Promotion of enjoyable communicative activities to revise some grammar points in grade 10 at ha trung high school

EDUCATION AND TRAINING DEPARTMENT OF THANH HOA HA TRUNG HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE “PROMOTION OF ENJOYABLE COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES TO REVISE SOME GRAMMAR POINTS IN GRADE 10 AT HA TRUNG HIGH SCHOOL” Full name: Trinh Thi Lien Position: Teacher of English Subject: English INDEX N0 CONTENTS Introduction 1.1 The reason for choosing the topic 1.2 The purpose of research 1.3 Study subjects 1.4 Research Methodology 2 Contents of the experience initiative 2.1 Rationale of the experience initiative 2.2 Situation of the problem before applying the experience initiative 2.3 The solutions were used to solve the problem 2.4 Results after applying the initiative Conclusion and requests 3.1 Conclusion 3.2 Requests PAGE 1 1 3 12 15 15 15 Introduction 1.1 The reason for choosing the topic Roger Bacon once said: “Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom.” This statement is far more exact in the globalisation period with the growing interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations English as an international language plays an integral part in the promotion of international integration process of our country.Therefore, promoting the quality of teaching and learning English in schools is at the forefront of the Party, the State and the entire Education sector English has been included in the mainstream curriculum by the Ministry of Education right from the primary level For many years of teaching English, I always manage to find and combine appropriate ways of teaching the language efficiently Grammar teaching communicatively and practically in a second language classrooms in my school, located in the countryside with a large number of students in one class, has always been a problem which I have managed to find solution to One useful strategy to encourage language acquisition is using language games When using games in the classroom, it is beneficial for teachers to have a complete understanding of the definitions of games, which usually are defined as a form of play concerning rules, competition, and an element of fun Teachers should also consider the advantages of games: the ability to capture students' attention; lower students' stress; and give students the chance for real communication Lastly teachers need to assess how to use games appropriately in the classroom It is important to choose an appropriate time and integrate them into the regular syllabus and curriculum However, because of the limitations of the syllabus, games often cannot be used, as much as they should be Therefore, it may be challenging for teachers to try to add some games in class in order to develop students' English proficiency of the target language By studying this topic, I hope it will partly help to teach more effectively, students learn more actively And above all, they can communicate accurately and confidently and use English for their entertainment, exam or future jobs This is also the reason I chose the topic: “Promotion of enjoyable communicative activities to revise some grammar points in grade 10 at Ha Trung high school.” 1.2 The purpose of research Helping students at Ha Trung High school learn English better through some enjoyable communicative activities in learning some grammar points 1.3 Study subjects Research subjects are students in grades 10 of Ha Trung High School, school year 2020-2021 1.4 Research Methodology In order to carry out this research project, with the help of the School Board, the colleagues and students in the school, I used the following methods: - Observation method: Reading documents, attending classes of colleagues - Methods of exchanging and discussing: After reading the documents, attending colleagues' classes and inviting colleagues to attend my own classes, I exchanged discussions and learned from experiences for the lesson - Experimental method: I conduct experiments in different classes with different contents and topics - Survey methodology: After applying the new method in a number of different classes, I conduct surveys among students by distributing the questionnaire to the students to understand, catch students' ability to comprehend lesson content as well as students' attitude towards my new method Contents of the experience initiative 2.1 Rationale of the experience initiative 2.1.1 Purpose of teaching grammar David Batstone, an ethics professor at the University of San Fransisco, once said: “Language without grammar would leave us seriously handicapped” But teaching and learning grammar as a set of rules and structures have been found inadequate in meeting the communicative needs of second language learners and give learners monotony during lesson That is why the combination of different ways of teaching grammar is needed including communicative language teaching Communicative grammar is based on the communicative approach to the teaching of a second language Language structures must not be taught in isolation but integrated to the four skills of language In this way, a structure is practiced orally and in written form Grammar patterns must not only be learned at the utterance level but at the discourse level, the main objective focuses on the development of communicative grammatical competence, which is understood as the ability to use and understand a structure in a variety of situations spontaneously 