The Actuality of the course paper
ҚАЗАҚСТАН РЕСПУБЛИКАСЫ БІЛІМ ЖӘНЕ ҒЫЛЫМ МИНИСТРЛІГІ
АҚТӨБЕ ГУМАНИТАРЛЫҚ КОЛЛЕДЖІ
КУРСТЫҚ ЖҰМЫС
«TEACHING ACTIVE LEXICS THROUGH EXERCISES AND GAMES»
(ШЕТ ТІЛІН ОҚЫТУ ӘДІСТЕМЕСІ БОЙЫНША)
0105000 – Бастауыш білім беру
Орындаған:
Ғылыми жетекшісі:
Қорғауға жіберілді (жіберілмеді)
Шетел тілі пән бірлестігінің жетекшісі
_________ Г.А.Абдуллина
«__» ______ 2013ж.
Ақтөбе
Contents
I. Introduction
The Actuality of the course paper …………………………………………..……..3
II. Basic part.
CHAPTER I. Theoretical part.
1.1. The Importance of teaching lexics at school ……………………..…………...4
1.2. Teaching active lexics ………………...…...………………………........
1.3.Advantages and disadvantages of using games while teaching lexics………...6
1.4. Types of games and exercises for the assimilation of lexics ………………....9
CHAPTER II. Practical part.
2.1. The results of the State practice at school………………….……….............
2.2. A part of a lesson…………………………………………………………….
III. Conclusion……………………………………………………
IV. List of literature……………………………………………………
- Introduction
The actuality of the Course paper: Recently, English has become an international language that is taught by many people in the world. By mastering English, people can communicate with other people especially with people from foreign countries easily and it can reduce misunderstanding in communication.
Thus, English should be taught to the children as early as possible. The aim is to make the children as the young learner familiar with English. Teaching English to the young learners is not easy because English is not their mother tongue and it is a new thing for them. The interest of students in learning English is needed as the key to make them easier in mastering English itself. The teacher should have a good and an interesting technique to introduce English for them, so that the young learners will be interested and motivated to learn English.
There are a lot of ways to learn English to the young learners. One of them is by using games and exercises. As we all know that children like to play, so by using games as the teaching method the students can be more interested to learn English.
The aim of the Course paper: to show how to teach active lexics with the help of games and exercises, to stimulate motivation to learning English
The subject of the Course paper: methods of teaching active lexics with the help of the strategy of using exercises and games
The object of the Course paper: teaching pupils of primary school
The structure of the Course paper: Introduction, two Chapters: Theoretical and Practical parts, Conclusion, List of Literature. Theoretical part consists of the content and methods of teaching lexics, advantages and disadvantages of using games and exercises. Practical part consists of the Results of research work at school.
Methods of Research are: at realization of research work the following methods were applied:
- Study and analysis of methodical, psychological, pedagogical literature;
- Study and generalization of advanced methodical and pedagogical experience;
- Theoretical analysis and synthesis of the material.
Prognosis of the Research is: if to develop pupils’ lexical skills in teaching English to growing-up generation, it is possible to bring up a well-educated member of society, ready to bring the contribution to development of a society in the future of the country.
II. Basic part.
CHAPTER I. Theoretical part.
1.1.The Importance of teaching lexics at school
Lexics is more than a list of words, and although the size of one’s vocabulary matters, it’s knowing how to use it which matters most.
The research was made by the British linguist about vocabulary. They were thinking about children who are constrained by a lack of lexics; those who suffer language delay, those who arrive new to English from another country, and those who are simply stuck for words. But of course, the development of lexics is an important experience for everyone and continues as one grows older.
Of course, everyday life provides most of the lexics we need – words are all around us – but taking them in takes time as we become acquainted with their many uses and the contexts in which they are appropriate. A mix of rich language experiences helps to expose us to words and appreciate their meanings, but not all pupils get this in their lives. The question was, what can we do to hasten and enhance that process?
Children start school with a lexics which has been learned mainly from their contact with parents and the literacy environment at home, as well as their experiences with the wider world. A child’s lexics at this age will largely be oral (i.e. words which they can understand when heard and use themselves), with some elements of a reading or writing lexics.
