the challenge of teaching very young learners 1

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 2TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNERS: Teaching a child could be defined as “instructing him in a certain area”.. How to t

By Grace Bertolini

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 2

TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNERS:

Teaching a child could be defined as “instructing him in a certain area”

Educating a child, however, is enabling him to develop mentally, morally, physically and socially

CHILDREN’S MAIN CHARACTERISTICS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS:

CHILDREN'S CHARACTERISTICS IMPLICATIONS

Children are energetic They need to move a lot

Children are noisy You can't expect a quiet class with Young Learners

Children are quick

Quick to learn & quick to forget!! You need to constantly revise what you have taught

Children like to use their senses as well as to speak They need to see, hear, touch, smell and taste

Children have imagination Use it!!

Children are fun and enthusiastic

Have fun and be enthusiastic with them and everyone will benefit

CHILDREN ARE CHILDREN!! Don't expect too much…everything comes with time!!

How to teach EFL YOUNG Learners:

THINGS CHILDREN LOVE TO DO:

CHANGE YOUR ACTIVITIES every 5-10 minutes: this is vital because young children need variety as they get bored easily and have a very short attention

span

VARY THE PACE DURING THE LESSONS: mixing up excitable games with

quiet ones You do not want your children getting bored but you do not want them getting over-excited either, so vary the pace according to the mood

R-R-R: Repeat, review and revise Use short games to review vocabulary and

phrases you have taught If you neglect this, the children will have no recollection

of the language you have covered!

DO NOT BURDEN YOUR CHILDREN WITH READING & WRITING

Preschoolers are still learning to write in their own language There is plenty of time for that later

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Concentrate on listening and understanding, building vocabulary and the acquisition of short phrases

AVOID ABSTRACT CONCEPTS and concentrate instead on concrete real items

that the children understand and relate to For example start with familiar topics such as colors, numbers, greetings, animals, fruit, food and drink, families, body parts, shapes, clothing, the weather, days of the week and short everyday sentences and phrases

CONCENTRATE ALSO ON SPEAKING PRACTICE, starting with single words and short phrases, and gradually moving onto longer sentences and questions

USE PLAY & GAMES :

MAKE YOUR LESSONS PLAYFUL and full of physical movement Children will enjoy them more, be more motivated and remember the language better

USE PUPPETS: Bring in puppets and have the puppet introduce the new

vocabulary for the lesson If you do not have a puppet you can make one from a paper bag, or by sewing a couple of buttons on a sock

USE A LOT OF CHANTS RHYMES AND SONGS These are great for

movement and frequent repetition of vocabulary and phrases

Do not burden your children with reading and writing Preschoolers are still

learning to write in their own language There is plenty of time for that later

USE REALIA& PROPS: Bring in real objects when you can, such as clothes to

dress up in, or props for acting out little plays or stories

When you cannot bring in real items use whatever objects are available in your class, and use colorful pictures of real items in the games

USE STORIES: Stories are a fabulous resource for young kids, who will want to

hear the same stories told over and over again

You can use games and activities to teach the key words in the story, inspire the children with colorful illustrations to help them understand, and act out parts of

the stories or the whole story afterwards with role plays, games and make believe

USE TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE: Include movement

You can easily control the children by switching to calming games when you need to calm everyone down or throw in an exciting game when you want to pick

up the pace Variety is the key!!

BE PREPARED: practice telling the stories, playing games, using posters, etc… Before you go into class and have your picture flashcards and materials ready

BE FLEXIBLE: If something is not working then change the game or

activity

INVOLVE SHY CHILDREN TOO: give them a central role and help them

come out of their shell

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 4

SOME PROBLEMS TEACHERS MAY FACE:

YOUNG LEARNERS

have a VERY short attention span

will forget things quickly

may not be fully confident in their own language

develop at very different rates

can be easily overwhelmed

The process of acquisition of a Foreign Language is similar to that of the Mother Tongue: it is important to look at how children have learned elements of their native language :

Babies hear everyday language and songs and they begin to

imitate sounds and actions.

Later through imitation, they sequence words together to make

phrases and sentences.

 “HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES” accompanied by oral and written language use.

