like..."S" switches verb)
The Teacher says a Positive sentence, then all the students repeat the Negative sentence. Afterwards the teacher repeats the correct negative sentence to make sure there are no misunderstandings. Once the class seems to be understanding, the teacher can break down the class to teams, or one by one, to be sure all students are repeating correctly.
Ex. The teacher says: I like to play basketball...(Students repeat "I DON'T like to play basketball.) Teacher then repeats correct answer to avoid confusion.
Ex. The teacher says: I have a small dog... (Students repeat "I DON'T have a small dog.) Teacher then repeats correct answer to avoid confusion.
Ex. The teacher says: She wants to eat breakfast... (Students repeat "She DOESN'T want to eat breakfast")
Ex. The teacher says: We are boys... (Students repeat "We AREN'T boys")
Ex. The teacher says: There is a Monkey on my head... (Students repeat "There ISN'T a monkey on my head")
Ex. The teacher says: I bought a plane yesterday... (Students repeat "I DIDN'T buy a plane yesterday")
Ex. The teacher says: We will play basketball next week... (Students repeat "We WON'T play basketball next week")
Ex. The teacher says: It has been a beautiful day...(students repeat "It HASN'T been a beautiful day")
Best Answer Wins (Level: Difficult)
After the grammar has been taught using examples, translations, and mistake drills, the teacher can now see how well the lesson was taught by having students apply what they have learned.
In this drill students face off to answer questions, or create their own sentences. The best answer is the "winner". This can be done on a 1v1 competition, or more. If a certain topic is popular among students I will take more answers, and award one or maybe 2 winners depending on how many students answered.
*The winner can be chosen by the answer that is the...smartest, most creative, funniest, most elaborate...To win the answer MUST be grammatically correct.
*Continue the drill until each student has answered at least once.
*If this exercise is too difficult, then simply go back to a different grammar drill to give them more examples and practice more.
Correct the Verb Tense (Level: Medium)
State a "Time", and then a sentence with the verb spoken in the incorrect tense. Students as a class must then say the sentence together correctly. When the class is comfortable with this the Teacher can break students down in to teams, or 1 by 1 to be sure everyone understands. Every few sentences the teacher can choose a "winner" that is doing the exercise very well.
Ex. Teacher says: Every Tuesday... (Students repeat "Every Tuesday") Bob dance in his room... (Students repeat "Bob DANCES in his room.")
Ex. Teacher says: Last year... (Students repeat "Last year") I go to my Aunts house...(Students repeat "I WENT to my Aunts house")
Ex. Teacher says: Right now... (Students repeat "Right now") My mother is cook dinner... (Students repeat "My mother is COOKING dinner.")
Ex. Teacher says: Next Saturday...(Students repeat "Next Saturday") We play football at the park... (Students repeat "We WILL play football at the park."
Ex. Teacher says: Yesterday... (Students repeat "Yesterday") They were ate bananas... (Students repeat "They were EATING bananas")
Ex. Teacher says: Last night... (Students repeat "Last night") She is watching a movie... (Students repeat "She WAS watching a movie")
*Be sure to say the "TIME" of the sentence first, so that students are aware of what tense the verb will be in
*This can be used to focus on the grammar of the lesson, but also great to review other tenses previously learned
*This is very difficult drill as ALL of the sentences have mistakes... The students must be very familiar before doing this exercise
Mistake Grammar (Level: Medium)
The teacher makes sentences using the grammar focus with students repeating the sentences. Every few sentences the teacher will make a mistake that applies to the specific grammar concept. When the teacher makes a mistake students should then do an action to show they understand that the sentence was incorrect.
*Make mistakes ONLY for the main focus of the grammar of the day, NOT for other parts of the sentence
*Mistake "actions" can be many different things: clapping, standing up, sitting down, being quiet, throwing a ball, jumping...
*Mistakes can be group actions that teams must do together: make a circle, team hug, passing an object from first student to last student...
