Definition of Terms INTRODUCTION

11 According to Wright, Betteridge, and Buckby 2006: 1, game is an activity in which the learners play and interact with their friends and the teacher. It is also an activity that can entertain, engage, and challenge the students to do their task. Games not only help but also encourage learners to keep up their interest and work. Besides, games add variation to a lesson Lewis and Bedson, 1999: 1. Games also provide a stimulus to have good motivation in language learning so that the learners’ motivation can be enhanced easily. b. Language Games Games bring the teacher and learners closer together. Therefore, games help to ease the process of teaching learning activity Lee, 1965: 12. Games also help teachers create contexts so that the language becomes useful and meaningful. By using games, there is a tendency that the students want to take part, for example, speaking or writing in order to express their ability. Games provide a way of helping the learners to experience language rather than study it Wright, Betteridge, and Buckby, 2006: 2. Language games are certainly fun since games are suitable for every learner, especially young learners. A good game is a game which is also task- based. The game should be on the right track Lewis and Bedson, 1999: 5. Language games have set of rules that aim at guiding the learners’ actions. The rules must be clear in order to have a successful language game 1999: 6. According to Ernst 1972: 116, knowing the name of a game is not important. The important thing is recognizing that something is going on besides 12 the obvious process. Usually, when the learners have games, they tend to have competitive action. Competition stimulates some learners, but it can also be destructive Wright, Betteridge, and Buckby, 2006: 1. Therefore, games that are potentially dangerous and destructive need to be minimized or eliminated Ernst, 1972: 116. The main point of language game is about the challenge. Lewis and Bedson 1999: 6 state that language games are healthy challenge to a child analytical thought. They state that the challenge of the games stimulates the learners from being not motivated children become motivated children 1999: 6. The more actively all the learners take part in a game, the better they are in language learning Lee, 1965: 12. c. Games Classification There are four classifications of games. There are class, individual, pair work, and group work. From the four types, the learners have optimum opportunity for speaking practice in using the target language. 1 Class The games are played by all pupils in the class. They do the game and work the task together. The games can be speaking, listening, writing, and reading games. The games need cooperation from each learner. 2 Individual Individual work in games is usually not really effective. The games given to the learners should be fun if it is for individual work. Therefore, the learners can still enjoy the games. 13 3 Pair Work Pair work is easy and fast to organize. It provides opportunities for intensive listening and speaking practice. Pair work is usually better than group work if there are discipline problems. 4 Group Work Group work is essential. If there is competition between groups, they should be of mixed ability. If there is no such challenge, the teacher might choose groups according to the ability. This is very much a personal choice. d. Games for Young Learners Games are applied to young learners in order to get fun and enjoyable. There are two types of young learners. First type is young children. Games for young children begins with simple things. The important thing is giving young children opportunities to acquire basic language for activities Dunn, 1984: 80. Second type is older children. According to Dunn, they are no longer beginners, but post-beginners. They can manage to communicate in simple English in a variety of clasroom situations and begin to use English to predict into the future and to recount past happenings. Since they are more mature, the material of games will be at a more advanced level. 2. Young Learners The following section explains the young learners in classroom and young learners in assessment. 14 a. Young Learners in Classroom Phillips 1993: 6 states that the language for the children in classroom is better if it is English and then it is translated in their mother tongue after telling it in English. In a feedback session, children are expected to use English in order to make them accustomed to and aware of activities that develop their speaking skill. The aim of giving feedback is for the children to express their feelings and attitudes, it would be counter-productive to expect them to use their limited knowledge of English. What is important is that the children are given clear guidelines on when they are expected to use English and when their first language is permissible. Phillips, 1993: 6 When telling command or giving instructions to children, it will make the students understand if the teacher also uses gestures as well. If the students are still confused and difficult to speak English, the teacher can help them write sentences on board, then children can read the sentences and start learning to speak English well. Different activities require different groupings. Groupings that are mostly used are individual, pairs, groups, and whole class. Individual work is used for reading, making things, for example writing narrative or experience, and keeping vocabulary records. Pair work is done by two children. It is commonly used in speaking activities like mini role plays or the task that asks children to read and write in pairs. Group work consists of three or more children. Unfortunately, it is usually not really conductive to have groups of more than five. The last grouping is whole class that the children can work as a whole class in which the students focus on the teacher. It is seen in a presentation, game, or storytelling.