Sentence Auction

Purpose: To review grammatical structures in a fun and collaborative competition.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Materials Needed: Handouts with 10-15 correct and incorrect sentences (use grammar structures that the class is familiar with to modify for your level of learners), play money.

Procedure:

1. Divide the class into small groups of three or four learners.
2. Briefly discuss auctions to make sure that all of the learners understand how they work. You may need to model selling and buying at an auction if the class is unfamiliar with them.
3. Explain the rules of this auction. Groups will get a chance to look at a series of sentences, then bid against each other to “buy” sentences that they think are grammatically correct.
4. Divide the class into pairs or small groups and give each group a sheet of sentences and their money limit. If you can find monopoly or other fake money to use it adds to the fun.
5. Ask the learners to plan which sentences they are going to bid for. The aim of the game is to buy as many correct sentences as possible.
6. Go through each sentence and take bids for it. Whichever group bids the highest wins that sentence.
7. After all the sentences are sold, run through and get a class vote on which sentences are correct. Confirm the answers.
8. Each group gets one point for each correct sentence, and loses one point for each incorrect sentence. You can break ties by seeing who has the most money left.
9. Ask pairs to decide what the problem is with the incorrect sentences.