The fifth lesson

SPEAKING MORE FREELY

 In this unit we learn how teachers can help children to speak for a longer time. 

 Firstly, when we work in a second language with very young learners we have to keep in mind the Cognitive development and language learning and for that it is necessary to choose a suitable topic which can be familiar or interesting to them, for example about festivals or cartoons. If it is the first time we can work with this theme we will introduce it with pictures or realia. On the contrary if they already know some things about it we explain two or three more. In any case we will begin with basic contents and step by step we will add others more complex.

 We can make different kinds of activities in order to develop the English oral skills, for example listing, rdering and sorting, matching, comparing, predicting and problem-solving, sharing personal experiences or creative works.

 As has been said in the above posts, if we want to get an effective learning in pupils we have to speak in English slowly, to repeat a lot, to listen them carefully, to reinforce their contributions, and also to provide them attractive activities which motivate them and where they learn something useful in their daily life.

 In addition in the second part Starting to speak freely-eliciting personal talk, they tell us that it is pretty positive talking about their families and personal life, because they love it and everyone wants to participate. To give an example if you talk about the family you can ask them about the brother or sisters which have each one and later introducing vocabulary about this topic (mother, father, grandparents,...) or if they have already acquired that contents you can compare or make a list about the differences between one and another.

 Furthermore, we can use Speaking games where children learn while they are playing, in this way they practice vocabulary, verbs or expressions about many different topics. We have a lot of things to carry out them (flashcards, balls, realia, ...) In these kinds of games, in which the whole class participates, we promote cooperative work and the knowledge of their peers.

  In nursery education we can make mime games about simple actions or vocabulary for instance imitating how walks a grandfather or actions like eat, sleep,...

  To end, in the last point Children speaking in groups they explain that not all children like speaking in public or in front of a big group, because they are shy. So we can provide them activities in smalls group or in pairs in order to benefit to the all children, and thus they get more confident and they will be at ease with the English. In this way the students have more opportunities to practice and there are many sorts of dynamics to do, for example looking for the differences between two pictures, imitating to somebody or something,...

 In my opinion, the methods and tips I have learnt in this unit are very useful for our future as teachers because they have shown us how pupils learn and many activities to meet the need and requirements of them. I think we can use them in primary and also in nursery education because they propose a methodology based in the learning in a funny and attractive way.


 See you on the next post!
  M.R.M.

The fourth lesson

SPEAKING WITH SUPPORT

  In this fourth unit we have learnt how work in order to children start to speak.

 So we can Use classroom phrases, where we tell them about things in which they are interested or about useful vocabulary with they treat in their daily life. For example we can teach them the clothes, colours, phrases to ask permission like "Can i go to the toilet?" although the very young learners say only "toilet, please", but it is really positive because they are improving the speaking and the pronunciation. Also they love repeating so it is very probably that when you say to them a word later they will repeat it.

 And if they make some mistakes the best method to correct them it is repeating again in the right way and reinforcing them a lot with a smile or with words like "Good job", "Right!", "Perfect", ...

 We must use easy and short sentences better than individual words because pupils learn by the context.

 Other important thing is Saying rhymes and singing songs to practise pronunciation, stress and intonation. Children love the songs and in their life they spend much time singing, so we can use them to improve the oral skills both listening and speaking, the intonation, and also to teach vocabulary about the seasons, the weather, the colours, the animals,.... In addition we can put them when we want to change in activity to warm up and to stretch.

 It is really useful using flashcards or pictures to Practise new vocabulary, because you can show them at the same time that you are telling the word with the purpose of the students repeat it later. Also when you are teaching new vocabulary, you can give to the classroom realia which pupils can touch and work with them, and in this way maybe they learn better the contents.

 We can Play vocabulary games, to revise and to check if pupils have learnt the vocabulary, and to improve the intonation and pronunciation. For example with the game "I spy with my little eyes..." at the beginning the teacher will start the game and later the child who guesses the word will be the person who is it now. Other typical games are "Finding pairs", "Shopping games" or "Happy families", in all of them we practise much vocabulary, verbs and the English oral skills.

 As it has been said above, we can use some games to Practise pronunciation of new sound, being that they learn the second language in the same way they do in their first idiom, listening, speaking and making some mistakes. So if we want that they learn properly we have to repeat, speak slowly and reinforce and praise them a lot.



 See you round here soon!

 M.R.M.

The third lesson and my routines.

                                        LISTEN AND MAKE

 In this lesson we have learnt different kind of activities which we can use with students and where they have to listen the instructions or explanations and, later in groups or individually, they must reflect on those things and make them.

 We must explain the instructions as much as necessary, with the objective everyone understands what and how he/she has to do it, and when they are doing the exercises teachers must check if they are doing it right.

  For example Listen and colour activities, it is a easy sort of exercise in which it is necessary that the learners know well the vocabulary. In addition when they finish, we can put the drawings up on the wall.

Also we can choose one topic and describe pictures about it to children colour them.

  Furthermore, you can do the same, but in this time they must draw what you are saying, for example one tree, a house, ... These kinds of works are known as Listen and draw activities, and in them we work phrases about the positions too. After that you can pick up some of the children´s pictures and showing to the rest in order to talk about the differences between these and the original. Also it is possible using the drawing games to promote the cooperative work and to revise and practise vocabulary in English.

 There are Listen and make activities and we can use the festivals to put in practice this, because pupils love touching different materials and making handicrafts. So we can take advantage of these celebrations to decorate the classroom, to make cards and of course to teach and play with the colours; sizes: vocabulary about the festivals and the materials; the date in which they are celebrated; to improve the oral skills (listening and speaking); some verbs for example glue, fold, cut, draw; to know other cultures,...

  To end, it is really important speaking them slowly and repeating many times in order to learn and to assimilate in the right way the vocabulary and the verbs and to be understood by them.

  Moreover, i want to show the routines i will use to begin my English class to you.

 I think they are very useful in nursery and primary education because you can work a lot of thing. In nursery education, for example, at first i will work the weather and the seasons. Little by little i will explain and add the days of the week and the date, for instance telling young learners "if yesterday was Tuesday, today is...Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Okay, perfect! Today is Wednesday, repeat with me: Today is Wednesday. Okay." And we can do the same with the date. I think is necessary and perfectly suitable working these concepts in nursery education but you must help them.

 So these are my routines, I have laminated them because in another way with the daily use they can be damaged.

 See you in the next post.

 M.R.M.