Experience of using games in teaching english for students of class 9a in thieu khanh secondary school thanh hoa city

CONTENTS
A. Introduction
I. Reason for choosing the theme.
II. Research purposes
III. Research objects
IV. Research methods
B. Content
I. Theoretical basic
II. Actual situations.
1. The reality of teaching English in Thieu Khanh secondary
school
2. The advantages of using games in teaching English
III. Solutions.
1. Important factors of using games in teaching English
2. Methods of using games in teaching English
3. Using games in real situations
IV. The results.
C. Conclusion

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A – INTRODUCTION
I. REASON FOR CHOOSING FOR THE THEME
Nowadays, the economy of the world of growing strongly, exchanges in
policy, culture and society are also expanding among countries. Language plays
an important role in helping the cultures become closer. Never before, English is
as essential as it is now. English is taught every school and spoken everywhere.
Teaching target, therefore, has been changed. The problem posed is how to get
the most effective teaching, helping students have the ability to meet both
grammatically and communicate in real-life situations.
Through several years of implementing the program gradually to replace
textbooks with the innovations of new teaching methods, typical teaching
methods of English was really steady and in-depth. But most teachers are only
concerned about the renewal of teaching methods and pay little attention to
innovate forms of organization of teaching activities, so students feel the heavy
class, the quality of lessons is limited.
Unlike other subjects in secondary schools, English is not only a subject
but also a means of communication. Therefore, in teaching English if a teacher
does not seek to hold a teaching period so vivid, reasonably and attractive, it is
very difficult to attract students, classes will be tedious, boring. Especially with
the students of grade 9, they are in the process of changing physiological
interest, they are no longer impartial, chatter as those in grade 6. They are even

afraid of building the lessons. They understand lesson but they don’t want to
discuss about it, they only want to listen to what the teachers say but they don’t
want to ask or interact to teachers.
So as to make an English period achieve better results, be stimulating
learning and promote positive students, teachers must constantly innovate
teaching methods and forms of organizing the teaching activities. One form of
teaching bringing highly effective is to combine organization of games in
English teaching hours.
Using games in teaching English is teaching through the way to
organize activities for students. Under the guidance of teachers, students are
worked by self- playing game in which the purpose of the game conveys the
objective of the lesson. Rules of the game (gameplay) shows the contents and
methods of learning, especially learning methods with the cooperation and selfevaluation.
Playing learning games to form knowledge, new skills or reinforce the
knowledge and learned skills. In actual teaching, teachers often organize games
to reinforce the knowledge and skills. But the organization for the students
playing the game to form knowledge, new skills are needed because this is
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necessary to generate the interest in learning to students right from the start of a
new lesson.
From the above reasons, I bravely contribute to this school year Science
Council the initiative with the theme: “Experience of using games in teaching
English for students of class 9A in Thieu Khanh Secondary School – Thanh Hoa
City”.
II. RESEARCH PURPOSES
- Study about theoretical basic of games.
- Get to know the actual situations of learning English of students in
Thieu Khanh Secondary school.

- Find some ways to using games effectively in teaching English so that
the results of students’ learning will be higher day by day.
III. RESEARCH SUBJECTS
Applying some experiences of using games in teaching English for
students of class 9A, Thieu Khanh secondary school, Thanh Hoa City.
IV. RESEARCH METHODS
In process of studying the theme, I have applied two main methods below:
1. The method of theoretical research:
As the methods of collecting information on the basis of scientific
research documents, documents made by the manipulation and logical thinking
to draw scientific conclusions necessary.
- Method of analysis and synthesis of theory
- Method of classification and systematization of theory
- Method of history
2. The practical research methods
As the method of direct impact on the real object to clarify the nature
and the laws of subjects.
- Method of scientific observation
- Method of investigation
- Method of analysis summed up the experience

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B- CONTENT
I. THEORETICAL BASIC
Games is an human’s activity which aims firstly and mainly relaxing after
the hard working hours. Through games, people can exercise and mental fitness,
training the senses to create the opportunity to communicate with people,
collaborate with friends, allies in groups and organizations

