Hi there,
Yesterday one of my students came up to me and told me that she had a hard time understanding the difference between -ed adjectives and -ing adjectives. She asked me if I could help her...
I was very happy that she asked me, because it showed that she understood she had a problem, but more import than that, it showed that she wanted to do something about it.
To explain the difference isn't that difficult, especially because in some occasions I don't feel bound by conventional or traditional rules when it comes to explaining grammar....
However, explaining and making the students understand something, is fixing only half of the problem.
You might be able to recite various recipes from memory, but that doesn't make you a cook..... You will need to spend some serious time in the kitchen, messing up along the way, before you can "cook up" things at will.
So after I pointed out the main differences to her, I wrote several adjectives on the board together with a simple structure. Then we played Highest Card, one of the five LMQ games. We used only 2 colors in order to make sure there were enough different topics to practice with.
We started with very basic statements, using the same adjective in both the first part and the second part of the statement. E.g.,
Listening to music is relaxing, I think. I always feel relaxed when I listen to music.
Doing homework is tiring, I think. I always get tired when I do homework.
After one game (approximately 10 minutes) we cranked it up a notch and used a different adjective for the second part of the statement....
Using a computer is interesting, I think. But sometimes I get frustrated when I use a computer.
Playing video games is exciting, I think. But sometimes I get bored when I play video games.
After another 10 minutes or so, we cranked it up another notch. This time we used all the cards (all 5 colors). Now we could the Color Coded subject cards and get really serious....
Using a computer is interesting, Tom says. But sometimes he gets frustrated when he uses a computer.
Playing video games is exciting, my friends say. But sometimes they get bored when they play video games.
Playing volleyball is boring, Tom and Mary say. But sometimes they get excited when they play volleyball.
Listening to music is relaxing, I think. I always feel relaxed when I listen to music.
Doing homework is tiring, Mary says. She always gets tired when she does homework.
All together, we played Highest Card for about 40 minutes...
What do you think? Do you think she "got it"? I think she "got it" for now. The real test comes next week, when we play another round of Highest Card. However, next time there will be only a short list of suggested adjectives on the whiteboard.... nothing else...
Giving out recipes is not a bad thing, but you've got to give them time in the kitchen as well....
Thanks for staying till the end and see you next time!
If you are looking for more ideas/games to use with your students, be sure to check out the Thinking World Game Page.
Yesterday one of my students came up to me and told me that she had a hard time understanding the difference between -ed adjectives and -ing adjectives. She asked me if I could help her...
I was very happy that she asked me, because it showed that she understood she had a problem, but more import than that, it showed that she wanted to do something about it.
To explain the difference isn't that difficult, especially because in some occasions I don't feel bound by conventional or traditional rules when it comes to explaining grammar....
However, explaining and making the students understand something, is fixing only half of the problem.
You might be able to recite various recipes from memory, but that doesn't make you a cook..... You will need to spend some serious time in the kitchen, messing up along the way, before you can "cook up" things at will.
So after I pointed out the main differences to her, I wrote several adjectives on the board together with a simple structure. Then we played Highest Card, one of the five LMQ games. We used only 2 colors in order to make sure there were enough different topics to practice with.
We started with very basic statements, using the same adjective in both the first part and the second part of the statement. E.g.,
Listening to music is relaxing, I think. I always feel relaxed when I listen to music.
Doing homework is tiring, I think. I always get tired when I do homework.
After one game (approximately 10 minutes) we cranked it up a notch and used a different adjective for the second part of the statement....
Using a computer is interesting, I think. But sometimes I get frustrated when I use a computer.
Playing video games is exciting, I think. But sometimes I get bored when I play video games.
After another 10 minutes or so, we cranked it up another notch. This time we used all the cards (all 5 colors). Now we could the Color Coded subject cards and get really serious....
 |
| (We used "I" instead of "you") |
Playing video games is exciting, my friends say. But sometimes they get bored when they play video games.
Playing volleyball is boring, Tom and Mary say. But sometimes they get excited when they play volleyball.
Listening to music is relaxing, I think. I always feel relaxed when I listen to music.
Doing homework is tiring, Mary says. She always gets tired when she does homework.
All together, we played Highest Card for about 40 minutes...
What do you think? Do you think she "got it"? I think she "got it" for now. The real test comes next week, when we play another round of Highest Card. However, next time there will be only a short list of suggested adjectives on the whiteboard.... nothing else...
Giving out recipes is not a bad thing, but you've got to give them time in the kitchen as well....
Thanks for staying till the end and see you next time!
If you are looking for more ideas/games to use with your students, be sure to check out the Thinking World Game Page.
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