*Mistake games can reward fastest student, or have the slowest student lose... as in the opposite team wins
Example grammar: Have Has
Teacher says: I have a blue shoe... Students repeat
Teacher says: They have big shoes... students repeat
Teacher says: He has a cool watch... students repeat
Teacher says: She have a pink bike... Students DO NO REPEAT... students do action
Example Grammar: Past tenses verbs
Teacher says: She ate breakfast at 9:00... Students repeat
Teacher says: They brought gifts for their teacher... Students repeat
Teacher says: It run very fast... Students DO NO REPEAT... students do action
*Continue this drill util all students are very familiar with the change of the verb tense
*If students cannot speak together clearly, break down the sentence into shorter parts
Example: Teacher says: They brought... (Students repeat) gifts... (Students repeat)... For their teacher... (Students repeat)
Silly Sentences (Level: Easy)
The teacher says a silly sentence using the focus grammar of the day. Students then repeat the sentence together as a group. The teacher then asks 1 student to translate the sentence. If the student is correct he/she is the winner. When all students have translated at least one sentence the drill is complete.
*It may help to have a Local teacher translate the first few sentences to be sure students understand the new grammar content
Ex: Teacher says: I am a chicken... Students repeat... 1 student translates
Ex: Teacher says: I have an elephant in my bathroom... Students repeat... 1 student translates
Ex: Teacher says: There are monkeys in my desk... Students repeat... 1 student translates
Ex: Teacher says: Tomorrow we will throw bananas at our teacher... Students repeat... 1 student translates
Ex: Teacher says: Last night, I rode a dragon to Shanghai... Students repeat... 1 student translates
Ex: Teacher says: She has danced with the president of Japan... Students repeat... 1 student translates
*If the translation is wrong, just ask a different student to translate
*If translating is too difficult then perhaps teaching the grammar again in their native tongue is needed
Best Actions (Level: Easy)
Hopefully teachers are using actions to help students understand what they are saying on a regular basis. Total physical response is proven to further students understanding of a language, and also remembering new language through actions. This exercise pushes students to create their own actions and use previously learned actions without the teachers help.
Teacher says a sentence broken into 2 or 3 simple parts, with students repeating and also doing actions to show their understanding of the content. After each sentence the teacher can choose 1 student as the "winner" for doing the actions the "Best". Continue the drill until all students have won.
Ex: Teacher: I am.... Students: I am (With actions) Teacher: a boy.... Students: a boy...(With actions)
Ex: T: We are... S:We are (with actions) T: climbing... S: climbing (With actions) T: a tree... S: a tree (With actions)
Ex: T: Last Friday... S: Last Friday (With actions) T: they kicked... S: They kicked (With actions) T: a watermelon... S: a watermelon (With actions)
*Sentence fragments are really important so that students can focus on the speaking and also doing actions (Keep it simple and short)
*Actions for pronouns and time are very important, The teacher should have their own way of doing these actions that are simple and consistent
*Total physical response... (speaking and using actions at the same time) is a great way to teach as it helps students understand better
*Teachers should encourage students to do actions regardless
*This exercise pushes students to do actions, without the help of the teacher
Student to Student Speaking Practice (Level: Difficult)
When students have been taught the new grammar concept, and practiced thoroughly with the teacher students can then practice using the grammar themselves.
1.) Pair up students; one from each team. EX. AAAAA team vs BBBBB team.... Pair students AB, AB, AB, AB, AB... Have each pair spread out across the room standing next to each other.
2.) Set a "Time Goal" on the board so that students know how long the exercise should take... Usually 2 to 4 minutes depending on the level.
3.) Tell students they will take turns speaking to each other using the grammar just used. Examples of what to talk about, or Questions for students to talk about should be written on the board, so there is no confusion.
4.) Tell students that to "WIN" the game, they must remember what their partner had talked about in their conversation.
5.) Tell students when they are finished talking to sit on the floor and be quiet.
When the teacher says "GO" students then talk to each other and practice the grammar... This can be done in Question Answer form, OR Student A talks first , then student B talks. When students are finished have them sit on the floor quietly until all students are finished, and sitting on the floor.
Finally have the students play "Paper, Scissor, Stone" to decide a winner from each pair. The winners of each pair then has the chance to "Win" by telling the teacher what the OTHER student had told them. If the student can explain clearly what he/she had learned from the other student... They "Win".
*If the opposing student says that the statements made by their partner were not true, then they do not win. (Some students make up answers, or are mistaken about what they heard.
*This exercise is difficult the first time or 2, but becomes very simple when students understand what to do, and the competitive side of the activity
*This drill gives all students a chance to practice in a very short amount of time... But with a competitive "Winning" aspect
*With the teacher having one student from each team talk about what they learned from the other student, it is a great way to understand if the students understand the content of the day
Team Writing Race (Level: Difficult)
After students have been taught the new grammar concept thoroughly, teachers can test their understanding with a writing competition.
