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B. Using Games
The study revealed that using games seemed to be able to stimulate students‟ interest in making sentences in order to increase their proficiency. Four
out of the five observations provided students‟ learning with games. Using games could motivate the students and as a result, students were willing to learn. The
following extract provides the proof how games assist the first graders of Bethany School to create sentences when they learned about color.
Extract 2 Observation 3 Teacher
: “I want you to write a poem. Only three sentences based on the color paper your group get. If you get red so you have to write red
is apple, for example, red is my pen, red is getting shy. If I mention or show you something that has the same color like your paper,
your group should read your poem. For example, if I say banana, the yellow group read, if I say apple, the red group read, if I show
you this pencil hold a blue pencil the blue paper group read and
so on….listen and pay attention carefully, I will start, okay?” Students
: “Yes” Teacher
: “Leaf.” Green group
: “Green is melon. Green is snake. Green is chili.” In here, teacher divided the students to work in groups. Each group had to
write a short poem based on the color of paper delivered by the teacher. After they finished writing, the teacher would mention or show a thing which has the same
color with each group‟s paper. Later, the group whose paper was in the same color with the thing mentioned or showed by teacher should stand up and read aloud
their poem. Games were beneficial since it could reduce anxiety, improve self-
confidence, and build positive feelings Yolageldili and Arikan, 2011. It brings a
12 fun atmosphere which teacher could used to avoid students‟ boredom during the
learning process. The fun atmosphere and positive feelings the games brought makes students excited to learn English further. This was what the teacher said in
the interview. “Using games creates a fun learning. Children usually get bored easily. They are
excited to participate in the game. I usually divide them to work in group so they can help each others.”
Teacher The finding showed that associated with game could dec
rease students‟ anxiety towards language learning as games are employed. Celce-Murcia in
Yolageldili and Arikan 2011, p. 54, declared that “in games, language use take precedence over language practice, and in this sense games help bring the
classroom to the real world, no matter how contrived they may be.” The first
graders as the beginner learners of English might become too anxious when they were demanded to create sentences, since they were worried about being criticized
when they make a mistake. As it shown on the extract, grouping students in an activity promote the
cooperation between the group members. It helped the weaker learners overcome their stress in making sentences. Those who perform better at English could
motivate the weaker learners to participate in the game since they know that the better ones are there to assist them when they need. The finding was similar to
Yolageldili and Arikan 2011, who found that games used by Turkish EFL teachers in their English classes who consists of youn
g learners lower students‟ anxiety and increase learners‟ proficiency in practicing grammar communicatively
13 since it encourage, entertain, and promote fluency. With the help of grammar
games, students can develop their ability in using language as they are given a chance to use language in situation which have a purpose. In short, games provide
learners with an opportunity to drill and practise grammatical rules and forms by presenting them in a communicative way.
C. Giving Prompts
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