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Using flash cards with young learners
 
Flash cards are a simple, versatile, yet often underexploited resource. I would like to offer some reasons for using flash card and a selection of activities for use in the Young Learner classroom, although some of the activities could also be used with fun-loving, lower level adult classes. In this ...
Average: 2.5 (19 votes)
   
Drilling 1
 
Drilling is a technique that has been used in foreign language classrooms for many years. It was a key feature of audio lingual approaches to language teaching which placed emphasis on repeating structural patterns through oral practice. Based on the Behaviourist view that learning to speak a ...
Average: 2.2 (9 votes)
   
Drilling 2
 
Drilling is a technique that has been used in foreign language classrooms for many years. It was a key feature of audio lingual approaches to language teaching which placed emphasis on repeating structural patterns through oral practice. In the first part of this article, Drilling 1, I focused on: ...
Average: 3.4 (5 votes)
   
Family and friends
 
On the LearnEnglish Kids website you can find a variety of materials for teaching about Family and Friends. The topic covers personal descriptions, family relationships, daily routines and what makes a good friend. There are opportunities to practise the different skills of listening and reading as ...
Average: 2.0 (9 votes)
   
Goodbye game
 
This activity is great for last lessons of a course, but could be used in other contexts too. It is influenced by an idea from Headway Pre-Intermediate. Preparation No preparation is really necessary for this activity. However it might be useful to have the situations below prepared on the board in ...
Average: 3.0 (6 votes)
   
Stirrers and settlers for the primary classroom
 
Teaching in the primary classroom is very different from teaching teens or adults because of the amount of energy children have! Knowing how to channel this energy, or when to ‘stir' and when to ‘settle' children will help you achieve balanced lessons without children becoming over-excited on the one ...
Average: 1.0 (1 votes)
   
Talking topics
 
This simple board game provides an excellent way to give students a bit of free speaking practice. You can choose your own topics either based on the topics you've covered in lessons or topics that you think will be of interest to your students. Download game board: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/t...
Average: 1.0 (5 votes)
   
Teaching the tale: language and memory
 
A feature that is common both to language teaching and to traditional folk and fairy tales is the repetition of phrases or ‘language chunks’. In the most popular English versions of some traditional tales the exact same phrase is repeated unmodified, e.g. ‘I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your ...
Average: 1.0 (2 votes)
   
Telephone Wires
 
This is the classic children’s party game sometimes known as ‘Chinese whispers’. A sentence is whispered around the circle of students. The last student to receive the message either says it aloud or writes it on the board. This can be a fun way to introduce a topic and activate schema at the ...
Average: 1.0 (1 votes)
   
The Yes and No game
 
Nominate one student to be in the hot seat, slightly apart from the rest of the circle. The rest of the group must think of questions to ask the student in the hot seat. They can ask anything they like, the only rule is that the student in the hot seat must answer the questions without using the words ...
Average: 1.0 (3 votes)
   
Christmas games
 
Introduction Here are some games which we associate with parties and Christmas celebrations in UK schools. These games can be adapted for language learners of all ages and levels. Pass the parcel (Whole class/mixed ability groups) Prepare 5-6 boxes or envelopes decorated or wrapped with Christmas ...
Average: 1.0 (2 votes)
   
Circle games
 
Circle games are a great way to encourage the whole class to work together. They also provide an often welcome change in working pattern. They are mostly used with young learners, but teenagers will play them and so will the right kind of adult class: one that doesn't take itself too seriously. This ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Devaluating teaching
 
Is our evaluation of teachers any better than our evaluation of learners? Of course, the first thing to say is that no teacher would ever agree to be evaluated in the same way as they evaluate their learners. Every school has in place some form of teacher assessment, but few, if any, are based on a ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Learning tips
 
As well as teaching English to our young learners, we can help them reach their full potential as language learners. Here are some tips and ideas on how to use materials on the LearnEnglish Kids website to help your pupils learn more effectively. Engaging young learners If learners are engaged in ...
Average: 3.0 (4 votes)
   
Pass the ball
 
This game practises adjectives. You need a ball, or a screwed up piece of paper will work fine.  Procedure  ·         Students and you stand or sit in a circle. ·         Pass the ball to the person next ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Chain drawings
 
This is a fun activity which can be used with all groups, just select a follow-up activity that is appropriate for the age and level of the class but the basic procedure is the same for everyone. Procedure Give each student a piece of paper and some coloured pencils. Tell them that ...
Average: 1.0 (1 votes)
   
Find the gap - increasing speaking in class
 
The communicative approach to language learning stresses the need for meaningful communication, emphasizing that if students have a genuine reason or motivation to talk then they will learn to use the language more effectively. This article looks at how the notion of a gap between speakers can be used ...
Average: 5.0 (1 votes)
   
Mystery objects
 
The game is good for revising lexical sets and is useful for practising using adjectives. It can be teacher led or played as a team game. Procedure ·         If you want to play it as a team game put students into teams. ·         ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Change places…
 
This is a great activity to get students moving about and practice some vocabulary or sentence structures. Procedure Start with students in a closed circle, with the teacher standing in the middle to begin the game. There should always be one less chair than participants. Depending on ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Hot seat
 