To know a language means to master its structure and words. Thus, lexics is one of the aspects of the language to be taught in school. The problem is what words and idioms pupils should retain. It is evident that the number of words should be limited because pupils have only 2—4 periods a week; the size of the group is not small enough to provide each pupil with practice in speaking; schools are not yet equipped with special laboratories for individual language learning. The number of words pupils should acquire in school depends wholly on the syllabus requirements. The latter are determined by the conditions and method used. For example, experiments have proved that the use of programmed instruction for vocabulary learning allows us to increase the number of words to be learned since pupils are able to assimilate them while working independently with the programme.
The lexics, therefore, must be carefully selected in accordance with the principles of selecting linguistic material, the conditions of teaching and learning a foreign language in school.
Scientific principles of selecting lexics have been worked out. The words selected should be:
1) frequently used in the language, the frequency of the word may be determined mathematically by means of statistic data;
2) easily combined (nice room, nice girl, nice weather);
3) unlimited from the point of view of style (oral, written);
4) included in the topics the syllabus sets;
5) valuable from the point of view of word-building. For example: use, used, useful, useless, usefully, user, usage.
The first principle, word frequency, is an example of a purely linguistic approach to word selection it is claimed to be the soundest criterion because it is completely objective. It is derived by counting the number of occurrences of words appearing in representative printed material comprising novels, essays, plays, poems, newspapers, textbooks, and magazines.
Modern tendency is to apply this principle depending on the language activities to be developed. For developing reading skills pupils need "reading lexics" thus various printed texts are analysed from the point of view of word frequency. For developing speaking skills pupils need "speaking lexics"^ In this case the material for analysis is the spoken language recorded. The occurrences of words are counted in it and the words more frequently used in speaking are selected.
The other principles are of didactic value, they serve teaching aims. The words selected may be grouped under the following two classes (M. West):
1. Words that we talk with or f о г m (structural) w о г d s which make up the form (structure) of the language.
2. Words that we talk about or с о n t e n t words.
In teaching lexics for practical needs both structural words and content words are of great importance. That is why they are included in the lexics minimum.
The number of words and phraseological units the syllabus sets for a pupil to assimilate is 1,200. They are distributed in the following way: 800 words in the eight-year school, the rest in the ten-year school. The textbooks now in use contain more word units than the syllabi set.
The selection of the lexics although important is not the teacher's chief concern. It is only the "what" of teaching and is usually prescribed for him by textbooks and study-guides he uses. The teacher's concern is "how" to get his pupils to assimilate the lexics prescribed. This is a difficult problem and it is still in the process of being solved.
It is generally known that school leavers' lexics is poor. They have trouble with hearing, speaking, reading, and writing. One of the reasons is poor teaching of lexics.
The teacher should bear in mind that a word is considered to be learned when: (I) it is spontaneously recognized while auding and reading; (2) it is correctly used in speech, i. c., the right word in the right place.
The difficulties pupils experience in assimilating lexics. Learning the words of a foreign language is not an easy business since every word has its form, meaning, and usage and each of these aspects of the word may have its difficulties. Indeed, some words are difficult in form (daughter, busy, bury, woman, women) and easy in usage; other words are easy in form (enter, get, happen) and difficult in usage. Consequently, words may be classified according to the difficulties pupils find in assimilation. In methodology some attempts have been made to approach the problem The analysis of the words within the foreign language allows us to distinguish the following groups of words: concrete, abstract, and structural.
Words denoting concrete things (book, street, sky), actions (walk, dance, read), and qualities (long, big, good) are easier to learn than words denoting abstract notions (world, home, believe, promise, honest). Structural words are the most difficult for pupils.
In teaching pupils a foreign language the teacher should bear this in mind when preparing for the lexical work during the lesson.
Psychological and linguistic factors which determine the process of teaching lexics. Words are elements of the language used in the act of communication. They are single units, and as such cannot provide the act of communication by themselves; they can provide it only when they are combined in a certain way.
Sometimes separate words may be used in the act of communication, however, for example:
You have relatives, haven't you?
Yes, a grandmother.
The word grandmother is used instead of the sentence pattern Yes, I have a grandmother.
