1. ORAL COMMUNICATION: CLASSROOM LANGUAGE JOURNAL
ESCUELA UNIVERSITARIA DE MAGISTERIO DE ZAMORA
UNIVERSIDAD DE SALAMANCA
Name: ALEJANDRO SÁNCHEZ FAGÚNDEZ
Birthday: 20/04/1994
DNI: 70891602J
Addres: C/ Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, 2, 1ºB
City: Santa Marta de Tormes (Salamanca)
Phone number: 695559550
E-mail addres: alejandrosf@usal.es
2. LESSON ONE: TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS
It’s important to use English in class as the main language for communication, and use
gestures, actions and pictures to help children understand.
Sometimes children need their mother tongue for communication. Teachers have to recast in
English what they say, but if they don’t understand it teachers can use their mother tongue too.
Greetings and forms of addres
Good morning,
Good afternoon, +
Hello,
children.
everybody.
boys and girls.
Cheking attendance
Let’s call the roll.
Let’s take the register.
Let’s check to see who is here.
Is everybody here?
Is anyone away?
No-one absent today?
Who is missing?
Let’s all count to see if everyone is here – girls
first, then boys.
(Answer: Thank you, everybody.
So, everybody is here except…
So only two people away.)
(Answer: Oh good, Paula, you’re back.
Nice to see you. Are you all right now?
Oh, Jhon’s away. Who knows why? Is he
ill? / Maybe he’s gone to the dentist. What
do you think?)
(Answer: So, how many is 13 and 15?
Ok… Yes? So that is 28 altoghether. / It’s
that more than yesterday? Or less than
yesterday? Or the same?)
Ways of starting lessons
Check attendance
Take the register / call the roll
Rearrange the classroom
Sing a song
Say a rhyme
Do question routines e. g. days of the
week, the weather, birthdays
Play a game
Extract 1D: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0BfNCtJBqZP
Extract 1E: https://vocaroo.com/i/s04Vh5jRH3pa
3. Own record: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0BnZDxvecmR
Some tips for class organization:
- While preparing the lesson, make a list of classroom language for each activity, and
prepare to say all of this in English during the lesson.
- It’s a good idea to use rhymes or songs to change from one activity to another.
- Encourage the pupils to use English for routine classrooms requests by praising any effort
they make.
- Use wall charts or posters to help children remember what you are doing in the English
class.
Organizing your classroom
Get your books and pencils out.
Pick your pencils up.
Move the tables back.
Turn your chairs round to face the wall chart.
Put all your things away.
Close the window beside you.
Put your pencils down.
Turn back to face the front.
Leave these tables here.
Leave the windows open.
Ending your lessons
Ok, that’s all for now.
Right. We’ve no time for anything else – don’t do anymore – we don’t have any more time
today.
Ok – just one more time before going out for a shot break.
Ok, now stop! We haven’t enough time to finish the monster today. So stand up…
Ok – just one more time – and then that’s it.
Ok, pick up all your things – and put the books in the cupboard.
That’s all for today. On Monday, there’ll be more.
Ok, children, make a line to say good-bye – following the leader. Bye bye.
Ok, it’s break time. So you can go out to play. But first – line up quietly by the door.
5. LESSON TWO: DEVELOPING SOCIAL SKILLS
The development of social skills is an essential part of the daily routine in Infants. These should
be included in classroom planning for the English part of the curriculum. The objectives here are
expressed as desirable outcomes and should form part of the teacher’s ongoing assessment of
each child.
Class routines
Enjoy participating in a story.
Enjoy listening to each other in the group situation.
Show a willingness to tidy up and pleasure in helping.
Not shout in class.
Realise the importance of switching off lights, turning off taps, flushing the toilet, putting the
paper in the bin, etc.
Greetings and goodbyes
Say good morning, good afternoon, hello and goodbye.
How are you? Fine, thank you.
Feelings
Express feelings: happy, sad, cross, angry, hungry, frightened, scared, surprised, and shy.
