Topic: Writing stories

Writing Focus: Narrative tenses

Time: 30 – 40 minutes

Game: Grow Cube

Key Language: canal    pool    pot    pipe    waterfall    dish    steps    cave    tower    skull    springs    dug    planted   flowed    built    grew    cut down    lit    added    threw

Preparation: Connected classroom with data projector. One printed copy of the language sheet for each learner. One photocopy of the walkthrough for the teacher.

Walkthrough: Man    Water    Fruit    Pot    Blue pipe    Fire    Dish    Bone    Spring    Red ball

Grow Cube is an online point and click puzzle game.  The objective of the game is to find the right order in which to place the ten icons onto the cube.  It is a very visual game and the short video sequences in between each click lend itself brilliantly to writing a narrative story.  Though you can have the music of the game playing during this activity I find it tends to become quite repetitive and so I usually click on the ‘sound off’ button on the bottom right just next to the reset button.  Prior to this game you should have presented the narrative tenses, mainly the past simple and past continuous though you can include the past perfect if you think your learners are up to it.

Pregaming activity

Tell your learners they are going to watch a game and tell their partner the story as they watch.  You can then play the game using the walkthrough.  Click on the game’s icons and let the learners watch the short video sequence.  Prompt them if necessary to tell their partner what they saw.  If the story they are telling involves any difficult language they should write it down in their native language.  When the game has finished and the learners have finished their story telling ask them to compare any language they noted down with another group.  This is to allow a little peer teaching time with the vocabulary.  Hand out the grammar sheet and ask them if they understand the useful language at the bottom.  Learners then think of a title for the story and write it in the ‘title’ gap.

Gaming activity

Reset the game and elicit the order you click on the icons from your learners.  Using the grammar sheet your learners then write down the game story.  Remember to allow time between each click for your learners to briefly discuss the story and then write it down.  Monitor as they write.

Material:   Language worksheet

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