Adverb Phrase Charades: A Fun and Interactive Activity for ESL Students
Adverb phrases are groups of words that act as an adverb to modify the main clause of a sentence. They are an important part of English grammar and vocabulary, as they can add more details, information, and variety to clauses. However, many students find it difficult to identify and use adverb phrases correctly, especially when they have to distinguish between different types and meanings of adverb phrases. In this blog post, I will share with you an activity that I have used successfully with my ESL students to teach and practice adverb phrases in a fun and interactive way. The activity is called Adverb Phrase Charades, and it involves playing charades with sentences containing adverb phrases. It is suitable for intermediate to advanced learners of English, and it can be adapted to different levels, themes, and topics. I will explain the objectives, materials, procedure, assessment, extension, variations, reflection, and notes of this activity in detail. I hope you will find it useful and enjoyable for your teaching and learning.
Introduction
This is an activity for teaching and practicing adverb phrases in a fun and interactive way. Adverb phrases are groups of words that act as an adverb to modify the main clause of a sentence. For example, in the sentence “She sang beautifully in the choir”, the adverb phrase “beautifully in the choir” modifies the verb “sang”.
Title:
Adverb Phrase Charades
Objectives
By the end of this activity, students will be able to:
- Identify adverb phrases in sentences
- Use adverb phrases to modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs
- Distinguish between different types and meanings of adverb phrases
Materials
- A set of cards with sentences containing adverb phrases (one per student or pair of students)
- A timer or stopwatch
Procedure
- Explain to the students what an adverb phrase is and give some examples. You can use the information from the search results above or your own examples.
- Tell the students that they are going to play charades with sentences containing adverb phrases. Divide the students into two teams and give each team a set of cards with sentences.
- Explain the rules of the game: One student from each team will take turns to pick a card and act out the sentence without speaking or making any sounds. The other students from their team will try to guess the sentence within a time limit (e.g., one minute). If they guess correctly, they get a point. If they don’t guess correctly or run out of time, the other team gets a chance to steal the point by guessing the sentence. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
- Start the game by choosing a student from one team to pick a card and act out the sentence. Repeat until all the cards have been used or until a certain time limit (e.g., 15 minutes) has passed.
- Review the sentences with the students and ask them to identify the adverb phrase and its type and meaning in each sentence.
Assessment
To assess the students’ understanding of adverb phrases, you can:
- Ask them to write their own sentences using adverb phrases
- Give them a worksheet with sentences containing adverb phrases and ask them to underline them
- Give them a quiz with multiple-choice questions on identifying and using adverb phrases
Extension
To extend this activity, you can:
- Ask the students to create their own cards with sentences containing adverb phrases
- Vary the difficulty of the sentences and adverb phrases according to the level of the students
- Introduce other types of phrases, such as adjective phrases or noun phrases, and play charades with them
Variations
To vary this activity, you can:
- Play charades with single-word adverbs instead of adverb phrases
- Play charades with different types of adverbs, such as manner, place, time, frequency, degree, certainty, etc.
- Play charades with different themes or topics for the sentences, such as sports, movies, or music
Reflection
After this activity, you can ask the students to reflect on their learning by asking them questions such as:
- What did you learn about adverb phrases today?
- How do you use adverb phrases in your writing and speaking?
- What difficulties did you face while playing charades with adverb phrases?
- How can you improve your use of adverb phrases?
Notes
Some notes for teachers:
- Make sure that each card has a clear and simple sentence containing only one adverb phrase
- Prepare enough cards for each student or pair of students
- You can use online tools to generate cards and sentences containing adverb phrases