characteristics of the involved lesson plan without decreasing the curriculum in effect nationally and diverging from the objective of national education.
The subjects in local content curriculum are not compulsory subject. Every school has its own right to choose which subject is suitable to its students. English
is a compulsory subject at the elementary school. The function of English subject at the elementary school is to introduce English as the first foreign language in
Indonesia. The purpose of teaching English at the elementary school is to motivate and to prepare the students in order to be ready and confident in learning English
at the higher level of education. English at the elementary school involves pronunciation, vocabulary,
spelling, reading and functional skills as the basic to master a simple language skill which is in line with the topic.
5. Using Games to Teach English to Elementary School Students
It is commonly believed that games are a common interesting activity. As stated by Hidayat 1980 that basically, every human, no matter how old they are,
their sex, and their social status, like games Hidayat, 1980: 1. In this study, games are rolled as an activity that can be used and enjoyed by every one.
Therefore, games are possible to be used in the classrooms.
a. The Concept of Games in Education
The use of games in language teaching gives mainly attention to generate and to improve students’ motivation. The function of games in classroom is to
arouse motivation in the students and increase their learning efforts Adenan,
1996: 3. Games can be an engine for the students to increase their motivation to learn.
The teachers can use games to help them to reduce boring atmosphere in the classroom. Ann says that games, in the field of language teaching, have helped
to make the task of learning less boring and tedious in Khoo, 1981: 8. In teaching children boring atmosphere is created very often. It is because the
teachers cannot keep the children’s focus and attention to the lessons. The use of games in teaching may reduce this unwanted atmosphere.
To be motivating games, fun and competition aspect can be involved. Atmosphere of competition in language games can give more values to the
students. Stephens says that the emphasis should be on keeping competition within reasonable bounds. It would be foolish and unnecessary to try to eliminate
competition completely. It provides zest and pleasant challenge Stephens, 1966: 393. Stephens puts competitions as part of games that make them interesting and
motivating. If the students are motivated, they will focus their attention to the class activities.
b. The Definition of Games
Not all games can be used to teach language in class. Language games have some requirements. Chamberlain, in a book of Guideline for Language
Games, mentions that language games should be motivating, easy to explain, and having language learning in Khoo, 1981: 28. These requirements are needed
since language games are different from ordinary games. They have functions to help teachers to obtain teaching objective in the classrooms.
Bumpass gives more detailed requirements about language games. Bumpass’ idea is almost the same with Chamberlain’s idea. Games that can be
used for language teaching, called language games, are fast moving, competitive, acceptable by students, simple enough, motivating, and having definite learning
objective in it Bumpass, 1963: 143-144. These requirements above are needed, so that the games are applicable and helpful for the teachers to obtain the teaching
objective. Bell presents a little bit difference of requirements needed by language
games. He states that educational game presents concrete problems in a simplified but dramatic form Bell, 1985: xix. Bell mentions that games in educational field
should have elements of surprise and simple. Surprise makes the children interest in joining the game, while the simple is beneficially used in the class for helping
the students to follow the games since it is hard for the students to involve in the complicated games. A good game involves the students in the learning process.
The children can be active to deliver and communicate their opinions, expressions, and suggestions about the text given. In the reading teaching learning
activities, the students deliver information they get from the passages to their classmates. It looks like peer teaching form some students are actively delivering
their findings while the others listening and waiting for their turns to do the same as their friends initially did.
c. Games
Games that are usually used in teaching English have many variations and can be improved by the teacher. The teacher’s creativity is important to design
some of educational games. Besides, the teacher can use some resource books that can help in designing the materials. There are many kinds of games to use; the
common formats are; board games, card games and simulation games Bell, 1985: xx. These are some games modified by the writer that can be used as reading
exercises. The games call for a manifested response, that is to say, a response in which the learners do something to communicate to orders their understanding,
their feeling and their ideas, rather than just a response that is private. Two important skills are concentrated on, namely skimming for gist, when the learners
find out at speed what content a text contains, and scanning, when they search a text for some particular item in it.
The objectives of Games are to help students improving their reading skill, to make the students’ memorization longer, to avoid the students’ boredom when
they learn reading, and to stimulate the students to communicate actively with their peers in the form of game. The ways to improve the reading skills are by
teaching students questioning, clarifying, imagining and analyzing skills.
d. Teaching Reading Using Games
