1

Table of Contents

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 2
Managing Young Students .................................................................................................. 3
Ideas for Teaching Beginners ............................................................................................. 6
Lesson Plans........................................................................................................................ 8
The First Day ................................................................................................................... 8
Alphabet......................................................................................................................... 10
The Seasons ................................................................................................................... 11
The Calendar .............................................................................................................. 11
The Fall ...................................................................................................................... 12
The Winter.................................................................................................................. 14
The Spring .................................................................................................................. 16
The Summer ............................................................................................................... 17
Animals .......................................................................................................................... 19
Food ............................................................................................................................... 24
Family ............................................................................................................................ 26
Holidays ............................................................................................................................ 27
Halloween ...................................................................................................................... 27
Thanksgiving Ideas ........................................................................................................ 29
Christmas Ideas.............................................................................................................. 31
New Years .................................................................................................................... 32
Valentines Day Ideas .................................................................................................... 33
St. Patricks Day ............................................................................................................ 34
Activities ........................................................................................................................... 36
20 Questions .................................................................................................................. 36
Around the world ........................................................................................................... 37
Go Fish .......................................................................................................................... 38
Listening Bingo ............................................................................................................. 39
Memory ......................................................................................................................... 40
My Grandmother Went to the Market ........................................................................... 41
Picture Bingo ................................................................................................................. 42
Sorting Vocabulary ........................................................................................................ 43
The Name Game ............................................................................................................ 44
Two Truths and a False ................................................................................................. 45
Appendices
A: The Rule
B: Mother Goose
C: Songs and Chants
D: Worksheets
E: Websites
2
Introduction

This booklet is a compilation of poems, units and activities (and some advice) that I have
found useful for young beginning learners. It is not two years worth of lesson plans.
Instead, it is a collection of ideas for you to develop depending on your own style and
resources. While I have tried all these ideas and found them effective, they are not all my
ideas. Over my two years of working with 4
th
to 7
th
graders (and even one class of 1
st

graders) I have had tons of help from other volunteers. Also, many of these ideas are not
especially original, but I have included them because sometimes those games and songs
we played and sang when we were kids are surprisingly easy to forget. I hope that as you
use this booklet you will remember more things from your childhood and get more ideas
to pass on to the next group of volunteers.

Kate Jacobs
3
Managing Young Students

CONSISTENCEY
If there is one thing I have learned about managing young students it is that consistency
counts. Generally, little kids dont have the apathy that older kids can develop. They
really want to learn and are excited about English class and school in general. However,
their enthusiasm can be incredibly overwhelming. Combined with a shorter attention
span, a 4
th
grade class can easily become complete chaos. The good news is that they are
receptive to routine and a well managed class. It takes some strength on your part, but set
up your classroom rules and stick to them. They will learn. One example of this is that
my kids used to always come and crowd around my door antsy to get in. I started telling
them that they could only come in if they formed a line against the wall in the hall. The
first week or two or even three this took forever. They pushed and shoved and shouted.
But eventually, they showed up and immediately got in line and waited for me to let them
in. I have done the same thing with insisting that they raise their hands or even insisting
that they not talk during tests (this may take awhile!). Also, be consistent with giving
grades and docking points for certain things. They will catch on and they will work with
you.

The Rule
I tell my student that there is only one rule in my class: Respect. I made a poster for the
front of the classroom that says, Respect your teacher, your classmates, your classroom
andyourself! On one of the first days of class we talked about what this means. (See
Appendix A: The Rule.) It might seem like this is going right over their heads, but even
the little kids understand what it means to respect their teacher and they appreciate when
you respect them. When I am having an especially bad day, I remind them that the one
thing I ask of them is that they show me respect. Related to this, I dont let my students
call me by my first name alone. They should always use Miss. Demand their respect
from the beginning and dont let class become playtime with the babysitter. With young
children, perhaps more than with older kids, you can still be loved by them while staying
in a position of authority.

Grades
Even though your students are as young as third or fourth grade, I have still found that
grades can be used as leverage for classroom management. I give my students a grade
everyday and they understand that this will be averaged into a final grade for the
catalogue. The idea is that every student starts with a 10 and depending on their behavior
can have points taken away. This is a pretty subjective system. Sometimes I make marks
in my catalogue so I remember when I had to wait for a certain student to be quiet. Other
times, when a student is doing something I dont like, I say, minus one and they know
what that means. I also require that the students have their English notebook in class and
if they forget it I minus one point from their grade-for-the-day. They seem to understand
this and see it as a reasonable consequence. After class I take thirty seconds to quickly
run down the class list and give each student a grade. Even if I havent made a mark or
verbally told them I was taking away points, I still give them a lower grade if I feel it is
necessary. Because the grades are averaged, it is good to be hard on them. Otherwise, all
4
your kids will end up with 10s when you feel they dont deserve it. A 2 one day means
nothing if every other day they have 9s and 10s. If a student is really upset with the
grade, remind them that in the next class they start with a 10 again and they have a new
chance for a good gradeit depends on them.
NOTE: 1
st
to 4
th
graders dont get numbers in the catalogue but they generally still know
very well what they mean. Remember that if you give a student a 9, that is still a FB,
foarte bine. 7s and 8s are B, bine, 5s and 6s are S, suficient, and 4 and lower are I,
insuficient. I usually still tell my 4
th
graders what they have on the number scale but in
the end, I put a letter in the official catalogue.

Notebooks
I require all my kids to get a medium sized notebook. I tell them that this will be their
special English book. All their vocabulary, songs and poems go in their notebook. Plus,
we frequently color them and draw pictures in them to make them look nice. Sometimes
they even get stickers! They should always bring their notebooks to class (yes, they will
still forget!) and keep them nice. If they forget their notebook, I encourage them to write
on a piece of paper and then copy it into their notebook at home. Some kids really will
do this! A lot of my students make really nice notebooks and treasure themthey enjoy
flipping through it and remembering what they have learned. If a class isnt taking their
notebooks seriously, Ill collect everyones and give them a notebook grade depending on
how much of the material they have written down.

Homework
I see my students twice a week and I usually try to give them homework once a week. It
is usually something very simple that I can check in class. Write three sentences with
the new vocabulary we learned. Or Draw a picture of the poem we learned. Or
Think of five words that start with G. It depends on what you have learned in class that
day. I spend 5 to 10 minutes in the next class checking the homework and giving them a
homework grade. I dont give numbers, only letters. Even 5
th
, 6
th
and 7
th
grade students
who get numbers in the catalogue will know what FB, B, S and I mean. Everyone who
has done their homework, no matter how badly, gets a small sticker which thrills them
and makes them excited about homework.

Test or Projects
Most of my lessons are done in units. This is easier for me to think of what to do next
and it provides consistency for the students. At the end, I like to give a final test or
project. The nice thing about having beginning learners is that these are never that
difficult to grade (as opposed to people teaching high school and giving essays and
papers). My tests are simple and exactly what we have practiced in class. No surprises.
My projects encourage creativity and imagination while using the learned vocabulary and
sentence structures. Make the instructions for the projects very clear and grade
consistently. These can be displayed in the classroom.

