In chapter 1 of Pathways 2, a major focus is the final -s sound in words, namely being able to accurately write a word when -s or -es is added and knowing when this effects its pronunciation as well. Examples of these words include “likes,”—a syllable is not added to the pronunciation, but the spelling does change. Another would be “washes,”—a syllable is added to the pronunciation and the spelling changes. To learn this, students must learn English rules about word endings when the final sound is a vowel versus a consonant, and which phonemes require syllable addition (/s/, /ʃ/, /z/, /dʒ/, and /tʃ/). To informally assess the students’ usage and pronunciation of -s and -es, a game-based assessment can be used.

​

           In this game, the students are randomly divided into two teams. Each team will have a podium (or desk, or whatever surface is available), a small white/chalkboard or sheets of paper, and a bell or a buzzer. The teacher will act as the moderator, also taking note of correct and incorrect answers for each student. At the beginning of each round, the teacher will provide a word without an -s or -es ending, and the students are expected to provide that same word with the final -s/-es sound. This will be done in two mediums: 1) written- the students will write down the spelling of the word, and 2) the students will state the word out loud.

​

            This will serve only as a formative assessment, and only tests their final -s sound abilities. There are two learning objectives on the same focus: 1) The student is able to apply phoneme rules to pronounce final -s/-es sounds properly, and 2) The student is able to apply grammar rules to select the proper final -s/-es sound in writing, spelling the word correctly. The teacher is able to informally assess this because every student is given the chance to write and speak a word and having only two people (representing their respective teams) performing at once allows for better assessment of the individual students. Ultimately correctness exemplifies they have mastered this skill, but time in response can also be factored in to determine the proficiency level.

​

Below is the structure of this game:

​

1.  The teacher writes the word on a board and states the word aloud, allowing a few seconds for the students to process the information.

2. The teacher then states “go” (or uses a bell/buzzer) signaling for the students to begin working on their written and verbal response.

3. After the teachers signal, the students first write the word down. (This is to be done solo, but their work affects their team’s score.) Once this is complete, they ring their bell to signal their completion.

4. The teacher checks to see if the written word is correct.

   • a. If it is correct, then the students are asked to verbally pronounce the word.

     • i.  If they write the word correctly yet pronounce it incorrectly, the opposing team is offered the chance to give proper pronunciation to win this round.

     • ii. If they write and pronounce it correctly, they win this round.

   • If it is incorrect, the teacher asks the opposing team to show their written work.

     • See 4a.

5. Once each student has had a chance at the podium (so-to-speak), the game is complete. If wanted/necessary, a tiebreaker can be used in the result of a tie.