Charles Fries says: "It is not the meaning of the words themselves but an intricate system of formal features which makes possible the grasp of what we generally call 'meaning'. Train, boy, house, take — conveys no meaning. 'The boy takes a train to his house' is full of meaning." He concludes, "The meaning is not in the words themselves but in the words as a pattern".
Rule I for the teacher: While teaching pupils vocabulary, introduce words in sentence patterns in different situations of intercourse. Present the words in keeping with the structures to be taught.
Information is composed of two kinds of elements: simple (words) and complicated (sentences).
A word may be both a whole which consists of elements (speech sounds) and at the same time an element which is included in a whole (a sentence). In teaching words attention should be given both to a word as an element (in sentences) and a word as a whole (isolated unit) with the purpose of its analysis.
Rule 2 for the teacher: Present the word as an element, i. е., in a sentence pattern first. Then fix it in the pupils' memory through different exercises in sentence patterns and phrase patterns.
In teaching pupils lexics both the ear and the organs of speech should take an active part in the assimilation of words. Pupils should have ample practice in hearing words and pronouncing them not only as isolated units but in various sentences in which they occur.
Rule 3 for the teacher: While introducing a word pronounce it yourself in a context, ask pupils to pronounce it both individually and in unison in a context, too. Any word in the language has very complicated linguistic relations with other words in pronunciation, meaning, spelling, and usage.
Rule 4 for the teacher: In teaching words it is necessary to establish a memory bond between a new word and those already covered. For instance: see — sea; too — two; one — won (in pronunciation); answer — reply; answer — ask; small — little (in meaning); bought — brought; caught — taught; night — right (in spelling); to fight somebody — біреуге қарсы күресу; to doubt something —бірдеңеден күдіктену (similar word combination).
The process of learning a word means to the pupil:
1) identification of concepts, i. е., learning what the word means;
2) pupils activity for the purpose of retaining the word;
3) pupil's activity in using this word in the process of communication in different situations.
Accordingly, the teacher's role in this process is: to furnish explanation, i. е., to present the word, to get his pupils to identify the concept correctly; to get them to recall or recognize the word by means of different exercises; to stimulate pupils to use the words in speech.
"The true art of teaching is not the application of the 'best' system, but the ability to stimulate pupils to worth while activity." (Morris, Teaching of English as a Second Language).
Sinсе there are two stages in teaching lexics: presentation or explanation, retention or consolidation Which are based on certain psycholinguists actors.
1.2. Teaching active lexics
Since every word has its form, meaning, and usage lo present a word means to introduce to pupils his forms (phonetic, graphic, structural, and grammatical), and lo explain its meaning, and usages. The techniques of teaching pupils the pronunciation and spelling of a word are as follows:
- pure or conscious imitation:
- analogy;
- transcription;
- rules of reading. Since a word consists of sounds if heard or spoken and letters if read or written the teacher shows the pupils how to pronounce, to read, and write it.
However the approach may vary depending on the task set. For example, if the teacher wants his pupils to learn the word orally first, he instructs them to recognize it when hearing and to articulate the word as an isolated element and in a sentence pattern or sentence patterns alongside with other words. For example: This is a book. Give me the book. Take the book. Put the book on the table.
As far as the form is concerned the pupils have but two difficulties to overcome: to learn how to pronounce the word both separately and in speech; and to recognize it in sentence patterns pronounced by the teacher, by his classmates, or by a speaker in case the tape recorder is used.
“If the teacher wants his pupils to learn the word during the same lesson not only for hearing and speaking but for reading and writing as well, he shows them how to write and read it after they perform oral exercises and can recognize and pronounce the word. The teacher writes down the word on the blackboard (let it be spoon) and invites some pupils lo read it (they already know all the letters and the rule of reading ‘oo’. The pupils read the word and put it down in their notebooks. In this case the pupils have two more difficulties to overcome: to learn how to write and how to read the word; the latter is connected with their ability to associate letters with sounds in a proper way”1.
Later when pupils have learned the English alphabet and acquired some skills in spelling and reading they may be told to copy the new words into their exercise-books and read and write them independently; this work being done mainly as homework. The teacher then has his pupils perform various oral exercises during the lesson, he makes every pupil pronounce the new words in sentence patterns and use them in speech. Since this is the most difficult part of work in lexics assimilation it can and must be done during the lesson and under the teacher's supervision.
