This course includes 105 lessons for 6-year-old children, 10 units of morning exercises, 38 games and also provides a range of strategies for using the language in the daily routine in kindergarten. This course can last from October till May with 4 lessons a week during one year or it may last longer if the teacher wishes to gives 2 lessons a week.
The 1st month starts with the Silent Period. During the 1st month children are supposed not to speak but to listen and to respond physically. The theoretical background of this approach is based on observations of the process by which children master their first language. Production is naturally delayed until the child’s listening comprehension has been developed and the child is ready to speak. It is also recommended that “the students, too, remain silent until they are ready to speak, usually after about 10 hours of instruction” (Richard-Amato, 1990, 72). To lead the children into the atmosphere of foreign language without imposing on them rules of speaking we use the Total Physical Respond activity (TPR), rhymes, songs and poems.
TPR is the method that involves the giving of commands to which children react. These commands are given in a logical way at first to help children to memorize the new language.
Gradually some more commands are added. At the same time words denoting parts of face, parts of body, furniture and some objects in the room, such as windows, closets, tables, boards, and the door are taught. TPR is also used for teaching children different colours.
Example 1.
Title: Colour Table
Purpose: to develop listening skills and practice colour recognition and following directions.
Materials: paper table, paints, brushes, a glass with water.
red blue blue Mixed
colours
yellow yellow pink
Final
colour orange green purple
1. Make a master card containing a grid with no words in. Above the words are given for the teacher to know what paints are to be taken to colour the parts of the table.
2. Prepare paints of the necessary colours: red, blue, yellow and pink. Pour some water into the glass.
Presentation and a sample conversation:
1) A toy guest, Bunny, comes to the children and takes part in the lesson. The teacher tells the children and Bunny that today they are going to learn how to get one new colour from other two colours.
Then the children follow the teacher’s instructions:
Sveta, come here and take the brush. Point to the red paint. Take the brush. Dip the brush into the red paint. Dip the brush into the water.
Make the water red. Colour the first part of the table red.
Tanya, come here and take the brush. Point to the yellow paint. Take the brush. Dip the brush into the yellow paint. Dip the brush into the water. Make the water yellow. Colour this part of the table yellow.
Teacher: Now, children, look! Is the water yellow? (the children react nonverbally) No, it is not. Is it red? (pointing to the previous paint) No, it is not. This is a new colour. It is orange. (repeats this new word several times emphasizing its pronunciation) Now let’s colour this part of the table orange.
After the first column of the table is completed the teacher asks questions to children so that they may remember the new word better.
The teacher also pronounces the answers: (pointing to the table or
paints) Is it red? Right, Sveta. It is red! Is it yellow? No, it is not. Is it orange? Yes, it is orange., etc.
2) Then the teacher and the children follow the same procedure to get green and purple colours. During these experiments the teacher also addresses Bunny. Bunny “gives” wrong answers, “has” some difficulties in understanding which also motivates children to help him.
As the experience shows at the end of the month (8 hours of instruction) children can pronounce some words and phrases without any difficulty, as they are not forced to speak from the beginning but allowed to get used to the new vocabulary. After the first month, children gradually start taking part in planning their activities, answering the teacher’s questions while making something and discussing the results afterwards.
Example 2.
Title: Craft project “The Rat”
Purpose: to develop listening skills by following the directions, teach new words (a rat, a pocket, a paw – paws, whiskers), and practice words for the animals (a dog, a bird, a cat, a fish, a horse) and colours.
To make a paper rat for its use in some drama-based activities.
Materials: 9 cm paper plates of different colours for each child (that they may have
a choice what colour of the rat’s dress to make), 4.5x4.5 and 4x1.5 cm pieces of grey paper (for the
rat’s head and paws) and 3x3 cm pieces of paper of different colours (for the rat’s pocket); pencils (to connect the rat`s head and dress) scissors, black crayons, and glue (or a stapler).
©Irina Vronskaya
Make one rat in advance to show it to children.
Presentation and sample conversations:
1. Have children observe the rat.
The teacher: Look at my rat. This is a rat. (to teach this new word pronounce it expressively and let each child try to pronounce it at least twice) Addressing different children:
Is this a bird? (No, it isn’t. It is not a bird.) Is this a fish? (No, it isn’t. It is not a fish.) Is this a rat or a cat?
Is this a rat or a dog? etc.
Right, it is a rat.
2. Show the children paper plates and explain that they are going to learn to make cones out of these paper plates. These cones will serve as their rats` dresses.
