The use of games to enhance reading comprehension in a third grade junior high EFL class

Abstract

Reading comprehension is not only important as a skill that demonstrate competency in learning a foreign language but as a tool that is needed for life. Enhancing that ability, is in my opinion, a very important element that should be stimulated in school not only in the foreign language subject but in general. After assessing the third grades groups C and D in the General Junior High Number 7 “Antonio Diaz Soto y Gama”, I found out that reading was one of their weakest skills and therefore this intervention would be nurturing for them. Other factor that influenced the selection of this topic was the previous experience working as a soccer coach where I observed similarities between teaching English and soccer. Aspects such as drillings, methodology and what inspired me was how games in soccer transformed a task into a very competitive, rewarding and motivating activity for pupils. With that in mind my aim was trying to match those aspects of game into reading tasks in order to improve their competency in that skill. The circumstances were not very favorable. COVID-19 provoked that the interventions were by online synchronized classes and not all the students have the same opportunities of connectivity to internet or access to a mobile device to attend the lessons provided by the Head Teacher and me. Despite those impediments, I tried my best to enhance reading through three different games with the characteristics that Lindemans et. al. (2019) suggests.