_.

-
.
- -
Actiuities (or Very Yo ung Learners

In this Introductio n, w . a im to provide information on the learn ing cha racteristics o f th is age group , How do very yOI
how to creart: an optimallearn ing atmosp her in the d a roo m, and the qu alitic of classroom T he p ychologisl
interaction that supporrch ild ren's Icarn ing p rocesses in a natura í wa y. You will find an outline of o ur interact with the
ed ucational i5ion, indud ing the r aso n w hy we believe that lea rning a foreign langllage early in life­ b y the enviro nnu
with the pro per hel p - can m ake a significa nt contribll tion to the overall development of y llng children. d evelops. The rh t
O ur views on t aching very young learners are based not only on sorne crucial Tesea r h fin d ings, im po rtant ro le 01
bm on o ur Qwn classr oo m exper ience ,classroom observations and discll ssio ns w ith co lleaglles from ' a pple', for exam
a vdfiery oEco untrie . We cnco llr age teachers to becom e conscious of their ow n ed ucatio nal vision adlll.t or older sib
rhrough un de r tan ding c hild lang uage development and child devclo pmenr in genera l. 'ap p le' thatthe el
language quoted
How ;s th;s book structured?
Child: (picks i
T he boo k srarts wirh a eries of practical tips an d suggestions for the very young learner's classro o m
Mum: Sama (
ca lled Tips (or teaching very young learners. T he ti ps are organized into top ie sueh as le so n
Child: Fro c> (p
pl an ning, classroorn manage me nt and observation techniques. They indude practical idea s on how
Mum: Yes, he
besr to han d le the cha llenges that rypically arise in rhe young learners' cla sroom.
T he ma in p a rt of the boo consists of a wide ra nge of p r actical activities for use in the dassroorn. What wecansee
The majority do not requ ire m L1ch preparation, ane! where d rawings or h an douts are needed, m de lling impor!
y u can usua ll)' find them as illustration s ar on separa te photoeopiable pages . T h e handouts and more full y. \X!ood
other ma teri al ca n a lso be d o w nl oa d ed from the dedicated web ite . M a terial which is a va iJable to se ffo ld ing', and
download is marked w irh [he symbol [¡J. in rhe Ia nguage el
A key qualiry il
T he actlvities are organized into eight ch a prer :
W hereas older eh
T Cla ss ro utinc and d a sroom management 5 ns, erafts and d isplays
thro ugh tal ki ng . !
2 M o ement and gamc 6 Exploring the world
to learn ro unders
Songs, c hants an d rh mes fo r topics 7 T hinking-ba sed activiries
A nother featur
4 Sror ies and to rytelling 8 Pronunciation and early literacy.
stage of literae}' di
first letter in ome
About very young learners wo rds they frequé
A lthoug h sorne Vt
What ;s a very young learner?
em ba rking on th
O ur t rm 'very yOllng learners' refe rs to children between the ages of three and se ven, w ho are just
writi ng are not cel
se tting o ut o n their educational jOllrney. T hey are 'till making the transition towards being part of a
gro up and understanding the meaning and structure of their educational life. T hey ma , o r ma)' not
How do very youl
attend sclloo! da ily and many of them have not learn d to rea d in their own language yet.
A ccord ing ro edu
Hum an beings start learning from the moment they are born a nd are naturall y inclined to pu rsue
n aturaJ[y, throug
activiries whieh help rhem ma ke sense of their w orld and their place in ir. P lay is central to this
in tellect to grow a
process, in rh ar a child's desire to be d oing things a nd choice of tasks is directly linked to how and
th a t if we want ro
\ ha t the y need to !earn. Learning at this age includes de veloping fine motor skills (for examplc,
o lve complex pr
pic king things up, colouring and cutting) and gross motor skills (for exarnple, nm ning, throwing
to ols and tools of
and ca tching). For child rcn in rheir early years, rhe huge ta sk of unde rstanding the natura! and
Ia tter are abolltc
social world ' an be overwhelmi ng, without ad ult guidance. We can enhance their play / learning to
too l5 of th e mind i
help thern develo p t heir confidence, co-o rdination, und erstanding of !ogical seque nces and thOllgh t
processc by serring developmenta lly ap p ropriate tasks.

2
 Introdu ctiol1

i age group,
How do very young children start using language?
room
Th e psychologist Jean Piaget stresses the idea th a t very yo ung children are active learners. T hey
~t1ine of our
interact vvith the world around them, and learning occurs beca use they want ro solve prob lems posed
~ e3r1y in life­
by rhe environment. Th is is how a child's thinking is formed, and this is how a need to use la nguage
young childrl'll.
Jevelops. T he theories of the developmental psychoJogist Lev Vygorsky go furth er: they stress the
reh find ings,
importa nt role of social inttraetion and language in the chil d's d evclopment. W hen a ehild says
plleagues from
' a pp le' , for example, this one word represents a w hoJe sentence. It is through the interactíon with an
lonal vision
adult or older sibling - through the child li stening to a fluent speaker 's response to their utterance
'appJe ' that the child is Jearning language. T his is illustrated in an au thentic exampJe of chil d-ca regiver
language quoted in Peccei (1999, p.100):

Child: (picks up red bean bag in shape ofa frog) Santa Clalls.
r'Sc1 assroom Mum: Santa Claus ? That's a frog, hone)'. T hat's not Santa Cla us. That's a fro g. A red frog.
lessrm Child: Frog (points to frog on car) . Sits.
'Cieas on how
Mum: Yes, he's sitting d own. T hat's right.