1.) Give the students an example on the board of what they are to write
EX. 3 Questions and Answers
EX. 4 Statements using the new grammar concept
EX. Rewrite lyrics to the grammar song
2.) Tell students that ALL students must complete the writing exercise in their books
3.) When students are finished writing, they are then to help correct their teams writing... (Edit each others writing, but only help their own team)
4.) When students feel as a team, they are ready, put their books/papers on the teachers desk in a pile. (one pile for each team... do not mix up teams writing)
5.) The team that finishes the fastest is the " winner"
*I award 10 points but this can be 10 short games (Basketball shots... Dart throws... etc)
6.) The teacher then reads the Answers from the winning team. Each mistake the winning team has, they lose 1 point (OR game)
*This drill helps the teacher see, where students are making mistakes in their writing in a quick and efficient way
*This also helps students learn to edit writing, and learn to find mistakes in their own writing
*With the winning team losing 1 point per mistake, the "Losing" team can easily end up winning if the "Winning" team had written and edited very poorly
*This drill can be difficult the first few times, but gets much easier over time. (Especially as students learn to edit their own writing)
Organizer Mad Lib (Picture Examples Below) (Level: Easy)
Create an organizer with only the Pronouns Filled out and the headers of things to be filled out by student ideas. (fill in verbs, nouns, adjectives, times, places, etc.)
Ask students for their ideas to fill in the organizer. (Ask students for verbs, nouns and so on) As your students give their answers, the teacher writes them on the board to fill out the organizer.
When the organizer is finished, we can now start our "Mad Lib" exercise. The teacher will read the examples, straight across to create a silly sentence. The students will then all repeat the sentences together as a group. Then ask 1 student to translate the sentence. If the students translation is correct, that student is the "winner".
*Continue the exercise until all students have translated at least one sentence.
*In the examples below there are only 8 examples, but usually I will have one answer per student, (8-16 examples)
*This is great for new teachers, as students give examples, so there is no confusion on using examples that are out of the class's understanding
*Encourage students to give creative ideas to fill in the organizer so it is not filled up with easy words
*This should be completed quickly to create funny and sometimes nonsensical sentences, BUT, this is to focus on the new grammar, translation of the grammar and practice speaking as a group.
Organizer Reading / Writing (Picture Examples Below) (Level: Difficult)
Create an organizer as shown below with only the Pronouns Filled out and the headers of things to be filled out by student ideas. (fill in verbs, nouns, adjectives, times, places, etc.)
*Each column must be numbered for these exercises
Ask students for their ideas to fill in the organizer. (Ask students for verbs, nouns and so on) As your students give their answers, the teacher writes them on the board to fill out the organizer.
When the organizer is finished, we can now start our organizer reading or writing exercises.
This can be done many ways whether it be reading or writing, and as a group or individually. Below are some ideas of how to use.
1.) The teacher can say or write numbers that correlate to the organizer. Students then read or write as a group or individually the new example.
2.) The teacher can write 5 different number combinations on the board. The Team that can read together without making a mistake is the winner. *If a mistake is made, the opposing team tries, until a team reads all examples flawlessly.
3.) Each student creates their own number combination to create their own unique example to read or write.
4.) Each student can write a number combination on the board. Students then all read together the new example.
5.) Students have a completion to create (Read or write) the funniest, smartest, true... statement from the examples on the board
6.) Students must write their own 3 examples using the organizer. The fastest team wins (can have students help their team with editing until their are no mistakes)
Organizer Mistake (Picture Examples Below) (Level: Medium)
Create an organizer with only the Pronouns Filled out and the headers of things to be filled out by student ideas. (fill in verbs, nouns, adjectives, times, places, etc.)
Ask students for their ideas to fill in the organizer. (Ask students for verbs, nouns and so on) As your students give their answers, the teacher writes them on the board to fill out the organizer.
When the organizer is finished, we can now start our Organizer Mistake exercise.
The teacher will read, and point out on the board as speaking, an example from the organizer on the board. Students will then repeat as a group after the teacher. Every few examples the teacher will make a mistake in the grammar. Students will then race to do an action of the teachers choosing.