There are two methods of conveying the meaning of words: direct method and translation. The direct method of presenting the words of a foreign language brings the learner into direct contact with them, the mother tongue does not come in between, it establishes links between a foreign word and the thing or the concept directly. The direct method of conveying the meaning of foreign words is usually used when the words denote things, objects, their qualities, sometimes gestures and movements, which can be shown to and seen by pupils, for example: a book, a table, red, big, take, stand up, etc. The teacher should connect the English word he presents with the object, the notion it denotes directly, without the use of pupils' mother tongue.
There are various techniques for the use of the direct method. It is possible to group them into (1) visual and (2) verbal. The first group involves the use of visual aids to convey the meaning of unfamiliar words. These may be: objects, or. pictures showing objects or situations; besides, the teacher may use movements and gestures. E. g., the teacher uses objects. He takes a pencil and looking at it says: a pencil. This is a pencil. What is this'.' It is a pencil. Is it a pencil? Yes, it is. Is it a pen? (The word is familiar to the pupils.) No, it is not. Is it a pen or a pencil? It is a pencil. The pupils do not only grasp the meaning of the word pencil, but they observe the use of the word in familiar sentence patterns.
The second group of techniques involves the utilization of verbal means for conveying the meaning of unfamiliar words. These may be: context, synonyms, antonyms, definitions, word-building elements, etc. The context may serve as a key to convey the meaning of a new word.
Teacher: It was hot. We had nothing to drink. We were thirsty. Do people need water or bread when they are thirsty?
Pupil: They need water. Teacher: What do people need when they are thirsty?
Pupil: They need water (or something to drink). Teacher: It was hot. We had nothing to drink. We were thirsty. Were we thirsty?
Pupil: Yes, you were. Teacher: Were we thirsty or hungry?
Pupil: You were thirsty.
Teacher: Why were we thirsty?
Pupil: You were thirsty because it was hot.
Teacher: Are you thirsty, Pete?
Pete: No, 1 am not.
Teacher: Who is thirsty?
Ann: I am.
Teacher: What did she say, Mike?
Mike: She said she was thirsty.
There is no need to turn to the mother tongue as pupils can grasp the meaning of the word thirsty from the context. Besides, while presenting the new word a conversation takes place between the teacher and the class, so they have practice in listening comprehension and speaking. The teacher may use a definition.
Teacher: The new word is blind. A blind person is one who cannot see. Can a blind person see?
Pupil: No, he can't.
Teacher: What can't a blind person do — see or hear?
Pupil: He can't see. Teacher: He can't sec because he is blind. Why can't he see?
Pupil: Because he is blind.
Thus, through a definition pupils get acquainted with the word blind and have an opportunity to observe its usage: a blind person, be blind. The mother tongue has not been used.
It is difficult to cover all the techniques the teacher may have at his disposal to convey the meaning of new words directly without the help of the mother tongue. There are teachers, however, who do not admit that pupils can understand what a new word means without translating it into the native tongue, and though they use some techniques of the direct method for conveying the meaning of new words, they immediately ask their pupils to say what is the Russian for...? Here are a few examples. Teacher N. presented the word ball in the fifth form. She had brought a ball. She showed the ball to the pupils and said: This is a ball ... a ball. The ball is red and blue. What is the Russian for 'n ball', children? Who can guess? Of course everyone could. They cried: мячик. What is the use of bringing the ball if the teacher turns to the mother tongue? So instead of developing pupils' abilities and skills in establishing associations between the English word and the object it denotes, she emphasized the necessity for the use of the mother tongue in learning the word. Then she presented the word football. She used a picture in which some boys were playing football. She said: Look at the picture, children. You can see some boys in /lie picture. They are playing football. What is the Russian for football'? Who can guess! The pupils were not enthusiastic to answer this question because they probably found it silly. (It does not mean, of course, that the teacher cannot turn to the mother tongue to check pupils' comprehension when he uses the direct method of conveying the meaning of some difficult words not like those mentioned above — when he is not sure that everyone has understood them properly.) Consequently, the direct method works well provided that the teacher is good at applying visual aids and using verbal means when he explains new words to the pupils. Moreover, he must do it vividly to arouse his pupils' interest in the work performed, and thus to provide optimum conditions for understanding the meaning of the words and their assimilation through the foreign language. Besides various accessories (objects, pictures, movements, gestures, facial expressions, etc.) should be widely used. If the teacher cannot work with visual aids and is not an actor to a certain extent (after all, every teacher ought to be something of an actor), it is he, but not the method, who fails in conveying the meaning of new words.