The game is a kind of activity is very familiar and close to everyone.
Different angles, games are defined separately, it can be an essential natural
activity that matches the value of a human being or as an effective practice
methods for the formation of personality and the mentality of children ...
Organizing games is to develop mind power, wisdom, strength for our students.
Games should follow a topic, a certain content and have rules that players must
follow.
Learning games are understood simply as the game whose content ties
to the learning activities of students to enable students to learn in the classroom
more exciting and joylly. Game content is played on a certain intellectual
activity such as attention, quick wit, imagination or creativity.
II. ACTUAL SITUATIONS
1. The reality of teaching English in Thieu Khanh secondary school:
Located on the edge of town, not very far from the city center, Thieu
Khanh is considered one of the schools which has quite good quality of
education. As the evidence that the annual number of exellent students
municipal level is increasing. But the fact is that the quality of their mass is not
high. One of the reasons is the low quality of the input. Local language barrier
also significantly affects the ability to access their lessons. Many students have
difficulty in listening, reading, speaking and even writing. Reasonalbe teaching
methods will be the way to break these barriers.
Compared to recent years, students now have quicker reaction, gain the
lesson better. However, there are also too many things for them to learn.
Especially for students in grade 9, the knowledge they have acquired quite a lot,
the topics are dificult. Besides that, many articles are abstract. It’s necessary to
have a good method to help students absorb lessons in an active, possitive and
fun way.
Playing games is considered as a good method which helps students
limit the boredom of a topic, the hardening of the structures and make the
lesson become much easier.

• Practical Survey.
For the purpose of improving students’ ability of using English, in the first
semester I examined students of class 9A.
• Survey results:
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Class
9A

Number
of
students
32

Excellent Good
No
% No
%
2

6.3

7

21.9

Fair
No
%

16

50

Poor
No
%
6

18.7

Fail
No
%
1

3.1

Through the survey, I found the number of students understand lessons
and interest in the subject limited. Most students do not focus on lessons well,
they find the topics very hard, it’s difficult to excite the lessons.
2. The advantages of using games in teaching English:
Playing games is a necessary activity, contributing to human
development at all ages, especially with junior high students. For students at this
age, they are under physiological mood changes, any activity whether small or
large, good or bad may affect the future thinking of the students. Therefore,
helping them have the study habits through the games is necessary so that they
can just understand all main knowledge easily. Games help children see the
meaning of the lesson not only dry knowledge, difficult structures and
hypothetical situations. Gaming help students come closer to real life, more

dynamic in the way of thinking and doing.
Gaming is a form of active learning by engaging students, thus it helps
students maintain their attention to lessons.
Using games in teaching is necessary, diverse forms of teaching, change
the classroom atmosphere. Students can seize every lesson content in mind for
comfort, high self – awareness. Games contribute to the renovation of teaching
methods. Fun activities is the condition, the environment, the solution and the
most favorable opportunities contributing to the goals of education, to create the
conditions for them to develop mind power, physical strengh and mental as a
whole box. The games help students develop new things that they have accessed
to textbooks, practice the skills they have learnt. Through playing games,
students will be practiced different situations which force themselves to a
reasonable choice, personally discover the strenghs, weaknesses as well as
capabilities in each field.
Game reasonable organization helps students develop natural physical,
forge agility, become more energetic, confident before the crowd. Especially, the
combination of group activities also teaches students the way to work in groups
and the benefits of cooperation. This enables students to have more soliarity in
particular learning and in life in gereral.
III. SOLLUTIONS
The last purpose of teaching is to help students accquire all the
knowledge, achieve the aims of the lesson. In order to enable this, teachers must
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use teaching techniques. Using games is also the process that teacher is using
techniques for a lesson. In this process, teacher should pay much attention to
basic factors of using games.
1. Important factors of using games in teaching English:
- Teachers need to develop and use the game in a unique way to attract