This is a good activity for getting your students going in the morning. It is also excellent for revising vocabulary. Procedure First, split your class into different teams (two is best, but if you have a large class, any number could be used). Sit the students facing the board. ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Storytelling to celebrate cultural diversity
 
Many of us work with groups of students from more than one cultural background while others teach largely monocultural groups of students. In both cases, there is opportunity to celebrate diversity through the telling of traditional tales, whatever the age group and profile of our students. Folk tales ...
Average: 2.3 (4 votes)
   
Strategies for keeping attention
 
Keeping students' attention and stopping them from getting distracted is a big challenge. Here are some reasons why students’ attention may wander and ways to keep your classes on track. Keep in control. Anticipation is the best form of teacher defence so keep scanning the room, making eye contact ...
Average: 1.0 (1 votes)
   
Role-play
 
In this article I will outline several reasons for using role-play in the classroom and I will offer some tips for getting the most out of roleplay. Introduction What is role-play? Why use role-play? Tips on successful classroom role-play Bibliography Introduction Incorporatin...
Average: 1.0 (1 votes)
   
Using traditional songs
 
You can find many traditional songs for use in the primary classroom on the LearnEnglish Kids website. Children love songs, particularly the traditional variety which are easy to learn, fun to repeat and provide a way in to the target culture. The traditional songs on the LearnEnglish website range ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Ways to encourage more use of English in class
 
Getting students to use English in the classroom is one of the biggest challenges of teaching. At first you might get frustrated when students speak their own language in class. Keep this checklist in mind and it may help. Always present yourself as an English speaker, right from the start. ...
Average: 5.0 (2 votes)
   
Arts and crafts with young learners
 
Using arts and crafts in the classroom can be an excellent way to facilitate language learning with young learners. Below are some reasons why these types of activities can enrich the learning experience for your students, followed by some practical considerations I bear in mind when teaching English ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Checking answers
 
When checking the answers to an exercise or activity teachers often revert to a more traditional role, whereby from the front of the room they ask students for their answers and tell them whether they are right. However, in the student-centred classroom this important stage in the learning process could ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
How young children learn English as another language
 
Introduction Young children are natural language acquirers; they are self-motivated to pick up language without conscious learning, unlike adolescents and adults. They have the ability to imitate pronunciation and work out the rules for themselves. Any idea that learning to talk in English is difficult ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Increasing student interaction
 
I have noticed in many of the classes I have taught that there can be a tendency for the learners to want to interact with me but less enthusiasm when it comes to interacting with each other. I should emphasize that this reticence only applies to interaction in English but it does seem to apply to groups ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Pronunciation activities
 
Introduction Learners are often worried about pronunciation, but it is important to remember that you do not need to sound like a native English speaker for you to be able to communicate in English. There are different accents in the United Kingdom and other countries where English is spoken as a first ...
Average: 3.0 (1 votes)
   
Battleships
 
This childhood favourite can easily be adapted for use in the language classroom. Either copy a battleships board for each student or, to save photocopying, just get them to copy a board onto some scrap paper or in their notebook. The reason for putting the vowels and the numbers 14, 40, ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Children’s Learning Styles
 
There are many different types of learners and children may learn in different ways. The three most common types of learners are visual learners, auditory learners, and kinaesthetic learners. Visual learners learn best by seeing things. They may enjoy reading a story rather than listening to ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Encouraging Children to Take Part
 
If you have a large class, you will probably want to find ways to make sure all students have a chance to show what they can do in English. There are four main ways that a teacher can ensure all students have a chance to participate. Firstly, you can use group and pair work. These types of activities ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Mixed-Level Classes
 
Most classes are mixed in some way. For example, some students may have spent more time learning English than others. Some may be more motivated. Some may have more support from their parents. They may be of mixed background, and of different age and gender. Mixed classes can cause some difficulties. ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Motivating Young Learners
 
Motivation is what makes a student want to learn, and want to try hard. Children may be self-motivated, motivated by the teacher or their classmates, or by the activities and environment around them. Different children are motivated by different things. Rewards can be motivating to children, but try ...
Average: 1.0 (2 votes)
   
My English Classroom
 
Throughout the year you’ll be using classroom language and it’s important for children to be introduced to it very early on so that they can understand what you want them to do. Giving clear, simple instructions is not always easy. Here are some tips to help you make yours effective. · Less is more ...
Average: 1.0 (2 votes)
   
Routines and habits
 
Assumptions: The pupils will have already learned the days of the week and how to tell the time. See worksheet 13 a/b in the Ciep 'mallette pédagogique' This worksheet should be done as an introduction if it has not been covered yet. Aims: To revise telling the time (7 o'clock, half past seven, ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Teaching Methods
 
There are three common methods used to teach children: Grammar Translation, Total Physical Response (TPR), and Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Grammar Translation What is it? The teacher gives children lists of vocabulary with translations or example sentences ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
The Benefits of Storytelling
 
We often give stories to our students to read, but how often do we tell them a story? This article looks at the benefits of storytelling and gives advice on performance skills What can storytelling offer? Storytelling and intercultural understanding Other benefits of using storytelling ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
Using Opposites
 
Introduction: This is a lesson designed to help learners understand and remember opposite adjectives. Many of the techniques used here could be used for teaching other words or adjectives too. Aims: To introduce simple adjectives for describing people and things. To match the written ...
Average: 0.0 (0 votes)
   
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