Express love for family and affection.
Value the friendship and help of others.
Have positive self-esteem, actively participate in class and enjoy seeing displays of their own
work and that of their peers.
Play different roles and express emotions using dramatization (puppets, sof toys…).
Participate with pleasure at parties and celebrations.
Personal hygiene and health
Understand that sweets cause tooth decay.
Have an awareness of the importance of a balanced diet.
Understand and respect dining-room rules like: “Wash your hands before you eat”, “Brush your
teeth after eating”.
Enjoy eating fruit.
Realise the importance of protection from the sun in summer and the cold in winter.
Understand daily routines related to hygiene and dress.
Be able to dress and undress themselves.
Behaviour patterns
Understand and respect dining-room rules like “Don’t throw food”, “Don’t annoy your friends
when they are eating”.
Take pleasure in listening.
Learn to choose, make thoughtful decisions.
Say “please”, “thank you” and “sorry”.
6. Promote positive behaviour patterns in the school, in the classroom and in the playground.
Accept the concept of losing/winning when playing a game.
Recognise difference between people, avoid discrimination.
Have developed a helpful and co-operative attitude during playing time.
Promote basic organisational habits: constancy, attention, effort, initiative...
Be aware of the importance of a job well done, and be able to take on board the idea that
correcting errors is part of “doing something better”.
Appreciate clean and tidy surroundings
Sharing and participating
Realise that the classroom equipment belongs to everyone.
Share classroom equipment, and take turns to use things.
Enjoy tidying up, and know where to put things.
Help in class and in the home, i.e. set the table at home, have class monitors.
Be interested in contributing towards a frieze, decorating the class for Festivals, collecting
items for a display, bringing things from home.
Take pleasure in giving presents (birthday, Christmas) and giving thanks.
Take turns and follow the rules in a game.
Enjoy celebrations and parties.
Showing respect
For people:
Respect the equality of boys and girls; understand the importance of avoiding sexist
stereotypes in games, songs, classroom activities, stories and use of language.
Realise the importance of taking it in turns to speak.
Have an appreciation of people who help us in our daily lives.
Show an interest in other places, cultures and people speaking other languages.
Have respect for other people’s personal space.
For things:
Take care of classroom equipment.
Use different areas of the class correctly.
For the environment:
Appreciate plants and animals.
Be interested in looking after plants and animals.
Show curiosity about the immediate environment.
Know about traditions such as Christmas and other festivities.
Have an awareness of road safety.
7. LESSON THREE: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Using Low-Key Management Techniques
Teachers who move smoothly from teaching to low-key intervention back to teaching enjoy
classes of students who are more on task and avoid use of higher level management
techniques.
1. Use the “one-minute-talk” technique.
2. Use proximity.
3. Develop a rapport with “difficult” or reluctant students.
4. Circulate when students are working.
5. Use nonverbal cues when one or two students are off task.
6. Anticipate misbehavior and deal with it inconspicuously.
7. Use I-messages when explaining your expectations: I need… I want… I expect…
8. Make positive descriptions of expected behaviors.
9. Explain how misbehaviors personally affect you or make you feel.
10. Adopt the “stepping-on-my-last-nerve” technique.
Making Smooth Transitions
Teachers know how much time is lost daily in the transition from subject to subject, room to
room, book to book, and so on-and how the risk of inappropriate behavior rises at these time;
however, planning for smooth transitions often gets lost in the shuffle of daily responsibilities.
Making smooth transitions is more time on task, quiet classrooms, and a sense of class
momentum.