*The fastest student can be the "winner"
*The fastest team can be the "winner"
*The slowest student can be the "loser", as in the opposing team is the "winner"
Mistake Action ideas
Clap hands/ be silent/ jump/ sit on the floor/ stand up/ pass an object down the team from first student, to the last student/ teams drop a hula hoop/ students switch chairs...
Create an organizer with only the Pronouns Filled out and the headers of things to be filled out by student ideas. (fill in verbs, nouns, adjectives, times, places, etc.)
Ask students for their ideas to fill in the organizer. (Ask students for verbs, nouns and so on) As your students give their answers, the teacher writes them on the board to fill out the organizer.
When the organizer is finished, we can now start our "Mad Lib" exercise. The teacher will read the examples, straight across to create a silly sentence. The students will then all repeat the sentences together as a group. Then ask 1 student to translate the sentence. If the students translation is correct, that student is the "winner".
*Continue the exercise until all students have translated at least one sentence.
*In the examples below there are only 8 examples, but usually I will have one answer per student, (8-16 examples)
*This is great for new teachers, as students give examples, so there is no confusion on using examples that are out of the class's understanding
*Encourage students to give creative ideas to fill in the organizer so it is not filled up with easy words
*This should be completed quickly to create funny and sometimes nonsensical sentences, BUT, this is to focus on the new grammar, translation of the grammar and practice speaking as a group.
Organizer Reading / Writing (Picture Examples Below) (Level: Difficult)
Create an organizer as shown below with only the Pronouns Filled out and the headers of things to be filled out by student ideas. (fill in verbs, nouns, adjectives, times, places, etc.)
*Each column must be numbered for these exercises
Ask students for their ideas to fill in the organizer. (Ask students for verbs, nouns and so on) As your students give their answers, the teacher writes them on the board to fill out the organizer.
When the organizer is finished, we can now start our organizer reading or writing exercises.
This can be done many ways whether it be reading or writing, and as a group or individually. Below are some ideas of how to use.
1.) The teacher can say or write numbers that correlate to the organizer. Students then read or write as a group or individually the new example.
2.) The teacher can write 5 different number combinations on the board. The Team that can read together without making a mistake is the winner. *If a mistake is made, the opposing team tries, until a team reads all examples flawlessly.
3.) Each student creates their own number combination to create their own unique example to read or write.
4.) Each student can write a number combination on the board. Students then all read together the new example.
5.) Students have a completion to create (Read or write) the funniest, smartest, true... statement from the examples on the board
6.) Students must write their own 3 examples using the organizer. The fastest team wins (can have students help their team with editing until their are no mistakes)
Organizer Mistake (Picture Examples Below) (Level: Medium)
Create an organizer with only the Pronouns Filled out and the headers of things to be filled out by student ideas. (fill in verbs, nouns, adjectives, times, places, etc.)
Ask students for their ideas to fill in the organizer. (Ask students for verbs, nouns and so on) As your students give their answers, the teacher writes them on the board to fill out the organizer.
When the organizer is finished, we can now start our Organizer Mistake exercise.
The teacher will read, and point out on the board as speaking, an example from the organizer on the board. Students will then repeat as a group after the teacher. Every few examples the teacher will make a mistake in the grammar. Students will then race to do an action of the teachers choosing.
*The fastest student can be the "winner"
*The fastest team can be the "winner"
*The slowest student can be the "loser", as in the opposing team is the "winner"
Mistake Action ideas
Clap hands/ be silent/ jump/ sit on the floor/ stand up/ pass an object down the team from first student, to the last student/ teams drop a hula hoop/ students switch chairs...
Simple Organizer for early learners. Have each student give one noun to fill out the Organizer. Questions can easily be added to the Organizer. This example can be used for the above 3 exercises.
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More advance Organizer dealing with past tense verbs. Have each student add a "Verb", Then each student adds a "noun", Finally each student adds a "Time". Questions can also be created within the organizer. This example can be used for the above 3 exercises.
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Speaking Circle (Level: Difficult)
Have students sit/stand in a circle or a line with the teacher. The goal of the drill is for each student to speak individually around the circle without making a mistake in the grammar. If or when this is accomplished I will award the class with a game, or something they enjoy doing.
