Class Activity to learn new words.

By Tim-André Eriksen

I think “grammar” is an important thing to learn. Every day we are exposed to the English speaking world, be it by media, internet or books. Being able to understand and to communicate grammatically correct so that you are understood is very important. In the Knowledge Promotion it is specified that the students should be introduced to authentic material; so having a decent grasp on the building blocks of English language is crucial. For some learning English grammar can be a daunting task, so to make it easier for the students it is important to introduce it in a way that it is not hard or boring. So the work lies within the teacher to make English grammar seem fun as well as exciting.

One exercise that I heard of in my practice period was focused on learning new words and spelling them. It starts with having one word written on a piece of paper which is then given to a pupil. The pupil must then read it and try to write it as it is written while they sit on the piece of paper. If they become unsure or have difficulty writing it they can look at the paper again, but have to sit on it to be able to write. This is not only good for spelling, but also for training memory. This could be a competition in which the students that manage to write and spell most words win. In this particular exercise the focus will hopefully stay clear from the mundane in addition to boring way of acquiring vocabulary; to have more emphasis on the competition in addition to the fun that it might bring.

I would use an activity like that in class to introduce nouns, adjectives and even verbs. The first “match” could for example start with nouns so that the students are aware of what word class they are writing first. An activity like this I would use in primary school, at a fifth grade. I think that learning grammar can be made fun by activities like this alongside with giving lectures; as long as it is varied so that it is not too much of the one or the other.