1. Keep all transitions as brief as possible and plan ahead for them.
2. Always have all materials ready before class.
3. Establish and reinforce rules for entering leaving and beginning a class.
4. Establish and reinforce procedures for routines tasks, such as taking of attendance.
5. Plan more material than you think you need so that there is no unexpected down time.
6. Arrange the classroom for efficient movement of desks, students, and equipment.
7. Create and post a daily schedule and review this with your students.
8. Complete and clarify instructions before relinquishing student attention.
9. Provide and stick to a time limit for transitions. Adopt the “beat your own time” concept.
10. Always plan for down time.
Aiding Struggling Stragglers
There are some in every class: the students who always seem to be behind. If a teacher
chooses to ignore them, or, worse still, berate them for their tardiness, the potential for
disruptive behavior is great. The teacher who helps struggling stragglers enjoys more student
successes, more classroom cohesiveness, and greater personal satisfaction.
1. Try to find out why the student is behind and deal with your findings appropriately.
2. Reassess the needs of the particular student.
3. Reinforce “partial completions”.
4. Make a prioritized list of all areas or tasks in which the student is behind.
5. Offer individual or small-group tutorials at a regular time and place every week.
6. Use a barter contract.
7. Seat the straggler close to a faster student, and encourage them to help each other.
SCORE: PERFECT
TRANSITIONS
Simplicity (of directions)
Consistency (of directions)
Organization (of actions)
Reinforcement (of behaviors)
Exactness (of directions)
8. 8. Consider giving the straggler an older student buddy, someone who comes to your class
for a few minutes daily to help the straggler get organized and get going.
9. As soon as directions have been given, move to the straggler.
10. Keep parents informed of your efforts to help the straggler, but avoid burdening them with
numerous areas in which the straggler is behind.
Defusing a Power Struggle
While no hard-and-fast rules for dealing with explosive situations, commonly called ”power
struggles”, apply –every child is unique; therefore, every situation- I share a few classroom-
tested ideas. The teacher who handles a power struggle well experiences more inner tranquility
and ensures that students take responsibility for their actions.
1. If the student is still showing some semblance of control, offer pencils and paper and invite
him to write or illustrate how he feels.
2. Invite the student to tale a speed walk either to a specific location and back.
3. Invite the student to imagine blowing a balloon up with his anger.
4. Suggest use a pre-established time-out area, and indicate how long the time-out should
be.
5. Maintain eye contact and a calm voice when speaking to the student.
6. Maintain proximity to the student, but avoid being too close.
7. If you feel too irritated or angry to deal with the situation right then, take a time-out yourself.
8. Invite the students to accompany you outside for a few minutes of fresh air.
9. Avoid making such statements as “I know how you feel”, which the student may find
patronizing.
10. In the heat of the moment, quickly remind yourself that you are the adult and will act like
one, no matter how upset you may be.
Forming Random Groups
Teacher knows the difficulties that forming flexible, non-homogeneous groups can cause. They
are familiar with “Can I be in ____’s group?” and “I don’t want to be with ____.” There is a way
around this. Early in the year explain that all groups will be formed by you and that everyone
will, at some time, work with everyone else. Then use a variety of ideas to make this happen in
quick, creative, teacher-controlled ways.
1. Odds Events: Count, starting at “1”. All the odds go together, as do the evens.
2. Alphabet Awareness: Students take paper tags with a letter of the alphabet on each. They
silently choose a word beginning with the appropriate letter, then move around saying only
their word to find others who have words beginning with the same letter.
3. Sweet Talk: From a bag or container, students randomly pull a piece of wrapped candy,
one color or kind of representing each group desired.
4. Shakes: Students draw a tag with a number from a container. Keeping the numbers silent,
they move around shaking hands with others. Students draw papers randomly and the
locate other students with the same word.
5. Words: Use words relevant to a topic being studied as many as you want groups.
6. Silent Signals: Verbs or feeling terms appear on randomly chosen papers to encourage
students to behave in a certain way to find their groups.
7. Happy Families: Randomly chosen papers identifying family members lead students to
their “group families”.
8. Sing-a-long: Randomly drawn papers indicate simple songs the students know. On cue,
students move around singing the song as prompted by the papers and find other singing
the same songs.
9. Switcheroo: Randomly select as many students as you want groups and number the
groups. Each student in turn chooses someone for the class. Once you randomly draw a
number, the chosen student goes to the group with that assigned number.
