Student Presentations
Instead of having the teacher present the grammar point, assign students to come to the front of the class and present the rules/formation/usage of the grammar.
Drawing
Students sit back to back. One student describes something, the other student draws it. Then swap roles. Can be adjusted for most grammar points, but works well for superlatives, comparatives, adjectives.
2 Balls
There are two examples of the target language written on the board--a correct example and an incorrect example. Students throw the ball at the correct example to try to get a point.
Blank Crossword
Like the crossword game, but with no questions written down. Just a blank crossword grid. Students try to write down their own questions and answers using the target language. Alternatively, the answers are supplied for the crossword, and the students have to write the questions.
Alibi
A crime has been committed. Two students play policemen, and interrogate two other students as to their whereabouts on the night of the crime. The interrogated two students have to construct an alibi, using the target language. Then the roles switch. At the end, the students discuss who had the most plausible alibi, and who was probably the criminal.
Circle Writing
Students write down a story using the target language. The first student writes down a sentence using the target language, and passes the paper on to the next student, who continues the story (ideally) using the target language. Works especially well for 3rd Conditionals (If I hadn't been sick, I wouldn't have stayed home. If I hadn't stayed home, I wouldn't have watched TV. Et cetera). But can possibly be adopted to other grammar points.
Writing Completion
* Divide whiteboard into three even parts. Put students in three teams.
* Each team is give a different colour marker.
* The teacher writes a heading or beginning of a paragraph for each team. For example:
Last summer I.... | Yesterday evening my family.... | Last week my friend... |
* The teacher yells "Go" and teams begin writing, one member at a time. Each member writes three words at a time.
* After 5 minutes or when the board is full, the teacher yells "Stop"
* The teacher counts the points: one point for each word; subtract one point for each grammar mistake as they go through each team's work.
* Afterwards, the teacher can discuss the accuracy or quality of the writing with the students.
Body Grammar
All the students line up in a row. The teacher gives each student a word. The students have to arrange themselves in the correct order to form a correct sentence in the target language.
Sentence Battleships
This is a game that students play in pairs against each other. Students are given a sentence in the target language (or make their own). They write the words of the sentence onto a grid in random order. Their opponent cannot see the grid, but makes guesses as to the spaces. (Similar to the classic board game battleship). If they get a "direct hit", their opponent tells them the word. They try to guess each other's sentences.
Fortune Teller
(Ideal for future forms, but with some creativity can be possibly adopted to other grammar points). Students make a fortune telling device, and write the color, number, and then the fortune in the target language. Students then go around the room and get other students to pick numbers and colors. They reveal the appropriate fortune corresponding to the number and color.
Review of the Past Week/ Weekend
(Probably for past forms only). Students talk about their past week or weekend. Teacher encourages students to use the correct past form.
Storyline Cut-Up For Songs with a Narrative
Find song lyrics that tell some sort of story (and possibly featuring the target language). Cut the story up and mix it up, and students have to re-arrange the story in order. Then play the song for them.
Slap the Board (For Vocab)
Lots of vocabulary words are written up everywhere on the white board. 2 students face away from the board, and then when given the vocabulary word, turn around and try to touch the word. The student who hits the word first gains a point for their team. In addition, the student who loses the round must give the definition for the word, and the winning student must use the word in a new sentence.
Taboo (For Vocab)
Use for vocab and/or compound words. Students are given a word on a card. They must explain the meaning of the word to the other people in their group. To make things more difficult, they cannot use certain words (which are also written on the card).
Visual Grammar
Students are given a picture, and have to describe the picture with a sentence using the target grammar.
Musical Modals
Called "Musical Modals" but can be adopted for any grammar point. The teacher writes down a list of questions or speaking prompts containing the target language. The teacher keeps a list for their own reference, but also writes down each question/speaking prompt on a separate card. The cards are passed around the class as the music plays. When the music stops, the students must stop passing the cards. The teacher then asks a certain question (or gives a certain speaking prompt). Whoever is holding the card with that question/speaking prompt must give their answer. The teacher then removes that card from circulation, and the game starts again. Continue until all the cards have been removed.
Moving Objects
Works best for prepositions. One student gives directions on where to place an object (e.g. "under the table") and the other student moves the object.
Tic-Tac-Toe (Knots and Crosses)
A tic-tac-toe grid is written up on the white board. In each box, one word is written. For example, a lesson on phrasal verbs might have a grid that looks similar to this:
in | out | to |
on | off | over |
up | down | away |
The students are divided into competing teams. If they can successfully use one of the words in the box in a sentence (using the target grammar for the lesson) they can put their cross or circle in that box.
Report a Sentence
Use this simply to focus students attention on the form of the target language. The students all stand up. The teacher says a sentence using the target language. If any of the students can repeat the sentence exactly, they are allowed to sit down. (Variation: Sometimes the teacher says the sentence, and sometimes the sentence can be played off of the CD.)
Report a Story
Used after a reading or listening exercise that contains a story. The students first read (or listen) to a story. Then they are put into groups, and have to try to reconstruct the story from memory. They re-write their version of the story up on the board, and the teacher helps them with accuracy. Can be used as a general fluency activity, or can be used with a story that makes heavy use of a particular target grammar.
Matching Sentence Halves
Students are given several cards. Some cards contain the first half of a sentence using the target grammar, some cards contain the second half of a sentence. The students match the correct halves together.
Grammar Books
Several teachers recommend the grammar games be supplemented with a more organized approach found from some of the various grammar work books found in the Teacher's Resource Center. In particular, English File, Cutting Edge, and Total English were all recommended.
Jeopardy
Used for reviewing grammar points--particularly useful for reviewing tenses. Played much the same as the classic Jeopardy game show, but the categories are all grammar points. A team will select a category (for example: past tense), and then will have to make a sentence using the category of the grammar point that they have selected. Correct sentences using the target grammar are awarded the set number of points.
Find Sentences in Target Grammar
The teacher brings in an extract of authentic writing. Students are divided into teams, and are told to look through the extract to find examples of the target grammar. They are given one point for each example of the target language they identify.