How to Create an Audio Grammar Puzzle in PowerPoint

One of the nice things about PowerPoint is that you can use it to create simple audio-based grammar activities. For example, you can make a word jumble where students listen to a sentence and then move the words into the correct order. I usually keep the sentences fairly short, maybe six to eight words. For example, you could use a sentence like, My dog hates to sleep outside or The cat does not like the dog.

Making the activity is pretty simple:

1. Create the word cards. Go to Insert, choose Shapes, and create a set of small cards. Put one word from the sentence on each card.
2. Record the audio. Go to Insert, Audio, and Record Audio, and simply read the sentence.
3. Jumble the words. Move the word cards into a random order so students have to reconstruct the sentence.
4. Add the instructions. Something simple like Play the audio and put the words in order.
5. Add an answer key. Put the correct sentence on the slide and cover it with a white shape that says Remove to see the answer.

What I like about this is that PowerPoint becomes a digital workbook rather than just a presentation tool. If students use PowerPoint in Edit Mode, they can play the audio, move things around, experiment with the language, and check their answers. It makes the activity much more tactile. You can also use the same idea with almost any grammar point.

Best of all, once you've created a template, these activities don't take long to make. The cards, instructions, answer box, and layout are already there, so all you have to do is type in a new sentence and record the audio. This word jumble is just one example. There are lots of simple activities you can create in PowerPoint, and it's a surprisingly useful tool for making interactive grammar practice.