340 Part VI: The Part of Tens
✓ I went to the supermarket: This is a memory game based on shopping
lists. The first person says, ’I went to the supermarket and I bought... ’.
This person chooses an item and says the word. It might be a pen for
example. The second person must now say the introduction, the word
pen and then add another item of their own. ‘I went to the supermarket
and I bought a pen and some cheese’. Move from student to student as
they repeat the ever increasing list and add an item.
✓ Chinese whispers: Stand all the students in a line or a circle. Whisper
a short message in the first student’s ear. That student whispers the
message, as they have understood it, to the next student and so on. The
challenge is to see whether the message remains the same by the time it
reaches the last student
Then there are other games which, with a little adjusting can fit snugly into a
lesson. Chapter 20 has more on games and don’t be put off because the chapter
is directed at teaching children – the games can be adapted for any age.
Get Musical
Music generally puts a smile on people’s faces and reduces stress too, so if
you can find a song to illustrate the piece of language you want to practise
you will find your lesson much livelier than when you use a simple worksheet.
Songs are generally seen as a listening activity and older, professional students
may not want to sing along too often. There is an alternative though if you
want to get musical and this means using jazz chants. A jazz chant is a cross
between speaking and singing (a little like rapping) which involves repetition
and rhythm. While chanting sentences you want to practise, you can snap
your figures or clap your hands which really helps learners to hear how
English pronunciation and intonation works.
If you are still not sure what chanting sounds like, take a look at http://www.
onestopenglish.com under Listening skills: jazz chants. You can download
and listen to some jazz chants on MP3.