2.1.2 Basic factors directly impacting the effectiveness of a grammar lesson The Students: In the correlation between teaching and learning method: Teachers are the organizers, who control students to dominate knowledge and manage to facilitate learning by the kinds of classrooms activities, intellectual actions under the guide of teachers Thus, students must play a positive role in the lesson, must be the one who actively participates effectively in the lesson In order that the lesson is effective, students must be ready, prepared and proactive in studying the topic In addition, it is necessary for the students to be an active involvement in the leaning process The teachers With a new and positive teaching method, the teachers play a leading and guiding role for students to be active in the lessons Although students are the subject, the teacher's guiding role is very important The person who directs and leads a lesson must know how to choose the appropriate teaching method, organize and control the lesson scientifically, use the teaching equipment and tools proficiently, be able to engage students in their teaching activities Grammar activites incorporation - Integration of form-focused exercises with meaning focused experience - Incorporation of a focus on grammar into a meaningful communication - Students should be encouraged to find other examples and work out rules for themselves Teaching aids and devices in service of teaching listening: The equipment needed for the subject: - Blackboard, speaker, Micro - Textbooks, handouts - Pictures illustrating lesson content in textbooks (if necessary) - Self-created pictures of teacher supplies 2.2 Situation of the problem before applying the initiative experience 2.2.1 Advantages Although there are objective and subjective conditions that directly affect the teaching process, we have overcome the difficulties, gradually improving the quality of learning English in the communicative purpose in classes to meet the purpose of the new textbook program For teachers: - Initially, using tasked-completion techique - Coordinate quite flexibly the teaching techniques - Create some teaching aids such as handouts in accordance with the content of lessons For students: - Students learn by heart structures and complete garmmar exercises - Some students have found other examples and work out rules for themselves - Some students reuse fluently grammar structures in communication mainly in classrooms 2.2.2 Disadvantages: For teachers: There are still a number of teachers who have certain difficulties in teaching grammar communicatively, in choosing techniques or classrooms activities that are suitable for each lesson period, each stage of the lesson, using or not yet proficient in teaching aids Teaching grammar only pleases to the exam target For students: - The motivation to learn English is limited - Many children have few opportunities to speak, only complete some exercises in the textbook -Most children are still afraid to speak in English and are afraid of making mistakes - Practising grammar structures in a communicative way new to them, especially students of lower secondary classes in mountainous communes of the district - Students are weark at pronunciation, which leads to their unwillingness to speak, especially in publics Means and teaching aids: - Shortage of teaching aids, large classes prevent each student from have chances to practise speaking and being corrected - Students don’t have opportunities to take part in clubs to reuse what they have learnt, which makes class knowledge bookish Specific investigation: Class 10D 10C Excellent Sts’ % number SL 42 0 45 0 Good SL % 2,4 4,5 Average SL % 11,9 20 Weak SL 36 34 % 85,7 75,5 2.3 The solutions were used to solve the problem 2.3.1 Plan a free practice for a grammar revision: For teachers: In order for a class to revise well the grammar phenomenon (free practice), the teacher should follow the following steps: - Prepare an activity in which the students will practise the new grammar without the teacher’s assistance - Explain clearly what the students have to - Ask students to practice in pairs or small groups - Walk around listening and encouraging but not correct errors or interfere in the activity - Stop the activity Finish the lesson by asking two studentsto repeat their free practice in front of the class or asking several students what they found about their partners -There are a great number of language games So teachers have a variety of choices However, in deciding which game to use in a particular class and which games will be most appropriate and most successful with their students, teachers must take many factors into account Teachers should first consider the level of the game to fit their students' language level They should choose the game that fits the purposes of that class or the content Moreover, teachers should consider students' characteristics: whether they are old or young, serious-minded or light-hearted, and highly motivated to learn or not They should also consider when the game should be used because there is a big difference between using the game in the morning or in the afternoon, on Monday or Friday In addition to the factors mentioned, teachers should also be able to play and overact sometimes to help students feel comfortable and want to join the activity This means teachers should thoroughly understand the game and its nature and be able to lead the game It is quite difficult to find