The use of the direct method, however, is restricted. Whenever the teacher is to present words denoting abstract notions he must resort to the mother tongue, i.е., to translation. The translation method may be applied in its two variants:
- Common (proper) translation: to sleep – ұйықтау; flower – гүл; joy – қуаныш
- Translation — interpretation: to go —бару, жүру, ұшу; to come — бару, жүру, ұшу; to drive — жүргізу(нені?) көлікті, поезды, автобусты, трамвайды; education —тәрбие, білім.
The translation method is efficient for presenting new words: it is economical from the point of view of time, it ensures the exact comprehension of the meaning of the words presented. As far as the stages of instruction are concerned, the methods of conveying the meaning of unfamiliar words should be used as follows:
- visual presentation prevails in junior forms;
- verbal means prevail in intermediate and senior forms;
- translation in all the forms, especially in senior forms.
From psychology it is known that the process of perception is a complicated one; it includes various sensations and, at the same time, is closely connected with thinking and speech, with pupils' attention, their will, memory, and emotions. The more active the pupils are (luring the explanation of new words the better the results that can be achieved.
The choice of methods and techniques is a very important factor as it influences pupils' assimilation of words.
And, finally, pupils are recommended to get to know new words independently; they look them up in the word list or the dictionary. The teacher shows them how to consult first the vocabulary list at the end of the book, then the dictionary.
Once dictionaries have been brought into use the teacher should seldom explain a word, he should merely give examples of its use or use it (as if the class already knew it) in various speech patterns. This is the case at the senior level.
The choice of the method for conveying the meaning of a word depends on the following factors.
- Psychological factors: pupils' age: the younger the pupils are the better is the chance for the use of the direct method; pupils' intelligence: the brighter the child the more direct the method.
- Pedagogical factors: the stage of teaching (junior, intermediate, senior); the size of the class; in overcrowded classes the translation method is preferable because it is economical from the standpoint of time required for presentation, so more time is left for pupils to do exercises in using the word; the time allotted to learning the new words; when the teacher is pressed for time he turns to the translation method; the qualifications of the teacher: the use of the direct method requires much skill on the part of the teacher. The direct method is usually a success provided the teacher can skillfully apply audio-visual aids and verbal means.
- Linguistic factors: abstract or concrete notions; for conveying the meaning of abstract notions the translation method is preferable; extent (range) of meaning in comparison with that of the other language; in cases where range of meaning of a word does not coincide in the mother tongue and in the target language, the translation-interpretation should be used (e- g., education).
Whatever method of presenting a new word is used pupils should be able to pronounce the word correctly, listen to sentences with the word, repeat the word after the teacher individually and in unison both as a single unit and in sentences. However this is only the first step in approaching the word. Then comes the assimilation which is gained through performing various exercises.
Retention of words. To attain the desired end pupils must first of all perform various exercises to fix the words in their memory. Constant use of a new word is the best way of learning it. For this purpose it is necessary to organize pupils' work in a way permitting them to approach the new words from many different sides, in many different ways, by means of many different forms of work. The teacher can ensure lasting retention of words for his pupils provided he relies upon pupils' sensory perception and thinking, upon their auditory, visual, and kinesthetic analyzers so that pupils can easily recognize the words while hearing or reading, and use them while speaking or writing whenever they need. To use a word the pupil should, first, search for it in his memory, choose the very word he needs, and then insert the word in a sentence, i. е., use it properly to express his thought. Thus correct usage of words means the correct choice and insertion of the words in speech. For this reason two groups of exercises may he recommended for vocabulary assimilation:
Group I. Exercises designed for developing pupils' skills in choosing the proper word.
Group II. Exercises designed to form pupils' skills in using the word in sentences.
