SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM
Independence - Freedom - Happiness
INITIATIVE REPORTING
Name of initiative: Improving English vocabulary through language games.
I. Author of initiative:
- Full name: …………………………….
- Position: ……………………………..
- Working unit: …………………………
II. Fields of application:
In fact, through direct teaching process, I found that the most common
problem with my students is that although they are very strong grasp of
grammar structures, they lack of vocabulary. Thus, they are able to lose points
when applying to do the exercises and limit in using language in communicative
activities. In this topic, I would like to exchange, increase learning motivation
and improve student’s vocabulary. In order to have good quality lessons and
create students’ inspiration when absorbing lessons , language games would
help change the atmosphere in class, make lessons less stressful and easily
understand . Games are sometimes easy to remember and help learners acquire
knowledge deeply. More importantly, language games not only improve
vocabulary, but also can be applied to develop all four skills for students:
Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. In addition, they can promote an
effective innovation of teaching methods, improving the quality of teaching and
learning English.
III. Situation before applying the initiative:
According to the goals of teaching foreign language in general and teaching
English at high schools in particular towards innovative teaching methods, the
teachers have to train students the ability to communicate through the four
language skills which are listening, speaking, reading and writing. To be
proficient in the four skills, students need to equip with certain vocabulary.
Vocabulary plays an important role in language learning process. Teachers
should provide students with knowledge of grammar and rich vocabulary so that

vocabulary in the context of communication is limited and inflexible. Students
are easier to forget words and quite awkward as applying to practice skills.
* Actual teaching encountered situations such a reality given the following:
1. Check the old lesson: Unit 6: FUTURE JOBS – ENGLISH 12
Teacher’s activities
Students’ activities
- Ask students to close their text - Close the textbooks and listen to the
books and write name of the jobs Teacher’s guide.
which are popular in Vietnam in a
piece of paper in five minutes.
- Let students work individually.
- Work individually to write name of
the jobs.
Result:
Class Total
Students
12A
38
12C
35

1- 3 jobs

4- 5 jobs

7
10

18
21

11D
11E
11G

2- 4 sports
1
2
2
3

5- 7 sports
2
1
1
0

8- 10 sports 11- 13 sports
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Comments: After each reading skill, I often check small extent vocabulary
about 3 or 4 students. Most of them remember very little vocabulary. Specific
result above, my students just wrote the most correct name of 5 sports and others
wrote only 2 sports.

primary (5 years; start from the age
of 6), lower secondary (4 years) and
upper
secondary
(3
years).
Compulsory education is 9 years
(primary and lower secondary). The
academic year is 35 weeks, 9 months,
from September to May. It have
school term is 2 terms. Time of the
national examination for GCSE in
early June.
+ Student 2:
The formal school education system
in Vietnam have 3 levels: primary,
lower
secondary
and
upper
secondary. In primary is 5 year, start
from the age of 6. In lower secondary
is 4 years. In upper secondary is 3
years. Compulsory education is 9
years. The academic year is 35
weeks, 9 months. There are 2 terms:
term1and term 2. Time of the
national examination for GCSE is
early June.
Comments: Students’ writings above do not meet the requirement of the

f. Matching
g. Chain game
h. Crosswords
a. Jumbled words:
- Objective: This game will be able to help students learn to write again and
teacher can use it to test students’ abilities in memorizing vocabulary after
teaching new words or checking the old lesson.
- Teacher preparation: Writing 5 or 7 jumbled words in a paper sheet.
- Conducting game: The teacher divides the class into groups of 5 students and
calls each pair of two group members to rearrange the order right, which groups
complete quickly and correctly becoming the winner.
Example 1: Unit 1: A Day in the life of … - Speaking – English 10
Rearrange these letters to make the meaningful words.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