The teacher will start the exercise by saying a sentence, using the grammar of the day. The student next to the teacher then must say the teachers sentence and then add his or her own sentence. Then the next student says the previous students sentence, and adds his or her own new sentence and round it goes. Each student says 2 sentences, the previous students' and their own. If a student makes a mistake the drill stops, the teacher corrects the student, all students repeat the correct sentence, then the drill continues.
*the drill can be played with a minimum amount of mistakes (3 mistakes, or must do a full circle again) Or no mistakes...
*This drill is specifically effective with the difference in verbs with pronouns such as I to he or she
Ex. I like bananas... He Likes bananas
Example circle with varying levels of English
Teacher Starts: I want to play basketball... She wants to eat ice cream...
Jane: I want to eat ice cream... He likes to throw chickens...
Bob: I like to throw chickens... She ate a frog yesterday...
Cindy: I ate a frog yesterday... He didn't do his homework last night...
Dan: I didn't do my homework last night... She has been to India...
Karen: I have been to India... He will go to Jane's house tomorrow...
David: I will go to Jane's house tomorrow... She will be a hand model in the future...
Cathy: I will be a hand model in the future... Our teacher is crazy...
Teacher: I am crazy...
Full circle complete
*To add some humor, students can make silly statements about the next student, that then the student must repeat... But can't get out of control, or mean.
*If mistakes are being made often, this is obviously too difficult, and an easier drill should be practiced more instead
Have students sit/stand in a circle or a line with the teacher. The goal of the drill is for each student to speak individually around the circle without making a mistake in the grammar. If or when this is accomplished I will award the class with a game, or something they enjoy doing.
The teacher will start the exercise by saying a sentence, using the grammar of the day. The student next to the teacher then must say the teachers sentence and then add his or her own sentence. Then the next student says the previous students sentence, and adds his or her own new sentence and round it goes. Each student says 2 sentences, the previous students' and their own. If a student makes a mistake the drill stops, the teacher corrects the student, all students repeat the correct sentence, then the drill continues.
*the drill can be played with a minimum amount of mistakes (3 mistakes, or must do a full circle again) Or no mistakes...
*This drill is specifically effective with the difference in verbs with pronouns such as I to he or she
Ex. I like bananas... He Likes bananas
Example circle with varying levels of English
Teacher Starts: I want to play basketball... She wants to eat ice cream...
Jane: I want to eat ice cream... He likes to throw chickens...
Bob: I like to throw chickens... She ate a frog yesterday...
Cindy: I ate a frog yesterday... He didn't do his homework last night...
Dan: I didn't do my homework last night... She has been to India...
Karen: I have been to India... He will go to Jane's house tomorrow...
David: I will go to Jane's house tomorrow... She will be a hand model in the future...
Cathy: I will be a hand model in the future... Our teacher is crazy...
Teacher: I am crazy...
Full circle complete
*To add some humor, students can make silly statements about the next student, that then the student must repeat... But can't get out of control, or mean.
*If mistakes are being made often, this is obviously too difficult, and an easier drill should be practiced more instead
Horse Race (Level: Easy/Medium/Difficult)
This exercise is simply a race to move objects forward in a race to get to the finish line by practicing English. It can be play in various ways depending on the class size, and level.
Setup: Create your horse race on the board, table, or floor.
*As the picture shows, I have 4 red dots for the red team, and 4 blue dots for the blue team. The race is 7 lines long.
*I use cups on the floor for students to move the cups themselves... (my floor is lined, so very easy)
*Can draw a grid on the board, and use magnets
*Can use small objects on a table
*Can use a few "horses" per team, or each student has their own "horse"
Different ideas of how to use with a grammar lesson
Easy: The teacher says an example using the new grammar, All students repeat. The Team that is the best can move their "horse" forward
Easy: The teacher says an example using the new grammar, All students repeat. The student that does the best actions that correspond to the sentence, can move their "horse" forward
Easy: The teacher says an example using the new grammar, All students repeat. The student that can translate the sentence, can move their "horse" forward
Medium: The teacher says example sentences, All students repeat. But if the teacher makes a mistake, students must do an action (clap). Fastest student can move their "horse" forward
Difficult: The teacher calls on students to practice the new grammar. If the student answers correctly they can move their "horse" forward
Different Rules
* Students can move 1 "horse" forward 1 space at a time (Easy)
* Students can choose to move 2 spaces forward, or move 1 of the other teams "horses" back 1 space (More Interesting for older classes)
* First "horse" across is the winner (Faster Race)
* First team to move all "horses" across the finish line is the winner (Longer Race)
* Last "horse" across the finish line is the loser (Longest Race)
This game adds a little fun and competition to drilling grammar. I especially like to use this as a final game to see if individual students understand the grammar concept of the day using the "Difficult" style where students just raise their hands to give their own ideas and examples.
