My Journal. Lesson1: Teaching young learners

This unit looks at:
-          How children acquire their first language.
-          How we can help children acquire English as second language opportunities for using English when starting lessons, changing activities, and ending lessons.
-          The differences between teaching young learners and very young learners.

1.1. First language- second language

Language Focus:   -          Caretaker talk

Pronunciation point:   -          Syllables   -          Sounds /tƒ/ and /ƒ/

 
 

 
 
When someone starts to speak, it begins listening and copying the sounds which are around, in its familiar and comfortable environment. In this way, people start to speak first in their mother tongue, the first language learned. This process is defined acquisition.

Babies:
§  Hear voices from the time they are born
§  Respond to the voices of their mother, father or carer
§  Listen to a lot of sound
§  Play with sounds and practice making sounds
§  Begin to associate the sounds with what they can see and understand
§  Begin to use language to interact with others and get what they want.

 
Young children:
§  Say what they hear others saying
§  Pick up the accent of those around them

About Caretaker talk: parents as carers talk to help the development of their child’s language. Teachers at school have to do the same with their children.

 
 
 
When young learners try to learn English as a second language at school the will:
§  Only acquire the language.
§  Need to hear a lot of English.
§  Look on you- their teacher- as their new carer.
§  Listen to you and try to make sense of what you say.
§  Sound like the people they listen to.

These are the situations for children which are appropriate to learn a second language on the right way. They should have the opportunity to be exposure to these different stages  to improve their oral communication skills in their second language. 
 
Caretaker talk:

What the teacher/parent does	Mother-child	Teacher-child
Repeats phrases said earlier	M: Now shoes... Yes your shoes. Look...your shoes
Keeps children’s attention by asking them questions		T: And he brings us what? He brings? He brings?
Reacts positively to what children say even if words are not complete or perfectly pronounced	CH: Sus- Sus M: Yes, shoes
Adds to or improves what children say		CH: Chocolate eggs T: Do you like chocolate eggs?

 

 
Teaching TIPS
ü  Use English in class as the main language for communication.
ü  Use gestures, actions, and pictures to help children understand.
ü  Children often need to talk in order to learn- let children use their mother tongue for communication, especially to start with.
ü  Recast in English what children say to you in their mother tongue.
ü  Answer children in English as much as possible.

 Records:

1a: Thinking about the Easter Bunny and eliciting the phrase chocolate eggs:

o   http://vocaroo.com/i/s0cjJZm2j6oC

1b: Greetings

o   http://vocaroo.com/i/s1NZgp7j6XCi

 

As English teachers we have to taking in to account that we have to prepare ourselves to be able to produce productive classes with children, over all if the class have the approach of acquire oral communication skills learning first language as well as second language.

Because of that we have to know different techniques about how to start, organize and end our lessons every day.

 

1.2. Starting your lessons in English
To start our lessons we have to think previously in how we can combine the contents with an unconsciously learning about the language. We can think in create different routines to start the lesson which allow children to develop communication skills follow the steps guided by the teacher.
 

Language focus:   -          Greetings and forms of address   -          Checking attendance   -          Ways of starting lessons

There are many different ways to start a lesson, for example, we should use a song about something related with the morning or perhaps choose a rhyme or a poem about the weather of that day. In this way, children can make associations between the meaning of the song and the meaning of the language.

Teaching TIPS

Class Teachers	Specialist Teachers
Do something different so that everyone knows it’s time for English, e.g. sing a special song.  Wear something special during the lesson, e.g. a badge, a hat. Stand in a different place or arrange the room differently. Put up picture or get out toys that children associate with English.	Plan something familiar in English at the beginning of the lesson to make the change of teacher easier.   Use a special name chart to check who’s present.  Prepare a routine that the children like, e.g. sing a song or say a rhyme.

 
Records:

1c: A question of routine:

o   http://vocaroo.com/i/s07yHXbRqXBt

1d: Calling the roll in English:

o   http://vocaroo.com/i/s0AFOo2ZXyTX

1e: Starting with a song:

o   http://vocaroo.com/i/s0AnzIzIfOOO

Checking attendance:

o   http://vocaroo.com/i/s1leDlYKiZp2

Checking attendance:

o   http://vocaroo.com/i/s0xuPCodwGWl

 

1.3. Organizing your classroom

To organize the classroom we have to prepare mainly class routines for children. This is the most important moment for children to learn the most of their knowledge about the language they are learning and to acquire the language through develop a phonological awareness.
All the instructions and routines we have prepare for the term, will be learned for children in terms of be able to produce them in the future rather in terms of behaviour or in terms of use the right language structure to communicate their selves.

 
Records:

1h: Asking and giving permission

o   http://vocaroo.com/i/s1XrFrLCmcjs

Seven useful instructions to organizing the classroom

o   http://vocaroo.com/i/s0Z83nE2bN1N

 

1.4. Ending your lessons

For ending the lessons we have to make something similar with start the lesson, to find many songs to prepare for a routine to sing when we ending the lessons every day.

Language focus:   -          Ending lessons -          Phrases with else -          Word quiz

Teaching TIPS

Using English for class organization

ü  While preparing your lesson, make a list of classroom language for each activity.

ü  Prepare to say all of this in English during the lesson.

ü  Use songs and rhymes when you change from one activity to another.

ü  Encourage your pupils to use English for routine classroom requests by praising any effort they make.

ü  Use wall charts or posters to help children remember what you are doing in the English class.

 

 

1.5. Very Young Learners (VYLs) and Young Learners (YLs)

Language focus: -          Telling the class what you are doing -          Asking questions

Topic talk: -          Introducing yourself

Teaching TIPS

Very young learners

Young learners

Introduce English slowly with enjoyable activities. Support what you say with gestures, actions, movements and facial expression. Help the children feel secure by repeating familiar activities. Repeat in English what children say to you in their mother tongue. Use a puppet to talk to in English. Tell the children the puppet can only speak English so they have to speak en English to the puppet. If a child speaks in his/her mother tongue to the puppet, you can recast and speak to the puppet. Use drawings and photos. Tell lots of stories using pictures for support.

Explain in mother tongue on the first day why you are using English during the English lesson. Teach the class useful phrases about language use. Plan for success and a positive experience. Talk about your own personal experiences. This is like telling stories.