Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tanklor1]

I'm running out of ideas on how to make writing sentences fun. Anyone have any ideas?

[Smee]

Sort of a vague post.

But what I'll do once in a while when I'm hitting reading/writing, is I'll do the assignment, too, and I'll read what I've written to the kids but intentionally make grammatical, pronunciation, or factual mistakes. (This works if you're just reading a paragraph or page from the book, too). For my first middle school class they were writing answers to basic questions like "What's your name?" "What's your favorite color?" and "What did you do this summer?" I'd answer with things like "My name Smee," "My paborituh coror is pinkuh," or "I go to Seoul." I'd have kids raise their hand and offer a correct sentence.

[Fishead soup]

Chinese Whispers start at the back and work to the front. Last person writes on the board

[Fishead soup]

Peer Dictation -Make teams assign one student a writer and the rest runners. Have a written page on the blackboard. Put all the students into teams. Have one student from each team come to the front. They read the first sentence try to remember it and go back to their group. With each new sentence another student comes to the front and tries to read remember and tell the writer the next sentence. The first team to finish wins the game.

[nobbyken]

This game worked for elememtary kids.

They wrote 4 sentences (most desks are 4 people) on strips of paper.
Then they cut the stripso that it was only single words.
Next they put all the bits of paper in the centre of the table, and put their hands on their heads.
Then I said GO, and the first desk to have 4 correctly arranged sentences were the winners.

They loved the competitive element.

One boy made up a sentence about what he did in his vacation.
"I was riding my grandfather"
I could hardly stop laughing. The sentences for riding his bike and visiting his grandfather was what he should have had.
Check the sentences , for missing words,before they cut them up.
You can get each table to gather their paper and exchange with the next table to vary handwriting and sentences. Can be played many times.

[matthews_world]

A variaton on Peer dictation is using cut-up lines from scripts and taping each to a wall or window. Leave out the last two lines. Students try to think of them.

This can also be done with vocabulary. After this activity, play a game of Secret Agent, where you give each word a number 1-10 (10 being '0') Dictate the definitions to the students and they come up with the correct code, or phone number if you wish.

[Billy Pilgrim]

I use chain stories if I'm practicing certain grammar patterns with intermediate level university students, and I want them comfortable with using different sentence constructions.

Have a group of four sit in a circle. Each student has their own piece of paper.

Let's say you have been teaching sentence types (simple, compound, complex [relative clauses/noun clauses/adverbial clauses] and mixed sentences)

Make up a story pattern such as:

Sentence 1: relative clause (pronoun: who)
Sentence 2: compound
Sentence 3: noun clause

etc

I usually use ten for a long enough story that doesn't get boring by the end.

Tell the students that they are going to work together to create a past tense narrative story on any subject.

Each student has 1 minute (or whatever) to write the first sentence on their piece of paper, according to the pattern. They can only write the first sentence, nothing more.

After one minute, get the students to pass the paper to their left. Have the students read the sentence that they have received and give them time to understand it and ask the previous student to explain anything they don't understand. (could chance to practice inquiry and communication skills, and learn vocabulary from other students)

Then, give them one minute to continue the story with the second sentence pattern. (and that pattern only)

Rinse and repeat till your finished.

Let the students roam free with regards subject matter - they are often in stitches by the end.

NOW comes the valuable part. When they are finished, tell each group that they have to choose the BEST story of the four they have completed. Once they have chosen it, they have to do the following:

- check that each sentence follows the pattern with the correct grammar.
- correct other problems with the sentences (spelling, wrong vocabulary etc).
- add linking phrases (which you can put on the board) to make the story more coherent. (Suddenly, After that, Meanwhile, The reason for this was..., Unfortunately etc)
- add adverbs and adjectives to make the story more colorful and descriptive.

And so they learn the idea of rewriting and editing very quickly.

They hand the completed stories for me for checking and comments.

Works like a charm.

[tanklor1]

Thanks everybody. I'll test some out next week.

[mindmetoo]

http://www.gokorea.info/resources.htm

Try my Magic The Gathering like card game. The rules are a bit complicated.

[Optimus Prime]

Teach something. I mean, teach a subject other than English to teach sentence writing.