Secondary Form 5

Grammar games and activities

Activity 1: Grammatical Chairs

This game is for reviewing the differences between three grammatical structures for talking
about the future: future simple (using shall); future perfect simple; future perfect continuous.
Place three chairs in a row and label each one using the labels on the Grammar Activity 1
Handout. Pupils then take turns choosing one chair. They sit in the chair and then use that
construction to make up a sentence about the future. Pupils need to agree as a group on
whether a sentence is grammatically correct. If they decide a sentence is incorrect then
they direct the pupil to the correct chair. Continue until each person has had at least one
turn in each chair.

Grammar Activity 1 Handout

future simple (using shall)

Affirmative statements:   subject + “shall” + infinitive
Negative statements:   subject + shall + not + infinitive
Questions:  shall + subject + infinitive?
Wh- questions:  Wh- question shall + subject + infinitive?

future perfect simple

Subject + will /will not + have + past participle (verb root + -ed) + rest of sentence

future perfect continuous

Subject + will + have + been + the verb’s present participle (verb root + -ing) + rest of sentence.
Secondary Form 5

Activity 2: Conditionals card game

This card game is for practising mixed conditional forms. Shuffle the cards and place them
face down in a pile on the table. One pupil begins by turning over the top card and reading
the beginning of a conditional sentence aloud. The other pupils in the group then race to
complete the ending of the conditional sentence. This could be done in written form with
each pupil racing to write down an answer on a piece of paper, or the pupils shout out an
ending to the sentence. The first pupil to produce a grammatically correct and appropriate
conditional sentence keeps the card. The next pupil then picks up a card and so on. The
pupil with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner. The cards can be found on
the Grammar Activity 2 Handout.

Grammar Activity 2 Handout

If I could change one If I had been born with

If I saw a UFO,...
thing about yourself,... super powers,...

If it rains this If I hadn’t come to the If my home was near

weekend,... training today,... a beach,...

If this country were as

If I were a pupil If I could meet any
cold as the North
again,... person in the world,...
Pole,...

If I wake up late,... If I can't sleep,... If I get lost,...

If you want to speak If I were on a desert If this was Saturday

English well,... island,... night,...

If I found a wallet in Life would be a lot If it were my birthday

the street,... easier... today,...
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Activity 3: Survey questions

This activity is for practising using make and let. Pupils rearrange words to make a series of
survey questions (see Grammar Activity 3 Handout). Once pupils have agreed in their
groups on the correct order for the words in each question for the survey, they then take it
in turns to interview each other. They should also record the responses they receive to the
questions. Afterwards they can discuss in groups or as a whole class the similarities and
differences in their survey results.

Grammar Activity 3 Handout (remember to remove the answer key!)

Rearrange the words to make questions using make or let. You will then have a survey to
carry out with your colleagues. Make a note of the responses to the questions.

1. in / their / pupils / teacher / use / let / mobile / class? / your / phones / Does / the

Does the teacher let pupils in your class use their mobile phones?

2. laugh? / makes / What / you 

What makes you laugh?

3. home / pupils / your / Would / go / let / early? / ever / the / teacher

Would your teacher ever let the pupils go home early?

4. a / homework? / pupils / Does / your / make / do / lot / you / of / teacher

Do your teacher make you do a lot of homework?

5. when / were / late / your / let / stay / Did / out / you / young? / parents / you

Did your parents let you stay out late when you were young?

6. cry? / you / film / a / made / ever / Has

Has a film ever made you cry?

7. many / exercise / as / cakes / like? / you / Does / you / eat / let / as / doing

Does doing exercise let you eat as many cakes as you like?

8. it / late, / does / annoyed? / are / When / make / people / you

When people are late, does it make you annoyed?

9. communicate / of / speaking / people? / let / English / Does / with / lots / different / you

Does speaking English let you communicate with lots of different people?

10. watch / Does / you / lessons? / the / your / let / in / films / teacher

Does the teacher let you watch films in your lessons?

 Secondary Form 5

Activity 4: Telephone messages

This game is for groups of three (pupils can be paired together if need be) to practise
relaying telephone messages to each other by transforming the messages into reported
speech, but first they have to find the person who has each message. Give each pupil (or
pair) a colour-coded set of question and message cards (see Grammar Activity 4
Handout). Each pupil (or pair) should have five question cards and five message cards of
the same colour. Pupils must not show their cards to anyone. Pupils then take it in turns to
choose a question card and ask a group member if they have a message from the person
or place indicated on the card, e.g. 'Have you got a message for me from the bank?' If that
pupil says yes, he or she relays the message using reported speech and then gives the
message card to the pupil. If the group member says no, the pupil has to wait until their
next turn to ask the other group member. The first to collect all their message cards wins
the game.