 CONTEXTUAL CLUES: such as gestures, facial expressions, body language.

 CONCRETE REFERENTS such as: props, realia, visual aids, manipulative.

PLANNING FOR YOUNG LEARNERS:

TEACHERS must be very careful when planning:

a) Be prepared to adapt your plans

b) Estimate how long activities may take

c) Prepare your materials with time

TERM PLANNING - LESSON PLANNING.

LONG TERM PLANNING SHORT TERM PLANNING LESSON PLANNING

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 6

TOPIC-BASED SYLLABUS : The syllabus is your “Course Program”

THEMES- TOPICS – CENTRES OF INTEREST:

Field trips

OUTPUT

WEEKLY PLAN:

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 8

AN ACTIVITY IS TAKING TOO LONG:

- You can ask them to finish it at home

- Tell them you will come back to it another day

YOU HAVE EXTRA TIME LEFT OVER:

Use one of your “Emergency activities”

Choose one that suits the mood of the class

AN ACTIVITY DOESN’T WORK:

- If your CD player doesn’t work at the moment of your lesson, don’t spend time to get it work: leave it and read the text, or sing the song yourself or do something else

- If a game isn’t working out, finish off the activity as soon as you can and move on to something else

-Don’t try to repair or change things in the middle of a lesson

AN ACTIVITY IS TOO DIFFICULT:

If an activity doesn’t work because the language is too difficult for your students, stop it gently and move on to an easy one which you know they can do

• There is nothing wrong with using L1: it can be a useful, efficient resource, especially when explaining methodology.

• There are situations when L1 is fastest and the most appropriate form of communication.

1 At the beginning, when setting discipline and Class Rules.

2 When you would waste too much time explaining

an activity,

a new game.

a grammar structure.

3 When introducing a particular theme.

4 When a child is upset to soothe him and demonstrate closeness.

BEGINNING WITH CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT:

ORGANIZING THE CLASSROOM:

TEACHER TALK & DRAWING ATTENTION:

Don't speak when children aren't listening and ready Wait

Establish a signal for getting the group's attention:

1 Turn off the lights

2 Clap a pattern with your hands

3 Say “Freeze!” and everyone halts right where they are, like a statue Then say

“Melt!” when you are ready for them to move again

Practice numbers, in the beginning, even when children are doing well, just so they get the idea of how to respond to your signals Then praise them

Example: “One, two, three…eyes on me”

Establish good listening habits for story time Sometimes we read and listen, and sometimes we read and discuss, but we always listen

ESTABLISHING DAYLY ROUTINES ROUTINES are established patterns of behavior, and teachers should have a clear plan:

- For Circle Time

- To get children’s attention

- To greet children and the Flag

- To call the roll

- To check weather’s conditions

- To choose Classroom’s Helpers

- To schedule activities for the lesson/day

- To practice activities which involve movement (TPR / Action songs)

- To give out & collect classroom materials

- To start and to stop “written activities”

- To tidy up

“Once routines are established, children will only need a prompt to know what to do”Young children have no sense of formal time, but “routine” helps them to know

what to expect and what to do, giving them a notion of “time passing”

1- BEGINNING THE LESSON:

- Always begin the lesson with the same routine (a song, a chant) that make your students realize that “the English lesson” has begun Never start with something new!

- Then revise a few items of vocabulary and add 1 or 2 new ones

- Check that everybody has got all the materials needed before starting

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 10

- Have extra materials for those who always finish before the others: a child with nothing

to do is a potential source of trouble

KEEP A BOX WITH EXTRA MATERIALS with:

3- BRINGING WORK TO AN END:

- If children are working on something and the lesson is soon going to end, warn them

4- TIDYING UP:

- It is very important that children learn to look after their things and tidy up at the end of the lesson/day

- have specific shelves and boxes for different things

- Create a Routine Song for this moment:

MANAGING CHILDREN POSITEVELY:

Behavior Management Strategies for Kindergartners

Teachers should think of some positive ways to reinforce good behavior Children respond quite well to praise and verbal acknowledgement

SONG FOR TIDYING UP (Tune: Arroz con leche)

“It’s time to clean,

To tidy up…

Put everything in order, tomorrow we come back!