e classroom. Wha t w e can see from the example aboye is how the adult almost'spea ks f Of th e chiJ d', th us
eded, modelling imp orta nt langu age . Th e mother says what the child migbt say iI she coul d ex p ress herse lf
dours an d more fu ll y. Wood , Bruner and Ross (1976) call th e support the ehild gets th ro Llgh such interve ntio n
clvailable to 'scaffolding', and we will see below how the experienced language teacher can use a sim ila r rechni que
in the language classroom to extend what the child is a ble to sa y.
A ke y qua lit y in child development is the intim ate relationship between tb inkin g and talk ing .
Whereas older child ren have learned to think before they ta lk, very young ch ild ren form ,heir id eas
through talking. For them, speech is a way to actually work out what is in their mi nds, and helps them
to learn to und erstand it.
Another feature of the way very yOllng learners start llsing la ng uage is t hat they are at an early
y.
stage of literacy d evelopment. Sorne may recognize a few letters - th ose found in th eir name or the
nrst letter in some familiar words. Sume may also have learned to read a few words in a holi ~t i c way ­
words they fr equently see in their surro undings, such as the nam e of t heir favouri te brea kfas t cerea l.
Although some very young children's reading skills ma y be more developed, they a re still onJ y just
cmbarki ng on the exciting journey of making sense oI the writtcn word. T his mea ns that reading and
I'ho are just
writing are not central to the learning process in the way they will be in larer yea rs.
eillg pan of a
" ormay not How do very young learners develop cognitively?
et,
Acco rding t o educational philosopher Kieran Ega n (1997), a pcrson's intell ectua I growth happens
led to pursue
naturally, through certain developments deeply rooted in Ol!r cultural histor y. In o rder for a child's
I to this
intelJect to grow appropriately, rhe development of certai n 'cognit ive too ls' is essenti a l.lt is obvÍous
o how and
th at if we want to cut a wooden board in half we need a saw - a physical tool. Likcw ise, if we w anr ro
~xa mple,
sol ve co mp lex problems we need 'tools of the mind '. But th e fund amental d ifference between physica l
.thro wing
tools and tools of the mind is th a t the former help us to ma nip ula re the world around us, w hile the
Iral and
Jatter are about eontrolling ourselves, our body, our thinkjn g a nd o ur emotiuns. T he a bi liry to use
/ lea rning to
tool s of the mind is an important stcp on the way towards lea rn ing sacialJ y accepta bl e behav ioU1".
alld thou ght

3
Activities far Ve ry Young Learnets

Be[ow are a few of the build ing bJoc ks of [ang uagc that form impo rtant cognitive too[s in earl y Evidence ro
ch ild development and that - a s we wil! See later- are importa nt reaching tools in rhe English like1i hood, it is
language ciassroom roo: to the new iang
1i ke comperenq
Rhythm and rhyme coun tr)'. M ean
In pre-literate days peop le had the abiliry ro remember rexts of sometimes epic [ength . R hythm and p rocess for thel
rhyme w ere important m nemonic devices in rhis p rocess of rememb ring. l n o ur mod ern age ir is til! becoming fully
thro ugh rh ythm a nd rh me th a r ch ildren start r em ember ing ch u nl s of la nguage. T hey also experience Butwha tab\
enormous joy thro ug h repea ted ly hearing (and later joining in with) the rhythms and rhymcs o f w o rds, not as i~
language . Ex posure ro and playing with rhythm and rhyme help children deve10p an understanding of kindergartens e
t he patterns o f la ng uage (sound pa rtcrns first) and a1so form cognitive too1s th ey wil11ater need for rhe en viro nment fr
understandin g o f structures. Rece nt studies
com o learn '
Images and imaginative thinking held belief thar
For young chi1dren , rhere is often no bord erline between rea1ity and imagination . For exa mp 1e, if the c hild r n, and c.
teacher uses a hand puppet in ciass, a four year-01d recognizes that it is a puppet, and yct as soon as the integrated into
puppet sta rts 'tal k ing ' (with the help of rhe teacher), the c h ild reacts ro it as if it were alive. effects on chi1d
Such imaginative processes lea d ro the crearion of images in rhe child's mind. Understandi ng oral important com
language n or onl y requi res rhe knowl edge of words, but also the abiliry ro create and use mental
imag . There is ciear evidc nce rhar 1ea rners who are at ease wirh creating 10ts of images while Is there a criti,
li ste ning to a srory, for example, remember more 1anguage from it. T he o bservatio
o ften strugg1e t
Storytef/ing so-ca lled Critic
Stories pla y an essential role in the cognitive deve10pment of children. T he srory form is so rnething fo r eign bngua~
peop[e enjo in all cultu res. However, relli ng storics in cia s , as well as entertaining children, helps hwn ans are un.
them deve1 p an und erstanding of the w orld and their o'vvn life experiences. Stories communicate l ntensive res,
inforrnation a nd Jt rh e a me time help us ro understand how we fee1 about it. Tha t'. w hy they are suc h agree that age l'
a powerfu1 fo r m of language . Engaging very young children with stories is a time-honoured rradition prio d isrs, o
which hold s a central place in their language 1earning. An alternati l
la nguage. T hi
Smaff talk whjc h are diffic
For the ver}' you ng, learning to engage in small ralk is not just about getting used ro an exc ha nge of p hono1ogy ()f L
linguistic forrn ali ties.lt is an important building block of cognitive deve10pment, a nd it has a key che successfol a
social function for the chi1d. Learning to pa rticipa te success ful1y in small talk strengthens the child's form ation (knc
self-concepr a nd gives him / her a fee1ing of security and acceptance in socicty. Be ing a ccepted by thcir w a y to explain
tea ch er and cl assmates is an extremely important t'x¡)erience for the chile! , and at the same time it is a the language (SI
precondition for developing social relationships and friendships. O f COLme, th
target language
What fs the best age for learning another language? leamers' matur
Fo1k wi sdo m has it that the earlier a chi1d starts 1earning a ncw language the better, and often , fr o m such as li mited
their own personal ex perience, parents can see the advantages o f 1earning a language from a very F i nall)'. it sh(
young age. T here is the perception that children's brains are more elastic and oren, since they appear w ho are learnir
ro be a ble ro pick up languages from birth onward s. errors that OCCL