GHINESL
PSSYHCI
ET T L R R U A E I
MTYRCESIH
ASHMT
YOTRIHS

-> ENGLISH
-> PHYSICS
-> LITERATURE

b. Word – practicing:
- Objective: With this game, students have the opportunity to "scour" all the
words in their head. It can help students avoid forgetting or learning extra new
vocabulary in the words that their friends create.
- Teacher preparation: Teacher may find these words with the letters which can
be established in other words that the students have learned to check students'
vocabulary.
- Conducting game: This game requires at least two players. Teacher can divide
the class into two groups, who make much more than words from the letters will
be the winner.
Example 1: PICTURES
The teacher asks students to use the letters to create different words.
Specifically: P, I, C, T, U, R, E, S can make another word.
With the above example, teacher asks students to create irregular verbs in
English that aim to review the irregular verbs in grammar when reviewing the
simple past tense in Unit 1: A day in the life of, E – Language Focus, English
10.
We can create words like:
P – Put → Put, I – Input – Input, C – Come → Came
T – Tell → Told, U – Understand → Understood
R – Read → Read, E – Eat → Ate, S – See → Saw
Example 2: POST OFFICE
With the above example, teacher can ask students to create words related to the
topic “Post Office” that they learned in Unit 9: The post office, A: Reading,
English 11 in order to check the students’ ability in memorizing vocabulary.
We can create words like:
P – Phone, O – Office, S – Service, T – Transfer
O – Order, F – Fax, F – Fixed, I – Install, C – Call, E – Express
c. Network:
- Objective: This game helps students examine and review vocabulary learned

Example 2: Unit 13: Hobbies - Reading – English 11
Listening to music

Reading books

Keeping fish

Collecting stamps
Watching film

Swimming

Hobbies
Playing chess

Playing guitar
Watching films
d. Slap the board:
- Objective: This language game helps students review the vocabulary or can get
acquainted with some new vocabulary. Teacher can use this game to check the
old lesson or test students’ ability of remembering vocabulary. This game is not
only simple, but also very effective and can be applied to the lessons which are
either easy or difficult vocabulary.
- Teacher preparation: Writing some English words on the board (probably new
words).
- Conducting game: Teacher calls on two groups to go to the board; each group
of four or five students and two groups requested to stand in front of the board.
The teacher reads aloud any English word on the board (or Vietnamese
equivalent). Respectively in the two groups of students run up the board, find
and pat into spoken words. Which team has many words which are patted faster

Music, zoo, song, sea, please, listen, price,
prize, place, cousin.
- Ask Students to play the game
- Play the game
Slap the Board:
- Control the game: read aloud the words
- Introduce the way to distinguish the sound: - Listen to the Teacher.
/s/ and /z/.
e. Leave me out:
- Objective: Students are able to revise vocabulary that they have learned in each
lesson. This game is very simple, suitable for all students’ levels and can apply
to all skills.
- Teacher preparation: Writing 8 or 10 words in a paper sheet
- Conducting game: The teacher divides the class into groups of 4 students, or
lets students do the game in pairs and asks them to leave one unnecessary letter
in the given words in order to make them correct.
Example 1: Unit 10: Nature in danger – Speaking – English 11.
Leave ONE unnecessary letter in these words to make them correct.
Question 1:
Question 2:
Question 3:
Question 4:
Question 5:
Question 6:
Question 7:
Question 8:

CAPETURE
CULTIVALTION
DISCOHARGE

Leave ONE unnecessary letter in these words to make them correct.
Question 1: J U S T T I C E
→ JUSTICE
Question 2: A C C E L L E R A T E
→ ACCELERATE
Question 3: R E A L I Z A T T I O N
→ REALIZATION
Question 4: D A I V E R S E
→ DIVERSE
Question 5: A D O I P T
→ ADOPT
Question 6: E N T E R S P R I SE
→ ENTERPRISE
Question 7: S T A N B I L I T Y
→ STABILITY
Question 8: E N T E R G R A T I O N → E N T E G R A T I O N
f. Matching:
- Objective: It can assist students to match with synonym words, English words
with Vietnamese words, questions with answer, connect two half sentences or
pictures with the corresponding phrase,...
- Teacher preparation: A paper sheet with a table containing column A and
column B. Column A writes about 5-7 English words or questions and column B
writes about 5-7 Vietnamese words or answers. (Short answers)
- Conducting game: Teacher divides the class into two groups; each group has 5
students; in turn of calling each member of the group matches words; which
groups complete quickly and correctly becoming the winner.
Example 1 : Unit 13: The 22nd Sea Games – Writing – English 12.
Task 2: Match a question in column A with a suitable answer in column B:
A
1. Why was the football match

j. Vietnam played better.