Easy puzzles to solve Picture cards to play with

Simple colorful books to look at Word searches Memory games

Extra pictures to color

Young children often need “visual aids”

to help them judge their behavior.

BEHAVIOR CHARTScan be effective visual aids!

1- Each child has a pocket or hook containing three cards

2- Use green, yellow, and red, as these are easily recognizable symbols of go, slow down, and stop

3- Students will receive one verbal warning, and if negative behavior continues, the child

will be asked to change his/her color to yellow

4- This is an opportunity for the child to change negative behavior It also allows the child

to see his/her behavior in contrast to the rest of the class

5- Finally, if inappropriate behavior continues, a child will change the color to red and the appropriate consequences will ensue

NOTE:

By physically changing the color themselves, students are taking responsibility for their actions, as well as processing the effects

of positive and negative

behavior

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 12

2) Results could be:

• GREEN LIGHT: Excellent Behavior.

• YELLOW LIGHT: Good Behavior.

• RED LIGHT: Poor Behavior.

CLASSROOM RULES

help us to organize our classrooms from the very first day

Being consistent with the use of RULES facilitates our work!

www.peace-ed.org

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 14

A Poster with a “smiley face and a sad face” in 2 columns, works very well with little kids!!

IT WILL HELP THEM TO COMMUNICATE IN THE CLASSROOM

AND ELSEWHERE!

CLASSROOM LANGUAGE:

CLASS MANAGEMENT:

COME HERE!

GO BACK STAND UP SIT DOWN GET INTO LINE MAKE A LINE MAKE A CIRCLE HOLD HANDS LIE ON YOUR STORY MAT HANDS UP/ DOWN

BE QUIET CALM DOWN SPEAK QUIETLY

REPEAT AFTER ME PUT AWAY YOUR THINGS CLEAN UP / TIDY UP CAN YOU LEND ME YOUR

…PLEASE?

GIVE OUT THE BRUSHES FLUSH THE TOILET TIE UP YOUR SHOES RUB OUT THE…

FOLD THE …IN HALF STICK THE …TO THE…

CUT OUT THE SHAPE

CLASS MATERIALS:

A SHEET OF PAPER CARD

CHALK CRAYONS COLOURED PENCILS PAINTS

PLASTICINE

A RUBBER SCOTCH TAPE MASKING TAPE GLUE

A PIN

A STAPLER

A PAPER PUNCH

A RULER MARKERS BRUSHES

A PAIR OF SCISSORS

FOR ACTION GAMES:

THE PLAYGROUND MAKE TWO GROUPS STAND IN THE MIDDLE DON’T CROSS THE LINE

STAND SIDE BY SIDE SKIP

HOP TAKE TWO STEPS FREEZE!

IT’S YOUR TURN

WE ARE ALL WINNERS IT’S A DRAW

FOR BOARD GAMES GAMES:

THE BOARD

A SQUARE

A COUNTER ROLL THE DICE

GO FORWARD TWO SQUARES

GO BACK…

MISS A TURN IT’S YOUR TURN

FOR CARD GAMES:

A PACK OF CARDS SHUFFLE THE CARDS DEAL OUT THE CARDS TURN OVER THE CARD PUT THE CARD FACE DOWN/UP

FOR SONGS:

THE FIRST VERSE THE LAST LINE THE CHORUS EVERYBODY JOIN IN!

Try to speak English as much of the time as you can.

Use mime, acting, facial expressions, tone of voice, body language and any other means to get your meaning across

Don’t forget to teach:

TEACHER’ S LANGUAGE:

“PLEASE!”

“THANK YOU!”

SIMPLE KEEP YOUR LANGUAGE NATURAL

AT KIDS’ LEVEL

 CIRCLE TIME is when everyone sits together as a

group for an activity

The activities can include games, music, movement,

stories, puppets and finger plays

Generally, the same type of activities are done in the

same order each day.

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 16

 LOWER YOUR VOICE.

 FLASH THE LIGHTS (to stop what they are doing)

USE A CHIME : a special bell to capture attention.

USE A MARBLE JAR: a jar full of colored marbles.

