Teaching prepositions

[hr265]

Hello - does anyone know a fun game or activity for teaching prepositions? I need to plan a lesson for 7th graders (ESL students) and am hoping to find a way to make it interesting. Thanks!

 

[5jj]

I have been over 40 years in the business, and I have no idea how to 'teach prepositions'. Before you think of the 'how?', I'd suggest thinking about the 'what?'

What particular aspects of prepositional usage are you hoping that your students will be able to handle marginally better at the end of your lesson?

 

[J&K Tutoring]

I think it was about 5th grade when we learned this 'preposition song', sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle:

With on for after at by in
Against instead of near between
By off from under down below
Through over up according to
Refrain:
Beside aboard beneath upon
Are prepositions every one!
Beside aboard beneath upon
Are prepositions every one!

Aboard across beyond about
Before behind within without
Amongst around amidst above
Toward notwithstanding into of
(Repeat Refrain)

 

[I'm With Stupid]

Like 5jj says, it's impossible to say without knowing what prepositions you're teaching. One game I like to do with younger children is to simply have a selection of objects (usually vocab from earlier in the lesson) and a selection on things to put them in/on/under/next to/etc. I then say a sentence (e.g. the ball is on the chair) and the students race to put the correct object into the correct position. But that's prepositions of position. It doesn't work for prepositions of movement or prepositions of time, for example.

Also just to let you know, I'd find it easier to answer if you mentioned an age and level of English rather than a grade. I don't know what grades refer to in the Israeli education system.