1) Take your paper plates. Look! They are round. It is round. (explain this word by demonstrating the shape to the children).
Take your scissors and make two cuts to about the centre of the circle.
Cut out this triangle part of the circle.
Now fold it like this to make a cone.
This is the rat's dress.
2) Discuss the dress with the children asking questions about their rats:
Is this a sweater? (No, it isn’t. It is not a sweater.) Is this a skirt? (No, it isn’t. It is not a skirt.) Is this a dress or a coat?
Is this a dress or a cap? etc.
Is this dress blue?
Is this dress green?
Is this dress yellow or red?
*Ask more questions of different types depending on the children’s language level.
3) Follow the same procedure to make the rat’s head, ears and paws. After making a cone for the rat’s head cut out small round ears and stick them to its head. Cut paws out of the paper and stick them to the sides of the dress.
Take your black crayons and draw a nose, eyes, and whiskers.
Show me the whiskers of your rats.
Show me the paws of your rats.
Are these whiskers or paws (eyes, hands, ears, etc.)?
Are the whiskers green? Are they red?
Are they black or white?
Is this a paw or a tail? What is this?
What colour is the paw? etc.
4) Make a pocket.
Take this small square piece of paper. Let's cut out a circle.
Cut the circle out of this square.
Cut it in two parts.
This is a pocket for your rat’s dress. It is red (blue, yellow, etc.) 5) Discuss it with the children:
Is it a pocket or a dress?
Is your pocket green? Is your pocket white?
What colour is your pocket?
What colour is the dress?
Do you like it?
6) The teacher: Let’s glue the pocket to your rat’s dress.
Take the glue. Smear this side with the glue and stick them together.
Hold it for a while.
7) At the end of the lesson the teacher discusses the crafts with the children:
Please, show me the rat. Do you like your rat? I like your rat too!
Show me your rat’s dress. Is this a pocket or a dress? What colour is it?
Is this a pocket? Is it red or green? What is this? Is the nose black or white? Is it a tail or a face? What colour is it? etc.
The book includes outdoor games that encourage children to use the English language and, thus, get more practice. The selection of an outdoor game will depend not only on the items studied but also on the children’s mood and wishes. This kind of activity has a strong emphasis on using the target language as it helps to create a warm and accepting atmosphere, lowers the level of anxiety and bring children closer together.
Example 3.
"The Fox and the Ducks".
Mark one side of the playground – this is the “home base” for ‘the ducks”. One child – “the Goose” – stands on the opposite side of the playground. On the left or right side of the playground there is a
“house” where “the fox” lives. The ducks start to walk or fly. The Goose says:
Goose: Hi, ducks!
Ducks: Quack! Quack! Quack!
Goose: Do you want go home?
Ducks: Yes, yes, yes.
Goose: Then you go!
Ducks: Ducks: We are very much afraid.
We don't want to be so late.
But the old and cunning fox Is sitting here - at the rocks.
Goose: I know that - but you fly here For I want you to be near.
The ducks fly to the goose and the fox tries to catch them.
Repeat the game several times with the same fox and count the ducks he has caught.
Example 4.
"A Big Bad Wolf".
There are two “home bases” on the opposite sides of the playground. One of it is “the cave” to hide in. “It” - A Big Bad Wolf - stands in the centre of the playground and says to other children:
I am a big bad wolf!
Who of you is not afraid To go far and far away?
The children answer:
We are not afraid at all!
You - Big Bad Wolf - are too small.
We are very fast and brave!
We will run into the cave!
If the wolf tags a child before he reaches the cave on the opposite side he stays in the center of the playground till the end of the game.
Count how many children the wolf was able to catch.
Conclusions
These are just few examples of the activities provided in the book. It is important to emphasize that children’s activities combined in a system with some other techniques can create a proper basis for a foreign language course developed for young learners. Teachers may also find here a new approach to the way of creating meaningful interaction in foreign language teaching.
References
Borman, K.N., 1979. Children’s Situational Competence: Two Studies.
In O. K. Garnica & M. L. King (Eds.), Language, Children and Society (pp. 81-111). London: Pergamon Press.
Cazden, C. , 1972. Child Language and Education. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Richard-Amato, P.A. 1990. Making It Happen. New York & London:
Longman.
Vronskaya, I. V., 1999. Methods of Using Different Kinds of Nonverbal Activities in Early Foreign Language Teaching. PhD Dissertation. Saint Petersburg. Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia [in Russian]
Vronskaya, I. V., 2006. 105 English Lessons for Kids. Saint Petersburg:
KARO. [in Russian]