4
 IntroducÚon

~ rool5 in early Evidenee to support this belief is often ba sed on studies involving immigrant fam ilies. l n all
. e English lik elihood, it is the youngest members of an imrnigrant family that will succeed in adapting perfeet ly
to the new language environment. It usu al ly takes them just a couple o f years to develop native­
like com petence in the new language, and they seem ro assimilate with ease the cultu re of the ta rget
counrry. M eanwhile, learning the la nguage of their adopted eo untry seems a much m ore fru strating
lth. Rhythm and process for their grown-up relatives. The oJder they a re, the grea ter their chances of failing at
r)dern age i t is sti 11 becoming fully-functioning members of their new speech community.
be)' also expe rience But what a bout child renlearning a new langu age in a more formal environment, in oth er
~d rhymes of words, not as imm igrants to a countr)' where the language is spoken but in their own co unt ry, in
lnunde r5tan ding of kind ergartens or pre-school groups? T hese groups are embedded in a different langu age, culture a nd
.lllaree nerd for th e enviro nment from the new language the children are learning. Tha t is a different story altogether.
Recenr srudies have challenged th e idea that very young learners ha ve a cognitive advantage when it
comes ro learn ing another lan guage in t hese circumstances. These studies cast doubt on the widely­
held belief that one or two lesson s a week can replicate the immcrsion experience of immigrant
;or exa mple, if the children, a nd can ,lead to comparable lea rning outcomes. N evertheless, if language learn ing is
Id re! as 500n as the integra ted into the overall curriculum and carri ed out as naturally as p o ssibJ e, it ca n have positive
ealive. effects 011 children's attitudes to lea rn in g English in t hei r subsequent education. T hi:; ma kes an
derstanding oral impor tant contribution to their lifel ong learning.
Id use mental
lages while Is there a critical period for language learning?
The observation that young ch ildren are at ease with learning la nguages , whi le teens and adults
often struggle to achieve a good level of proficiency in a new langu age, led to the develop ment of the
so -called Critica! Period Hypoth esis (CPH ). The hypoth cs is claims that the best pe riod for lea rning a
rm is somerhing Oreignlan g uage is between the ages of approxirnately 2. and 12., a nd th ar due to neurologica l ch anges,
(hildren, helps huma ns are unable to learn a foreign language to native-speaker stand a rd after the onset of puherty.
; communicate Intensive research has been carried out on the CPH since it was fi rst pro posed . Although schol ars
's wh)' they are such agree tha t age h as an influence on language learning, there is no agrecment on wh ether a critical
onoured tradition period exists, or on how age actually influences language lea rning.
An alternative hypothes is is that there is not just one but seve ral critical perio ds for learning
langu age . This is due ro the fact th at linguistic competence consists of various asp ects, o11ly sorne of
which are difficult to acquire as we becom e older. According to thi s view, inpu t on the s)'ntax Jnd
, <1 n exchange of phonology of la nguage needs to be pro vid ed befo re a certain 'door' in a child 's brai n closes. HQwever,
nd ir h 3S a key the successful acqui rement of other aspects of a la ngu:1ge, such as lexis and r ules govern ing word
gthens the chjld 's formation (known as morphology ), ma y be ¡ess d epend ent on age factors. T his hypothesis goes sorn e
g accepred b), thejr wa y to expl a in \V hy adults a re likel y to be a ble to lea rn qu ite complex vocabulary, w hil e other a reas of
J(' same time it is a the la ng uage (such as grammar a no phonol ogy) rn a)' ca use them problems.
f co urse, t here a re examp Jes of adu lt learners who do nor m an age to bu ild up a soli d lexicon in the
target lallguage, or w ho have p ro blems wíth morphology. Alth ough this can o ften be exp laín ed by the
learners' ma ture age and subseq uent merno ry Joss, there may be other reasons Wl related to bíology,
and ofte n, from such as li mited input, insurncient moti vatíon, a nd time comm itments [O work, family and so on.
~e from a very Fi nally, it should be no ted th at desp ite differe nces in their rates of Ica rning, both chi ldren and adul t
since they appear who are learning a second language make many o f the same omissioD,s ubstitution, an d misplacement
errors that occur in the acquisition o f their own language. These crrors are a n orma l pan of [be

5
Activities lor Very Young Learners

developmenra l process a nd occur in fi rst language deve lo pment as well as io seeond languagc The most imp
developm nt. Errors, therdore, hould be vicwed less as evidenee of bi lure and more as indicato rs expcr'ience, full 01
of devclopment. i rhe c1assroom.
ae ompa nymg 111'
Can only ehíldren aequire perfect pronunciation in a second language? the fi r t wob bl} n
Alth ugh rhe re are some well -documented cases of acllllrs who started to learn a foreign la nguage in indept:ndent futu
upper seconda ry school or later and managed ro achieve rhe performance level of nari e peak ers, rhis
proficiency in pronu nciarion seems ro be a fairly exceprional phenomenon amongsr adulr learne r .
Our educatiol
A numbe[ of empirica l studi e con fir lll \-vh ar tcac hers oE young karners have Erequently observed:
children a re usually more Sllccessful in learning rhe pronuncia rion oEa ncw language rhan adulrs. How can we ere¡
Bel w , Ol! wi ll fi.
Should very young learners be taught reading and writing in another language? Teaching tioH
When we rcach Engl ish ro very young children, we narurally concentrare on speaking ancl li rening successfu l lan
kills. But whar abour reading and writing ? Although rhey are ofren considered skil L berrer lefr L1mil Bur evm if rin
larer in education, rhere are sorne important iss ues ro keep in mincl when deciding if you wi ll ind ude the quality of
lirera cy cle velopment in your d as . inte raerion in
We comm unicare and share a wealrh of informarion rhrough rhe writren form of language. 2 A teacber wit l

Om en iro nmenr is fi lled with rext: on rhe srreets where ,ve live and shop, on rhe packaging of rhe ro ta lk to chi!1
proclucrs we buy and rhe books papers and screens we rea d. The reasons for readíng and wriring are requíres great
many and var ied, bur ar rhe hear r of ir all is comm unicarion. 3 A teacber mt'
Child ren are su rroundecl by rex r io a si mil ar way. Even befo re rhey a re readiog or writing, rhey are oE emparhy v.
involved in 'lireraey even rs ', such as sendiog a birrhday card to a friend, helping to make a shopping essenri al forr
list, wa rching rhe ope ning [ides oE their favourire earroon or being read ro fro m a picrure book . nd in 4 A methodolo
rhis day and age, rhe rext rhar surrounds children IS often Fnglish. processes. Th
Ir ranels to reason rh ar children are in general comforrable wirh seeing sym hols, words and signs new languagé
rhar rhey ha ve not yer learned ro decipher. There is no reason why rheir ng lish classroom should rOLlch and me
nor re flec t the real world hy also being a rexr-rich environment. La bels on Su pplies (penáIs. glue. in Total rhy i
paper) , signs (Story comer; \Y/hat's the weather like today?) and projecr rides (The life cycle ofa frog; remembe r be'
Recycling) are a great way ro indicate differenr areas routine aeriviries and eurrenr topies wirhour S The right le t
pu tring pres" ure on chilclren to actually understan d rhe words rhemselves. the leamers' I
Wh at we are providing is a comfortable and safe environmenr thar includes English rex t. We also ar, anime.
do rhi s when we read ro children from sro ry boo ks wirh picrures or lcr rhem loo k through book 6 Meaningful t
in a reading comer, or whe n we play videos of songs wirh words and sentences appearing ün rhe dev lopment
screen. Wha t tbis ki nd of ex posure do s nor provi ele, howevc r, is an undersranding oE rhe relationship 7 A teacher wh
betw en rhe Engli h alphaberie symbols and rhe sounds rhey mosr often represento language rrlal
T he explici r teaching of rhe relationship berween lerrers and rheir sounds has beco me more can both anri
common in rhe very young lcamer's classroom rhese days and, if done in rhe spirit of play, ir can occ ur.
ade! sigoifican t informaríon ro ch ildren 's early lireraey developmcnt. Ir provides rh m w irh so me
unders rand ing of rhe proeess of reading and gives rhem praeriee in saying and heariog rhe phonemes Howcanwema
more d ea rly. There i. ome evidence rhar learning rhe sounds ar rhe beginning and end of wo rd s also An etlec rive app
helps children ro undersrand rhe spoken language, since rhey can break a sentence dow n and hea r the of key buildin t CJ

