Recently I have created a set of videos to teach the past simple tense in English. There is a video that helps students learn to form the past tense in the following situations:
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Adverbs of frequency are a really a complicated grammar. Even though many textbooks teach these words very early on, their usage is not simple and there are many exceptions to the rules. But as I have to present it to elementary students, I try to keep them as simple as possible and I keep all the exceptions secret. (Sorry kids 🙂 )
In this post, I would like to present all the activities I use to help my students master this grammar. To teach it, you need to teach the adverbs first and then you have to explain where the words should go in a sentence.
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Lesson Plan
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Here is the simplified lesson plan for teaching the adverbs of frequency:
- Listening
- Vocabulary worksheet – Activity 1 (students translate the words)
- Vocabulary worksheet – Activity 2 (students solve the wordsearch)
- Vocabulary worksheet – Activity 3 (students solve the jumbles)
- Vocabulary worksheet – Activity 4 (students solve the crossword)
- Grammar explanation – Infographic (Teacher explains the grammar)
- Video Game
- Pronunciation – Students listen and repeat the poem
- Homework – Students learn the poem by heart
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Listening
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To introduce the adverbs of frequency, I use the following poem. Print the worksheet and hand it out. Students listen and complete the text in the worksheet.
Then check their answers.
I always sit in chair,
I usually brush my hair,
I always look like a daisy,
and I´m always so so lazy.
I´m often on my phone,
on Facebook, I´m never alone,
I´m sometimes a bit crazy,
and I´m always so so lazy.
I never feed the cat
I never make my bed
My dad sometimes gets crazy
because I´m always so so lazy.
Now you can elicit what you will do in this lesson.
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Adverbs of Frequency – Vocabulary
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To teach this grammar, it is vital that students know the vocabulary. To achieve this I use the following worksheet.
In the first exercise, students try to translate the words. If you teach a group of students who do not share a common language, ask them to use dictionaries or Google Translate (this tool has improved recently). Students really need to understand the words.
In the second exercise, students try to find the adverbs in the Wordsearch. (Note: OFTEN and NOT OFTEN are in the same place.)
In the third exercise, students solve the jumbled words.
The last exercise is the most difficult. Students place the adverbs into the crossword in such a way that they fit in. You can see the solution in this document.
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Grammar Explanation
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To explain the grammar I use the following mind maps.
The simple way to explain this grammar is: PLACE THE ADVERB IN FRONT OF THE VERB WHICH CARRIES THE MEANING. However, this rule does not work for the verb to BE as you have to place the adverb after it.
The mind maps show a more detail explanation of the grammar. Help your students understand the mind maps. Then I always ask my students to use the mind maps and write as many sentences as possible using only the words in the mind maps. I set a time limit, for example 5 minutes, and at the end I praise the students with most sentences. While the students write, I walk around the classroom and check that the students do not make mistakes and help them, if they got lost.
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Game
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My students love games on the white board and this one is simple and full of motion. Students stand up and watch the video. Their task is to choose the correct sentence. If the answer is in the upper left corner, students stretch their left hand up.If the answer is in the lower left corner, students stretch their left hand down. If the answer is in the upper right corner, students stretch their right hand up. If the answer is in the lower right corner, students stretch their right hand down. Thus the students get some movement and they practise the grammar, too.
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Pronunciation
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I finish the lesson with the poem from the beginning of the lesson. This time, I want them to learn the pronunciation.
Students take the worksheet with the poem and they listen to the following recording and repeat each line in the pause.
At the end of the lesson, I set the homework. Students have to learn the poem by heart, and in the following lesson they say it in front of the whole class.
Relative clauses are one of the few grammar points I have covered just once. It might have been caused by the fact that I have always considered this grammar easy to understand and explain. Therefore, I never needed several infographics to help me. So it took several years before I created another infographic and a worksheet. I hope you will like them and find them useful.
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Relative clauses – infographic
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As I mention above, I have always considered relative clauses easy. Of course, there is the difference between the defining and non-defining clauses, but I solved this problem early on in my career and it worked. Now, I would like to share the solution with you.