Group 1 may include:
1. Exercises in finding the necessary words among those suggested. For example:
— Pick out the words (a) which denote school objects:
(1) a pen, (2) a cup, (3) a blackboard, (4) a desk, (5) a bed, (6) a picture, (7) a car (pupils are expected to take (1), (3), (4), (6); , or (b) which denote size:
(1) red, (2) big, (3) good, (4) small, (5) great, (6) green (pupils should take (2), (4), (5).
The horse is a (wild, domestic) animal. They (ale, drank) some water. The (sleep, fly) is an insect. The (rode, road) leads to Minsk.
2. Exercises in finding the necessary words among those stored up in the pupils' memory. For example: Name the object the teacher shows (the teacher shows pupils a book, they say a book). Give it a name: (I) we use it when it rains; (2) it makes our tea sweet; (3) we sleep in it (pupils are expected to say an umbrella, sugar, a bed). Fill in the blanks: They saw a little hut in the forest. The hut was...
Say (or write) those words which (a) you need to speak about «inter, (b) refer to sports and games. Say (or write) the opposites of: remember, hot, day, get up, answer, tall, thick.
Name the words with a similar meaning to: city, go, cold, reply (pupils should name town, walk, cool, answer).
Make a list of objects one can see in the classroom.
Say as many words as you can which denote size (colour or quality).
Play a guessing game. The teacher, or one of the pupils, thinks of a word. Pupils try to guess the word by asking various questions: Is it a ...? Is it big or small? Can we see it in the classroom?
It is next to impossible to give all the exercises the teacher can use for developing pupils' skills in finding words both among those suggested when pupils just recognize the necessary words and those stored up in their memory when pupils "fish out" the words they need to do the exercise. There are plenty of them. Those mentioned, however, will be helpful for consolidating and reviewing the vocabulary in eight- and ten-year schools.
Group II may include: Exercises in inserting the necessary words in word combinations, phrases, sentences; the words and sentences being suggested. For example:
Combine the words:
- sky; rain; snow; weather; blue; heavy;
- speak; late; run; fast; come; loudly;
Pupils have to say or to write:
- blue sky; heavy rain; white snow; line weather.
- speak loudly; run fast; come late.
3. Exercises in using word combinations, phrases, sentences stored up in pupils' memory in connection with situations given. For example: Say what you can see here. The teacher shows his pupils pens and pencils of different colour and size for them to say a blue pen, a long pencil, etc. Or he can use situational pictures for the purpose. Say where the pen is. The teacher puts the pen in different places for pupils to say on the table, in the box, under the bag, over the blackboard, and so on.)
Make statements. The teacher either displays objects or uses pictures for pupils to say this is a blue pencil, it's raining hard, the girl can't skate.
Make two or three statements on the object or the picture. The same objects or pictures may be used for the purpose. Exercises of this type are more difficult since pupils should search their memory for the necessary words, word combinations, or even sentences to describe an object or a picture.
4. Exercises which help pupils to acquire skills in using lexicsin speech which may be stimulated by:
- visual materials;
- verbal means;
- audio-visual materials.
A few more words should be said about the use of audiovisual aids and materials in teaching lexics. The teacher has great possibilities for pictorial and written representation of words on the blackboard. He can use either printed pictures, or pictures drawn by himself or by the pupils for classroom teaching and, finally, pictures cut out of periodicals. He should use slides, film-strips, maps, plans, objects, etc. All aids and materials may be used in presenting, assimilating, and reviewing the lexics at every stage and in every form in teaching a foreign language.
There are three problems the teacher is to deal with in lexics retention:
- the number of exercises to be used;
- the type of exercises to be used;
- the sequence or the order of complexity in which the selected exercises should be done.
In solving these problems the teacher should take into consideration:
The aim of leaching a word. Do pupils need it for speaking or only for reading? If it is a word designed for speaking then it should go through most of the exercises mentioned above. If it is a word designed for reading only then it is not necessary to use exercises for developing pupils' skills in using the words in oral language.
The nature of the word. There are English words which are difficult for Russian-speaking students. To master these words pupils should do a great number of exercises which require the use of the words in speaking.
The desirable relationship between these two groups of exercises, as our experiments have proved, should be in the ratio I : 2, that is most of the exercises must be connected with developing pupils' skills in using the words in sentences and in connection with the situations offered.