students to think, to explore the knowledge, not the occurrence of overlap boring
(due other teachers have used, or previous periods have made this game),
students will not actively thinking in the process of implementing the game.
- The organization of the game in order to create opportunities for
students to experience and facility identification, analysis, reasoning ... from
which scientific knowledge discovery. So after the game finished , teachers
should guide students to analyze the significance of the game so they draw
learning content from the game.
- The game is an indispensable factor and decide the success of the
method. For the organization of the game really attractive and effective, teachers
can build, design games based on the following grounds:
+ Actual observations: The law of awareness have shown that
visualization is the material lively promote abstract thinking, help people create
new knowledge. So teachers need to actively observe the phenomena in vivid
reality every day to be able to restructure everyday actions into play operation
corresponding to a content learning something.
+ Arranger games available: Knowledge discovery game can be
redesigned from the games available, especially from the current variety
gameshow on TV. Generally, teachers have to edit gameplay to suit the
conditions of the classroom, it also makes the game arranger novelty factor,
which helps students interested in participating and awareness lessons from
these games.
+ Creative learning content: In the case of learning content very
abstract, theoretical heavily and the games available are not suitable for
organizations suggest knowledge to students, teachers must invention games
based on learning content. This is the most difficult innovative ways because
there is no direct material to the game design. But when the game is formed, the
lessons of abstraction becomes very impressive and very academic atmosphere
lively, exciting for students. This also confirms the talent of the master teacher.
2. Methods of using games in teaching English:

To organize games optimally effective, teachers should note the
following issues :
2.1. The game should suit the characteristics of learners.
Those games are used not only to meet the academic requirements but
also convenient and attractive to learners. So with the same learning content,
teachers need to change the form of play, depending on the characteristics of the
students.
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2.2. Ensuring safety organizations play.
The organization often creates air game fun, comfortable, easily lead to
negligence in the operation. Teachers should carefully controlled circumstances
to avoid playing unwanted accidents.
2.3. Explain the rules of the game.
The game is the perfect reflection of the content being shown the correct
nature. Therefore teachers should explain the rules to students does not distort
the content of learning.
2.4. Soothes the aggressive properties of the player.
The organization of games aimed to study, not to rank, confirmed talent.
Teacher should emphasize this to students, does not mean aggressive, leading to
conflicts and disagreements together.
2.5. Focus meaningful analysis after making the game.
Playing games is essential, but not the main thing of the method. The
lessons learned from the last game is the ultimate goal of method. So teachers
are not only investing in the organization, but also well- prepared for the
analysis of the significance of the game.
2.6. Ensuring education.
Teaching not only to provide knowledge and skills but also to achieve
the objective of education for students. So the way to organize the game must

ensure the cultural, should not have offensive operations, lack of culture in the
classroom, in the school.
2.7. Do not abuse the method.
Each teaching method has advantages and disadvantages, no
pluripotency. The use must be consistent with the learning content and
characteristics of the object, purpose ... The abuse of game-organizing methods
will be boring, even counterproductive.
3. Using games in real situations:
Teaching bases on games is a method which interests for learners but it
also requires high creation of the teacher. So as to apply this method best,
teacher need to distinguish the levels to use games in teaching and satisfy the
demand of this method organization.
Games maybe can be designed in different ways, on the board, extraboard or
Powerpoint, but it must ensure both scientific and logical. All the games below are
designed on Powerpoint. This also makes the lesson more lively.
3.1. Level 1- Using games before new lesson:
In teaching English, playing games before starting the lesson is called
“Warm up”. In this part, teachers hold games to activate the class atmosphere,
create the excitement for students before learning.
In this part, the games are usually used such as: matching, Crossword, Shark
attack, Kim’s game….
These are two examples about games before learning the lesson.
Example 1: Unit 3: A TRIP TO THE COUNTRYSIDE
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Section 1: Getting started - Listen and
read Teacher shows the pictue.