Final Grade
In the end, all these grades go together to make a final grade for the official catalogue. I
usually let them know what their breakdown is: their averaged behavior (grade-for-the-
5
day), homework and test grades. Then these three are averaged for their final grade. You
can have whatever categories work for you. This perhaps sounds like a lot of work, but
get your system down and it goes surprisingly quick. I think that the kids, even if they
are only 4
th
graders, appreciate understanding their grades and take English-class-with-
the-American more seriously. Show them that they have the direct ability to make their
grades better or worse depending how they conduct themselves in class. To really
enforce their grades, I put all their grades with the final average on a slip of paper and
then paste it in their notebook.
6
Ideas for Teaching Beginners
from Gertrude Kaster, group 12

Use Pictures
Drawings
Flashcardsmake them yourself or have the students make them!
Real objects
Teach Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Alphabet (flashcards)
List nouns that start with that letter
Numbers
Vocabulary in Sentences
I have a ___
I want to go to ___
I ride a ___
Do you like to eat ___?
Please give me ___

Activities:
Vocabulary building activities
Go around the room naming things (ex. Desk, etc.)
Go around, point and call out a wrong name, then students correct
Songs
Poems
Puzzles
Drawings
Word Search
Make new words from one long word (ex. Gingerbreadring, red, in)
Talk about themselves
My name is
I have (family)
I study (math)
I am (a student). I am not (a teacher).
Vocabulary
Relatives Clothing
Shapes Vegetables
Animals Weather
Days of the week Months
Body parts Colors
Fruits Directions
Furniture
Method for teaching vocabulary
Hold up item/flashcard
Say the word
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Students repeat
Say and repeat two times
Show item/flashcard, say a word, if the word is correct students raise their hand, if
the word is incorrect students touch their nose
Use new word in a sentence
Ex. I have a ___
I see a ___
I ate ___ for breakfast
Copy into notebookskeep some record of what they are learning
Personal statements
I would like to visit the country of ___ because ___
Over the weekend I went to ___
A person I admire is ___ because ___
Picture Stories
Make up stories for pictures
List names, verbs, adjectives
Using two unrelated pictures, create story
Role playCharades
Conductor & traveler
Two people on a vacation
Youre in America and want to fly home
Playback (for a small group and over several days)
Record students conversation or reading
Interview
One student actor, athlete as interviewee, class questions
Cooperative learning
Word web
Venn Diagram
Pair groupings
Write pairs on slips of paper (ex. Cat-Dog, Day-Night), students ask questions to
find their partners
Grouping with playing cards

Fillers:
Actions songs (ex. If youre happy and you know it)
Simon says
Pick a letter and students list words beginning with that letter
Give category and students list items belonging to that category
Story tellingput nouns and verbs on the board. One student begins the story and the
next students continues
Chants (make them up yourself!)
Chalkboard chainstudent writes a word at the top of the chalkboard, the next student
writes a word that starts with the last letter of the first word. (ex. Dog, Good,
Day)
Hot potato questionsthrow a ball to a student and ask a question. The student answers
and throws ball to another student asking a question.
8
Lesson Plans

The First Day

Level: Beginner
Time: 3 class periods
Number of Students: about 15
Aim/Goal: to introduce the teacher and students
Objectives: students will be able to
Call the teacher by name
Ask and answer basic questions about identity
Materials: paper for nametags
DAY 1
Warm-up: roll call. Take roll and have the students say here or present in English.
Presentation: make name tags. Give each student a piece of standard sized blank paper
and have them fold it the long way so it will stand up in a tent shape. Have
students write their name really big on the nametag. Then each student should
think of an English word that begins with the same letter as their name and draw a
picture of that word on their nametag.
Practice: questionnaire. In their notebooks, have students fill out this form about
themselves.
Name:
Age:
Parents Names:
Siblings:
Hobbies:
DAY 2
Warm-up: circle memory game. Have class stand in a circle. One student starts the game
by saying their name and their English word that they drew on their nametag (ex.
Maria Monkey). The next student repeats the name and word and adds their own
to the list. They will probably already know each others names but they must
remember the English word. Also, it is good practice for the teacher to learn the
students names.
Presentation: prepare for interviews. Talk about how to ask questions to learn the
information that is on their questionnaires from last class.
Practice: interviews. Put students in pairs and have them interview each other for basic
identity information. They can think of new questions if they want.
Application: introductions. Students present their partner and information about their
partner to the class.
DAY 3
Warm-up: play the circle memory name game again. Review identity questions and
information.
Presentation: [if you want, explain the classroom rules that you want to enforce for the
year.] Teach basic commands for the classroom. Mime the command and then
have the kids repeat. Write it on the board.
Stand up Sit down
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Be quiet Raise your hand
Open your book Close your book
Listen Sleep
Write Draw
Walk Run
Eat Drink
Jump
Practice and Application: play Simon says with basic commands. Let kids take turns
being Simon.
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Alphabet

Level: 4
th
grade
Time: 2 class periods
Aim/Goal: to learn to pronounce the alphabet in English
Objectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able to
Say and sing the alphabet in English
List words that begin with each letter of the alphabet
Materials: alphabet flashcards

DAY 1
Warm-uplearn Twinkle-Twinkle, Little Star (It has the same tune as ABC which
you will want to teach them later)
Presentationuse alphabet flashcards to teach pronunciation of English alphabet. Make
flashcards with the letter and a picture of something that starts with that letter.
Show the letter and have the students repeat the pronunciation. Stick the
flashcard on the board and write the word next to it. Have the kids write the
vocabulary in their notebooks. Work on the phrase (letter) is for (word). OR, if
you dont want to make flashcards, have the kids brainstorm words they know
beginning with each letter.
Practiceteach the alphabet song. I works better if the students can look at the letters as
they sing them. Stick the letter flashcards up in order around the room or write
the letters on the board.
Applicationgive each student a letter and have them draw a word that begins with that
letter. Later these can be used as flashcards or you can hang them up around the
room to create a visual alphabet. Have students present their picture to the class
saying (letter) is for (word).
DAY 2More Practice
Activity 1go around the room and have students each say a letter of the alphabet in
order. Or, put them in a circle and have them toss a ball around. The person who
catches the ball must say the next letter of the alphabet and toss the ball on.
Activity 2play Around the World with alphabet flashcards. (see activities for how to
play Around the World)
Activity 3play Hangman with the kids asking for letters in English. If you play as a
whole class, it works well to have all the kids names in an envelope. Pick a name
and that student gets to ask for a letter. This way they all get a turn and they
arent all screaming for a letter at the same time.
11
The Seasons

Introduction: This is a year long unit. I did these lessons with my fourth grade students
both my first and my second year of teaching in Romania but, depending on the level and
interests of your kids, it can be adapted for other ages. It uses poems, songs and coloring
to discuss the changing seasons throughout the year. Students should be encouraged to
make their notebooks as colorful and pretty as possible and all the vocabulary, poems,
songs and drawings should be written in the notebook. Start segments one and two soon
after school starts in the fall, segment three after Christmas break in January, segment
four after spring break in April and segment five in the first week of June before school
gets out. Many of the resources and ideas are from the web site www.everythingesl.net.
If you dont have access to a copy machine, the worksheets can be copied onto large
pieces of paper (like butcher paper or flip chart paper) and displayed so that the kids can
see them. They can then copy it into their notebooks with their own decorations.

