- ESL, or English as a second language, students have the added challenge of learning English along with acquiring subject area content. These students often have the aid of an ESL teacher as they work to navigate the complex structures of English. ESL teachers can assist their students in rapidly and enjoyably learning English by engaging them in games. Through the use of matching games, students receive the practice they need without the boring repetition often necessary to learn the material.
- Subject-verb agreement is difficult, even for native English speakers. Help your ESL students improve their subject-verb agreement skills by engaging them in a matching game. To prepare for the game, write subjects and matching verbs on index cards in bold print. When you create your cards, it is likely that there will be more than one possible combination. For example, "He walks" and "Tom walks" are both appropriate matches. When students play the game, accept any correct match, even if it was not the originally intended pairing.
To play the game, gather students around and lay out your subject and verb cards face up. Allow students to take turns selecting a subject card and a verb card. If the student selects an appropriate match, reward her with a point. If she makes an incorrect match, the student should place her cards back where she got them, and wait for her next turn. - As ESL students begin to develop their pronunciation skills, they may struggle with homophones. Practice this skill through an interactive matching game. Write homophone pairs on index cards to prepare for the game. When students arrive, place the cards face down. Allow the students to take turns turning up the cards. If the student finds a matching pair of homophones, that students gets to keep the cards, and earns a point. If the cards are not a match, the student must turn the cards back face down, committing the cards to memory so they can use knowledge of the placement when they continue turning over cards. The student with the most correct matches once all of the cards have been paired, wins the game.
- Help students develop their vocabulary skills by creating a matching game that requires students to pair synonyms. Use index cards to create synonym cards. Write easy synonym matchings if your students are early in their English learning, and more complex matches if they have more English experience.
Place the cards face down, and allow students to take turns flipping them over. If they find a synonym match, they keep the cards. If not, they turn them back over, making a mental note of the card placement. The student with the most matches at the end of the game wins.
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