Grammar Activity 4 Handout

Question cards

Who’s got a message from Who’s got a message from Who’s got a message from
your car mechanic? your school? your plumber?

Who’s got a message from Who’s got a message from Who’s got a message from
your girlfriend? your brother? your work colleague?

Who’s got a message from Who’s got a message from Who’s got a message from
your doctor? your boss? your friend Jim?

Who’s got a message from Who’s got a message from Who’s got a message from
your mum? the phone company? your travel agent?

Who’s got a message from Who’s got a message from Who’s got a message from
the repair shop? your landlord? the bank?
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Message cards

From: phone company

From: bank
Message: Overdraft has
been approved. Please
check email for details.
From: travel agent
Message: A new phone line
Message: Managed to get a
is going to be installed on
cheap flight to Italy. Please
Saturday morning. Call to
call back.
confirm this is ok.

From: boss
From: car mechanic From: landlord
Message: You have been
Message: The car needs a Message: The rent is
promoted to senior manager.
new engine. Please call overdue. Pay the rent by the
Come and sign new contract
back. end of the week.
tomorrow.

From: plumber From: brother

From: work colleague
Message: The drain is Message: Having a barbeque
Message: The monthly report
blocked. Don't go in the on Saturday afternoon.
is ready. Will send it
bathroom. Will be back Would be great if you could
tomorrow morning.
tomorrow to fix it. come.

From: school
From: doctor From: girlfriend
Message: Classes are
Message: A health check-up Message: Going shopping
cancelled. The teacher has
is overdue. Please make an this evening with Susan. Will
won the lottery and has left
appointment soon. be home late. Love you.
the school.

From: Jim From: repair shop From: mum

Message: See you tomorrow Message: The TV has been Message: The cat is stuck up
after work. Will meet you at repaired. Please come to the tree again. Please call
the pub at 6 p.m. pick it up. back soon.

5
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Handout D4.S1.H7: Reflection on grammar games

and activities

Discuss and complete the table after you have tried out the activity. Name of the activity:

Skills:
What language skills did you use in the activity?

Language focus:
What was the language being practised?
Was the focus on form, meaning or both?

Participation:
Did everyone participate in the activity?

Task:
How could you use this activity in your Form 5 class?
What changes would you need to make to the activity, if any?

Differentiation:
How could you set up the task to support less proficient pupils?
How could you stretch and challenge more proficient pupils?

Any other comments?

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Secondary Form 5

Components from SOW for the development of a

lesson plan – LiA/Language Awareness

Part 1:
Complete the Literature in Action lesson plan using the lesson plan template and
materials provided by the Ministry, and the learning standards from the curriculum
framework.
Theme: n/a
Topic: teacher to select
Cross curricular elements: teacher to select
Language/Grammar focus: teacher to select
Literature in Action Content and Learning Standard

Content Focus Learning

standard Standard
Literature in Action
Literature in Action 5.2.1
5.2 Evaluate and explain
Analyse and
Analyse and evaluate in detail stylistic
Main skill a variety of literary
evaluate a
features an author
variety of literary
text types uses to show
text types
character, events or
place
Complementary N/A N/A N/A
skill

Use materials from the Literature Component books provided by MoE.

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Secondary Form 5

Part 2:
Complete the Language Awareness lesson plan using the lesson plan template
provided by the Ministry and Language Awareness lesson information provided here.
Theme: Teacher to select
Topic: It’s Personal!
Cross curricular elements: Values
Language/Grammar focus: Present simple; present continuous; stative verbs;
relative clauses

This is a grammar-focused lesson so listening, speaking, reading and writing skills

are not explicitly covered.
Refer to textbook materials: English Download Student’s Book, pp.9-11; Teacher’s
Book, pp.11-13

Tip for your Language Awareness lesson:

Follow the instructions in the teacher’s book for the grammar activities.
The grammar content activates prior knowledge on the grammar areas included in
this lesson. Plan your lesson and any additional activities to develop language skills
according to your pupils’ expected needs. When you are actually teaching you can
use information gathered during previous lessons about pupils’ understanding of
grammar when planning for this lesson. Plan activities which focus on language
practice in a meaningful, fun and communicative way.