In Appendix: Broken Words worksheet
Let it Snow worksheet
Snow worksheet
Spring Flowers worksheet
Spring Puzzle worksheet

SEGMENT 1:
The Calendar
Materials: Broken Words worksheet
Large copy of Months poem
Soft ball (for extra activity)
DAY 1
Activity 1tell the students we will now be learning about the calendar. Write month
on the board. Have students think of months and write them on the board in order.
Work on pronunciation and have them copy into their notebooks. Write week on
the board. Have students think of days of the week starting with Sunday as we do in
America. Work on pronunciation and have them copy into their notebooks. Practice
saying the months and days of the week in order by going around the room and
having each student say a month.
Activity 2hand out Broken Words handout (or copy it onto large paper and hang it in
the front of the room). Demonstrate how the activity is done with an example or two.
Tell the students to finish the exercises on their own (copying it into their notebook if
you dont have copies for every student). Circulate to make sure everyone
understands. My students had a bit of a struggle getting this but then they liked the
puzzle of it. It took longer than this class period so we finished it next time.
DAY 2
Activity 1verbally go over the months and the days of the week. Do it as a class, have
individuals do it, and go around the room saying them in order.
Activity 2sing this song together to the tune of Clementine
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Sunday, Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
(Repeat above)
There are seven days in a week
There are seven days in a week
Sunday, Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Activity 3print this poem on the board or on large paper. Read it to the class. Have
them read it with you. This poem not only uses the months but it points to the
seasons that will be talked about later. It is quite long so I did not have them copy it
in their notebooks. Also, at this point, I didnt make sure that they understood what it
meant. It was more of a reading and pronunciation exercise.
The Months
January brings the snow, Makes our feet and fingers glow.
February brings the rains, Thaws the frozen lake again.
March brings breezes sharp and chill, Shakes the dancing daffodil.
April brings the primrose sweet, Scatters daisies at our feet.
May brings flocks of pretty lambs, Sporting round their fleecy dams.
June brings tulips, lilies, rose, Fills the childrens hands with posies.
Hot July brings thunder-showers, Apricots, and gilly-flowers.
August brings the sheaves of corn; Then the harvest home is borne.
Warm September brings the fruit; Sportsmen then begin to shoot.
Brown October brings the pheasant, Then to gather nuts is pleasant.
Dull November brings the blast-- Hark! the leaves are whirling fast.
Cold December brings the sleet, Blazing fire, and Christmas treat.
Activity 3if necessary, finish the Broken Words worksheet and then go over it as a
class, making sure everyone has the correct answer.
Activity 4teach the way to write dates in English. Ask the question, when is your
birthday? My birthday is April 20, 1980. Write question and answer on the board.
Do other questions: When is Christmas? When is Halloween?
Supplementary Activityanother game that I did to review this vocab was I brought a
small ball or stuffed animal to class and had the kid stand in a circle. Then we tossed
(and I emphasize TOSSED here) the ball randomly around the circle and when you
caught the ball you have to say the next month or day of the week. This is a good
game if the class is well behaved but it can get wild. I was very strict with kids who
decided to hurl the stuffed bear as hard as they could at their classmates.

SEGMENT 2:
The Fall
Materials: the months poem
A bag of clothes
Flashcards of fall weather (you can make them)
Pictures of people in the fall (if possible)
13
DAY 1
Activity 1begin by reviewing the vocabulary. Say all the months with the kids
repeating, then go around the room and have them say the months in order. Do the
same with the days of the week. Get out the poem. Read it for them again. Read it
as a class.
Activity 2go over just September, October, November of the months poem. Read and
repeat. Help them understand generally what it means. Have individuals take turns
reading a line. Write it in their notebooks.
Warm September brings the fruit; Sportsmen then begin to shoot.
Brown October brings the pheasant, Then to gather nuts is pleasant.
Dull November brings the blast-- Hark! the leaves are whirling fast.
Activity 3Write Fall or Autumn on the board.
1. What do we wear in the fall?
Pants, long sleeve shirts, sweaters, shoes, jackets
Have a bag with clothes. Have students pull them out one by one. Do we wear this
in the fall? Yes or no. Make a list of fall clothing for their notebooks.
2. What do we eat in the fall?
Apples, pumpkins, grapes,
Write market on the board. Have students come up and draw pictures of food that
we eat in the fall. Make a list of fall food for their notebooks.
3. What is the weather like in the fall?
Rainy, windy, warm, cool, sunny, foggy
Look outside. What is the weather like today? Show flashcard of fall weather. Make
a list of fall weather for their notebooks.
DAY 2
Activity 1go over fall section of the poem again. Review fall vocabulary by showing
clothing articles and pictures.
Activity 2ask the question, what do we do in the fall? Brainstorm answers. Write the
verbs on the board. Make sure students understand the meaning in Romanian. Ex.
Go to school, play in the leaves, celebrate Halloween, prepare for winter, celebrate
Thanksgiving
Activity 3Bring pictures of people doing things in the fall. I had photographs of
friends and family in traditional Northern Midwestern fall settings. If you do not
have this and cannot find such pictures in magazines, this activity could easily be
skipped. Ask students, what are they wearing?, what is the weather like?, what are
they eating? What is life like in the fall?
Activity 4Give students this writing frame:
In the fall, the weather is _________, _______________, and _____________. I
wear ______________, ______________, and _________________. I like to eat
________________ and ______________. In the fall, I can _____________,
______________, and _________________.
Have students make sentences using this as help. Illustrate the sentences they wrote
in their notebooks. Possibly share the sentences and pictures with the class or grade
them (or you could make this part a homework assignment).

