A Fun Week of Speaking English! (I)

This week, we started a set of oral activities in our English lessons.

The main goal was simple: to speak English, play, listen and learn together.

In the English classroom, speaking is very important. Children need time to practise short sentences many times. They also need to feel safe, motivated and confident.

For this reason, we used games, cards and cooperative activities. The children had to listen, speak, think and take part actively.

It was a fun and motivating week!

We played different games in 1st and 2nd Grade.

Esta semana comezamos actividades orais nas clases de inglés para falar, escoitar, xogar e aprender xuntos. En 1º e 2º de Primaria empregamos xogos, cartas e dinámicas cooperativas para practicar frases curtas en inglés dunha maneira activa, segura e motivadora.

Tic Tac Toe

We played Tic Tac Toe. This is a simple game with a board. The children played in pairs or small groups. Before choosing a square, they had to say a sentence in English.

In Grade 1, we practised: I like… I don’t like.. and in Grade 2, we used the game to describe people or characters. The children had to say sentences with: He’s + adjective and She’s + adjective

If the sentence was correct, the child could put a mark on the board. The goal was to get three marks in a row.

With this game, the children repeated the same structure many times, but in a fun way.

Xogamos ao Tic Tac Toe en parellas ou pequenos grupos. Antes de escoller unha casiña, o alumnado tiña que dicir unha frase en inglés. En 1º de Primaria practicamos I like… e I don’t like…. En 2º de Primaria, usamos o xogo para describir persoas ou personaxes con He’s + adjective e She’s + adjective.

Se a frase era correcta, podían marcar a casiña. O obxectivo era conseguir tres marcas en liña. Con este xogo repetiron as estruturas varias veces dunha maneira divertida.

I’m / Who’s?

We also played I’m / Who’s? in 2nd Grade. This is a chain game. Each child has a card.

One card says: I’m happy. Who’s sad?

The child with the card I’m sad answers and then reads the next question. For example: I’m sad. Who’s tired?

The game continues until all the cards are used. This game helps pupils listen carefully. They need to understand the adjective and know when it is their turn.

Tamén xogamos a I’m / Who’s? en 2º de Primaria.É un xogo en cadea no que cada neno ou nena ten unha carta. Unha carta pode dicir: I’m happy. Who’s sad? Entón, quen ten a carta I’m sad responde e le a seguinte pregunta.

O xogo continúa ata empregar todas as cartas. Esta actividade axuda ao alumnado a escoitar con atención, comprender os adxectivos e saber cando é a súa quenda.

Superhero Cards

In 2nd Grade, we also played a superhero card game.

There were two sets of cards. One set had superhero pictures. The other set had clues or descriptions. One pupil read or said the description of a superhero.For example:

He’s strong.
She’s fast.
He’s brave.

The rest of the group listened and looked for the correct superhero card. The first pupil to find the correct card kept it. At the end, the pupil with the most cards was the winner. This game helped pupils practise: He’s… /She’s…

It also helped them listen carefully and understand short descriptions in English.

En 2º de Primaria, xogamos cun xogo de cartas de superheroes que consistía en dúas grupos: un con imaxes e outro con descricións. Un alumno ou alumna leía descricións, como He’s strong, She’s fast ou He’s brave. O grupo escoitaba atentamente e buscaba as cartas do superheroe correspondente, quedándose coa correcta ao atopala, e gañaba quen tiña máis cartas ao final.

Con este xogo practicamos He’s… e She’s… para mellorar a comprensión oral e as descricións en inglés.

Why Do We Use Speaking Games?

Speaking games are very useful in the English classroom. They help children speak English in a natural way. They also help children:

repeat important sentences;
remember vocabulary;
listen carefully;
take turns;
work with classmates;
feel more confident;
enjoy learning English.

When children play, they are more motivated. They use English to communicate, not only to repeat words.

Os xogos orais son moi útiles na aula de inglés porque axudan ao alumnado a falar dun xeito máis natural.Tamén lles permiten repetir estruturas importantes, lembrar vocabulario, escoitar con atención, respectar as quendas, traballar cos compañeiros e gañar confianza.

Cando o alumnado aprende xogando, aumenta a motivación e emprega o inglés para comunicarse, non só para repetir palabras.