| Teachers have turned to games now-a-days in order | | | | as the students are motivated, focused, behaved, and |
| to try to supplement their ESL classroom lesson plans. | | | | anticipating to have fun learning English. |
| Their reason for doing so is to add to the lesson in | | | | But in order for a teacher's inclusion of games in their |
| such a way as to benefit the students more. The | | | | lesson plans to be successful, there are some things |
| benefits are a more co-operative group dynamics and | | | | that should be remembered! |
| it has been shown that the students actually retain the | | | | |
| new material longer and with better comprehension. | | | | 1. The game MUST be appropriate to the lesson. In |
| How do these benefits make students retain this new | | | | other words, it MUST be more than just fun. It should |
| material longer and with better comprehension?? | | | | be relative to what the students just learned. If the |
| Games and their Benefits | | | | lesson was on animals, then you don't play a game |
| There are a multitude of benefits ESL teachers can | | | | that focuses on countries. |
| get out of including games in their ESL lesson plans. | | | | 2. Try to pick a game that would keep everyone |
| This is just a small list of benefits many teachers have | | | | involved. Games work best when all the students are |
| experienced: | | | | interested and involved. |
| | | | 3. The game should be a friendly competition. Students |
| 1. Encourages students to speak spontaneously | | | | would compete as a team usually. |
| 2. Motivates students | | | | 4. It should allow the students an opportunity to try out |
| 3. It's fun | | | | the word/phrase/lesson just learned. The more |
| 4. Helps reinforce the lesson just taught | | | | practice the students get, the faster their English will |
| 5. Helps with reviews of past lesson(s) | | | | improve. |
| 6. Focus is on the student with the teacher just | | | | Students quickly pick up ANYTHING when they are |
| orchestrating | | | | having fun. Learning English is no different. Children like |
| 7. Allows the entire class to participate | | | | to play, so why not include some fun games in the |
| 8. Easy to prepare the game | | | | lesson plans? |
| 9. Can be modified to fit ANY age group or grade | | | | There are a multitude of resources for finding fun |
| It has been well demonstrated in many ESL teachers | | | | games that could be incorporated into ESL lesson |
| classrooms that with the inclusion of games in the | | | | plans. Searching on the internet for "ESL games" will |
| lesson plan, students actually look forward to what will | | | | produce thousands of sites available. Many are good |
| happen next. After a while with the same teacher, if | | | | and original, and have a lot more than just games on |
| the teacher follows a regular routine of lesson, game, | | | | them. Another source of games would be any of the |
| lesson, game, etc..., then the students usually will pay | | | | games you played when growing up. Try adapting |
| close attention to the lesson in anticipation of the game | | | | some of them to your particular lesson plan. |
| that follows. This helps the teacher in many ways such | | | | |