Ideas to keep everyone:

FINGERPLAYS are a surefire way:

- to capture children’s attention.

- to focus the action on yourself.

- to develop Fine Motor skills.

-To help kids develop finger control, and hand stretch.

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 18

Where is Thumbkin? Where is Thumkin?

(Hide hands behind back)

Here I am! Here I am!

(Show L thumb, then R thumb)

How are you today, sir?

(Wiggle L thumb)

Very well, I thank you.

(Wiggle R thumb)

Run away, run away.

(Hide LH behind back, then RH)

2 Where is Pointer?

3 Tall man?

4 Ring man?

5 Little man (or Pinkie)?

6 Where is family? Where is family?

(Hide hands behind back)

Here we are! Here we are!

(Show LH, fingers erect, then RH) How are you today, sirs?

(Wiggle fingers of LH)

Very well, we thank you,

(Wiggle fingers of RH)

Run away, run away.

(Hide LH behind back, then RH)

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill,

Put 2 forefingers and thumb on each

shoulder to represent birds

One named Jack

Hold out one set of fingers

One named Jill

Hold out the other set of fingers

Fly away, Jack

Place one hand behind back

Fly away, Jill

Place other hand behind back

Come back, Jack

Return one hand to its shoulder

Come back, Jill

Return the other hand to its shoulder

THIS LITTLE PIGGY

Start with the thumb and move round the fingers With the last little piggy make your hand run off and tickle a child.

This little piggy went to market.

This little piggy stayed at home.

This little piggy had roast beef.

This little piggy had none.

And this little piggy went wee wee wee

wee all the way home.

Start with the thumb and work round the fingers.

This is DADDY, he's quite tall.

This is MUMMY, she's quite small.

This is BROTHER, he is taller.

This is SISTER, she is smaller.

And this is BABY,

He is tiny…and he's fast asleep…

Shhhhhhh!! (forefinger on lips)

Goodnight! (whisper)

ITSY BITSY SPIDER went up the water spout…

Down came the rain, And washed the spider out.

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain…

And the Itsy Bitsy Spider went up the spout again

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 20

Think about: Key phrases / Vocabulary being taught

• Suggestions / Permissions

• Identify a familiar tune: for example: “Arroz con leche”

• Match the language with the rhythm

• Check the grammar!!!

• Use TPR

• Use props

ROUTINE SONGS for:

• To get children’s attention

• To line up

• To sit in a circle

• To be ready for the snack

• To put things away

ROUTINE SONGS FOR CIRCLE TIME:

TO MAKE A CIRCLE:

(Tune: Tres cocineritos)

“Come…let’s make a circle,

a circle…a circle…

Come let’s make a circle

a circle with me

A big one… a big one…

A small one…a small one…

Come let’s make a circle,

A circle with me!”

TO SIT DOWN:

(Tune: Mary had a little lamb)

“Everybody sitting down,

Sitting down, Sitting down

Everybody sitting down

On the floor!”

 TRANSITIONS are periods of time where children are changing activities:

- Arriving at school, Going home,

- From Cleaning Time to Lunch Time,

- From Free Play Time to Circle Time

 This “Time between activities” is a difficult one for kids, because “changes” are taking place

CLEAN UP TIME: CHILDREN love to take toys out…but nobody wants to put them away!

 Let children know that a “transition” is coming:

 You should tell them…give them a “warning”:

 “We are going to clean up in 5 minutes”

 Though they have no concept of time, they do understand the a “change” is going to take place

 STORAGING: have areas clearly labeled: boxes or buckets where elements belong, with item names and item pictures

Make transitions smooth by using SONGS!! MAKE IT FUN!!

(Tune: Arroz con leche)

“It’s time to clean,

To tidy up…

Put everything in order,

tomorrow we come back!

SNACK TIME:

(Tune: A guarder…a guardar)

“Tea-time, tea-time,It’s time for tea… Everybody waits, everybody sits

Tea-time, tea-time, It’s time for tea…

A cookie for you and a cookie for me…

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 22

SUPER CLEAN UP STAR WAND:

Use a Star Wand to give children a warning:

“All right…boys and girls…it’s clean up time!”