SEGMENT 3:
14
The Winter
Materials: the months poem
Winter weather gear
The poem First Snow
Popped popcorn
Let it Snow worksheet
Snow worksheet
(Scissors and paper for making snowflakes)
DAY 1
Activity 1go over just December, January, and February of the months poem. Read
and repeat. Help them understand generally what it means. Have individuals take
turns reading a line. Write it in their notebooks.
Cold December brings the sleet, Blazing fire, and Christmas treat.
January brings the snow, Makes our feet and fingers glow.
February brings the rains, Thaws the frozen lake again.
Activity 2Write winter on the board. What do we wear in the winter? Use the Shirley
Neitzel poem, The Jacket I Wear in the Snow. This poem builds on itself like the
familiar The House that Jack Built. Recite one line of the poem and put on that
article of clothing. Write the word for that article on the board and have the kids
write it in their notebooks. Continue adding more lines to the poem and repeating the
previous lines, reinforcing the vocabulary. As you recite, have the kids say the
clothing article with you as you touch it. By the end, you should be wearing all the
things in the poem and reciting the whole thing while the kids help you fill in the
words. (You could also have the kids copy the poem in their notebooks and illustrate
it. OR Make a classroom book; each additional line is a new page and different
children illustrate the child in the poem with that clothing article. Then you can use
the ending where the mother helps the child who has hurt himself.)
"The Jacket I Wear in the Snow," by Shirley Neitzel.
This is the jacket I wear in the snow.
This is the zipper that's stuck on the jacket I wear in the snow.
This is the scarf, woolly and red, that's caught in the zipper, that's stuck on the...
This is the hat for my head, that matches the scarf, woolly and red,...
These are the mittens that hang from each arm, that I wear with the hat...
This is the sweater all itchy and warm, that meets the mittens that hang...
These are the jeans, stiff in the knee, that go under the sweater all itchy and
warm...
These are the boots, too big for me, that cover the jeans, stiff in the knee...
This is long underwear, bunchy and hot, that is stuffed in the boots too big for
me...
These are the socks, wrinkled a lot, that are pulled over long underwear, bunchy...
*Optional ending:
These are the tears that fell from my eyes, that dripped on the socks wrinkled a
lot...
This is my mother, who heard my cries, and wiped the tears that fell from my
eyes, and loosened the scarf, woolly and red,
and slipped off the hat from my head,
15
and unpinned the mittens that hung from each arm,
and unbuttoned the sweater all itchy and warm,
and unzipped the boots, too big for me,
and straightened the jeans, stiff in the knee,
and smoothed the long underwear, bunchy and hot,
and pulled up the socks that were wrinkled a lot,
when she unstuck the zipper of the jacket I wear in the snow.
*Note: my second year of teaching, I managed to get someone from home to send me
a copy of this book. I taught the vocabulary and copied it in the notebook first, and
then I read them the book and showed them the pictures. I also made flashcards by
tracing the pictures in the book and used them to review the vocabulary.
DAY 2
Activity 1go over winter section of the poem again. Review vocabulary by going over
The Jacket I Wear in the Snow again. Get kids involved by having them put on
their winter gear with you as you recite the poem. Or have volunteers come stand in
the front of the room, each holding an article of clothingwhen it is their turn, they
must fill in the vocabulary word for the item they have.
Activity 2snow. Now that we are dressed to go outside, its time to talk about snow.
Hand out First Snow by Marie Louise Allen, or write it on the board or a poster.
First Snow by Marie Louise Allen
Snow makes whiteness where it falls.
The bushes look like popcorn-balls.
The places where I always play,
Look like somewhere else today.
Explain what the poem means. Explain the concept of similesshow the students
some popcorn. Is it snow? No. But it looks like snow. Have students brainstorm
other things that snow is like and write it on the board. (This is kind of difficult but
they were surprisingly good at it.) Favorite answers: cotton, clouds, ice cream,
whipped cream, pillowsit helps if you know some of this vocab in Romanian.
Activity 3Now have them use their words to complete the sentences: The bushes look
like____________. And the comparison sentence: Snow is as white
as______________. Put their answers together to make a class poem of their own.
Perhaps poem can be copied onto large paper and hung in the classroom.
DAY 3
Activity 1review vocab.
Activity 2Do a snow worksheet. Let it Snow! for younger students and Snow for a
little more advanced students. Make sure they understand the new vocabulary.
Activity 3finish applying winter vocabulary and themes by drawing winter scenes in
their notebooks. They should label all the elements of the picture with the vocabulary
they learned. Help them label items that they do not know. They should also write
sentences describing what is happening in their picture using this form In the winter,
I ______.
Optional Activity 4as a final fun thing they can make snow flakes by folding and
cutting paper and hang the snow flakes around the room and around the poem they
wrote which is hanging on the wall.
16
*Note: my second year I got a copy of The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. I read
the kids the story and used it as a place to start talking about what we do in the snow.
We brainstormed snow vocabulary like: snowball, snowball fight, snowman, snow
angels, snow mountain, sled, ski, etc.

SEGMENT 4:
The Spring
Materials: the months poem
Sentence strips about how a flower grows
Tommy poem
Spring flowers worksheet
Spring puzzle worksheet
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary poem
DAY 1
Activity 1go over just March, April, May of the months poem. Read and repeat. Help
them understand generally what it means. Have individuals take turns reading a line.
Write it in their notebooks.
March brings breezes sharp and chill, Shakes the dancing daffodil.
April brings the primrose sweet, Scatters daisies at our feet.
May brings flocks of pretty lambs, Sporting round their fleecy dams.
Activity 2write spring on the board. Make a Venn Diagram with Spring and Winter.
Encourage students to think about what you wear in these seasons. What you eat.
What the weather is. Have students first make the chart in their notebooks and fill it
in with the person sitting next to them. Then have volunteers come to the board and
fill it in. Try to review Winter and Fall words. Talk about spring things, especially
the weather.
Activity 3 teach spring vocab by drawing it on the board and labeling it. Have students
also draw pictures and label them in their notebooks.
Vocab: plant, flower, seeds, soil, leaf, stem, roots, ground, sun, petal, bud, water,
(watering can), grass, bird, robin, nest, eggs, tree, worm, tulip, butterfly, rain
Activity 3Do Spring Flowers worksheet to use vocabulary.
DAY 2
Activity 1go over spring section of the poem again. Review spring vocabulary.
Activity 2handout Tommy by Gwendolyn Brooks, or write it on the board. Read the
poem for the students. Have them practice reading it with you. Finally, have them
stand up and read the poem while doing motions (pretend to put a seed into the
ground, and water itthrow hands up into the air for popped!).
Tommy by Gwendolyn Brooks
I put a seed into the ground
And said, Ill watch it grow.
I watered it and cared for it
As well as I could know.
One day I walked in my back yard,
And oh, what did I see!
My seed had popped itself right out,
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Without consulting me.
Activity 3put students in groups and give them sentence strips about how a flower
grows to put in order.
Put a seed in the soil.
Water the ground.
The seed grows roots.
The seed grows a stem through the ground.
From the stem grow leaves.
The plant grows a bud.
The bud opens its petals and makes a flower.
The flower grows in the sun.
DAY 3
Activity 1review Tommy poem with motions.
Activity 2present Mother Goose rhyme Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary and have them
copy it in their notebooks. Practice reading it as a class and individually. Illustrate
the poem in their notebooks.
Activity 3make Tommys and Marys garden for the room. Hang up copies of
each poem and have students make flowers and other spring things to hang on the
wall around them.
Optional ActivitySpring Puzzle Signs of Spring worksheet.
*Note: Mother Goose Poems are great for memorization. Give students the option of
memorizing the poem and reciting it in front of class for a prize.

SEGMENT 5:
The Summer
Materials: the months poem
DAY 1
Activity 1go over just June, July, August of the months poem. Read and repeat. Help
them understand generally what it means. Have individuals take turns reading a line.
Write it in their notebooks.
June brings tulips, lilies, rose, Fills the childrens hands with posies.
Hot July brings thunder-showers, Apricots, and gilly-flowers.
August brings the sheaves of corn; Then the harvest home is borne.
Activity 2write summer on the board.
1. What do we wear in the summer?
shorts, short sleeve shirts, tank tops, sandals, bathing suits
Have a bag with clothes. Have students pull them out one by one. Do we wear this
in the summer? Yes or no. Make a list of summer clothing for their notebooks.
2. What do we eat in the summer?
Tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, raspberries, corn, etc.
Write market on the board. Have students come up and draw pictures of food that
we eat in the summer. Make a list of summer food for their notebooks.
3. What is the weather like in the summer?
Sunny, hot, thunderstorms (thunder, lightening, rain)
Talk about summer weather and write the vocab in the notebooks.
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4. What do we do in the summer?
Go to the beach (sea), go swimming, go on a picnic, go camping, play
football/volleyball
Talk about summer activities.
DAY 2
Activity 1go over summer section of the poem again. Review what we wear, eat and
do in the summer and what the weather is like.
Activity 2plan a vacation. Have each student think about what they want to do this
summer. Where do they want to go? Have them fill in this form.
Where:
What the weather is like:
What to pack:
What to eat:
What to do:
Draw a picture to illustrate the plan.
*Optional: give the students your address so they can write you letters or postcards
about what they did in the summer.
19
Animals

Level: 4
th
grade
Time: 8 class periods (one month)
Aim/Goal: to name and describe animals
Objectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able to
Identify animal vocabulary
Use adjectives to describe animals
Make comparisons between different animals
Materials:
Farm animal flashcards
Animal Go Fish cards
Slips of paper with animal description (see DAY 2, practice)
Animal Memory Game
Pages of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

