Color it! By Michael M. Magbanua

Who says that coloring only appeals to kids? Not at all. Believe it or not, big guys

in my class enjoyed doing it while trying to master their grammar lesson on adverbs

of frequency. I was even surprised to see them working so peacefully that it’s as if

they’ve been deprived from their art sessions years back. Anyhow, this creative task

was inspired by my students who are mostly artistically-inclined. More obviously, this coloring activity

was so popular to boys and girls alike whom I usually catch doodling, scribbling, sketching on their

notebooks, worksheets, and worse is—vandalizing over their armchair for a reason that only their

conscience knows. Howard Gardner’s claim about multiple intelligences (artistic) clearly explains this

integrative method of teaching adverbs of frequency and its usage through coloring.

Target Learners : Level 1

Allotted time : about 15-20 minutes

Materials : coloring templates; crayons and markers; pen; verb list

Procedures :

1. Have them seated on small group circles—ideally of 4-5 groups. This promotes collaborative

learning among groupmates.

2. Distribute the sheets to individual student. (Find more printable coloring templates at

www.coloring.ws/t_template.asp).

3. Have them color their own coloring template. Set your time.

4. Once coloring has finished, have them write 3-5 sentences about their masterpiece focusing on

using frequency adverbs with action verbs.

5. One helpful option (for slower students) is to write on the board a list of probable action verb

related to each template. See a sample verb list below:

Doctor : help; take care; treats; give advice…

Basketball : play; like; dislike; enjoy…

Car : drive; go; travel; visit…

Family : talk; love; like; laugh; sit…

6. Have them appreciate each other’s piece of art or correcting some mistakes in sentences.

7. Once peer-critiqued, collect the finished product.

POST ACTIVITY : In class, allow a 1-minute individual talk about his/her own masterpiece.

COMMENTS : While the teacher specifically aimed to focus solely to frequency adverbs, it is

interesting to note that student’s weakness about demonstrative, personal pronouns, and S-V

agreement usage also surfaced. Consequently, the activity turned to be an effective general

grammar assessment tool as well.

Colorfully done!

Teaching

frequency

adverbs

through

arts