| GRAMMATICUS – CARD GAME |
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A versatile card game for any group of students needing to know about grammar, with the potential to bring surprise and fun as well as painless learning to your classroom. |
grammaticus is a set of 104 word cards, each with the word class identified on the reverse of the card. With them you can play a range of ‘nail-biting’, ‘insanely fun’ games (see reviews below) and learn about word classes, clause elements and sentence structures along the way.
grammaticus is many games in one. It looks and feels like a double pack of cards, with the crucial difference being that it’s words and word classes rather than numbers and suits on the cards. Fan the white faces out and you have what feels like a hand of cards, with the words in miniature in the top left hand corner. Use them like this to play games like Rummy, collecting words of particular word classes and building sentences in your hand, before laying them down on the table.
If you turn the cards over you will find the word’s word class written across a coloured background, with even more detailed information in small print around the edge. Used like this you can play racing games, like Racing Demon, where you have to identify word classes at speed. There are more games to choose from and many yet to be adapted or invented – possibly by you!
The cards were developed by David Kinder, a regular EMC author and advisory teacher. Initially designed for A Level students, teachers on courses at the EMC have shown enthusiasm for the idea of using them from Year 8 upwards. They are ideal for introducing the eight word classes to students in a fun and friendly way and to see and feel how word classes create clauses and sentences.
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Reviews
I think it is great; I recommended it to a colleague who also bought a set and two other colleagues both borrowed our sets. Student remark 'I never knew that!' Collette
I wouldn't hesitate in recommending Grammaticus: we bought two sets of the game, and they've proved invaluable in teaching the finer points of syntax/word classification to our AS language students. I've also had great fun with them with a Year 10 Study Plus group. Couldn't recommend them more! Stewart
We have used this game with AS English Language students - they thoroughly enjoyed it and it consolidated their understanding of word classes. 'Speedy Sentences' became highly competitive and 'Rummy Grammaticus' proved a particular favourite. Jo Canning
I used the cards to practise basic word class recognition exercises, which led to really useful discussions about how words can have more than one word class depending on their function. I've also played variants on 'grammar rummy' which were lots of fun, unnervingly competitive and again useful in leading students to make discoveries about how clauses can be structured. Having trialled them with this year's AS students, they are now firmly embedded in my Scheme of Work for next year. Phil Parker,Thomas Aquinas College
This is a fun game. It’s, like, insanely fun! Overheard unsolicited enthusiasm from an A level student at Alton College |
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Downloadable Teaching Materials
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Download
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Adobe Acrobat pdf,
4 pages : 989.9 Kb
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