ind ividual words through a process kllown as 'edging'. FinaIly, many ehildre n are very kecn ro read fram ework foc ti
and ir is a sha me ro hold rhem baek when they are ready ro do so . teach ing techniq

6

Ind !anguage
fl orE' as ind icators
oreign langu age in
f native speak crs, thi s
st adul r lea rners.
uently o bserved:
lage than adults.
age?
~in " and listenin g
~ il l s better !eft wl til
g if )" Ol! will include
of language.
packaging (lf the
\mg and writing a re
or writin g, they are
élmake a shoppi ng
picture book.A nd in
words and signs
assroom should
:5 (pená/s,g/uc,
e life cycle ofa fro g;
nt topics with out
Igli sh tex toWe al so
through books
'pearing OIl the
g of the rela ti onship
t.
,reo me more
t of pla y, it can
hem vvirh some
n ing the pho nemes
:i ends oE words a Iso
clown a Il e! hear th e
, very kee n ro read
Tntroductíolt
T he most importa nr rhing ro keep in mind is that lea rn ing to read a nd write shou ld be a p leas urabk
ex per ience, full of fun and games. Ir should ne vcr be th r LI st ur on the ch il d as a test oEtb eir adequacy
in the c1 ass room. Chil drc n's first attempts at decoding w ords (even if th ey a iT heavily supported by
accom panying images or if they a re la rgely the result oE learning so mething by hea rt), w gethcr \Vith
the first wobbl y ma rk s they m ake on paper, should be cel enra ted a s a step t owards a litera te and
in dependent future.
Our educational vision of teaching English to very young learners
How can we create the best learning environment for the very young?
Belo w yo u will find seven p re requi sites Eor a n o ptimu m lang uage learning en vi ro nl11 en t:
I TeachLog time and t eaching quality. An earl )' lang uage p rogra mme rhar a im s to facilita re
success full ang uage acquisi tion requi res in rensiv e exp os ure ro tile lan g uage, a nd this requ ires rime.
But even if time is lim ited, the la nguage lea rning experience can still be morivating fo r the learne rs;
the qua/it)' of the lea rn in g experience can be optimized ro ensure ma ximu m engagement and
interaction in the cla ssro o m.
2 A teacher w itb an e.xccllent command of the target lang uage. T he teacher mu st have the a bil ity
ro talk to children in a na tura l way, and to a d apt bis o r her la ngu age to the chil dr en 's needs. T his
requires grea t f1 exibility in the ta rget Ia ng uage.
3 A [eacher with an ionate understanding of how young child ren ¡eam in natural ways. Th is kind
oE empathy wi th the Icarner is important in any kind oE educa tio n a l contex t, but "V e:" believe ir's
essential fu r tea chi ng ca rl y lea rners.
4 A metbodology that engages tbe learner as a whole person through multi-scosory leaming
processcs. Thi s mea ns that the children do not just watch a nd listen ro the tea cher p resenting th e
new langua ge, and la ter r epeat what they ha ve lcarned .T bey cngage w ith rhe language tb ro ug h
to uch an d m ovem ent at the sam e time as rh ey are usin g their sig ht and hcari ng, as, fo r ex a mple
in Tota l Ph ysi cal Response activities (see C ha pter 2 ).l n such a classr o o lll cult ure, lea rners will
remem ber better wha t th ey a re learning. N o time is wasted o n ex p li cit g rammar exp!ana tionv.
5 T he right level of challenge.ln a lea rn ing culture, th e leve! of cha llen ge m ust be in proponia n to
t he lea rn ers' prior k nowledge a nd th e skills rhey a lrea dy ha ve. L1 such an el1viro nme nr, learn ers
are, a t ti mes, pu shed ro the limits o f tbei r p resent competencc.
6 MeaningfuJ tasks, w h ich e ngage lea rne rs emotion a ll )' a nd can contribute to theír cogni t ive
devclopment.
7 A teacher who can speak rhe Icarners' own laoguage prollciently.lf :tll th e lcarners sha re a fi rs t
lan guage th a r is di fierent from th e teacher's, the reacher needs to spea k theie language, so th ar dl ev
ca n both a nticipate co m p rchensi o I1 p ru blems an d pro vid e o n-rhe-spo t support, shou ld proble ms
occu r.
How can we make the teaching of English to very young learners effective?
An cfEective appro ach to the teachi ng of Eng lish to very yo u ng lea rners w ill be ba sed O!1 a n umber
of key bu il d ing block s or pri ncipIes o f teach ing. The sevcn p r incip Ies be low ser ve a s the underl yin g
fra m ework for t he ac ti viri es in the l11 a in p art o f thi s book . T hey a re reflected in t he m et ho do logy, the
reachin g tec hniqu es a nd t he strateg ies sugges ted in the activities.
7
Activities for Ver)' Y oung Learners