a game that meets all of the teachers' requirements Some games must be adapted in order to fit students' language level, natures, and characteristics The most important factor is that games should be used when they can give students both fun and educational meaning otherwise they will be a waste of time For students: The teacher asks students to prepare well for the next class by: - Make a system of suggestive questions about the lesson that you are about to learn so that students have time to think, study materials - Ask students to perform a number of exercises related to the content of the grammar lesson, but for other skill lessons, the results are the same - Encourage and encourage students to be confident, proactive and creative in raising issues and questions related to the content of the lesson 2.3.2 Procedures For a grammar lesson or vocabulary, usually in the course of the lesson period there are stages: Presentation - Practie - Production This teaching process not only helps students understand the lesson but also helps them to use new item in real communication The prerequisite, however, is that the teacher needs to clearly identify the required purpose for each specific grammar lesson so that he or she can guide students to perform their tasks in the next stages Presentation: One of the best ways to present grammar is to follow this method - Choose a text or a dialogue which uses the new grammar item - Prepare questions based on the text which use the new grammar item or which can only be answered by using the new grammar item - Introduce the text or dialogue in an interesting way elicit predictive answer from students - Students read or listen to the text or dialogue - Ask the questions we have prepared and elicit the answers - Write the questions and the correct answers on the blackboard underlining the new grammar - Name the new grammar and describe how it is formed - Check that the students understand the new grammar by asking more questions using the new grammar - If the students make mistakes using the new grammar, give some more examples Controlled practice: - Prepare a number of oral and/or written exercises which use the new grammar (visual aids if possible) - Correct students’ errors if necessary by eleciting the correct answer from another students Free practice - Prepare an activity in which the students will practise the new grammar without the teacher’s assistance - Explain clearly what the students have to - Ask students to practice in pairs or small groups - Walk around listening and encouraging but not correct errors or interfere in the activity - Stop the activity Finish the lesson by asking two studentsto repeat their free practice in front of the class or asking several students what they found about their partners * Applying “Promotion of enjoyable communicative activities to revise some grammar points in grade 10 at Ha Trung high school.” by designing acitvities/games in free practice with a view to revising the new grammar item - Activities/games in free practice “Be going to” in Unit and Unit 14, basic textbook, grade 10 after teaching the new grammar item Possible activity 1: Here is a free “be going to” speaking activity to use to revise grammar in class In the activity students talk about future intentions by discussing ways to improve their English Divide the students into groups of four and give each student a coppy of the worksheet The students discuss and brainstorm how they could improve their English in six categories (speaking, listening, writing…) The group then chooses the best three ideas for each category and each student notes these down on the worksheet Working alone, the students then choose six things that they are going to to improve English They choose one idea from each category and write a sentence with be going to When the students have finished, they paired up with someone from another group The pairs of students compare their ideas and give reasons for their choices Finally, there is a class feedback session to find out which were the most popular ideas for improving English GROUP… I’m going to improve my English A In your group, discuss and brainstorm how you could improve your English, write your best idea for each category in the space provided Categories Ideas ………………………………………………………… How to …………………………………………………………… improve speaking skill …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… How to ………………………………………………………… improve listening skill ………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………… How to ………………………………………………………… improve …………………………………………………………… writing skill …………………………………………………………… How to …………………………………………………………… improve …………………………………………………………… reading skill …………………………………………………………… How to …………………………………………………………… improve ………………………………………………………… vocabulary …………… ………………………………………… How to ………………………………………………………… improve …………………………………………………………… grammar B Now, choose six things that you are going to to improve your English Choose one idea from each category and write sentences with “be going to” I’m going to………………………………………………… Speaking Listening Writing Reading Vocabulary Grammar Possible activity 2: In the activity, students ask and answer questions about their future plans Give each student a copy of the worksheet The students read each question in the first column on the worksheet and then write a follow-up question using “Be going to” When everyone has finished writing their followup questions, divide the students into pairs Students