10. Q/A: Pose as many questions on paper as desired groups; having correct answers on
paper determines group membership.
9. In the video “Teacher Survival Guide: Classroom Management” we can see a teacher called
Lilia, who teaches Social Studies and Language Arts to sixth graders. She had an
heterogeneous class, with many different students on very different levels with various needs.
Classroom management is not and end in itself. It’s to set up an orderly and safe space so that
the kids can learn what it is that you want them to learn.
In any new classroom the first step is to establish routines so the students know exactly what is
expected of them. Lilia begins by sharing the classroom management strategies she has found
most useful:
- She’s all over the place in that classroom to constantly see what different students are
doing. It’s also important for the students to realize that they are not alone.
- She uses one on one strategies to target individual students. She think whispering it’s a
good way to redirect students in a private way.
- She has a secret signal with one student, so if the student sees Lilia doing the signal she
knows that she needs to turn back around and get resituated.
- Lilia uses non verbal cues to minimize disruptions to her teaching.
Some useful advices to get better lessons’ teaching:
- Using games and competitions keep students engaged. It promote participation and make
the lesson more smoothly with much more participation.
- Breaking down lessons into their smallest component parts.
- Using positive narration to engage the whole class instead of focusing exclusively on
individuals.
10. LESSON FOUR: LISTEN AND DO
If you ask children in English to do something you are:
- using language for a purpose
- giving them the opportunity to show they understand.
The pupils need to understand just enough to follow teacher instructions, but they don’t need to
speak yet. Each time the teacher speaks in English is giving the pupils another opportunity:
- to acquire language
- to absorb the sounds and patterns of the language naturally.
Giving instructions in English
At first, you can use gestures and demonstrate what you want them to do. After a few days,
they will understand without your gestures, and the will have learnt a lot more English.
Listening and identifying
When children do ‘listen and identify’ activities they are:
- practising a basic language skill – listening
- making sense of English words and phrases
- developing their vocabulary
- acquiring meaning and sounds together.
For vocabulary development
For ‘listen and identify’ activities you can use:
- the classroom and all the things the
children can see
- Cuisenaire rods or coloured bricks or
blocks for colour words or size words
- objects that you bring in
- objects that children draw or make
There are tow stages to ‘listen and identify’
activities:
1. Talk to the children about the things you
want them to learn the names of.
2. Ask the children to point to or show you the
things when you name them.
For grammatical awareness
You can use ‘listen and identify’ activities to
do more than extend the children’s
vocabulary.
You don’t teach grammar to very young
learners but you can help them discover
meanings. By doing activities that focus on
basic concepts such as singular/plural
gender, children unconsciously begin to
acquire a feeling for what is grammatically
accurate.
Listening and doing – Total Physical Response
TPR is when children listen and follow a whole sequence of instructions, doing what the teacher
says. It is a good way to start using English for communication in the classroom.
The teacher:
- tells the pupils what to do
- uses clear pronunciation and natural intonation
- helps them understand by gestures or by doing the actions
11. The pupils:
- have to listen carefully to the instructions
- enjoy doing the actions
- can do the actions all together or on their own
- do not have to speak (but often do!)
- understand because the movement and language go together.
Follow the leader
The most basic TPR is when children copy the teacher and listen to what he says.
‘Follow the leader’ is a good activity for very young learners starting to learn English. It is good
and fun they see and understand what to do at the same time. Later, when children are familiar
with the activity, they take turns calling out the instructions to the others.
Topic-based TPR
You can use TPR activities for vocabulary practice.
TPR routines
You can use TPR to wake children up if they are feeling sleepy, or let children have a break
when they have been concentrating on another activity.
TPR for arranging the class
Using TPR activities from the very beginning gets children used to directions in English.
Listening and performing – miming
Revising and consolidating topic words through mime
When children are familiar with the vocabulary used for a particular topic, you can introduce
mime.