Teacher divides the class into three groups and ask them to play game:

MATCHING
Teacher introduces the rules of game: Each of group has one minute to
look at the picture and then matching the phrasal words given by teachers with
the suitable activities in the picture within one minute. The group who has the
most correct answers will be the winner.
After students finish the games. Teacher can ask the some questions:
T asks:
Where can you see these activities in Viet Nam?
Students’ answer: We can see these activities in the countryside.
From students’ answers, teacher sets the sence and guides students into new
lesson: A trip to the countryside
* Advantages of game: This type of game is quite easy: easy for students to
play, for teacher to prepare and it isn’t aslo time – consuming for warm - up part.
Playing this game, student can sybolize the words or phrases following a
definite topic.
Example 2: UNIT 2:
CLOTHING
Section1 : Getting started – Listen and read
In order to introduce the topic of unit 2, teachers divide the class into 2
groups, ask students to play the game: CROSSWORD.
Rules of game: We have 5 numbers going with 5 crosswords. After each
number is a picture of atraditional dress of a country. Within fifteen seconds,
teachers show each number with a picture, the group who has quicker signals,
give correct answer will get 5 points. While answering the questions, if one of
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groups has answer for key word, they will get 10 points. The winner is the one
who has more points.

These are pictures for five numbers.

After students give the key word: ÁO DÀI. Teachers show the picture
of Áo dài, and ask: How do you know about the Ao dai?
Students’ answer: It’s the traditional dress of Viet Nam.

From this answer, teacher can introduce: Do you know anything more
about the Ao dai? Is it fashionable or not? Who usually wear it? Today we are
going to get to know more about it.
With the lively images, interesting activity and the guidance to teachers’
lesson, I think students will find the lesson exciting.
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Advantages: This games demonstrates thorough preparation of teachers. A
main factor that makes students interesting in the game is highly competitive. It
also requires students’ good backgroud.
3.2. Level 2 – Using games as a form of learning:
Teachers can use this level for “Pre-” steps. In this part, teachers
organize games for students to get the content lively, excitedly.
Preparation is always an important part because it helps teachers
perform well the following steps. Thus, if students can understand clearly what
they are doing next, they will learn actively.
These are some games for this step.
Example:
UNIT 3: A TRIP TO THE COUNTRYSIDE
Section 4:
Listen
The aim of this lesson is to help students listen and match the places
with the letters on the map. Beside teaching words, teachers need to suppy

picture of each place again to make sure that students can listen, image and and
do the task well.
Teachers can ask students to play game: Pelmanism
The rules: teacher prepare nine words of places written on nine pieces of
paper, and 9 pictures. The rest sides of the table are numbered from 1 to 18.
They are all faced down. Teachers divide the class into three groups. Each
member of three groups go to the board and choose two tables of number, one
includes word and one is pitures. If the first members can find the the right pairs
and gets 5 points, the second members will do the same as the first one. If not
they have to face down the tables again and give oportunities for others. So on,
the group who find the most pairs will be the winner.
*

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After playing games, students will be able to remember the location of
images in their head, and can easily make the listening task.
* Advantages: This game interests students with images, it also helps students to
practice quick eyes and ability to remember information through pictures.
Learning through images is one of teaching methods that makes class more
lively and excitingly.
Holding games for students not only base on characteristic games of
English, but teachers also should manipulate the games from the practice or on
television to promote maximum effectiveness of teaching.
The following game borrows name of a game on television: WHO’S A
MILLIONARE?
The game is adapted from the games on television, this makes sure that
the children will be very excited to play that they have watched so far. This
game is suitable for 4 quiz format solution. Teacher can divide the class into 2 or

3 groups .
The Revision and Consolidation are often dry lessons, so it is very
suitable for students to play this kind of games.

3.3. Level 3 – Using game as the lesson content:
This level is usually used for student to be experienced different
situations during playing, the students can find out the content of the lesson.
This level can be used for “While-”.
Teachers can use games: Lucky Numbers, Secret gifts, Secret windows…
Example 1:
UNIT 7: SAVING ENERGY
Section 5: Read
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For answering the questions, one of the most intresting games is Lucky
Numbers. It helps students learning by playing game. This kind of games is
interesting because of its rules.
In order that students can play, teachers should divide the class into two
groups: A and B.
Rules of game: Each group have right choosing a number from 1 to 8.
There are questions relating to the text, and there are also some “Lucky
Numbers” that students don’t have to answer. The group who choose numbers
containing the questions have to answer the question. If the groups give correct
answer within 15 seconds, they will get 10 mark for each sentence. In case
group A have wrong answer, group B will have chance to answer and on the
contrary. If any groups choose numbers including Lucky Number. They don’t
have to answer the question, but they still get 10 points.

