An Introduction to

Teaching English
to children
Practical Ideas

Language learning & Language acquisition

L1 is acquired and L2 is learned.
This is because we understand that the
first language is acquired through
experience while the second language
usually comes with formal teaching.

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The order of acquisition

We

present the language orally; the child listens

then ask the children to reproduce the language orally; the child speaks
then present language in the written form; the child reads
finally ask then to reproduce this language in a written form; the child
writes

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Learning English

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English pronunciation

Most vowels can be pronounced in two or more ways and brought together
in different combinations, they form different sounds.

20 different vowels sounds, all produced by just five letters

There are many consonant combinations which produce different sounds

e.g. th can be // (as in think) or // (as in this)

Silent letters, in words ending in -e, such as take and hope; -b such as
comb and lamb

English does not use accent to show where a word should be stressed

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English structure

At primary levels we are usually concerned with simple structures, such as

basic verb tenses, adjective/noun combinations, prepositions and so on.
They should be very limited and should be practised and recycled
continually

Structure should not be taught independently from the whole language

context, e.g. the possessives (Demonstrations)

Our ultimate aim in the classroom is to teach our students effective

communication

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Motivation

An important element of successful teaching is knowing how to

motivate your students.

The main motivation for language learning has to be the desire to

communicate.

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Methods and Approaches

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Total physical response - TPR

It is based upon the way that children learn their mother tongue.
Parents have 'language-body conversations' with their children, the
parent instructs and the child physically responds to this.

It allows the students to move and react meaningful to language

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Steps in TPR

The teacher starts by saying a word ('jump') or a phrase ('look at the board') and
demonstrating an action.

The teacher then says the command and both, the students and the teacher do the action.

The teacher says the command and the students do the action.

The teacher asks the student to do the action.

After repeating a few times it is possible to extend this by asking the students to repeat the
word as they do the action.

When they feel confident with the word or phrase you can then ask the students

to

direct each other or the whole class.

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TPR can be used to teach and

practice many things

Vocabulary connected with actions (smile, chop, headache, wriggle)

Tenses past/present/future and continuous aspects (Every morning I

clean my teeth, I make my bed, I eat breakfast)

Classroom language (Open your books)

Imperatives/Instructions (Stand up, close you eyes)

Story-telling

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The communicative approach

Language is taught as a tool for communicating.

The focus is more on meaning than on form.

Errors are a natural part of learning

The classroom should provide students with the opportunity to

rehearse real-life situations using natural language

Emphasis on oral and listening development

Language emerges in stages

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The natural approach

Stage 1 Preproduction
Children understand but do not verbalize language. They may respond
not verbally.
Stage 2 Early Production
Children begin to produce familiar words or short phrases.
Stage 3 Speech Emergence
Children have a limited vocabulary and respond in short phrases or
sentences. Students begin to use dialogue and can ask simple
questions
Stage 4 Intermediate Fluency
Children begin to make complex statements, state opinions, ask for
clarification, share their thoughts, and speak at greater length.
Stage 5 Advanced Fluency
Students have developed some specialized content-area vocabulary and
can participate fully in grade-level classroom activities.

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Stage 1

Use of visual aids and gestures

Slow speech emphasizing key words

Do not force oral production

Write key words on the board with students copying them as they
are presented

Use pictures and manipulatives to help illustrate concepts

Use multimedia language role models

Use interactive dialogue journals

Encourage choral readings

Use Total Physical Response (TPR) techniques

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Stage 2

Engage students in charades and linguistic guessing games

Do role-playing activities

Present open-ended sentences

Promote open dialogues

Conduct student interviews with the guidelines written out

Use charts, tables, graphs, and other conceptual visuals

Use newspaper ads and other mainstream materials to encourage

language interaction

Encourage partner and trio readings

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Stage 3

Keep on using the same strategies of stages 1 and 2

Model standard structures of the language

Ask WH questions

Make the students to participate in duet, pair and choral reading

activities.

Write and illustrate riddles

Use explanations and two-step directions.

Avoid public correction

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Task-based learning

Learning is more meaningful if student can focus on completing a

task using the target language rather than concentrating on using
the language correctly.

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Immersion

The best way to learn a language is to be surrounded by it -as much

as possible.

Student participate actively in an English speaking environment

Children are exposed to functional language, which they quickly

learn to understand and respond to with the help of modeling, visual
aids, and contextual clues.

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