The children:
- have to listen carefully when you describe what they have to mime
- have to decide how to perform what you describe
- may need some thinking time for this
- move and act but do not have to speak.
Miming is more complex than simple TPR activities. TPR involves children doing everything you
say. Mime gives the children more freedom to be creative.
Children have to be familiar with the language of the topic you are going to describe. Mime is
very suitable for stories: as you read, ask the children to mime the key actions.
Miming to rhymes and chants
Before children begin to say the words in rhymes and chants, they should understand roughly
what they mean.
- Listening and miming helps children understand when they are learning rhymes and
chants.
Listening and responding games
You can extend the listening activities you do in class in many ways. One way is by playing
games that demand careful listening.
These games help children have fun and make them listen while you are speaking English.
12. Right or wrong
Here is a simple response activity.
- Ask children to listen carefully.
- Explain what you are going to tell them something. It might be right or wrong.
- If you are wrong, they must clap twice and if you are right, they clap once.
Simon says
This is a very popular action game. It is very easy and the children have to listen carefully, to
find out whether to respond or keep still. You can play inside or outside.
When you play ‘Simon says’:
- if possible, have a space where all the pupils can stand up
- with big classes choose actions that children can do sitting down
- stand in front of your pupils
- explain before you begin
- tell them they can only move when you say ‘Simon says’
- tell them that if they move when do you do not say ‘Simon says’- they are out
- tell them that, when they are out, they have to sit and wait for the next game.
You can use other words instead of ‘Simon says’. You could use:
- ‘Teacher says’
- a pupil’s name – ‘Anna says’
- or other words such as Please.
Extract 2A: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1vCX22ZBvEI
Extract 2B: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0D8ZWjlqVOr
Extract 2C: https://vocaroo.com/i/s00b8YPdvFLf
Extract 2D: https://vocaroo.com/i/s15m1a9ubJPA
Extract 2F: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1FqCZ5VH6Ig
Extract 2G: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0mDaLscPt9N
Extract 2I: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0X0kKwPEsPB
Extract 2J: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1jDLdYnJ2DU
Extract 2L: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0XIwqM14h16
13. LESSON FIVE: LISTEN AND MAKE
‘Listening and making’ involves children in a more creative process.
- The children have to make decisions.
- There is more time to think and comment.
- There are opportunities for co-operation between learners.
- The children have something to take home at the end of the class.
Before the lesson we (teachers) have to prepare the topic, collect things we need, practice
explaining, think of gestures and plan how we will recast children’s mother tongue questions
and comments in English.
Listen and colour
Before begin, make sure that all children have colours, crayons, markers, coloured pencils or
felt tipped pens.
Then prepare the learners for the activity by doing some ‘Listen and indentify’ activities to:
- revise the colours you will need.
- revise the names of what they are about to colour.
Give out a picture to each child. They have to listen the instructions. We are going to tell them
what colours to use and what to colour.
Some tips:
- Let the children help you organize and give out the materials for colouring.
- Display all the children’s work – on a wall chart or on the walls.
- Comment positively on each child’s work as you take it and put it up on the wall.
- Use plain flashcards for colouring – children can use this set of cards later for word
games.
- Use drawing of animals, food, clothes which can later be cut out.
- Make the activity more challenging:
Give out two pictures, one of a girl and one of a boy, and give two instructions at a time.
Give children alternatives.
Divide the class in two and give different instructions to each group. Later use these
pairs of different pictures for games like ‘Spot the difference’.
14. Explaining and demostrating
Today we are going to
Next, we are going to
Over the next few lessons we
are going to
Let’s do some together as a
class first, so you’ll see
do some colouring.
do some drawing.
do some painting.
do some sticking.
make a monster.
make an Easter Card.
colour some animals.
make a farm.
make a circus picture.
what I mean.
what it might be like.
what to do.
how to do it.
Look, like this…
Look at we are going to
make.
Here’s a one Class 3 made.
Look, here’s a picture to
colour.
Here’s a sticker sheet for you
to share-one between two.