1 Oevelop thinking skills. T he way th

Aecordi ng to Vygo tsky 's a p p roach ro ea rly bildhood e lueation, children learn how ro use too ls of rhe the new la ngu3
mind fr o m ad u lrs. Bur rhe tool., are not jusr h andecl clown - they need to be fa cilitated, or 'scaffolded' na tura l as PO $S
in the shared socia l sp ac berween ad ul t and child . T he earl y language learning das. room is a n ideal rhar it b ec o me~
place for rhis devel o pme nt of rhi nki.ng ski li s. in pa ren ts, gra r
If, afrer a TPR (Tota l Ph vs iea 1R esp o nse) acrivity, four-year-old Olivia srarts rolling around on la nguage. T h }
the flo or wllile rh e resr of the class is standing in a cirele waiting for instrucrions from rhe tea cher, talking whieh i
O livia doesn 't ye r ha ve the r ight eognitive tools ro help her focus on rhe task. So the reac her w il l now us a do pt \ hen
hel p her fo liS (thro ugh scaffolding ), by pointing a r orher childr en and saying, for example , Loo k at fo reigner talk .
Emily. She's standing still. Look at Emma. Sh e is standing stil!. A nd look at Freddie. He is standing H o wever,m
stil!, too. And now look at yo urself You are standing still, t oo. Very good, Olivia. Ver)! good. We 're al! ela bora tlo l1 , 11
standing stil!. images Or reaii
Wha t ha ppen s in rhe shared pa ce between reac her and learner will become auto rnatic after sorne chec king C() Ill P
ti me, bur the reacher's role in th a t p rocess is vitally importanr. He or she ob se rves rhe ehild a nd models
rhe be ha vio ur req uired as rhe nexr step in rheir develo pment. T he reacber uses gesmres , symb ols, 3 Go beyor
images, gentl to uch (cu lture permitting ), and so on, to mediare or remind the child of rhe des ired C hi Idre n love i
beh avi o ur. C hildren rhar get su ch support regu larly will gr adually k a rn ro do indepe ndenrly an d children to spe.
confid en tly the things they coul d o nly iniri311y do with help from an a dult. what eir tea e
In rhe exa m ple of d assroom language abo ye, rhe rea cher faeilitJres :1 child" insigh t into the kind lea rne rs make I
of bc havio ur tha t w o rks best in a ce rtain situarion. In similar w ays, we C3n help ehildren make m o re Pa re nts oftel
of rhe cng nitive reso urces rhey bring ro th e class roo m . Based on rhe beli ef rhat 'what a child can the y a re a ble te
do with hcl p roday rhe y wi ll be a ble ro do independently romorro w,' we can help c hildren become language as SOl
famil iar wirh imporra nt conceprs SLlc h as number, size, shape and space, a nd g radu a lly help rhem th ings rhar the~
buil c! a coherent model ()f the world . T here is a whole ehaprer in rhe book (Chapter 7: T hink il1g-based C hi ldren wil
activities, pages 173 -194) w ith ide as on how ro do this. in p ut ro grab ti
t he characret v
2 Pro vide optimal input. al o ng when rhE
Since the w r ir ten represe nta tion of rhe new language is less accessible to very young learners, sO llnd i' eool cl1am will
e Tremel y importa nt a nd a rrractive to them . Ar rhi s age a g reat deal of langu age lea rning ra kes p la e s mgtng o r 'ayIt
through oral and visua l acrivi ties - srories , songs , chants, rh ymes , images and rea li a - and thro llgh Anorher key
gesrure and movements, including games with simple rules. c hatter boxes al
As mentí ned earlier, t here is clear evicl ence th a r children lea rn a new la nguage bes r when rhey are is fa irl y predict
immersed in ir; rha r is when their parents ha ve emigrared to a new country a nd the children lea rn s irua rio ns, spq
the language from their en vironment of frien ds, ne ighbours, reachers a nd orhers using the la ngll agc p utti ng r11e rn r
naru ra ll y. Sch ools can never torall y emulare such a situarion . H owever, we beli eve rha r ir is poss ib le in targ t language
no n-im mersio n educa rional eontexrs ro creare conc!itio ns rh a r rurn langu age learni ng for very young in a very natu r:
learners into a mea ningful and successful acrivity. va lua bte skill r j
O u r hclief is based on perso na l ex pe rienee, a nd 011 reaching we have seen in pre-schools in m a ny Qualiry of in
cOl1n tries a rounJ rhe worlcl . Adm ittedly, thi s quality of teaching, where childr n ofren ha ve ten or Jearning ro be
more hours of English a wee k, is m o re often found in privare pre-sc hool s or kind erga rten lang uage physica l and s
programmes lh a n in state educarional contex rs. Eut we ha ve come aeross rhis qualiry of teaehing simply a cognit
quite freq uently in privare school s in cou ntries sueh as 5pa in, Tur ke y, R uss ia, C hina, Sourh Korea and gesture, voice a
va rioL s co untries in La rin and Centra l America. and rake orhe r

8
 Jntrodllction

The way rh e tea cher interacts witl1 th e ehildren is crucial ro how rhey lea m to inte ract in a lld w irh
¡ IVto use tools of the tfle new language. In order to make the lan guage learning experience as meaningful, enjovablc an d
~ ted , or 'scaffold ed' natura l as possibl e, reachers need to adapr rhe language they use ro ta lk ro their pupils in such a way
m room is an idea l thar ir beco mes compre hen sible. T his req uires thc teacher ro develop an abilit y thar we o ften observe
in pa rents, gra ndparents or other adult famil y members talking to vcry )'ou ng ch ild ren in th eir own
ling aroune! on
language . T hey intuitively scem ro 'get ir right', so that children can und ers tand th em . Ir is a w al' of
om the teach er,
ta lk ing w hich is sometimes known as 'morherese' or 'caregiver talk', and it is a ta crie thar many of
e teacher wil! now
liS ado pt when talking to peo ple who are less co mpetent rhan we are: "ve use wha r 15 often ca Ll ed

' exampl e, Look at foreign er talk.