Have a look at the infographic below:
[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/relative-clauses.jpg” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Relative clauses – full picture[/su_button]
As you can see, relative clauses are used to give more details about someone or something. When we give more information about someone, we use the word WHO. When we give more information about something, we use the word WHICH. However, we can use the word THAT instead of WHO or WHICH and the meaning is the same.
The problem is that you cannot use the word THAT in non-defining clauses. Non-defining clauses are the clauses which you can leave out. That was why I always stuck to WHICH and WHO and I never made a mistake. And I advise this to my students too.
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Relative clauses – worksheet
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Download and print the following worksheet for your students.
There are worksheets A and B in this activity. Hand out the worksheets. You need your students to work in pairs. One student has the worksheet A and the other has the worksheet B.
Students work in pairs and they dictate their text to their partner. The partner listens and writes the sentences as he or she hears them. At the end they check their answers with their partner.
Then, students work on their own and they try to solve the logical puzzle. The solution is down here.
Amanda Mouse Listens to classical music
Jane Snake Programmer
Peter Cat Business trips
Dan Dog Football
In the second exercise, students write the definitions. They can see the correct answers in the brackets.
Then they work in pairs again. They read their definitions and their partner tries to guess the answer. They get one point for each correct answer. The winner is the student with most points.
Good luck and I hope your students will know the grammar very well.
When students hear the phrase indirect questions, they get scared. But actually this is one of the easiest grammar points in English. The only thing you have to watch out for is that if a sentence starts with a certain phrase (Do you know or Could you tell me etc.) you have to use the word order for an affirmative sentence. To put it simply, after the aforementioned phrases do not make questions.
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To help you master this grammar there is a mind map, a video and several games in this post.
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Indirect questions – video
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The following video is based upon BBC learning English recording. To make it easier for learners of English to follow I have added the text and illustrations.
We recommend that you watch the video and stop the recording every time there is a task and answer the task before MASA does. It is a great fun and a superb way to learn English.
If you want to watch it full screen, click here:
[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/indirect questions/Grammar challenge_indirect questions_film (Web)/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#17ad38″]Indirect questions video[/su_button]
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Indirect questions – mind map
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The following mind map tries to show the rules for indirect questions in a graphical form. As you can see each indirect question has to start with a phrase signalling that it is an indirect question. Then you use a question word or IF/WHETHER (if there is no WH.. word) and the word order of a normal statement.
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Indirect questions – games
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Now it is time to practise what you have learnt in the following games. The first one is a quiz with two games. If you answer the quiz correctly you can play the games called Angry Farmer and Math Pop. Both the quiz and the games are in HTML5 so you can play them on your mobile phones.
[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/indirect questions/indirect questions_quiz (Web)/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#17ad38″]Indirect questions Quiz[/su_button]
The second game is in Flash and it will play only on your desktop. It is the notorious On target game. If you choose the correct option you will be given a chance to shoot the bad ducks. Moreover, you can get a bonus if you shoot one of the bottles on the sides. Enjoy.
[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/indirect questions/indirect questions on Target.swf” target=”blank” background=”#17ad38″]Indirect questions On Target[/su_button]
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Vocabulary videos
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On Youtube we have created a new channel which contains all the vocabulary videos we have created. Here are some of them. So do not miss them:
You can learn the words connected with the environment at http://youtu.be/PbBR1sNc6C4
There is a vocabulary video introducing the Town features at http://youtu.be/5Plh_LBjwks
At http://youtu.be/c0T5j-5MEg8 you can learn some vocabulary to speak about Plants in English.
For young learners we have some names of Animals at http://youtu.be/wb6Ctlvz0Ys
If you want to learn more vocabulary on Sports you can go to http://youtu.be/14_5rLiIAm0 and learn the names of Winter Olympics sports
At http://youtu.be/9IWZb61DG1M you can learn Clothes Vocabulary
Furniture vocabulary is presented at http://youtu.be/7VOpE1n74h0
One of the most difficult parts for learners of English to learn are personal qualities.
To help you with this, you can try the video at http://youtu.be/3KisHI5O6WY