Group formation activities aim to build trust and cooperation among students. They include tasks that require students to work together physically and emotionally. This helps lower affective barriers, boosting confidence and allowing students to support each other in learning. Creating a supportive environment through continual group activities can lead to more collaborative work and a positive learning space where students feel comfortable taking risks with the new language. Effective sequences begin with icebreakers and games involving vocabulary and move to activities pairing language practice with storytelling, reading, and games to reinforce topics through total physical response techniques.

1. ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF STARTING A LANGUAGE COURSE What are group-formation activities? Are activities that require, for example, the individuals within the group to work co-operatively, to act together, to support each other, to make physical contact with each other, to lend and receive trust –in highly enjoyable, non- competitive situations.

2. WHAT IS THE RELEVANCE OF GROUP FORMATION ACTIVITIES? Lower the affective barriers therefore learning is easier. When learners feel relaxed then learners gain confidence to lend and receive support from peers, to take risks with new language in front of the class. Supportive atmosphere may led towards more co-operative work. Build up support and trust as a course progresses. Individuals within the class gain the confidence to take risks. Group formation activities within any learning community needs continual reinforcement, and lead to a positive learning environment.

3. BUILDING UP A TEACHING SEQUENCE Group dynamics activities. Introducing new vocabulary Hands-on experience of topic-based group-dynamics. Ex: games, songs, tongue twisters, rhymes. Presentation techniques for teaching new words to children.

4. Building… Participation in a TPR activity. Telling a story Reading tasks puppets Playing Bingo Using ¨key¨ vocabulary The concept of topic-based TPR. Storytelling , different techniques Linking all the activities (including language focus to a theme/topic) Topic-based word games

5. TPR Explanation / Introduction Tell the sts they are going to do a TPR task.Confirm that the language involved is relevant to the story you will be telling. Presentation Read out the text once through without stopping,demonstrating actions with gesture and mime as you say the text. Students watch and listen only.

6. TPR Controlled Practice 1 Say the text once more, demonstrating the asociated actions as you speak. Stop after each sentence. A leader of each group repeats the sentence and/or does the actions, the rest of the sts do the actions without speaking.

7. TPR Controlled Practice 2 Say the text once without demonstrating the associated actions as you speak. Stop after each sentence. A leader of each group repeats the sentence and / or does the actions, the rest of the sts do the actions and repeat the sentence.