Walk around the classroom and tap gently each kid’s shoulder with the “Star wand”

“Let’s begin!”…

(Tune: The farmer in the dell)

patterns for CIRCLE TIME.

“Clean up! clean up!

Everybody…everywhere!!

Clean up! clean up!

Everybody do your share!

(Tune: Mary had a little lamb)

“Cleaning up our toys today…

Toys today…toys today,

We are cleaning up our toys today,

So the room can be nice and clean!”

SUPER JOB! SUPER JOB! TOMMY

is doing a super job! SUPER JOB! SUPER JOB! TOMMY Hurray!!

“We are cleaning up our toys…

We are cleaning up our toys…

We played a lot…

And have great fun…

We are cleaning up our toys!”

To check how many boys and girls there are

• Use a cut-out shape from sturdy cardboard, simulating

a window with curtains to open and check the weather:

• Place symbols on it:

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 24

 Make a simple circular chart with a

spinning arrow and a selection of weather symbols

 Use a large paper plate, place symbols

(sun, clouds, rain clouds, wind, etc) around the outside of the circle

 Make an arrow shape half the width of

the overall circle, and fix to the centre with a paper fastener, allowing for easy movement around the whole chart.

Don’t just limit your Weather Chart to traditional weather symbols: things like umbrellas, boots, spring animals, flowers and falling leaves will add a visual stimulation that will encourage children to think of the other environmental aspects of the weather and the changes throughout the seasons!

Using a CALENDAR CHART with Young Learners, helps them develop concepts of time and it is a great way to introduce and become familiar with days, dates, months, years.Children can take part in adding the appropriate words, numbers and shapes

to the calendar

Days of the week and months of the year are two difficult concepts to teach children!!

Yet if you use some creativity it can be fun for both you and your students!!

HELPER DISPLAY BOARD:

Prepare colored cut outs of pencils / crayons

Write the kids’ names on them

Have a list of classroom jobs the children are responsible for each day of the week written on the board

Stick the “Helpers’ names” alongside their assigned jobs

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 26

TEACHING TIP: For the little ones: list the jobs by using a picture or an icon!

Give children the responsibility for doing practical jobs in the classroom:

- checking “Weather Chart”

- giving out sheets of paper and markers,

- watering plants,

- helping with “Snack Time”

These activities are genuine language activities and involve both, taking

responsibility for learning and helping others to learn

•Organize a list of classroom jobs for students to perform during the day

STORY HELPERS

BELL RINGER OUTDOOR HELPERS

LUNCH HELPERS SNACK HELPERS

MONITOR Giving out materials

- Arrivals

- Circle Time.

- Music & Movement.

- Meals: Snack Time – Lunch

Time Free Choice Time

- Rest time.

- Story Time.

When planning a Schedule or Agenda take into account all of the

major happenings of the day such as:

- Play time: Outside Play – Inside Play

AS A VISUAL AID YOU CAN USE:

VISUAL AIDS are TEACHING RESOURCES that teachers can use to support a learning activity

YOURSELF THE CHALK BOARD

REALIA: real objects

INTERACTIVE BOARDS

PICTURES FLASCARDS

POSTERS CHARTS GAMES PUPPETS

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 28

materials.

NOTE: All resources must be specially ordered and stored.

VISUAL AIDS & MANIPULATIVE should be protected through:

- HOT LAMINATING MACHINE

- COLD LAMINATING SHEETS

- Transparent self-adhesive plastic

- Wide Scotch Tape

PICTURE CARDS: Draw the picture- word on cardboard (square shape 10 cm x10 cm) Color it Protect it with wide scotch tape

CUT OUTS: Draw the character/item on cardboard Color it

Protect it with transparent contact paper or wide scotch- tape Cut out edges

BACKING for our Manipulative:

You choose the backing of your Picture Cards & your Cut-outs, accordingly to the board:

- Velcro for Flannel Boards

- Magnets for Magnet Boards

– To display more complex visual information, like a series

of pictures that tell a story – To organize tables of structures or related vocabulary (like verb forms)

– To diagram how something works

Use pictures or commercial posters of a landscape.