DAY 1 Farm Animals
Warm Up & Presentation: Old MacDonald Had a Farm
CowMoo
CatMeow
SheepBaa
ChickenCluck
PigOink
HorseKneigh
MouseSqueak
GooseHonk
DuckQuack
DogWoof
Sing song. Stop between every verse to write the animal name on the board and
have the kids copy it in their notebooks. Helps to also have flashcards to
reinforce meaning. Hold up flashcard as you sing verse.
Practice & Application: Play Go Fish (see activities section)
DAY 2 Farm Animals continued
Warm Up: sing Old MacDonald again
Presentation: review/teach little and big. Review/teach numbers 1 10. Review/teach
colors. (Verbally review or copy new material in notebooks based on the level of
your students.)
Practice: give each student a slip of paper with something to color in their notebook. (for
example: two big dogs. OR three little mice. OR five orange cats and two black
cats.)
Application: have students present their pictures to the class. If they need help, prompt
them with questions like What do you have? Or ask the classmates, What
does she have?
DAY 3 Zoo or Jungle Animals
Warm Up: Mother Goose Poems.
Little Boy Blue
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Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn,
The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn.
Where is the boy who looks after the sheep?
He's under a haycock, fast asleep.
Little Bo Peep
Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep
And can't tell where to find them.
Leave them alone,
And they'll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.
Have students choose one poem to copy into their notebooks and memorize and
recite for the next class to win a prize.
Presentation: learn animal vocabulary. With the students help make a long list of animals
on the board. Let each student choose one animal to add to the list. Teacher
writes the English word and the student can write the translation on the board.
This keeps them moving around a bit. Make sure that all the animals that are in
your animal memory games are on the list. Heres my list: (plus the farm
animals)
Turtle Camel
Fox Zebra
Beaver Kangaroo
Frog Hippopotamus
Butterfly Whale
Skunk Crocodile or alligator
Rabbit Tiger
Bear Snake
Bird Elephant
Penguin Peacock
Jaguar Toucan
Lion Monkey
Opossum Octopus
Ostrich Raccoon
Lizard Parrot
DAY 4
Warm Up: have volunteers recite Mother Goose poem for a prize
Presentation: None
Practice: have students make their own Animal Bingo cards. (see Picture Bingo in
activities)
Application: play Bingo
DAY 5: REVIEW
Divide the class into groups and give each group a station. The different activities can be
Go Fish, Bingo or Memory (a new game, see Memory in activities). Set a timer and
after 10 or 15 minutes, have the groups rotate stations so all kids get a chance to play the
games.
DAY 6
Warm Up: learn and sing Baa Baa Black Sheep
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Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir,
Three bags full.
One for my master,
One for my dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives in the lane.
Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir,
Three bags full.
Presentation: quickly review colors
Practice & Application: make a classroom copy of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do
You See? Write the words of the book on different pages. Give each student or
group of students a page and have them illustrate the animal featured on the page.
On the last page that says, I see some children looking at me! have each child
draw their own face. Put all the pages together and read the book to the class. It
is very repetitive and catchy so have the kids read with you.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Pg 1: Brown bear, brown bear what do you see?
Pg 2: I see a red bird looking at me.
Red bird, red bird, what do you see?
Pg 3: I see a yellow duck looking at me.
Yellow duck, yellow duck, what do you see?
Pg 4: I see a blue horse looking at me.
Blue Horse, blue horse what do you see?
Pg 5: I see a green frog looking at me.
Green frog, green frog what do you see?
Pg 6: I see a purple cat looking at me.
Purple cat, purple cat what do you see?
Pg 7: I see a gray dog looking at me.
Gray dog, gray dog what do you see?
Pg 8: I see a black sheep looking at me.
Black sheep, black sheep what do you see?
Pg 9: I see an orange fish looking at me.
Orange fish, orange fish what do you see?
Pg 10: I see a pink pig looking at me.
Pink pig, pink pig what do you see?
Pg 11: I see a teacher looking at me.
Teacher, teacher what do you see?
Pg 12: I see some children looking at me!
DAY 7
Warm Up: read Brown Bear, sing Baa Baa Black Sheep
Presentation: adjectives. Tell students An elephant is very big and stretch your arms
out. But a mouse is very little, and put your fingers close together. Use this as
22
a way to introduce vocabulary. Let the kids suggest adjectives that they want to
know. Write English words on the board and let students come up and write the
Romanian translation. Some helpful adjectives:
Big Small Little
Tall Long Short
Soft Hard
Pretty Ugly
Fat Skinny
Hairy Scaly
Furry Slimy
Explain how to make comparisons in English using er. (The elephant is bigger
than the mouse.)
Practice: have two students each pick an animal name. Have another student make a
comparison. Encourage them to be silly and to use different adjectives.
Application: have each student write two animal names and one adjective in their
notebook. Then switch notebooks with a partner and make the words into a
comparison sentence. They can write the sentence in their partners notebook.
DAY 8
Warm Up: Quick draw. Say animal comparison sentences and have students quickly
sketch the scenario in their notebooks. When they are finished they can hold their
picture above their head for all to see. OR you can say several sentences in a row
and then give stickers to kids who finish and got the drawings correct.
Presentation: Have one student come up to the board and quickly draw a bear. Say, A
Bear is Big. Write Big above the bear pictures. Have another student come to
the board and draw an elephant. Encourage the student to make it just bigger than
the bear. Say, But an Elephant is Bigger. Write Bigger on the board. Have
another student come to the board and draw a whale. Encourage this student to
make it outrageously big. Say, But a Whale is Biggest! Write Biggest on the
board. Explain how we use these endings in English. Do other examples with
other adjectives.
Practice: have each student write down three animals and an adjective in their notebooks.
Switch notebooks with a partner and have the partner put the animals in order.
Application: have each student do their own set of drawings in their notebook. Below the
drawing they should write a description. (for example: a fat chicken, a fatter pig,
the fattest hippo)
ZOO PROJECT
Intro: learn the song Going to the Zoo (if you know it)
Verse 1
Mamas taking us to the zoo tomorrow
Zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow
Mamas taking us to the zoo tomorrow
And we can stay all day
Chorus
Were going to the zoo, zoo, zoo
How about you, you, you
You can come too, too, too
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Were going to the zoo, zoo, zoo
Verse 2
Look at all the monkeys swinging in the trees
Swinging in the trees, swinging in the trees
Look at all the monkeys swinging in the trees
And we can stay all day
Verse 3
Look at all the crocodiles swimming in the water
Swimming in the water, swimming in the water
Look at all the crocodiles swimming in the water
And we can stay all day
Assignment: Design a zoo. This can be done individually or in groups. Encourage
creativity. Descriptions should accompany the zoo animals. This is the biggest
bear. Or This is the longest snake. Or The peacock is prettier than the bird.
Display zoos around the classroom if you can.
24
Food

Level: 5
th
graders
Time: 2 class periods
Aim/Goal: to learn to use food vocabulary
Objectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able to
Identify food vocabulary
Use food vocabulary in a shop setting
Materials: food vocabulary flashcards
Printout or poster of food poem

DAY 1
Warm-up: poem
Food, food wonderful food.
Food, food delicious food.
Food, food makes me feel good.
Food wonderful food.

Hamburgers, pizzas,
French fries and hotdogs,
All taste very nice.
Corn and potatoes,
Fried chicken, tomatoes,
And black beans and rice,
Spaghetti and meatballs,
And bacon and eggs,
All smell so divine.
I want to eat all the time.

Food, food wonderful food.
Food, food delicious food.
Food, food makes me feel good.
Food wonderful food.

Chocolate and ice cream,
And strawberries and cream,
Taste good and sweet.
Mangos and apples,
Papayas and pineapples-
Oh, I love to eat.