*This game can be enhanced or modified many ways to make more interesting but, this is the basic idea
This exercise is simply a race to move objects forward in a race to get to the finish line by practicing English. It can be play in various ways depending on the class size, and level.
Setup: Create your horse race on the board, table, or floor.
*As the picture shows, I have 4 red dots for the red team, and 4 blue dots for the blue team. The race is 7 lines long.
*I use cups on the floor for students to move the cups themselves... (my floor is lined, so very easy)
*Can draw a grid on the board, and use magnets
*Can use small objects on a table
*Can use a few "horses" per team, or each student has their own "horse"
Different ideas of how to use with a grammar lesson
Easy: The teacher says an example using the new grammar, All students repeat. The Team that is the best can move their "horse" forward
Easy: The teacher says an example using the new grammar, All students repeat. The student that does the best actions that correspond to the sentence, can move their "horse" forward
Easy: The teacher says an example using the new grammar, All students repeat. The student that can translate the sentence, can move their "horse" forward
Medium: The teacher says example sentences, All students repeat. But if the teacher makes a mistake, students must do an action (clap). Fastest student can move their "horse" forward
Difficult: The teacher calls on students to practice the new grammar. If the student answers correctly they can move their "horse" forward
Different Rules
* Students can move 1 "horse" forward 1 space at a time (Easy)
* Students can choose to move 2 spaces forward, or move 1 of the other teams "horses" back 1 space (More Interesting for older classes)
* First "horse" across is the winner (Faster Race)
* First team to move all "horses" across the finish line is the winner (Longer Race)
* Last "horse" across the finish line is the loser (Longest Race)
This game adds a little fun and competition to drilling grammar. I especially like to use this as a final game to see if individual students understand the grammar concept of the day using the "Difficult" style where students just raise their hands to give their own ideas and examples.
*This game can be enhanced or modified many ways to make more interesting but, this is the basic idea
Fill in the Blank Grammar (Level: Medium )
When teaching grammar that has an obvious choice of a few options, this drill can work very effectively.
Example grammar sentences with a few options:
1.) I (am /are/is) a boy.
2.) Monkeys (can/can't) climb trees.
3.) He (have/has) a blue bike.
4.) There is (a lot of /many) bread.
5.) I have been a teacher (for/since) 2010.
6.) The chicken had (run/ran/run) across the road.
First, "Fill in the Blank" and write the options on the board so there is no confusion on what the choices are in the exercise. Next, the teacher will say sentences for students to repeat as a group, But the teacher will not say the choices, but instead, I say "Fill in the Blank". Students will repeat the sentence, but fill in the answer instead of repeating "Fill in the Blank".
Example sentences said by the teacher:
1.) I "Fill in the Blank" a boy. Choices on the Board: am / is / are
2.) Monkeys "Fill in the Blank" to climb trees. Choices on the Board: Can / Can't
3.) He "Fill in the Blank" a blue bike. Choices on the Board: have / has
4.) There is "Fill in the Blank" bread. Choices on the Board: a lot of / many
5.) I have been a teacher "Fill in the Blank" 2010. Choices on the Board: For / Since
6.) The chicken had "Fill in the Blank" across the road. Choices on the Board: Verbs: run / ran / run
*This drill can be created by putting a few choices on the board or by writing and numbering many (such as listing 12 verbs to choose a tense)
*This drill can easily be used with many text books that have already given choices. (read through text book with students, have them fill in answers together)
*If students repeat "Fill in the Blank" or are very quite while filling in the blank, it is a good indication students may not grasp the new grammar concept well enough
*** Instead of "Fill in the Blank" I often say "BlaBlaBla" which students find humorous!
When teaching grammar that has an obvious choice of a few options, this drill can work very effectively.
Example grammar sentences with a few options:
1.) I (am /are/is) a boy.
2.) Monkeys (can/can't) climb trees.
3.) He (have/has) a blue bike.
4.) There is (a lot of /many) bread.
5.) I have been a teacher (for/since) 2010.