You can use it as a “background” of your activity.

Protect them with transparent contact paper.

Add some strips of masking tape for the Manipulatives.

Prepare a Board with a colored construction paper.

Laminate it with a sheet of acetate.

You can use a brush and paint drawings or write words with paint and erase it with water.

Excellent device for CIRCLE TIME – STORY

TIME and manipulation of objects

- FELT BOARDS are really easy to make

- Sets can be for teaching use or for children's use.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut out a rectangle of flannel or felt and stick it

to hard construction paper.

Use lightweight cut outs.

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 30

“TEN LITTLE FISH”

Teacher: “I see TEN little fish swimming in the sea

Can you count them with me? (Have children count with you)

“1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10”

(Take down fish one at a time and have children count with you)

I see NINE little fish swimming in the sea

Can you count them with me?”

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Small pieces of flat indoor- outdoor carpeting can be used as a substitute.

Make individual boards for your children!!

TO RETELL A STORY: “I know an old lady who swallowed a pie”

Make a simple story apron out of an inexpensive apron.

Sew one light -blue felt square onto the apron to suggest a

“sky background”.

Sew a green felt square to suggest a “grass foreground”.

To make an “indoor background” , simply sew on beige and yellow felt squares at the back of the same apron.

MAGNET BOARDS:

 Use a Non aluminum tray or a tin baking sheet.

 Add a self-stick paper background :

- Light blue for the sky.

- Green for the grass.

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 32

- Give one to each child while you attach a story character to each one.

- Have the children hold up the appropriate character when it is mentioned in the story.

- They can also use it with letters to form words.

Large metal food-cookies tins can make a fun surface for Magnet Story Time.

Cover the tin with self-stick paper or paint it with acrylics.

Prepare several tins with different backgrounds.

POCKET CHARTS:

Are easy to use

Have pockets of different sizes,

NOTE:

Use an Extra Long Pocket Chart with 20 pockets for Sentence Strips

Make up all different kinds of cards that will fit in the pocket chart such as:

A WORD WALL is a literacy tool composed of an organized collection of words

which are displayed in large visible letters on:

a wall,

a Bulletin Board,

or other display surface, usually in a classroom

List of words are used:

for reference during writing,

to tie writing and reading together,

to reinforce vocabulary

The most used classroom aid !!!

- Use colored and white chalk.

- Walking up to the chalkboard is a change-of-pace activity !

Use individual chalkboards for:

- Listening

- Checking comprehension

- Physical-response activities

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 34

Keep an ANNUAL CALENDAR with posters

- PLAY IS THE CHILD’S LIFE !!

GIVE TIME TO PLAY! REMEMBER: PLAY is learning for children!

Observe children while playing: find information about:

- The level of each child

- How much they are able to express

If they can: Play with others - Make contact - Solve problems - Take turns

ADJUST:

- Space available - Amount of time needed - The choice of materials - Rules

Prepare an environment conductive to play:

- Children are free to play with each other with carefully selected material

- Children will not use EFL spontaneously while playing

- Teacher introduces vocabulary, phrases, songs, poems

- Do not overwhelm children with “too much learning”

_

DRAMATIZATION in Young Learners classroom: CHILDREN:

- Delight in “make-believe” - Play in imaginary worlds

- Can act out a role - Engage in “pretend activities”

- Dress up - Become another person

RHYMES SONGS

CHANTS

SIMULATION ACTIVITIES

PUPPETS CHANTS

ROLE-PLAYS

SIMULATION ACTIVITIES

SIMULATION ACTIVITIES

RHYMES

DRAMATIZING gives shy children speaking a foreign language, another character to

“hide behind” Children become actively involved in a situation/ text

- It makes language more meaningful and memorable than drilling and mechanical repetition

START SMALL!! Start with easy guided activities to gain confidence

Use TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE Activities:

- Excellent way to Dramatizing - Children respond to language with their bodies

To activate the Language and have fun!

SHORT

EASY TO SET UP ADAPTABLE TO USE

FUN

UP

EASY TO SET UP

WITH LANGUAGE CONTENT

ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE:

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 36

SONGS & RHYMES:

• Provide a rich source of texts for acting out.