We’ll start like this…
You can all choose a different
animal.
Asking for helpers and giving things out
I need two helpers, please.
Who’d like to help? You three? Fine.
Sachiko, can you help me?
And and Pat-you can help me.
So, can you give out these pictures? One each.
Can you pass round these sheets of paper? so
everyone has one?
Can you give out the cards? Three for each table.
Hand these back down your rows.
Can you find the boxes of crayons and give them
out?
Can you collect in the cards? Thanks.
Listen and draw
Our aim is to get children to listen some instructions in English. We can describe a very simple
picture of a familiar scene, with objects children know. The children listen and draw what they
hear we describe.
Some tips:
- After drawing let children compare pictures and then colour them quietly.
15. - Got round and talk to them in English as they colour, and comment on their work like this
teacher: Ah, Mei Li, so you have coloured your birds red and green, like parrots. Very
pretty… Mmmm. That’s a nice green tree, Eng Soon… but where’s your cat? Oh, I see
him, hiding behind the tree.
Phrases describing position
1 on the left
2 in the middle – a bit to the left
3 in the corner, at the front
4 at the top of the tree
5 at the back
6 next to the tree
7 right at the front of the picture
8 behind the tree
a in the background, far away
b under the tree
c at the front
d in the corner, at the back
e in front of the tree
f on the right
g in the middle – a bit to the right
h by the bus stop
Listen and make
There are many things that children can make in class, for example, they can make models out
of modeling clay, plasticine, play-dough, paper or card. They can make posters to go on a wall.
And it is always fun making things for a special occasion. Children love celebrations and
festivals.
Some tips:
- Let children:
Become familiar with all the names they need for drawing and painting.
Take charge of materials such as the paper, the colours, the scissors.
Find materials in the places where you keep them.
Talk to small groups/individuals while they work.
Cut out shapes of all the name sets children are working with. Keep them in
envelopes. You can use them for guessing games or for ‘mix and match’ games or
to put labels on.
Extract 3A: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1lCpepsz4FT
Extract 3B: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0DlPnNCSsqm
Extract 3C: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1VTdPWGGSxs
Extract 3D: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0gB4V5HJf8J
Extract 3E: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0YdaYby9vkY
16. LESSON SIX: SPEAKING WITH SUPPORT
The focus on this unit is on pupil’s responding and beginning to speak some English.
We can support children when they are starting to speak English:
- by using English in the way we described as caretaker talk
- by encouraging all the efforts children make to speak English, no matter how small
- by listening carefully when they speak and not interrupting to correct small errors.
Using classroom phrases
Pupils respond to their teacher. They:
- ask you questions and tell you things they want you to know
- often repeat comments and requests
- can easily learn to repeat the set expression you use during their English lesson.
When children repeat set phrases it does not necessarily mean language acquisition is taking
place. But they are:
- getting used to saying English sounds
- practising the intonation pattern
- gaining confidence, especially if you praise them or show your approval in other ways.
It is best to introduce useful classroom phrases in the situations in which they are normally
used.
Saying rhymes and singing songs to practise pronunciation, stress, and intonation
Children soon begin to repeat the words as they do the actions. They are speaking with the
teacher. This builds confidence and feeling of achievement. Children usually like singing and
performing, because it helps them feel at ease with English. They enjoy learning song and
rhymes they can sing or say to their parents at home.
Children often sing a song or say a chant or rhyme all together. However, when they are very
familiar with the rhymes, songs, and chants they can perform them by singing or saying
different parts in groups. This group performance is very useful with big classes. It helps
develop teamwork but ii still allows everyone to take part.
17. Songs, rhymes and chants
- Start with very short rhymes or chants.
- Look for songs and chants that have
topics your children are learning about.
- Make sure the children generally
understand what they are saying – they
do not need to understand every word
but maybe the gist of the lines.
- Use songs and rhymes to play with
sounds: speaking softly – shouting
loudly.
- Use simple instruments to add to the
rhythm, such as tambourine, bell drum,
cymbal.