6.) The chicken had (run/ran/run) across the road.
First, "Fill in the Blank" and write the options on the board so there is no confusion on what the choices are in the exercise. Next, the teacher will say sentences for students to repeat as a group, But the teacher will not say the choices, but instead, I say "Fill in the Blank". Students will repeat the sentence, but fill in the answer instead of repeating "Fill in the Blank".
Example sentences said by the teacher:
1.) I "Fill in the Blank" a boy. Choices on the Board: am / is / are
2.) Monkeys "Fill in the Blank" to climb trees. Choices on the Board: Can / Can't
3.) He "Fill in the Blank" a blue bike. Choices on the Board: have / has
4.) There is "Fill in the Blank" bread. Choices on the Board: a lot of / many
5.) I have been a teacher "Fill in the Blank" 2010. Choices on the Board: For / Since
6.) The chicken had "Fill in the Blank" across the road. Choices on the Board: Verbs: run / ran / run
*This drill can be created by putting a few choices on the board or by writing and numbering many (such as listing 12 verbs to choose a tense)
*This drill can easily be used with many text books that have already given choices. (read through text book with students, have them fill in answers together)
*If students repeat "Fill in the Blank" or are very quite while filling in the blank, it is a good indication students may not grasp the new grammar concept well enough
*** Instead of "Fill in the Blank" I often say "BlaBlaBla" which students find humorous!
Team vs Team 5 Point Perfection (Level: Medium)
Divide the class into 2 teams. Each team will take a turn to try to win the drill by repeating 5 sentences after the teacher. Each sentence has a mistake that students must correct as a team. The team that can repeat the 5 sentences correctly in a row "Perfectly" wins. If a student is not perfect, the team loses that round, and the other team gets a chance to play. I usually have 1 team stand together on a line to play, while the other team sits, and listens (or their teammates help each other to win the next round).
Example of final round (Usually go back and forth for 5-10 minutes)
Teacher: Last week I eat a banana. Team 1: Last week I ate a banana.
Teacher: Yesterday she fly to Japan. Team 1: Yesterday she flew to Japan.
Teacher: Last night I drink warm milk. Team 1: Last night I drank warm milk.
Teacher: Two days ago he playing football. Team 1: Two days ago he played football.
Teacher: This morning my mom wake up at 6:00. team 1: This morning my mom woke up at 6:00.
Final Challenge to prolong exercise if necessary... Ask 1 student from the team to repeat the sentence by themselves
Teacher: Bob repeat that again... Bob: This morning my mom woke up at 6:00.
*The team corrected 5 sentences in a row together ... they have won the exercise.
*Make the sentences harder as they progress... 1,2 easy, 3,4 more difficult, 5 most difficult
*Every sentence is different in each round. Do not use the same 5 examples
*If the drill is going on more than 10 minutes, or children are getting bored, then wrap it up and be more lenient
Perfection Aspect of the game:
Think of the teacher as a drill sergeant in the army during this game. The students taking part in the activity must be perfect, or they lose, sit down, and the other team stands up to try to win. These are some of the things I look for while playing in order to disqualify a team, and have the other team play.
First for fun, I look for overall organization of standing and speaking volume:
Standing on a line nicely (standing straight, like a soldier)
Standing up quickly with team to play (if too slow to play, then go to the next team)
Speaking loudly
Not screaming
No touching other students(students too close, touching or goofing around)
*This usually disqualifies the team after 1 sentence for a few rounds, but gives each team practice speaking
After a few rounds of watching for silly errors in standing, then focus on listening for students making mistakes in their speaking
If I hear a student make a mistake repeating the grammar, they lose!
If I hear a student make a mistake pronouncing a word, they lose!
*As we are speaking in a group it is hard to always catch a mistake in a students' speech... If a team makes it to 5, the teacher can then choose 1 student from that team to say the last sentence again... (not the best student and never the same student consecutively)
*When perfection is demanded, this drill is pretty fast and fun, with each team trying many times to win.
Divide the class into 2 teams. Each team will take a turn to try to win the drill by repeating 5 sentences after the teacher. Each sentence has a mistake that students must correct as a team. The team that can repeat the 5 sentences correctly in a row "Perfectly" wins. If a student is not perfect, the team loses that round, and the other team gets a chance to play. I usually have 1 team stand together on a line to play, while the other team sits, and listens (or their teammates help each other to win the next round).
