8/6/2019 How to Teach Grammar to the Bored Ones - Personal Pronouns + Verb to Be + Vocabulary

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My students face lots of difficulties when they start

learning English, and the main difficulty is to use the verb

to be and the personal pronouns. I prepared this game to

provide some practice during a game, when they are

relaxed and not concerned about mistakes or grammaritself.

After teaching the verb to be + personal pronouns I cut the

cards (the number of cards must correspond to the number

of students + one for the teacher, there’s no problem if 

there are more than one with the same picture).

The game is also useful to practice the vocabulary they

learned. Since I teach the school objects in the first or

second class I used it to prepare the printable, but you

may want to replace them for any other pictures you want

them to practice during the game.

The game

Give one card to each student. The students aren’t

allowed to see the other students’ cards. Take one card

too. Make a circle with the students.

You begin the game. You show your card and say:

“I’m (your name) and I’m a (the picture you took).”

The following student looks at you, shows his / hercard and say: “You are (your name) and you are a

(your card); I’m (his /her name) and I’m a (his / her

picture).

The next student shows his / her card and say: “You

are (your name) and you are a (your picture); (points

the previous student) he / she is (the previous student’s

name) and he / she is a (the previous student’s card); I

am (his / her name) and I am a (his / her picture)

The winner

The game goes until all the students had said their

names, and showed their cards.

The game is also useful to let the students know each

other at the beginning of the course, year or semester.

It’s also useful for you to memorize the students’

names.

If you want, at the end you can ask some questions,

pointing the students: “What’s his name and what’s

he?”During the game you can register the wrong and

correct answers and attribute points. You can give

points for a group (boys vs. girls) or individually.

8/6/2019 How to Teach Grammar to the Bored Ones - Personal Pronouns + Verb to Be + Vocabulary

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The labels game – preparation

This is another game that can be very useful to

practice the personal pronouns, the verb to be

and sentence formation (questions and

answers).

While the game on the first game may be

played by students with little Englishvocabulary, this one needs some time to

prepare the students. They need to have some

vocabulary and know how to ask questions and

the difference between short / long answers and

yes/no questions.

Prepare some cards with the personal pronoun.

Each student will receive three: he (or she), I ,

we and you. Put groups of things on the desks

and put the card “they” on the group. Stick “it”

labels on the board, the window, the TV, etc.

The game

The game consists basically of questions, answers and

teacher’s requests. The only difference is that the students

have to hold the correct pronoun label in front of them

according to the speech.

The students have to stand in a circle to play the game,

the ones who make mistakes (holding the incorrect label)

go out of the circle and sit down.

If the students make mistakes with sentences they lose a

point; if they get it right they win two points.

The cards 

When you ask a student a question or a request you hold

the label “I in front of you; the student who you’re talking

to has to take and hold the label “you” quickly. The other

students have to hold the label “he” or “she” while

listening. The student has to change his label to “I” (and

you change yours to “you” while he’s answering, and

refer to the student as “he” or “she”.

When you ask a question about a student (or students),point to the student (students) and tell their names;

Example: “Is Mark your friend or your classmate?”

(Mark (and all the other students) has to be holding the

label “he”, the student you’re talking to has to be holding

the label “you” while listening and you hold the label “I”

while asking the question.

When you ask a question a thing (labeled as “it”) say the

object name and point it while asking the question.

Example: “Is that your backpack?”

The student has to answer using the correct pronoun (that

corresponds to the label on it).

The rules

To answer / ask question the person has to

hold the label “I” or “we”, depending on the

question or answer. If a student holds a

wrong label, s/he is out of the game and has

to sit down.

Each accepted answer is worth of two

points; the students also lose one point for

each incorrect answer, or answer containing

grammar mistakes. The teacher has to

correct them before taking the student’s

point off.

The answers have to contain subject and

verb to be considered.

If the teacher requests a question, the

interrogative order has to be respected.

Suggested questions:

How do you say this in English?

Are those pens or pencils?

Is (student’s name) a boy or a girl?

Am I your teacher or your mother?

Are you my student or my brother / sister?

Is (student’s name) here for a class or for a party?

Is (student’s name) at school or at home now?

Are you here to play or to study English?

Is that a blackboard or a window?

Suggested requests:

Ask (student’s name) if s/he’s here to study

English.

Ask (student’s name) what his name is.

Ask (student’s name) if that is your book or his

book.

Ask me if I’m your teacher or your student.

Ask (student’s name) what time it is.

Ask (student’s name) where his backpack is.

Ask (student’s name) if we are at school now.