- Encourage your pupils to say them for
family and friends outside school
Practising new vocabulary
When children are listening to you they often repeat words and phrases naturally and
spontaneously. When you are introducing new vocabulary and learners want to speak, you can:
- encourage them to repeat the new items
- use pictures, sounds, and other senses, e.g. touch and feel materials, to support meaning
- use gestures, movement, and actions
- get children to colour pictures of the new things they can name
- repeat new words as often as possible and use them in context.
All of these methods will help your pupils become familiar with new vocabulary.
Just like children learning their first language, they can practise and play with new sounds.
Teaching new vocabulary
- Make class displays of pictures and
other memory aids to support new
vocabulary.
- Prepare to teach new words and
phrases in a meaningful way by linking
with a topic they are familiar with.
Playing vocabulary games
Guessing games and memory games are useful to help children become familiar with new
vocabulary in an enjoyable way. When you show children what to do and at the same time give
instructions for games in English, they are listening to you with a real purpose – to find out how
to play. They are also absorbing new vocabulary and intonation patterns.
Other games that require just a few set expressions plus a few other words are:
Finding pairs: a memory game where children have to pick up two cards with the same
picture or word. (The cards are spread out face-down.)
18. Shopping games: children act the parts of shop assistants and customers in different
kinds of shops to practise different vocabulary. +
Happy families: a card game: players in groups of three or four have to collect four cards
from each other from the same 'family' or topic.
Vocabulary games
- Show children how to play the game
and give instructions in English while
you are doing this.
- Use lots of different games but use the
same vocabulary to help children
become familiar with it.
- New words and phrases need to be
used a lot after you have introduced
them so that children learn to use them
actively.
Practising pronunciation of new sounds
Children acquire pronunciation and intonation naturally by listening to you. When you talk they
absorb the sound of the language. But this does not mean that they will produce perfect words
or phrases when they begin to speak in English. They need:
- to try out the sounds
- to play with sounds
- your help and praise all the time.
Young children naturally like playing with language. They can mimic new sounds more easily
than older learners. When you praise their efforts you are motivating them to try again.
You can play games to encourage them to practise the sounds of English.
Vocabulary games
- In the classroom:
you can arrange pictures of words
with the same sound together: blue
– shoe – two
if the children can read, add the
written word underneath
use actions to help the children
remember the face movement that
produces the sound: Stretch your
arms for wide mouth sounds.
- Use other expressions when you are
playing the game ‘I spy’.
I can hear with my little ear… I can
remember…
- You can use this little activity at any time
and for one or two words to remind
children of sounds and vocabulary.
20. REFLECTION:
After finishing the term and all the work we have made, I can say that these
subjects have helped me to learn new knowledge that allows me to become a
better teacher.
ORAL COMMUNICATION IN EARLY LANGUAGE LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
With Classroom Journal, we have worked class methodologies to keep
the classroom under control, and how to teach in a better way to make
learning as effective as possible.
Phonics and Phonological Awareness maybe are the most important
skills to work with very young learners, because it’s the base to make
them good English speakers. Motivating activities that make children
participate are essential to achieve our goals. Grammar and spelling
are indispensable to support the process of teaching phonics.
It’s very important to have previous knowledge of phonemes and sounds
to teach properly. That’s the reason because we have worked on
Pronunciation and Transcriptions.
All this has enabled me to teach a foreign language making student’s
learning effective.
LITERATURE AND LITERACY IN EARLY ENGLISH LANGUAGE
EDUCATION
This subject is very important to make children able to develop their
communicative skills to express their own ideas properly. The
methodology we have followed all along the term has consisted in
working a story for each year, from Year 1 to Year 6. Each story has
been a bit more complicated than the story of the year before, in that way
we started the term with a story without dialogue or text, but we have
finished working stories whit which students develop the three levels:
word level, sentence level and text level.
21. LINK TO MY BLOG:
https://teachingthelanguageofshakespeare.wordp
ress.com/