ie. He is standing owever, mocl ified intel'acrion need nor always involve linguistíc simplifica ti on. Ir may include
Vei')i good. \Ve 're all elabora río n, slo wer speech rate, usín g gesture and p rovidi ng ad dirion al contextua 1 cues such .1S
im nges ol' realia . T here are various oth er examples of teacher srraregies which mod iE)' inpu t, sllch as
~omatic after so rne checking comprehcnsion, clarification of req ucsts and self- reperition or para ph rasing.
tbe child and rnode) s
[rmes, sy mbols, 3 Go beyond an input-output model of leaming.
Id of the desired hi ldl'en 10ve imitaring what rhey see and hear, and im itarion is a Rrst importa nt means of getting
.• penden tl l'a nd children to sp eak. Lea rning a language successfully, rhough, is nor just about th e chil drcn p arrori ng
wh at rheix teachers sayoUsing a language su ccessfully is about being creat ive with it- and we can hclp
,ight into rhe kind learners make nrst steps towa rd s this by going beyond a mere input-outp ut moJel o f learn ing.
hild ren make more Parents often measure the quality of their childrcn's langLlage lea rnin g by tl1e amount ot language
hat a child can they are able ro prod uce. Sma l! wonder then, that teach ers wa nt ro get chil d ren ro learn to speak the
ch ildren become language as soon as p oss ible, Rrst by imitating what they hear ;1I1d t!len by gra duallv learning ro say
lually help thcm thin gs that they want to sa)' for rhemselves.
'er 7: Thinking-based bild ren willlove imi taring anything that enga ges thern emotion aJl y. Hence, the capaciry of the
input ro gra b their attention is vital. Fo r exampl e, jf chi ldren love a stor y th ey hear th ei r teacher te ll, or
¡he cha rac ter voices th ey hear on an audio recordin¡i. of a story, th ey are more likely to stan speak iog
along when th e teac her next revis es the story with them. Likewise, a catchy tune oc the rhy thm of a
ng Icarners, sound is ((lol cham will help childre n re member impowll1t chu nk s o f lau gu age more easill', and they wil l love
earning takes place ~ jng ing or say ing th e words themselves.
lia - and through Another key poínt tha t helps young child ren ro deve lop th ei!' spea king ski lls is tha t rhey are often
ch atterboxes and they love to engage in smal! talk. In both child and adul t conversatioll, Slllall ra lk
. bcc;r when rbey are is fairly predictable (for eXél mpl e, Henu are you? I'm fin e, thanks.). In othel' w ords, in sl1lall ta lk
le children lea rn si tuatiol1s , spea kers oEten use ' formulaíc' or 'prefa hricated ' language, rather rhan creating Lllre rances bv
lIsing the Ianguage putting rhcm rogether word by word . So, if the teacher regularl), engages their pup il s in small ta Ik in the
etiJa t it is possi ble in t<1rget language, they learn to pick up important chu nks of language, ancl grad ually leam ro be 'chattr'
ning for very young in a very natura l a nd use ful way. Aod not jLlst in tl1e mrgrt language: sorne eh ildren wil! trans fer this
va luable skil! te rheir own la ngua ge, helping them bec ome more socia ble and ba lanu:d indi vid uals.
e-schools in many Qua lity of input plays an im portanr role in the reaching-lea rning process, bur in order for rhe
:-> ften have ten or learn ing to be successfu l we need ro look beyond an input-ou rpur model. We !leed to investiga te rhe
ergarten langu age physical and social dyn amíc$ of rh e very yo ung !carners' classroom 0 11 the gro un ds rhat learn íog is nor
ality of tea cbíng simply a cognitive process but is siruatc cl in its sOl: ial context, and is p hysica ll y 'ern bodíed ' through
,na, South Korea an d gesturc, voice and movemen t. Acco rcl ing ro rhí s view of lang uage learning, we necd ro broade n om focu
and take other facrors in to considera tíon : factors w hich can be defi ned as embodimcnt, embedding and

9
Actiuities fOI" Very Young Leamcrs

extensi on . 7e need to look at how tcacher and p u pils are organizing their interaction usi ng gestures, lt's fas 'nati
eh thm, bod y m ovcments, and even teaching materials in tandem with their spoken langua¿e. a Ou[ [ pla
t he tea ber I
The following is an extract from a Iesson in a pre-primary class of three and four year-olds that Al rh, ugl
Herbert had the pleasure and the privilege ro observe at the ABe private language school in the mu i ',si
Hong Kong: bctwt:en tca
The teacher is pointing at a picture in a book.1t shows a smiling girl, with an apple and a piece of O ne key
cake in front of her. mu tual min
teachcr rakt
Teacher: Look at the girl here. (The teacher points at the picture.)
her a sense (
Is she ha ppy or sad?
she w anr~ te
Children: Happy!
Teacher: She's so happy! Do you think she likes apples? The example a
Childrcn: Yeso c1assroom inte
Teacher: Yes, yes, yes! (The teacher is speaking rhythmically, using her hands to support the scaffold it. Thl
rhythm of the language with a circular movement.) and facilitatín¡
Do you think she likes cake? (The teacha repeats the hand gestures.) be able to rcao
word sentence
Children: (Sorne children are mirroring the teacher's hand gestw·es.) Yes, yes, yes!

In fact, there is very little language 'production' in this scene of embodied interaction. The 4 Teach gr
children are basically reacting to what the teacher says by echoing her words. But it is through There is no pO I
the way the teacher uses gestures and body movement, and through the way the pupils mirror the cognitive e
her beha viour and echo her language that they 'co-construct' the interaction in the classroom. discriminate h
T he teacher prompts the learners' first reaction (HaNry!) by pointing at the picture and asking naturally for v
vvhether the girl is happy or sad. She has introduced the word happy in a previous lesson appropriate e
but assumes that her pupils wil! not yet be able to recalI it, so she has decided ro scaffold the Children 1
pupils' language by offering them a choice of t\Vo possible answers (Is she happy al' sad?). This language, not t
strategy allows her pupils to say more in rhe target language than they would be able to without
the scaffolding. Th la s .1r
This is what follo\vs, and agail1 an analysis of the interaction should focus 011 the nu mber + 111
multimodality of the situarion, 110t the language alone:
Teacher:
Teacher: OK, let's listen to the song first. (\'i/hile the teacher is about to start the CD, one C hi ldren
of the children stands up and tries to go past the teacher towards the free space in Teachcr:
front of the board.)
Al! righr, Linda, can you sit down again, please?
Linda: No! Childre
Teacher: (laughing) No?
(Linda laughs too, and carries on moving towards the space, swayíng slightly. )
Teachcr: Ah! You want to dance. (The teacher mimes dancing.)
Do you want ro dance?
Linda: Yes! Dance!
Teacher: Dance. Good girl. You want ro dance.