Example of final round (Usually go back and forth for 5-10 minutes)
Teacher: Last week I eat a banana. Team 1: Last week I ate a banana.
Teacher: Yesterday she fly to Japan. Team 1: Yesterday she flew to Japan.
Teacher: Last night I drink warm milk. Team 1: Last night I drank warm milk.
Teacher: Two days ago he playing football. Team 1: Two days ago he played football.
Teacher: This morning my mom wake up at 6:00. team 1: This morning my mom woke up at 6:00.
Final Challenge to prolong exercise if necessary... Ask 1 student from the team to repeat the sentence by themselves
Teacher: Bob repeat that again... Bob: This morning my mom woke up at 6:00.
*The team corrected 5 sentences in a row together ... they have won the exercise.
*Make the sentences harder as they progress... 1,2 easy, 3,4 more difficult, 5 most difficult
*Every sentence is different in each round. Do not use the same 5 examples
*If the drill is going on more than 10 minutes, or children are getting bored, then wrap it up and be more lenient
Perfection Aspect of the game:
Think of the teacher as a drill sergeant in the army during this game. The students taking part in the activity must be perfect, or they lose, sit down, and the other team stands up to try to win. These are some of the things I look for while playing in order to disqualify a team, and have the other team play.
First for fun, I look for overall organization of standing and speaking volume:
Standing on a line nicely (standing straight, like a soldier)
Standing up quickly with team to play (if too slow to play, then go to the next team)
Speaking loudly
Not screaming
No touching other students(students too close, touching or goofing around)
*This usually disqualifies the team after 1 sentence for a few rounds, but gives each team practice speaking
After a few rounds of watching for silly errors in standing, then focus on listening for students making mistakes in their speaking
If I hear a student make a mistake repeating the grammar, they lose!
If I hear a student make a mistake pronouncing a word, they lose!
*As we are speaking in a group it is hard to always catch a mistake in a students' speech... If a team makes it to 5, the teacher can then choose 1 student from that team to say the last sentence again... (not the best student and never the same student consecutively)
*When perfection is demanded, this drill is pretty fast and fun, with each team trying many times to win.
Test Tenses: (Level: Medium)
The Teacher will make example sentences for students to repeat, but leaving out the "time" at the end of each example. After students repeat the example together, students will raise their hands to guess the correct "Time".
Examples:
Teacher Says: I like to eat ice cream. Students repeat : I like to eat ice cream. (Teacher can ask "When"... Students raise hands to answer "Everyday")
*Teacher awards that student, and then gives other correct responses...(On Tuesdays, after school, at night, every weekend...)
Teacher says: We are dancing. Students repeat: We are dancing. (Teacher can as "when"... Students raise hands to answer " Now")
*Teacher awards that student and then gives other correct responses...(right now, at the moment...)
Teacher Says: I went to Shanghai. Students repeat: I went to Shanghai. (Teacher can ask "When"... Students raise hands to answer "Yesterday")
*Teacher awards that student, and then gives other correct responses... (Last week, 5 days ago, in 2018, Last weekend...)
Teacher Says: She was fighting. Students repeat: She was fighting. (Teacher can ask "When"... Students raise hands to answer "Yesterday")
*Teacher awards that student, and then gives other correct responses... (Last week, 5 days ago, in 2018, Last weekend...)
Teacher Says: They will buy books. Students repeat: They will buy books. (Teacher can ask "When"... Students raise hands to answer "Tomorrow")
*Teacher awards that student, and then gives other correct responses... (Next week, in the future, in 5 hours, This weekend, On Friday...)
Teacher Says: You are going to play basketball. Students repeat: You are going to play basketball. (Teacher can as "When"... Student: "Tonight")
*Teacher awards that student, and then gives other correct responses...(In a few hours, tomorrow, next weekend, This summer...)
***Can continue up to the Perfect tenses...
*** Create Actions for Past / Present / Future... This can help students along that are not fully understanding the difference
Past: I point with my thumb, behind myself as the action is behind me... in the past.
Present: I point with my index finger at my feet, as it is happening now.
Future: I point with my arm straight ahead of me in a throwing motion to suggest it is in front of me, in the future.
***Simple Present Tense: I rotate my hand around in a circle like a clock, Meaning it happens repeatedly. (everyday, on Mondays, at night...)