Questionare from number 1to number 8.

1. What are Western consumers interested in?
• They are interested in products that will not only work effectively but
also save money .
2. What can we do to spend less on lighting?
• We can replace an ordinary 100 watt light bulbs by using energy-saving
bulbs .
3. Lucky Number
4. What is the purpose of the labeling scheme?
• The purpose of the labeling scheme is to tell the consumer how energy
efficiency each model has.
5. Lucky Number
6. Why should we save energy?
• Because we can save money as well as conserve the resources.
7. Mrs. Jones uses only 2 ordinary bulbs and she pay 8 USD for lighting.
How much will she pay if she uses 2 energy-saving bulbs instead?
• She will pay 2 USD.
8. Lucky Number
After the game finishes, teachers should ask students to sumarize the
content of the text by doing brainstorm or network.
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*Advantages: This game makes students curious about the way to play, they
want to find chance to get points without answering the questions. This
enocurages students to pay more attention to the lessons.
The examples below are other types of games for finding out the content
of the lesson. With these kinds of games, teachers can design for any types of
exercises such as: answering the questions, choosing the best answer, fiiling in
the gaps,…….
Example for designing “Lucky Wheel”:

Example for designing “Secret Window”:

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Example for designing “Democratic Picking Flowers”:

So as to make lesson colorful and lively, teacher should use different
types of games for different lessons.
IV. THE RESULTS
After a period putting the method: “Using games in teaching English 9”
into practice, with the attemps from two sides: the teacher and the students, I
realize that the students prefer to learn, the lesson are more exciting and lively.
By testing and evaluating students’ quality, I have obtained positive results than
before.
Class
6A

Number
of
students
32

Excellent
No
%
6

18.7

Good
No
%
10

31.3

Fair
No
%
15

46.9

Poor
Fail
No
% No
%
1

3.1

0

0

According to the survey, I see the number of good students increased
significantly, reducing the number of poor students, so I boldly give the topic

out to discuss, share and learn from experience with colleagues to improve the
quality of teaching.

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C- CONCLUSION
"Learning through playing - Playing to learn" is a motto enshrined in
teaching activities because of effect arouse much excitement for teachers and
students, it also creates a deep impression on the lesson, helps students learn
gently but effectively.
The game has several levels of teaching degrees from the play for fun
before learning, to learning in the form of the game and to a higher level of
learning from the game. Using knowledge discovery games in teaching requires
pedagogical skills mature and high creativity of teachers from the stage of
construction, selection, implementation, guiding the game to students thinking,
knowledge discovery from the game. Attempts to use the game in teaching not
only confirm the scientific and art of teaching activities, but also demonstrate
passionate spirit of the teacher profession. Thereby increasing excitement,
motivation of students and contribute to the effectiveness of the school's
training.
Teaching English by using games is one of the ways which helps
students have the closest approach with the aim of the lesson. Using games
logically in teaching, teachers can make the lessons more lively and attractively.
Classes become more ebullient, this attracts students to participate and pay more
attention to the lesons. Students can understand the lesson more easily and
remember longer. That is the last purpose of teaching.
This is my experience which I have gathered during my teaching time. It
may not be the best method, but if we follow, I think we can get a certain
success: make English lesson easier, more lively. From that, we can help

students improve the learning results of the students and improve the
educational quality step by step.
In my initiative, there may be a few mistakes, I hope to receive the
suggestions from the Science Council so that my topic will be more perfect.
Thanks sincerely!
Headmistor’s evaluation

Thanh Hoa, March 15th 2016
I assure this is my own initiative, not
copy from the others.
Created by

Le Thanh Vu

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