Examples of AN in the ESL Classroom for Young Learners

One example of AN that has been used as a tool for teaching phonics and reading to young learners of English is the work of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known for his pen name “Dr. Seuss.” Seuss was a 20^th century North American children’s book writer and illustrator, among other professions, and he was a master of using this idea of AN in his children’s books. He created the perfect tool for teachers to teach early reading skills through nonsense and he developed a series of “easy readers” books which use very simple vocabulary for beginning readers. Moreover, Seuss used playful rhymes and simple sentences and illustrated and wrote about bizarre thought provoking made-up creatures. His books are filled with visually interesting illustrations. One of his best known “easy reader” works is a book called “Green Eggs and Ham.” An interesting backstory about the creation of this book is that it is thought to have come about as the result of a bet between Seuss and his publisher. His publisher suggested that he couldn’t write a full story with less than 236 words. Seuss not only proved his publisher wrong,

“Green Eggs and Ham” was written with only 50 words, and it is delightfully funny and original.

7.3.1 Muzzy in Gondoland

During my teacher training, my ESL teacher mentor at a Finnish primary school in Espoo, Finland introduced me to Muzzy in Gondoland which is an educational ESL program she had been using for many years to help supplement the school’s Finnish

ESL material. Muzzy is a television program created in 1986 for the BBC, and has since been updated and reworked. The original Muzzy series struck me as being a fantastic example of AN technique, similar to that of Sesame Street, but meant specifically for teaching grammar rules, vocabulary, and sentence structure to non-native speaking beginner students in English.

The story and characters are both original, creative, and comical, as well the program uses playful and fun elements to teach and engage young children. The students at the Finnish primary school responded favorably to the Muzzy teaching material and looked forward to their Muzzy morning lessons. Interestingly enough, the program is based on the writings and illustrations of Oxford graduate Diana Webster who worked for many years as a lecturer in English Language and Literature for the English Department at University of Helsinki. Webster has also been instrumental in the writings of a great many award-winning ESL textbooks for teaching English to young students in Finland and worldwide.

7.3.2 Sock Puppets Application

The “Sock Puppets” application or similar applications for phones, pads, and computers are yet another fantastic way to implement AN techniques in the classroom. These applications make a fun ESL assignment for young students. With this particular

application students can create an animated sock puppet show dialogue in English. It’s a playful and visual way to get students to feel motivated to practice their spoken English skills and it allows beginning students to feel more at ease speaking English under the guise of a sock puppet. It is also a fun way to let students express their creativity and artistic side as the app allows them to design a stage, chose puppets, select voices, add music and/or props to the show. It is quick and easy to use so it can be used as part of a lesson, or it can be used in individual work or group work, or could even be given as a quick and fun weekend homework assignment. The application has a free option or then a more complete version is available for purchase which allows for more recording time and more freedom to manipulate the puppet show settings. It is also something that can be presented, saved, and shared with classmates in class. Additionally, the application has options for online sharing via YouTube or various social medias.

7.3.3 Kahoot! and Seppo

In my section about using computers and technology to implement AN I mentioned the use of websites like Kahoot! as a way to engage and motivate student learning. Another example of a website which allows for a slightly different AN experience is one called Seppo. Seppo is another innovative tool for developing educational games for students.

It allows teachers to create complex games within the school or then in a location outside the school, say for a field trip to a museum or the city centre. The tool gives teachers the ability to choose the learning environment, and then the teacher creates a map which acts as the board game. The idea is for the teacher to develop a series of tasks that students can solve in teams using mobile devices and the teacher is able to monitor the game and student’s progress, give immediate feedback, assistance, and assessment. It’s a great way to get students to work together and practice spoken English skills and reading comprehension skills in English. Furthermore Seppo can be used for any age student, from preschool age to advanced University students. In

addition, the program encompasses the heart of AN philosophy because it gives students the opportunity for creative problem solving and it inspires and motivates students to learn and play together in an experimental, project-based real life learning environment.

7.3.4 Creative Exercises in Writing

One AN technique that I have carried over from my personal experiences in language learning was something that my 4^th and 5^th grade English teacher, Mrs. Heiden, imparted upon me. Mrs. Heiden used a technique for creative exercises in writing and learning grammar through a series empty books full of illustrations she provided for hers students to learn to write different sentence types. She would have her students build their English vocabulary as well as learn how to grammatically manipulate different simple and complex sentence structures in different tenses by having her class write stories. Over the course of a two year academic period, her main method of instruction was to provide her students with hand illustrated blank picture books that they were meant to write or weave a story around; the booklets were about 10 pages each.

Her 4^th grade students were first given a book with pictures similar to those of E.B.

White’s “Charlotte’s Web” with illustrations of a little girl and a little pig. I remember each book to be an incredibly fun project. It involved a creative writing process, which

allowed for practice using and manipulating sentences and grammar, provoked a desire for self-assessment and a need to learn to edit our work for the final written copy, as well as an opportunity to practice good penmanship in the final book. Additionally, it allowed students the opportunity to design and make a book cover as well as color the pictures she had illustrated on each page.

By 5^th grade we were given more complex tasks, like my personal favorite, a book of inventions in which she provided drawings of make-believe machines that we were meant to design a function for, as well as completely blank pages in which we had to fully design the machines, visually and in function. And another favorite storybook idea she created, was a book of pretend nonsense creatures she had illustrated that we needed to name and explain. Again the last pages of the book were left blank for students to draw and create their own creatures. Over the course of my two years in Mrs. Heiden’s English class, I had written a dozen books which are lovely keep sakes of my primary school growth and imagination. Not to mentioned, it flourished my love and interest in writing and in storytelling. It was such a fun and memorable way to practice using grammar and sentences in English and the method proved so popular and effective that she repeated the same teaching structure for decades. As well, she was in her own way a legend in our primary school; young students couldn’t wait to reach 4^th grade so they could experience her English classes. Although her English classes were meant for

“native” learners of the language, I have found that the technique is equally effective and meaningful for the ESL classroom. It is also a technique that can be easily and successfully carried over from primary school to more advanced students.

7.4 Additional AN English Grammar Lessons for