At both stages of teaching lexics the teacher should constantly use all kinds of lexical testing to see how his pupils assimilate the form, the meaning, and the usage of the words. For testing the retention of the written form dictations may be suggested. For testing the meaning special tests may be recommended such as writing synonyms, antonyms, derivatives, identification, and some others. For testing the usage of the words the teacher may administer such tests as composing sentences using the words given, composing a story on a picture or a set of pictures, and some others. The teacher should bear in mind that most of the exercises offered for the stages of presentation and retention may be fruitfully utilized for lexical testing.
1.3. Advantages and disadvantages of using games while teaching lexics
In language learning, lexics becomes the most important thing that must be learned by the learners, especially for the young learners. In addition by knowing English words and their meanings, the pupils will find it easy to master English. However the pupils of primary school are included in beginner level, so they still lay in learning English lexics. The problems that they usually faced are the difficulties in memorizing new words and their less interest in learning English.
‘The teacher should apply an appropriate teaching technique to solve those problems. One of the methods which is used by the writer in her job training is by using games. By doing fun activities the students will be more interested, motivated, and easy to understand about the materials.’2
Each teaching method has advantages and disadvantages; likewise the method that the writer used in her job training is games. Although games have so many advantages, games also have disadvantages.
Games are always loved by children. Games are related to fun, movement, and competition. Children can get bored easily if there is the same activity. Moreover their concentration is shorter than adult’s concentration. So the teacher must apply a good and creative method to keep the student’s concentration in learning the material. The use of games in teaching English lexics not only gave benefit both to the teacher and the students but also gave difficulty to them.
The advantages and disadvantages of using games in teaching lexics especially to young learners are as follows:
1. The advantages:
- Applying some games in teaching learning process pupils could be more interested in learning the material. When the students were interested in learning the material, they would give more attention to the lesson given. That condition gave a good chance for both the teacher and the students. On the occasion the teacher could deliver the material very well and the students could understand what they had learned on that day.
- ‘Applying some games in teaching learning process teacher didn’t need to explain too many materials. The teacher just explained the materials needed by the students because they can understand the material on that day by doing the games. The games could give the students more chance to understand the materials given because through playing they can learned something without realized that’. 2
- Games give a variety of tools to facilitate the teaching-learning process in other words, teachers can make use of tools to facilitate the teaching-learning process”, in other words, teachers can make use of games as they are one of the complementary tasks of a syllabus and with which students can better develop their learning strategies.
- Games make the lesson less monotonous, as they provide a great variety of class activities which help to maintain students attention and interest in the language without getting bored.
- Games stimulate students participation and give them confidence.
- Games transform the teacher’s role from that of formal instructor to that of an organizer or and moderator of the class. In other words, games reduce the domination of the classroom done by the teacher.
2.The disadvantages:
- Applying games in teaching learning process by attracting student’s interest to games, all of them were active and made noisy. Sometimes they too much moved and spoke. That condition made the teacher difficult to control them.
- Applying some games in teaching learning process by doing games the teacher only had a little time to explain the material and gave some new vocabularies. So there was no longer time for teacher to explain more and help them to memorize all the new lexics. From all the explanation above, it shows that the using of games is good method for teaching English vocabulary especially by applying the creative activity one but there were also some disadvantages in using games in teaching English lexics to the young learners.
1.4. Types of games and exercises for the assimilation of lexics
A game is an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun. There are two kinds of games: competitive games, in which players or teams race to be the first to reach the goal, and cooperative games, in which players or teams work together towards a common goal.
How do we remember new words? How do we expect our students to remember them? How can a new word or a set of new words become integrated into our existing word store? Remembering new words is hard. Words are very slippery things. The simplest activities are based on the information gap principle. In these activities Student A has access to some information which is not held by Student B. Student B must acquire this information to complete a task successfully. This type of game may be one-sided, as in the above example, or reciprocal, where both players have information which they must pool to solve a common problem. The games may be played in pairs or small groups, where all the members of the group have some information.