lO
 lntrodu ction

i n uSlllg gesrures \r's fascinaring ro warch how rhe inreraction unfol ds. As 500n as rhe girl norices rhar rhe teacher is
nlanguage. abour ro pla y a song, she gers up and moves towards a free space in rhe c1assroom. T his is él space
rhe reacher has previollsly encollraged h er pupils ro use for dancing "vhile a so ng wa s playi ng.
Our year-olds rhar Al though Linda doesn'r luve rhe language ro ler rhe reacher know rhar she wants ro dance to
nguage school in rhe l11usic, she fir m ly says ' N o!'. We can sense how the inreraction i!'; embedded in rbe social space
berween reacher and p upil.
pple and a piece o f ne key aspect of rhe inreracrion is rhe amount of rapport building rhar ha ppens t hro ugh rhe
mutual mirroring of body movement and echoing of languagc. Thi s assmes rhe learner tha r rhe
reacher rakes her seriously in spire of her inability ro full y exp ress whar she wanrs ro 5ay.lt give
her a sense of being understood by the teacber. 1r assures her thar her [eacher is inte rested in wba r
she wanrs ro communicare, and helps her to succeed in the end.

The example above, from a very young learn ers' cl assroom, shows rhe comp lex ity of sllccessful
classroom interaction. Bur in order for such interacrion ro acrually happen , rhe teacher needs ro
Ilds to support the scaffold it. The reacher musr be flex ible in rhe way he or she inreracrs with her pupil s and have a caring
and faciliraring attitude towards rh e pupils' learning. The reacher mu st take their pu pils se riously an d
tres. ) be abl e to reaet to what they say (or whar the teacher assumes they wanr ro say ), often rh rough one­
word se ntences or simply rh e use of body language, as seen above.
es, yes!

j inreracrion. The 4 Teach grammar wíthout 'teaching' grammar.

;. Bur ir is through There is no point in explaining grammar rul es ro very young learners. T hey simply do not ha ve
rhe pupils mirror tb e cognitive ca pacity to handle a bsrract concepts, such as ' verb ' or 'adjective'. Neither can rhey
rhe c1assroom. discriminate between renses, such as 'present continuous' or 'pa st simpl e'. G ram mar will evolve
Jícrure and asking narura lly fOf very yOll ng learners, jusr as ir has done in their own language, if we create the
a previous lesson appropriare condirions in the cla ssroom.
d ro scaffold rhe Children learn grammar through hearing, imitating, noricing, remembcring and trying ro apply
ppy or sad?) . T his language, nor through meta-grammatical ex planations, as w e ca n see from this extraer from a lesso ll .
be able ro wirhout
The class are doing a simple counring acrivity wirh fr uit, and they hear rh e teaeher 5a y va rio us
lid focus on the number + noun eombinarions:

Teacher: (The teacher puts an apple 011 the table.) LOü k what we've got here: o nl:' a pple.

start t"e eD, one Children: One apple.

's the j"ree space in Teacher: Ver)' good. Ir's one apple. And now look.

(The teacher adds two more apples.)

ne, rwo, three.

Children: ne, two, rhree.

Teacher: Ver)' good. Tbree apples. Three appl e ~.

Iying slightly.) Children: Three apples.

Teacher: And now? (The teacher puts a banana 011 the ta ble.)

Ch ild: O ne ...

Teacher: Yes! Good ! O ne ban a na.

Children: O ne banana.

11
Activities for Ver)' Young L earners

T he ch ildren n joy rhis simple activiry. ea rnin g ro counr is fun a nd rhcir SllCCeS$ build ' rheir • Th teacher us
self- ' tecm. ' rad ua lly, some of th em I11 a)' norice int uitively the use of rhe plural apples wh n and ge ·ture ro l'
rhere is more rhan o ne ire m. la n guage (repe
English aga in (1
O f course, c h ildren lea rn a r diffcrcnt p aces: sorne children won'r norice rhe p lural form d iffere nce
in the acrivit. a boye when they encounter ir for rhe first ti m e, but rhey wil! pick up on ir later, for Teacher: a
ex mpl e, in a story or a son ". Th is is \ hy re vision and varied input are extremely important in getting SI
child re n ro notic la ng uage . T he more they hear ·wd grow familiar w ith a for m of in p ut, rhe m me they SI
w il l wa nr ro imirare rhe languaae trom ir a n d the more ea sily rhey wiU re mem be r language . T hen rhey q
\V iii grad ua Uy no ri ce rh e fearures oE the materia l, imitate rhem and try to use rhem indepe nd en tl y. t~
SI
5 See errors as a sign of learmng.
As reachers, we nccd ro be parient, and aw are of rhe fact rhar errors are signs o f learning. Parenrs
• T he teacher l/se
are ofr · n p rou d of rhe fJrs t fe\\' longe r sentences children produce in their o wn bnguage, ra rher than rhe lea rners O\'
w orryi ng a bour rhe misra ke they make. rn tac r, m israkes children make when rhey a re learning ro
• T here are tWD t
speak Jre fr .quently seen as 'cu re' . As na tura! phenomen<:1 of chi ld language, th ese er ro rs in t he fir ' t
media ror, peal
bn gu age wi lI van is h wi rh rime a nd furr her p ractice. when necessar)
Bu r ho w should we reacr ro erro rs in the langua ge classroom? A good a nswer wou ld be 'as naturaUy
as pos ible'.lr we undcrsrand the e hild's m ean ing d esp ire errors, we need to r espond to what rhey say here is evidence t
posiri e ly and con rinue with rhe commun ication . We should avoid any kind of feedback tha t mighr teac her is say ing, e
be perceived as criricisrn by the child, 0 1' as a n indication tha r some rhing is 'wrong' a bout the la nguage learn ing pr cessl'S
the)' ha ve produced. Thc 'x perienced reacher, p trceiving an app ropria te m oment, will just m ile and te ache r v ell, and [l
q uierl repeat th e co rreer formo T his way, rhe child may feel like repearing ir roo.
But the reacher shoul.d no r make correct ions al t [he ti me . N or indeed should child ren be ex pec ted ro 7 See the teac
repcar the d is reer correcrio ns rhar the reacher makes. Young child ren ha ve a limire d a ttenti o n sp an , .une spen t as an e,
:lIld tryi ng ro ger t hc m to r epear correct versions of things they have said ' wrong ly' ((lu id becorne a i · n t time wasred.
cho re for both reaehe r a nd p up il::. . If you as a lan g ll a ge reacher can pe rceive yo ur pup ils ' er rors a s in the classro 111, ~
si milar to [he ones lhe)' m ake in th eir own language (the 'cure' mistakes), you w il! remember rh a t ir cla ssr oo m .Obse r\
takes time to de 'elo p accuracy, an d thar yOll need ro give your pupils rhar rime. w ith d ifierent neCl
Above al! w e need to ensure th a r chilclren are nor scared of m a k ing mista kes in rhe new lang uage . O ne of ro key c
W e have ro do everything we can ro he lp them embrace this langua ge-learning-frien dl y atritllde their attenti n. eh
ro \Va rd erro rs as an imp orranr ba SIS for lifelong learning . them (O be'! ) and o
an especiall y ro rl
6 Take the child's own language seriously. mt: ta phor describl
Ir w o u lJ nor be wise or p ossible r ban rhe use of a pupíl's own langu age from the young learners ' 'Ir's difficulr ro tel!
class room . lt mig hr even create srress and stop rhe lea rn ing process in irs rracb . Lea rning d.raws on Like a clown .. . try
previoll s lea rning, a nd children 's exper icnces w ith aeqlliri ng their own langu age are srill fresh in their M a ny children ;
m ind a nd form a valuable platform fol' learn ing the foreign la nguagc. or unders ta nding an !rhing a l' im ages, accornpan
a l! in rhe cla ssroom ca n be threatening, so rhe children 's own language can be an imp ortant sa ferv neto phe no menon criti,
H o wever? t he ch a llenge for the rta cher is ro use as much En lish as possible, and resort to rhe u se rhose ve ry ingl
child[en's o wn la nguage in ways rhat facilirare rhe learning of rhe new languagc. C la ssrOO lll experie nce kind o f sensory be
ha s sh o w n rhar rhe tol1 ow ing srraregies for using bo th E nglish and th e first language work wel l: a pproach. Little \\
p u pils th ey need ti