Cherries and grapes,
Bananas and dates,
All taste so divine.
I want to eat all the time.

25
Presentation: teach vocabulary. Use flashcard that you can make. Choose from this
extensive list.
Hamburger
Pepper
Eggplant
Cabbage
Garlic
Cucumber
Peas
Olives
Orange
Apricot
Watermelon
Honey melon
Milk
Water
Wine
Oil
Vinegar
Peach
Coffee
Salt
Pepper
Sugar
Meat
Bread
Soup
Cheese
Jam
Egg
Pizza
French Fry
Hotdog
Corn
Potato
Chicken
Tomatoes
Black beans
Green beans
Rice
Spaghetti
Meatballs
Bacon
Chocolate
Ice cream
Strawberry
Mango
Apple
Papaya
Pineapple
Cherry
Grapes
Banana
Date
Nuts
Lemon
Onion
Carrots
Pear
Cake
Practice: have students take turns putting flashcards in envelopesfruits, vegetables,
meats, grains, dairy, desserts.
DAY 1
Warm-up & practice: make a word web around the words fruit, vegetables, meats,
deserts. Play My grandmother went to the market and brought me a with the
food flashcards.
Application: have half the class be shopkeepers and half the class be shoppers.
Individually make out inventories or shopping lists. Then match sellers with
shoppers and have the students practice a dialogue of buying and selling.
26
Family

Level: 5
th
graders
Time: 2 class periods
Aim/Goal: to learn how to describe family relationships
Objectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able to
Identify different members of the family
Describe their relationships
Materials: pictures of family members
A family tree
Family relationships worksheet

DAY 1
Warm-up: show pictures of your family and your family tree.
Presentation: teach family vocabulary and have kids write it with Romanian translation in
their notebooks.
Practice: show my family tree and ask possession/vocab questions.
Ex. Who is Johns wife?
Ex. Who is Jerrys daughter?
Ex. Who are Jennys cousins?
Application: students create their own family tree in their notebook and they draw
pictures of their family members. They must present family trees to class,
describing their relationships people have to each otherpractice accurate
possession.
DAY 2
Warm-up: total physical response. Arrange in a family tree and talk about their
relationship to each other. One child will be the father, one the mother, another
the sister and another the grandfather. Ask kids, who is your cousin? A problem
might be that kids will get upset when they are another classmates wife or
husband. If you can get them to accept it as fun, its a good, silly exercise.
Practice: possession/vocabulary worksheet
Match the phrases in the first column with a phrase in the second.
My mothers father is my brother.
My fathers sister are my grandparents.
My fathers son is my aunt.
My fathers brother is my sister.
My mothers parents is my grandpa.
My fathers daughter is my uncle.
Answers:
My mothers father is my grandpa.
My fathers sister is my aunt.
My fathers son is my is my brother.
My fathers brother is my uncle.
My mothers parents are my grandparents.
My fathers daughter is my sister.
Application: students describe their own family with comparison sentences like these.
27
Holidays

Halloween

Level: 4
th
grade
Time: one class period
Aim/Goal: to introduce students to the holiday, Halloween
Objectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able to
Use Halloween vocabulary
Say what one does to celebrate Halloween
Describe what they would do for Halloween
Materials: Halloween vocabulary flashcards
Large Halloween poem
Halloween sentence strips

Warm-up: read poem for the classbe sure to shout BOO! at the end. Then have the
class read the poem together (and they can write it in their notebooks). They will
enjoy shouting BOO at the end too.
October brings us Halloween
A spooky time its true
When Jack-o-lanterns flaming eyes
Seem like theyre watching you

The black cats howling at the moon
A witch goes flying by
And in the distance you can hear a goblins mournful cry

October brings us Halloween
A spooky time its true
When Jack-o-lanterns flaming eyes
Seem like theyre watching you

Be careful or before you know
A ghost will scare youBOO!!
Presentation: show the students picture/flashcards of Halloween vocabulary. Write the
word on the board and stick the picture next to it. Have students copy the words
in their notebooks. Go over the poem and see how the vocabulary is used in the
poem.
Cat, moon, witch, goblin, ghost, jack-o-lantern, spooky, eyes, candy, mask
Practice: read this passage to the class, October 31 is Halloween. Children like
Halloween. Children wear costumes and masks. They go to their neighbors
houses. They knock on the door. They say, Trick or Treat! Their neighbors
give them candy. The children say, Thank you. Then divide the class into
small groups and pass out strips of paper with the sentences of the story. Each
slip should have one sentence. Students should put the sentences in order. Make
sure they understand what children do on Halloween.
28
Application: draw pictures of what children do on Halloween. Encourage children to be
creative and spooky. Have them write sentences describing their pictures.
29
Thanksgiving Ideas

Activity 1: Have students see how many words they can make with the letters in
Thanksgiving
Activity 2: Thanksgiving Turkeys.
Practice shapes by having the students draw a large circle for the body of a turkey.
Draw a small circle for the head and a triangle for the beak. Draw two narrow,
long rectangles for the legs and small, narrow triangles for the toes and long,
narrow ovals for tail feathers. Have students finish writing this sentence on each
of the turkeys tail feathers, I am thankful for
Activity 3: Musical Turkey
Practice colors by singing, Have You Ever Seen A Turkey to the tune of The
More We Get Together
Have you ever seen a turkey, a turkey, a turkey?
Have you ever seen a turkey with feathers so bright?
There's red ones and brown ones, and yellow ones and orange ones
Have you ever seen a turkey with feathers so bright?
Have the students trace their hand, with thumb and fingers extended wide, to
make a profile view of a turkey. The thumb is the head and each finger is a
feather. Add legs and a beak. Students should color their turkey as the song
indicates.
Activity 4: Funny Bird
A turkey is a funny bird,
Its head goes wobble, wobble,
All it knows is just one word,
"Gobble, gobble, gobble."
Activity 5: Over the River and Through the Woodssing a couple verses of the
traditional Thanksgiving song.
Over the river and through the wood
To Grandfather's house we go.
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood,
Trot fast, my dapple gray!
Spring over the ground
Like a hunting hound,
For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river and through the wood --
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.

30
Over the river and through the wood,
And straight through the barnyard gate.
We seem to go
Extremely slow --
It is so hard to wait!

Over the river and through the wood
To have a first-rate play.
Hear the bells ring,
Ting-a-ling-ling!
Hurrah forThanksgiving Day!

Over the river and through the wood --
Now Grandmother's cap I spy!
Hurrah for fun!
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!
31
Christmas Ideas

Activity 1: Twelve Days of Christmas
Learn the song. Have each student (or pairs of students) take one part of the song.
They should make a picture of their gift. Then sing the song again, each student
should sing his/her part, stand up and hold up the illustration.
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the second day of Christmas
Two turtle doves
On the third day of Christmas
Three French hens
On the fourth day of Christmas
Four calling birds
On the fifth day of Christmas
Five golden rings
On the sixth day of Christmas
Six geese a laying
On the seventh day of Christmas
Seven swans a swimming
On the eighth day of Christmas
Eight maids a milking
On the ninth day of Christmas
Nine ladies dancing
On the tenth day of Christmas
Ten drummers drumming
On the eleventh day of Christmas
Eleven pipers piping
On the twelfth day of Christmas
Twelve lords a leaping
Activity 2: read The Twelve Days of Christmas and talk about the description of Santa.
Draw pictures of him with rosy cheeks and a fat belly.