then take it in turns to ask their partner about their future plans using their questions on their worksheet When a partner answers “Yes, I am” to a question, the student puts a tick and asks his or her follow –up question If a partner answers “No, I’m not”; the student put a cross and moves on to the next question When the students have finished interviewing each other, they tell the rest of the class about their partner’s future plans Read each question in the first column then write a follow-up question using “be going to” in the third column Then ask a particular about plans and write down their answer Are you going to…… √/x Follow-up questions Answer go out for dinner this evening? Where……………………… ? watch a film this weekend? What………………………… ? meet someone after class? Who………………………… ? write a email today? Why………………………… ? learn something new today? play sport this weekend? What……………………… ? What……………………… ? go on holiday soon? Where ……………………… ? go shopping this weekend? go to bed early to night? What……….………………….? Why………………………….? 10 some exercise today? What……………………… ? 2.4 Results after the application of the topic Applying these enjoyable activities, I myself have achieved some very satisfactory results Language games are not activities mainly aimed to break the ice between students or to kill time Byrne (1995) gave the definition to games as a form of play governed by rules They should be enjoyed and fun They are not just a diversion, a break from routine activities, but a way of getting the learner to use the language in the course of the game Similarly, Jill Hadfield (1990) defined games as "an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun." Therefore, games involve many factors: rules, competition, relaxation, and learning, in particular The main focus of using game in class is to help students learn and have fun However, to use games in classrooms, it is equally important that before playing the rules of the games are clearly explained and well understood by the students There should be only a few, well-explained rules Demonstrations also can be very helpful because it can help students understand the game and help them follow the rules Otherwise, they will misunderstand the purpose of the game and they may not get the benefits they should from the game For example, if students not understand the rules of the games called "Questions/Interview" and just write without following the instructions, then it is just an exercise in copying, and it doesn't help students with accuracy, pronunciation, or spelling at all In playing games, competition is very important because it can stimulate and encourage students to participate in the activity since naturally they want to beat the other teams As it happens, in the “interview game” students ask as many questions as possible, remember as much as they can and speak or report as loudly and clearly as they can They move back and forth in the classroom, trying to memorize the content as much as possible While playing, students have fun, relax, exercise, and tease their friends Apart from having fun, students learn at the same time They acquire new vocabulary along with its spelling and pronunciation Students begin to realize that they have to speak or pronounce the words clearly if they want others to understand what they are saying I have found that my students’ ability to speak in public has considerably improved, they have become more confident, fluent, relaxed and especially more inspired in learning English I have a feeling that they have found a good reason for learning English, they practise speaking English not only because of their coming exams but also for pleasure, which has made our English lessons more fascinating, motivating These are some samples and photos scanned from my students’ preparations for their activities required and their presentation, their performance in my classes 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 These are also the reasons for the relatively positive results of the first semester survey in guiding students to revise grammar in unit in the 2020 2021 school year, namely: Excellent Good Average Weak Sts’ Class % SL % SL % SL % number SL 45 6,7 15,5 15 33,3 20 44,5 10C 42 4,9 7,1 19 45,2 18 42,8 10D However, these activites have only been applied in practice for one semester, so I dare not affirm its feasibility Therefore, I continued to apply in the second semester, 2020-2021 school year After making full use of these activities in unit 14, I got very good results Students improve considerably in using grammar structures in speaking, and they have become more fluent and confident Specific results are as follows: Class 10C 10D Sts’ number 45 42 Excellent SL % 12 26,7 10 23,8 Good SL % 15 33,3 12 28,6 Average SL % 20 14 33,3 Weak SL % 20 14,3 17 Therefore, after two verifications, comparing the results of applying the communictive grammar techniques and targets by integrating form-focused exercises with meaning focused experience,i ncorporating a focus on grammar into a meaningful communication, encouraging students to find other examples and work out rules for themselves, I see that my application of these techiques is effective and should be widely used in second language classrooms With the results achieved, the colleagues in the group are very supportive of my topic Up to now, it can be said that the quality of English teaching has improved significantly, especially the integration of grammar in four other skills