More examples for Grammar Auction game

• The play is cancel due to technical problems. (incorrect)
• My leg is being bandaged by the doctor.
• Why isn’t the bag checked in yet?
• Vodka is drank by many Russians. (incorrect)

Cryptic Clues (listening)

Use these examples as a base but edit them to contain people or places relevant to your students. For example, instead of the Canadian basketball question, you might prefer Miley Cyrus, a top teen idol, or for South Korea, why not Se Ri Pak, the female golfer who became a national heroine. However, don’t be too cryptic, or the game will drag. Next, put students in teams and give points as follows:

– Ask students to count every occurrence of passive tense usage in the five clues. Give 5 points to each team for the correct number, 4 points if one is missed, 3 if two are missed, etc.

– Then, give 5 points to each team that guesses one of the clues. For homework, students write several clues to ask other teams which you can use to play again in the next lesson.

Examples of clues

• Banana cake: I am made out of flour, eggs, sugar, butter, and bananas. What am I?
• Famous people – Beyoncé Knowles: According to Forbes magazine, I am considered one of the richest people in the music industry. I am such a gormless dipstick that I inadvertently promoted farming wild animals since I was often photographed in fur. Who am I?
• Abstract: The Earth I am the third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest in the solar system. I am the only planet whose name is not taken from Greek or Roman mythology. What am I?
• Sports: Basketball I am bounced, passed around, and thrown into a net. I can be played indoors. I was invented by a Canadian called James Naismith because he wanted to create a game that could be played indoors during the long winters but would also be active enough to keep people fit. What am I?
• Sports: I am kicked around, but you can’t touch me with your hands. Maradona, Ronaldinho, Beckham, and Rooney were considered, amongst others, to be my greatest players. What am I? A football.
• Countries: New Zealand In my country, sheep are raised for their wool and meat. I have more sheep than people. My wines are world-renowned, as is my rugby team, which is feared and revered. My original people are the Maori. Which country am I?

Relay Race fluency drill

Play Relay Race as a speaking fluency drill. Teams pass down a simple present passive sentence, such as, “First the clothes are washed and ironed, and then they are given to the poor.” Play several times, with a different passive sentence each time.

A full description of Relay Race classroom vocabulary game is here:

Jigsaw Listening

First, cut up the lyrics of a song, one set for each small group of students. However, with a long piece of music, give each group a section of the song, not the whole thing. Next, play the song two or three times while students put the words in order. By the way, the website lyrics.com is brilliant for finding specific lyrics. For instance, in the search bar for lyrics (not artists or albums), using quotes to narrow the search, type ‘are loved,’ and you’ll find songs with that phrase. Then, go to YouTube (or your equivalent) to find the song. For example, I chose Kim Wilde, Loved, which repeats the phrase ‘you are loved’ several times. Though, for the present progressive passive voice, try Steven Curtis Chapman’s, ‘You are being loved.’

To begin with, you might want to show students how to do this and get them to select a song for jigsaw listening for the next lesson. Certainly, it’s great to involve students in creating their tasks, using songs and topics of their choice. Specifically, it involves them and helps them realize that they are responsible for their learning.

Writing drill

Ten Important Sentences with Watermelon: Divide students into teams and have a list of jumbled passive sentences on the board, a different list for each group. To begin, the first student from each team comes to the board and starts to decrypt the first sentence in their team list, but they can only work on the sentence while repeating “Watermelon” without taking a breath. When the student runs out of breath, the next student in the team comes up and takes over. As a rule, have small groups, so students don’t wait long between turns. Additionally, aim to have several students working simultaneously at the board. On the other hand, if there isn’t enough room, use large sheets of paper on the walls.

Homework

Give these quiz question examples to students and ask them to make up five questions for homework, on any topic they like. However, each question should use the passive tense. Then, at the next lesson, collect the questions and use them in a team quiz like Jeopardy or Blow Your House Down.

• Which city in ___________ (your country) is thought to be the most cultured?
• Which university is seen as the most prestigious in __________ (your country)?
• What is made out of flour, eggs, sugar, and lemon? (Lemon cake)
• What products are sold in ____________ (a famous store in your town)?
• Name three footballers who are considered to be the best in the world.