And, of course, sing carols and make Christmas cards!
32
New Years

Level: Middle School
Time: one class period
Aim/Goal: to think about resolutions for the New Year
Objectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able to
Sing the traditional New Years song Auld Lang Syne
Understand the concept of a resolution and articulate their own
Materials: print out or poster of lyrics to Auld Lang Syne
Pictures or descriptions of people to make resolutions for

Warm Up: talk about Christmas vacation and what they did for the holidays and sing
Auld Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o'kindness yet
For auld lang syne!
Presentation: explain the concept of making resolutions.
Practice: consider what will happen this year in your personal life. What decisions have
you made for the coming year? Look at pictures of people or describe people and
have the class decide what their New Years Resolution might be. (for example:
this is Lisa. She got a D in biology last semester. resolution: do homework. OR
this is Brian. He is always tired and falling asleep in class. resolution: go to bed
earlier.)
Application: have students make resolutions. Have them think about different areas of
their lives like school, parents, TV, friends, money, travel, love sports, English,
etc. They can finish these sentences:
I will
I am going to
I would like to
I hope to
I am thinking about
I will not
I am not going to
I intend to
I promise I will
I will definitely
33
Valentines Day Ideas

Activity 1: listen to Beatles songs. Give the students the lyrics with words missing and
have them listen and try to fill them in. When they have the complete lyrics you
can sing the song as a class.
Activity 2: practice rhyming words. Make rhyming love poetry. Experiment with the
standard, Roses are red, violets are blue, chocolate is sweet, and so are you.
Try to think of different endings for the poem.
Activity 3: rhyming words continued. Give students sets of four words, three of the
words should rhyme and one shouldnt. Have students find which word doesnt
belong.
Activity 4: idioms. Give each student a heart idiom to illustrate literally. Print the
idiomatic phrase at the bottom of the illustration. Then have other students match
the definition of the idiom to the picture. OR talk about idioms and their meaning
and then play pictionary, drawing the idiom literally and the class must guess
which idiom it is.
to have a heart of gold - to care about other people
to have a big heart - to be giving, caring
to be cold-hearted -lacking in sympathy
to wear your heart on your sleeve- to let everyone know how you feel about
someone
to cross your heart and hope to die -to promise
to cry your heart out - to cry a lot and feel really badly about something
to eat your heart out - to be jealous of someone
from the bottom of your heart - to really mean something
to have a change of heart -to change your mind
to have a heart - to be compassionate, to care about other people
to have your heart in your mouth- to be scared or nervous
to have your heart set on something - to really want something
to set your heart at rest - stop worrying about something
to be soft hearted - to be sympathetic
to take something to heart- to have your feelings hurt by something someone
else says or does

And make Valentines!
34
St. Patricks Day

Level: 4
th
grade
Time: 2 class periods
Aim/Goal: to learn about the holiday, St. Patricks Day
Objectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able to
Identify St. Patricks Day vocabulary
Answer questions about the origins of St. Patricks Day
Materials: St. Patricks Day vocabulary flashcards
copies of reading

Warm-up: read poem to class. Practice reading it all together. Let individuals read it.
Have kids copy it in their notebooks.
St. Patrick's Day
Leprechauns peeking,
Around a willow tree,
Pussy willows waking,
Longing to be free.
Colleens and shamrocks
And castles old and gray,
Put them all together
To make St. Patrick's Day.
Presentation: St. Patricks Day vocabulary. Use flashcards to teach vocab and have kids
copy words into their notebooks.
Leprechaun
Rainbow
Pot of gold
Parade
Church
Snake
Shamrock, four leaf clover
Castle
Practice: St. Patricks Day reading and questions. Have kids read in pairs and complete
questions. (photocopiable format in appendix)
St. Patrick is the saint of Ireland. He lived in ancient times. He heard God tell
him to go to Ireland and teach people about God. He made many churches.
He did many miracles. One legend is that he made all snakes leave Ireland.
Now the Irish celebrate St. Patricks Day every year on March 17. It is a
holiday for Ireland and for spring. People wear green, have parades and tell
stories about leprechauns. A leprechaun is a very little man who has a pot of
gold at the end of a rainbow. If you can catch him, the gold is yours! People
also wear shamrocks. Most shamrocks have three leaves. If you find one
with four, you have good luck!
What country is St. Patrick for?
Why did he go to Ireland?
What animal did he make leave Ireland?
35
What color is for St. Patricks day?
What is the name of the little man with a pot of gold?
How many leaves are on a lucky shamrock?
Application: another poem. Make shamrocks to wear. Draw St. Patricks Day pictures.
St. Patrick's Day
Oh, my mother isn't Irish
And my father isn't too,
But today I feel as Irish
As the really Irish do.
For today I wear a shamrock
That is green in every way
And though I am Romanian,
I am Irish -- for today!

For intermediate students: green idioms. Illustrate the idioms and match the illustration
with the idiom. Then match the definition to the idiom and picture.
give someone the green light- give permission to go ahead with a project
to have a green thumb - a have a talent for making things grow
green with envy -very jealous, full of envy
wearing of the green - to wear green clothing on St. Patricks Day
to be green around the gills -to look very sick
green-eyed monster - - to feel jealous
to be green - to be inexperienced at something
grass is always greener on the other side - a place that is different seems better
than where we are now
folding green- paper money
36
Activities

20 Questions

Level: Beginner-Intermediate
Time: 10-20 minutes
Number of Students: anywhere from 5-15
Aim/Goal: to practice asking identity questions
Objectives: students will be able to
Ask yes/no questions
Discover descriptive information to identify a personality
Materials: none
Procedure: One student (or the teacher) thinks of a person that everyone knows. This will
most likely be a celebrity but it could also be someone more common like the
school director, another teacher, or the PCV. The rest of the class takes turns
asking yes or no questions about the personality in order to discover who it is.
Ex. Is it a man? Is he/she famous? Is he/she a singer/actor/politician? Is he/she
alive? Is he/she old? Is he/she blond? The student who finally guesses the
correct identity gets to think of the next person.
37
Around the world

Level: beginner
Time: 15 minutes
Number of Students: whole class
Aim/Goal: to practice vocabulary
Objectives: students will be able to
Quickly identify vocabulary
Materials: flashcards
Procedure: have two students sitting next to each other in one corner of the room stand
up. Show them a flashcard. The student who correctly identifies the card first
moves to stand next to the next student who should stand up. The other student
who lost sits down. Show another card to the students who are standing and the
one who answers first moves on. This should move very, very quickly. If there is
a tie, the class can help decide who should move on or if another flashcard should
be shown. Otherwise, the class should be really quiet till it is their turn. If a
student moves several desks away from their original seat and then they loose a
match they should not return to their seat but sit where they are, replacing the
student who moves on. Continue till all the students have had a turn or you run
out of flashcards.
Variation: If you dont have flashcards you can say a word to the students in Romanian
(or in English) and they have to translate it. This only works if you know the
translations yourself.
Another Variation: The format of this game can be used with any English level
depending on what you are learning. For content courses, you can ask geography
or history questions. Or for intermediate learners, say a word and they must say
the opposite. Anything works.
38
Go Fish