Experience lesson After successfully applying this topic, I myself have gained the following significant results and valuable experiences for myself: 1- Teachers must always create a foreign language environment during class hours and must use English as the main language to communicate Depending on the grade and type of students, teachers can use short, simple, easy English sentences to understand, and memorize Teachers must always encourage students to use the knowledge they have learned to use in communication - Teachers should not be overly concerned with students' mistakes while speaking Let the children find out as many examples in real life as possible and speak naturally Never force a student to stop speaking while he or she is trying to describe what he or she means in English, doing so will make them afraid to make mistakes when in learning process - Teachers should integrate grammar in other skills with the form "play study" - While at home instructing children to practice new items learnt at school by recording what they come up with and replay to self correct 2- Teachers need to engage students into the content of the grammar lesson by designing kinds of suitable activities, teaching techniques suitable for each stage of a lesson 3- Create materials that match the content of the grammar lesson: pictures, models, games, handouts, etc Teachers need to select, use and combine flexibly the teaching methods and techniques in the process of teaching time At the listening stage, in addition to the textbook exercises, teachers need to give appropriate exercises, featuring highly practical communication Conclusion and requests 18 3.1 Conclusion At the high school level, the introduction of English grammar lesson in the curriculum is not only be learned at the utterance level but a discourse level, the main objective focuses on the development of communicative grammatical competence, which is understood as the ability to use and understand a structure in a variety of situation spontaneously, so in the first years of implementation, both teachers and students could not avoid the initial difficulties With this initiative experience, I hope to make a small contribution to helping our teachers and students in particular, as well as colleagues and students in high schools in general to overcome the difficulties gradually, implement the teaching and learning English better For myself, I promise to continue to inherit and promote the results of the implementation of the topic, and at the same time continuously learn from experience, overcome difficulties in teaching to fullfil the requirements in the reforms of education and training to promote the integration process of uor country 3.2 Requests 3.2.1 For education and training Department of Thanh Hoa province Playing the advisory role to the provincial People's Committee about an urgency of radical reforms and comprehensive education innovation through investment in digital equipment for secondary schools in the province Issuing direction and guidance on the list of the minimum equipment and technology and having policies to encourage the schools to invest in digital equipment, multimedia classrooms; 3.2.2 For Ha Trung High school Facilitating, rewarding the teachers and students who use technology and modern teaching equipment actively Financing materials, spending reasonable amount of money on equipment and English Clubs, playing the advisory role to the local Party and Ha Trung commune authorities in modernizing the functional classrooms or multimedia rooms providing students with oportunities to practise more Enabling students to use information technology and the Internet in the process of carrying out educational activities 19 Principal’s confirmation: Thanh Hoa, May 5th 2021 I assure this is my own report, not copy others’ content Written by Trinh Thi Lien 20 REFERENCES Common methods of teaching to learn in groups – 123 doc, Google, 2020 The design and use of team working skills –, Google, 2020 Working in groups in education and presentations - Google, 2020 Book English 10 - Vietnam Education Publishing House, 2008 Guiding the work of writing initiative experience of superior, education and training Department of Thanh Hoa, 2020 Fun Grammar Games and Activities, www.britishcouncil.org/me 21 DANH MỤC CÁC ĐỀ TÀI SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM ĐÃ ĐƯỢC HỘI ĐỒNG ĐÁNH GIÁ XẾP LOẠI CẤP PHÒNG GD&ĐT, CẤP SỞ GD&ĐT VÀ CÁC CẤP CAO HƠN XẾP LOẠI TỪ C TRỞ LÊN Họ tên tác giả: Trịnh Thị Liên Chức vụ đơn vị công tác: Tổ phó tổ Ngoại ngữ, giáo viên trường THPT Hà trung TT Tên đề tài SKKN Trình tự khai thác phần “Tìm hiểu văn bản” Phát huy hiệu hoạt động cặp nhóm q trình dạy học tiếng Anh trường THPT Cấp đánh giá xếp loại (Phòng, Sở, Tỉnh ) Cấp ngành Kết đánh giá xếp loại (A, B, C) Năm học đánh giá xếp loại C 2004-2005 C 2011-2012 Cấp ngành 22 ... revise some grammar points in grade 10 at Ha Trung high school. ” 1.2 The purpose of research Helping students at Ha Trung High school learn English better through some enjoyable communicative activities. .. students what they found about their partners * Applying ? ?Promotion of enjoyable communicative activities to revise some grammar points in grade 10 at Ha Trung high school. ” by designing acitvities/games... That is why the combination of different ways of teaching grammar is needed including communicative language teaching Communicative grammar is based on the communicative approach to the teaching