‘Game makes active aspiration of pupils to contact with each other and with the teacher, creates equality conditions in speech partnership, destroys a traditional barrier between the teacher and the pupil. Game gives the chance the shy to break an uncertainty barrier. In it everyone receives a role and should be the active partner in speech dialogue. In games pupils seize such elements of a dialogue as ability to begin conversation, to support it, to interrupt the interlocutor, from time to time to agree with his opinion or to deny it, ability to listen to the interlocutor purposefully, to ask specifying questions etc. Language games help to acquire various aspects of language (phonetics, lexics, etc.) They divide on: phonetic, lexical, grammatical and stylistic.’3
Lexical games concentrate attention of pupils exclusively on a lexical material. They help to get the vocabulary and to increase it, to illustrate and fulfill the use of words in dialogue situations. There are various kinds of lexical games.
Search games are another variant, involving the whole class. In these games everyone in the class has one piece of information. Players must obtain all or a large amount of the information available to fill in a questionnaire or to solve a problem. Each student is thus simultaneously a giver and a collector of information.
Matching games are based on a different principle, but also involve a transfer of information. These games involve matching corresponding pairs of cards or pictures, and may be played as a whole class activity, where everyone must circulate until they find a partner with a corresponding pairs of cards or picture; or a pair work or small group activity, where players must choose pictures or cards from a selection to match those chosen by their partner from the same selection; as a card game on the ‘snap’ principle.
Matching-up games are based on the ‘barter’ principle. Players have certain articles, cards or ideas which they wish to exchange for others. The aim of the game is to make an exchange which is satisfactory to both sides. And there are many other games and activities. They are: exchanging and collecting games, combining activities, arranging games, board games, card games, puzzle-solving activities.
1) Game “Weather”
Topic area: weather
Vocabulary focus: bright, cloudy, cold, cool, dull, foggy, hot, icy, misty, rainy, snowy, sunny, stormy, warm, windy.
Extra vocabulary: suncream, sunglasses, umbrella, raincoat, foglamp
Structures: be, like+ -ing, need. What … like?
Materials and preparation: Copy and cut up one set of weather cards an one corresponding set of object cards for each pupil in the class.
How to use the games: Communicating whole class matching game
Getting equipped
- Give each pupil in the class a weather card.
- Then give them each an object card. Make sure their subject doesn’t correspond to their weather card.
- The object of the game is to find the right object for the weather.
- To do this, they will have to get up and move around the class asking ‘What’s the weather like?’ When they find someone with the weather card that corresponds to their object (e.g. sunny – sunglasses) they should give them the object.
- When they have given away their original object and got the one they need, they should sit down.
2) Game “Fruit and vegetables”
Topic area: fruits and vegetables
Vocabulary focus: fruits: apples, bananas, cherries, grapes, oranges, pears, pineapples, strawberries
Vegetables: cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes
Structures: be, have got, like/don’t like, some/ any
Materials and preparation: Copy and cut up one set of fruit and vegetables cards for each group group of 3-4 students. You don’t need the words on the back. There is a rules sheet for this game at the back of the book. Make one copy per group.
How to use the games: pairwork sorting game
- Divide the pupils into pairs.
- Give each pair a set of fruit and vegetable cards with words on the back.
- Ask them to spread the cards out, word-side up.
- They should divide the cards into two piles: fruit and vegetables
- The object of the game is to try to remember the name of the shop where you get that product
- If they remember correctly, they can keep the card
- The player with the most cards at the end is the winner.
Game “Family members”
Topic area: family members
Vocabulary focus: aunt, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, daughter, father, nephew, husband, son, uncle, wife, mother.
Extra vocabulary: numbers
Structures: be, have, possessive’s
Materials and preparation: Copy the picture cards, family tree and relationship cards. You will need one set for each pair. Cut up the picture cards and relationship cards.
How to use the game: pairwork puzzle
- Divide the pupils into pairs
- Give one set of picture cards, relationship cards and family tree to each pair.
- They should put the family tree and the picture cards face up on the table, so that they can see them
- They should place the relationship cards in a pile with the sentences face up.
- They should take it in turns to take a relationship card from the pi le and read it out. They should then try to put the picture cards in the right places on the family tree according to the information on the card. This will get easier as they turn up more cards.
- The object of the game is to complete the family tree according to the information on the cards.
- When they have finished and the tree is complete, they should turn over the relationship cards so the reverse side is visible.
- They should then take it in turns to take a card and make a statement about the two or three people mentioned. They can check they are right by turning over the card. If they are right, they can keep the car. The player with the most at the end is the winner.
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