Level: Beginner
Time: 10-15 minutes
Number of Students: 3-6
Aim/Goal: to practice vocabulary and questions in English
Objectives: students will be able to
Identify vocabulary
Ask and answer Do you have? questions
Materials: GO FISH cardscan be made with pictures of any vocabulary on playing
cards. It works best with about 24 pairs. Pairs of pictures need not be identical as
long as they are of the same object (for example, the pair can be two cars but they
dont have to be the same make or color). Also, works well with colors.
Procedure: Deal five cards to each player in a small group and scatter the rest face down,
like fish in a pond, on the table. Players put any pairs they have face up in front
of them. The first player chooses another player to ask, Do you have a
[clown]? He must ask for a match of a card he has in his hand. If the player has
the card asked for she says, Yes, I have a [clown] and gives the first player the
card. The first player puts the pair in front of him and can ask another player for a
card. If the player does not have the card asked for, she says: No, I dont have a
[clown]. Go Fish! The first player then picks a card from the fish pond. His
turn is now over and the next player can ask a question. Play continues until all
the cards are matched. If a player runs out of cards in his hand, he picks another
card from the fish pond and continues playing. The player with the most pairs
wins.
39
Listening Bingo

Level: Beginner
Time: 5 minutes for one round
Number of Students: Whole class
Aim/Goal: to actively listen to English sentences
Objectives: students will be able to
Listen to English sentences and distinguish certain words
Materials: some kind of markers or playing piecesbeans work well
Procedure: Have the students make a grid of four squares by four squares or five by five
on a piece of paper or in their notebooks. Then write vocabulary words on the
board. Choose several more than are needed to fill each box of the grid with one
word. Tell the students to choose words they like from the board and write one
word in each box of their grid. They will have left over words and thats OK. All
the students grids should be different; there is no right order for the words.
(This is tricky for beginners the first time you play.) Give each child some kind
of markers or playing pieces. Small beans work well although many will
inevitably end up on the floor of the room. Begin play by making up sentences
with the words on the board. Use one or two words per sentence. Depending on
the level of the students, repeat the sentences as necessary. Try to remember what
words you have used. Students should listen and when they hear a word they
have on their board they should mark it with a bean. They continue listening until
they have a full row (four or five depending on the size of their grid) of beans.
Then they yell BINGO! The teacher checks the students board to declare him
or her the winner. Then all students should clear their board and the game can
start again. Play should move quickly with frequent BINGOs.
40
Memory

Level: Beginner
Time: 10-15 minutes
Number of Students: 2-6
Aim/Goal: to learn vocabulary
Objectives: students will be able to
Correctly identify pictures of vocabulary
Match vocabulary pictures with the written word in English
Materials: small pairs of cards, one half of the pair being a picture of a vocabulary word,
the other half being the word written in English. This can be done with any
vocabularyanimal vocabulary works especially well. In total, there should be
about 18 pairs.
Procedure: A small group of students should mix up pairs of cards face down and arrange
them in rows, still face down. The first player then turns over two cards. If they
are a match (a picture and its word), the player takes the cards and turns two more
cards over. If they are not a match, all the players should get a chance to see what
and where the cards are and then they are turned face down again. The next
player then turns over two cards and play continues until all cards are matched.
Students should be encouraged to keep the cards in neat rowseven when cards
are removed making holes in the rows all the cards should be left in their original
position. This will make it easier to remember cards that have been revealed.
The student with the most pairs is the winner.
41
My Grandmother Went to the Market

Level: Beginner
Time: 10-15 minutes
Number of students: small groups, around 5
Aim/Goal: to learn vocabulary
Objectives: students will be able to
Identify vocabulary
Materials: pictures/flashcards of vocabulary
Procedure: The first student in a small group picks a card with a vocabulary picture on it
and says this sentence inserting the English word for their picture at the end: My
grandmother went to the market and bought me a [boat]. This is supposed to
be a silly sentence (whose grandma really gets them these things?!). The student
then puts the picture face up on the table. The next student picks a card and says
the sentence with both words at the end: My grandmothera [boat] and a
[kite]. He/she then puts the picture face up next to the other picture. The game
advances with the list of purchases getting longer and more ridiculous. End the
game when you want or the vocabulary cards run out.
Variation: To make it harder, stack the used pictures on top of each other. Students must
remember what order the vocabulary has been said in. If a student makes a
mistake he is out. The game continues until only one player is left.
42
Picture Bingo

Level: beginner
Time: five minutes or less for one round (initial class preparation: 20-50 minutes)
Number of Students: whole class
Aim/Goal: to identify vocabulary
Objectives: students will be able to
Identify pictures of vocabulary words
Materials: paper and markers or crayons
Some kind of markers or playing pieces (beans work well)
Procedure:
Game Preparation: on a piece of paper, have students make a grid of four squares by four
squares or five by five. Write vocabulary words on the board, more than is
needed to fill every square in the grid with a word. Vocabulary should be easy to
draw (animals work well). Write each vocabulary word on a slip of paper and
save them in an envelope. Students should choose vocabulary words to illustrate
on their grid. Each square should have one picture. The picture should clearly be
a single vocabulary word (no sea creatures that could be a fish or a whale) and
they cannot write any English words on the grid.
Playing the Game: the teacher picks one slip with a vocabulary word on it from her
envelope and says the word to the class. Students look for a picture of the word
on their boards. If they have the picture they should mark it with a bean. Play
continues until one student has a full row of beans and shouts BINGO! The
student should then tell the teacher the vocabulary they have in a row and the
teacher can double check to make sure all the words were called before declaring
the student the winner. The class then clears their boards and they can play a new
game.
43
Sorting Vocabulary

Level: beginner
Time: 10 minutes
Number of students: small groups, around 5
Aim/Goal: to learn specific vocabulary
Objectives: students will be able to
Understand vocabulary
Organize vocabulary into categories
Materials: household furniture vocabulary written on slips of paper
envelopes with rooms of the house written on them
Procedure: Students mix up the vocabulary slips. One student chooses a slip. If he/she
knows which room the furniture goes in, he puts it in the envelope saying, The
bed goes in the bedroom. If he doesnt know, he can ask his classmates for help,
Where does the bed go? Students take turns until all slips have been sorted.
Variation: This activity can be done with almost any vocabulary. Food sorted into
different groups (fruit, vegetables, grains, sweets, milk, meats) works especially
well.
44
The Name Game

Level: intermediate
Time: 30 minutes
Number of Students: whole class
Aim/Goal: to practice describing people
Objectives: students will be able to
Describe people so that they are identifiable
Speak and think quickly
Materials: blank slips of paper
Procedure: Give the class several minutes to write the names of people they all know on
individual slips of paper. Obviously, many of the names will be celebrities but
they can also be people in the school or local community or people from history
and current events. Put all the slips in a bag and divide the class into two teams.
The first student from the first team has 60 seconds to pick a slip of paper from
the bag and describe the person. When the team guesses, they should pick
another slip so that the team guesses as many as possible within the time limit.
Each identity correctly guessed is a point for that team. Then the second team
gets a turn. Play continues until all students have had a turn to describe people in
the bag. The team with the most points wins.
45
Two Truths and a False

Level: Intermediate
Time: 15-20 minutes
Number of Students: groups or as a whole class
Aim/Goal: to practice writing sentences about oneself
Objectives: students will be able to
Differentiate between a true and a false statement
Write true and false statements about themselves
Recognize a false statement about someone else
Materials: none
Procedures: Individually, each student should write three sentences about his/herself.
The sentences can be about anything or they can have a theme (Christmas, things
you did over summer vacation, food). Two of the sentences should be true and
one should be false. They can be in any order but dont let the other classmates
know which one is false. The false statement should not be too obvious
students want to trick their classmates into thinking that the false sentence is true.
Students then take turns reading their sentences while the rest of the group or
class tries to guess which one is false.