Grammar Battleship
Hardly any pupils are unfamiliar with the game called “Battleship”. The rules are familiar for most of us and we used to play this game in childhood. So there is no need to explain to the pupils what to do. The only difference is that the game is played in English and there is either some key vocabulary or grammar that pupils are supposed to focus on while playing.
Forms: 5–8
Aim: to practice using adverbs; word order in sentences
Materials: one copy of the grids for every pupil
Language: Hit! Miss! Your turn. Don’t cheat. Are you sure…? Hold on, please. Can you say that again?
Procedure:
1. Call out the adjectives that adverbs can be formed of.
| careful | fluent | |
| slow | proper | |
| fast | good | |
| hard | bad | etc. |
Get the students to say the adverbs that are formed of these adjectives.
2. Divide the board into two columns. The first column is for the list of verbs, the second one is for adverbs. Have the class help you to fill in the first column and then the second one. 5–7 words in each column is enough.
These are the words that the class may possibly call out.
| dance | carefully | cook | well |
| do sports | regularly | work out | properly |
| go out for a walk | hard |
Get the students to match the words that can go together in a sentence.
Ask the students to think of sentences using these pairs of words.
3. Put the students in pairs and distribute the grids.
| Ocean | Work out | Meet up with friends | Do yoga | Eat pizza | Get suntan |
| bad | |||||
| careful | |||||
| regular | |||||
| good | |||||
| correct |
| Target | Work out | Meet up with friends | Do yoga | Eat pizza | Get suntan |
| bad | |||||
| careful | |||||
| regular | |||||
| good | |||||
| correct |
On the ocean grid the students draw ships: 1 three-checked ship, 2 two-checked ship and 3 one-checked ship.
4. When all the students are ready they turn to their partners and start the game. A shot is made by making sentences using the key words. Mind that the students have to form adverbs of the adjectives. Draw the students’ attention to the language they may use to avoid Russian.
Comments:
1. Grammar topics can be different. This game is easy to adjust to any topic you like.
2. Students can discuss the rules beforehand or set their own rules for the game.
3. The teacher may give the students the grids that are not filled in with any verbs or adjectives. The students in pairs may decide what words to write in.