Answer keys: 1 – c, 2 – h, 3 – a, 4 – b, 5 – g, 6 – d, 7 – e, 8 – i, 9 – j, 10 – f.

9


Example 2: Unit 9: The post office – Writing – English 11
Match the words or phrases in column A with the similar meanings in column
B:
A
1. punctually
2. discomfort
3. notify
4. courteous
5. well – trained
6. Express Mail Service
7. bother

B
a. mail delivered with high speed and security
b. skillful
c. polite
d. uneasiness
e. disturb
f. announce
g. being on time

Answer keys: 1 – g, 2 – d, 3 – f, 4 – c, 5 – b, 6 – a, 7 - e
Example 3: Unit 5: Technology and you – Speaking – English 10


10


Answer keys: 1 – F, 2 – D, 3 – G, 4 – E, 5 – A, 6 – B, 7 - C
g. Chain game:
- Objective: This game trains students’ memory and helps them remember the
words longer. In addition, students have the opportunity to speak, listen, and
articulate vocabulary.
* Conducting game:
- Teacher divides the class into groups, students sit facing each other.
- The first student in group repeats teacher’s sentence.
- The second student repeats the first student’s sentence and adds another word.
- The third student repeats the first and second student’s sentences and adds a
new word, next and so on until returning to the first student in the group.
Example1: Unit 8: The story of my village - Listening - English 10
Teacher: In the past, the town used to have only small houses.
Student 1: In the past, the town used to have only small houses, but now there
are tall buildings.
Student 2: In the past, the town used to have only small houses, but now there
are tall buildings and there is a hotel in the town.
Student 3: In the past, the town used to have only small houses, but now there
are tall buildings, there is a hotel in the town and the streets are wider.
Example2: Unit 4: Volunteer work - Speaking - English 11
Task 1: Decide which of the following activities are volunteer work.
Teacher: Volunteers often help people in remote or mountainous areas.
Student 1: Volunteers often help people in remote or mountainous areas and
provide education for disadvantaged children.
Student 2: Volunteers often help people in remote or mountainous areas,
provide education for disadvantaged children and join the Green Saturday


8.

9.

10.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1

A
S
I
A
N
G
A
M
E
S

0

S
O

T
U
O
L
F
R
A
W
C

B
A
X
I
E
U
R
I
K

A
S
I
A
N
G
A


O
G

O

T

0
Example 2: Unit 4: Education system– English 12
Do the crossword by completing the compounds below:
1. Tuition…………………
2. ………………..year
3. ………………..school
4. ………………..care
5. ………………..term
6. ………………..computer
7. ……………….education
8. ……………… subject
9. ………………curriculum
10. ……………….system
11. ……………….education
12. ………………..education
13. ………………..school
14. Lower ……………….
15. Final ………………..

1
2
3

0
1

Y

1
1

S

2
1

T

3
1

E

4
1

M

5
Answer keys:
1
2
3

F
A
P
H
C
R
C
O

E
D
U
C
A
T
I
O
N
S

E
E
B
H
L
R
M
R
A
C


L

A

L

D

A

P

H

Y

S

I

C

U

L

S

O


A

M

1
1

4
1

C

O

M

P

E

X

14

R

Y



38
35
35
38

From
4.5 to
4.9
0
1
0
8

From
5.0 to6.4
12
31
21
23

From
6.5 to
7.9
25
3
14
7

From
8.0 to 8.5

creative ", personally, I try to express the problems and real situations
encountered in actual teaching in my initiative. I have collected, designed and
applied language games in different lessons in order to increase the effectiveness
of teaching and improve students’ vocabulary. My students are very eager to
take part in the games as well as communicative activities.
This is my experience in innovating teaching method. Through language
games, I believe that I can enhance the quality of teaching English and improve
vocabulary of my students. I hope that I will receive many comments from
colleagues to my initiative reporting become more completed and broadly
applicable.
XÁC NHẬN CỦA HỘI ĐỒNG
SÁNG KIẾN CƠ SỞ

……….., ngày… tháng… năm …
NGƯỜI BÁO CÁO

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