• Are useful in classes with Young Children who may not be

able to produce much of the language.

USING RHYMES:

 Prepare several footprint shapes

 Tape the footprint shapes to the floor in a walking pattern

 Invite the children to go with you in a “walking tour”

 Children listen and follow the directions

“It’s time to take a walk Let’s start with big steps…

Now take tiny steps…

Try walking on your tiptoes Walk up a hill,

…down a hill Now, bend over and stretch your legs!”

“ITSY, BITSY SPIDER”

The itsy bitsy spider

Went up the water spout;

Down came the rain,

And washed the spider out

Out came the sun,

And dried up all the rain

And the itsy bitsy spider

Went up the spout again

Cut candles and cakes shapes candles and cakes shapes out of construction paper and tape them on the floor

Encourage the children to jump over the shapes CHANT

“It’s time to jump,

So grab a friend First jump over Then back again Jump over candles, Jump over cakes It’s fun to be with friends Jumping on candles and cakes.”

 Make colored necklaces for each one

 In “Square Dance”, one person is the caller , who calls out the the caller

movements that everyone else performs.

 Children follow the color directions:

“ Blues step forward

Then turn round Walk to your place And twirl around.

Reds hop to the middle, And back again Find the yellows

And shake a leg

Greens turn around, Clap your hands Make a sound And say good-bye!

 Children standing in a circle, imitate the leader’s s actions:

actions:

 Clapping, stamping feet, tapping knees, rolling arms, stretching, bending, dancing, marching, skipping, creeping, galloping.

 Use different objects while performing the actions:

ribbons, pieces of bright colored fabric

 Finish the activity sitting down in a circle, copying gentle hand movements.

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 38

o Use FLASHCARDS with FLASHCARDS with FEELINGS

FEELINGS: happy, sad, angry, bored, tired.

o One child chooses one word ,

mimes the expression and asks:

”How do I feel today?”

o The rest of the class guesses the meaning

o In groups: children mingle around and through mime they find a partner who feels the same as they do.

TPR is a series of techniques developed by Dr James Asher linking language to physical

movements

We learn language items most successfully if we associate them with physical movements

TPR is excellent to help children focus energy into learning English

For Young Learners, verbal responses are still underdeveloped They physically respond

to commands by doing actions

No speaking is involved and children feel successful in English from the very beginning

The game should:

- Be relevant linguistically.

- Have an aim and purpose

- Be simple to explain.

- Easy to set up and play.

- Easy to carry out.

- Everyone should be able to participate in it.

- It should be FUN !!!!!!!

Ways of showing children what to do in a game:

- A QUICK DEMONSTRATION :

Play the game with 1 or 2 pupils in front of the class

- A TRIAL RUN:

Have a trial run before starting a new game

1) Seat children in a circle.

2) Whisper a message into someone's ear

3) This child whispers the message to their neighbor who passes it on, and it travels full way round the circle

4) When you reach the start point the last person to hear the message repeats it out loud

5) Everyone then falls about laughing at the nonsense that comes out.

1) Lay out vocabulary cards around the room, or use real objects

2) Say, “I spy with my little eye something that is

orange”

3) Children look around and name any orange objects amongst the vocabulary pictures you are revising.

4) Change the colour each time.

Get your pupils to stand in a line one beside the other, facing you.

Turn around to face a wall (“home”) so your back is facing the children

Call out: “One, two, three, stop! One, two, three, stop! ”

In the meantime, the children run towards you, trying to get as the children run towards you, trying to get as close to you as possible.

When you say “Stop!”, turn quickly around and see if anyone

is moving If so, ask: “What’s your name?” : I’m Peter Go back Peter! (all) and Peter has to go back to the standing line.

Repeat the procedure.

The game finishes when a pupil touches “home” before you see him He can take your place.

THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING VERY YOUNG LEARNES www.gracebertolini.com.ar 40

revise vocabulary, concepts, poems, chants, etc…

Use a big polypropylene cube and cover

it with colored rubber.

Stick transparent nylon pockets to the six sides.

Put different cards inside the pockets and play the game.

PICTURE CARDS can be: