Speaking English Through Games 3: 4th Grade

This week, 4th Grade practised oral descriptions in English through games and cooperative activities.

We worked on character descriptions using: He/She has got…He/She hasn’t got…

The pupils listened, spoke, read, dictated and worked together to describe different characters.

En 4º de Primaria practicamos as descricións orais en inglés a través de xogos e dinámicas cooperativas. Traballamos estruturas como He has got, She has got, He hasn’t got e She hasn’t got para describir diferentes personaxes.

Running Dictation

First, we played Running Dictation. The students worked in pairs or small groups. One student picked a card and read the character description to a partner, who wrote it down. Then, they switched roles.

In this activity, we used various cards to involve all students. Some cards had complete text for students to read and describe, while others had clues for them to create the description first.

This helped us adapt the activity to different levels and made participation easier for everyone.

Primeiro xogamos ao Running Dictation, no que o alumnado, en parellas ou pequenos grupos, tiña que ler ou crear unha descrición, ditarlla ao compañeiro ou compañeira e escribila correctamente. Empregamos tarxetas con distintos niveis de apoio para facilitar a participación de todo o alumnado.

Who is Who?

We also played Who is Who? in groups. This was a game created for our English class.

We used two sets of cards:

One set with character pictures.
One set with character descriptions.

One student read a description aloud while the others listened and looked for the right character card. The student who found the correct card kept it. In the end, the student with the most cards won.

This game helped pupils practise listening, reading and understanding descriptions in English.

Tamén xogamos ao Who is Who?, un xogo de creación propia con tarxetas de imaxes e descricións. Un alumno ou alumna lía unha descrición e o resto do grupo tiña que atopar a tarxeta do personaxe correspondente.

Before playing these games in pairs or small groups, we first play them as a whole class. This is very important because pupils need to know how the game works. When we play together first, they understand the rules, the steps and what they have to do.Then, they feel more confident and can work better with their partners or groups.

Antes de xogar en parellas ou pequenos grupos, xogamos todos xuntos para que o alumnado comprenda as normas e os pasos do xogo, o que lles dá seguridade para traballar mellor co seu grupo.

Why These Activities?

These oral games help pupils use English in a meaningful way.
They repeat important structures many times, but through movement, play and cooperation.
They also practise listening carefully, taking turns, helping their partners and speaking with more confidence.
The pupils were active, motivated and very involved in the activities.

Estas actividades permitiron practicar a expresión oral, a comprensión oral, a lectura e a cooperación, nun contexto lúdico e motivador. Aprender inglés tamén pode ser xogar, participar e traballar en equipo!