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Contextualizing Pattern Drills: The “German Circle Games“
Author(s) -
Smith Clyde R.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
foreign language annals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.258
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1944-9720
pISSN - 0015-718X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1944-9720.1981.tb01636.x
Subject(s) - german , contextualization , grammar , linguistics , vocabulary , sight , meaning (existential) , atmosphere (unit) , class (philosophy) , foreign language , computer science , psychology , artificial intelligence , philosophy , physics , astronomy , interpretation (philosophy) , psychotherapist , thermodynamics
Organizing the foreign language class into small groups provides the learners with more opportunities to speak the target language, a measure of autonomy, and a more relaxed atmosphere. One of the interesting ways to give such a group activity structure and direction is through games which combine rigorous grammar with theatrical techniques. The “German circle games” turn grammatical exercises into meaningful communicative activity by introducing pantomime, props, and pictures as a means of providing contexts. Students, working independently in small groups, drill specific grammatical features while communicating real information. This contextualization of pattern drills, in which sight, touch, and movement enhance the meaning of linguistic forms, makes both grammar and vocabulary more memorable.