the study of language itself.
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While Lee Su Kim states the use of games in the classroom is:
a. Games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the language class.
b. They are motivating and challenging. c. Learning in language requires a great deal of effort. Games help the
students to make and sustain the effort of learning. d. Games provide language practice in the various skill-listening,
speaking, reading and writing. e. They encourage students to interact and communicate.
f. They create a meaningful context for language use.
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From the statement above, it shows that the function of game in language teaching is that it:
a. Helps students remember things faster and better under low pressure, game as a way to practice the language.
b. Enables the students to get involved. This situation gives shy students more opportunity to express themselves.
c. Enables the learner to use the language consciously or unconsciously without worrying about the correct from of the
language.
3. Principle of Using Games
Before using a game in teaching-learning process, we as English teachers should think carefully about the game we choose, so the using game
could be effective. Julia Dobson points out that to create the greatest success with the game, there are several suggestion to be considered:
According to Dobson “a good language game is one that a requires little or no advance preparation, b is easy to play and yet
provides the students with an intellectual challenge, c is shout enough to occupy a convenient space during the classes period, d
entertains the students but does not cause the class to get out of
10
Rita Susanna Larcabal, The Role of Games in Language Acquisition, English Teaching
Forum, April, 1992, p. 28
11
Lee Su Kim, Creative Games For The Language Class, English Teaching Forum, Vol. 33, No. 1, January, 1995, p. 35-36
control and e requires no time-consuming correction of written responses after word.
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Wright said that, there are five essential criteria of language games. They are: a ease of preparation; the time and energy required to
make the game is realistic, b ease to organization; using the game is easy andor worth the effort, c intrinsic language; language
must be used to play the game successfully and that same language must be useful in other situation, d density of language; while
chess, for example: is wonderful game, it requires so little language classroom Rixon 1981, and e like hood of interest for the
learners.
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From the criteria above, it can be considered that games used in a language teaching have to meet these qualifications:
a. Suit to the students their age, knowledge, and capability. b. Challenging, exciting, entertaining and encourage students to
produce the language. c. Ease of preparation.
4. Procedure for Playing Games
When a teacher use game, heshe should have a good plan such as choosing the suitable game for their students ability, decides what the players
should do, how which the time allocated, and the teacher should know how the procedures of game are:
According to Adewui-Abalo, there are many procedures for playing game such as:
1. Choose games on the basis of their suitability in terms of the language they put into practice and also with regard to the students
themselves e.g. their age and interest. 2. Prepare the game carefully beforehand; try to predict the language
items that maybe needed. 3. Explain to the students in the mother tongue if necessary the
purpose of rules for the games.
12
Julia Dobson, Try One of My Game, English Teaching Forum, Vol. VIII, No. 3, 1996,
p. 18
13
Sandra J. Savignon and Margie S. Berns, op. cit., p. 211
4. Involve as many students a possible e.g. by dividing the class into two teams and also by letting the students take over for you if the
game permits. 5. If the games are played on team basis, points should be awarded for
each correct answer and the scores are written on the blackboard. Deduction can be made for grammatical errors e.g. half point but
credits should be given for creative expression.
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C. Reinforcing Vocabulary Through Puzzle 1. Definition of Puzzle