U.
 Tntroduction

eces, huilds rheir

• The teacher uses a 'sandwiching' techniqu e. T hey sa)' something in English while usi ng mime
lural afJIiles when
and gesture to help the children unde rsta nd it, then say the sam e phra se or senten ce in th cir OWIl
lang uage (repeating the mime a nd gesture), and t hen immedia tely re peats the same sentence in
English again (yet again repeating m ime and gesrure). H ere is an exa mple:
I fnIlll difference
on ir later, for Teacber: OK, now stand up. Stand behind your chair. (The teacher stands behind her chair.)
¡mportanr in getting Stellt euch hi nte r e uren Stuh 1.
¡'rl put, the more rhey Stand behind your chair.
Ianguage. Th en they G ood! And now c10se your eyes and listen . (The teacher poillts at her eyes and closes
11 in dependently. them, then points at her ears.)
Schlie~t eure Augen und hort gur zu,

C lose your eyes and listen. Well do ne!

~arnin g . Parents
• T he tea cher uses a puppet that can only 'speak' English, and repeats what the p uppet has sa id in
~guage. ra ther rh an the lea rne rs' own language, if and when neeessary.
e)' are learn ing ro
• T lJere are two teachers in the class. O ne teacher speaks onl y E nglish, "\Thile the other acts as a
e errors in rhe fi r,t
m ediator, speak ing English wir b their colleague and using the children 's own language , if and
when neeessary.
.vou ld be 'a s naturally
Jll d ro what they 5a)' There is e\Tidence rbat these teehniq ues are very efficient in getting children to understa nd w bat the
edback that might teache r is sa ying, esp ec ia lly i f the teacher esta blish es routines by reg ular ly usi ng eertain acriviries and
g' abolltthe langllage learni ng processes. T his gives children a feeling of security, shows th em that rhey can understan d rhe
:. \ViII ¡ust smile and teacher well , and makes it possible to progressively reduce the use oE the ch ildren's o w n language.

¡ildrcn be expecred to 7 See the teacher's role as educator and facilitator.

¡red attenrion span, Time spent as an educator (establishing IOutines, h elping learners ro focu s their attenri on, and so on ),
1" could become a is not ti m e wa sted , but time w ell invested. Thi s is becau se it helps ro improve the q ua li ty o f intcracri on
pupils' errors as in rhe c1 assroom, gives the learners a sense of security and hel p s to make learning the fOCll S of the
I rerncmber that it c1 assroom . O bserva ti o n also facilita tes learning beca use ir helps LI S sec our chil dre n as inc!i vic! uals
wirh different n eeds, who are at d ifferent stages of th e Jearning process.
rile new langllage. O ne of rhe key challenges for tcachers of ver)' young learner s is ro help their Iearn ers to foc us
¡endJ y attitude their attention. Children's eyes and ears a re everywh ere (frequently not wh ere their tcaeher w a nts
them ro be! ) and o ften they can ba rely sit stiJl ar all. T hey find it c!iJficult ro listen ro rhei r reacher,
and especially ro their cJ assll1a tes. When we reeendy asked a group o f colleagues to com e up \Vith a
metaphor describing ho"v th ey see rheir own r ole in the yOUllg learncrs' cJassroom, un e o f rhem sai d,
)'Ollng learners' ' It's d iffieu lt ro tell. 1 love th os e kids, but quite ofren 1 feellike a li on ta mer, a nd somerimes, w ell, more
earning draws on like a clown .. . tr)'i ng to get their a tten tion thIOugh a 11 kind s of tricks.'
lre stjll fresh in their M any chitdren are exposed for severa l hours a da y to screen s filJ ed wi th co lourful, fa st-l11oving
rsranding ao)'rhing at images, accompanied by high -volume di gi tal sound effects. Most ed uca rors view th is we ll-kn own
mportant saft ty neto phenomenon criticaJly, yet so-calJed ' teachi ng ga mes' an d 'ed uca ti o nal TV progra m mes' fo r childrcn
:l resort ro the use those ver)' ingredients ro grab children's attenrion successfully. O nce children are used to thi s
:J assroom experience kind of sensory bo mbardrnent, ir will be difficult for teachers ro grab their attenrion witho ut a simil ar
gework wel1: ap pro ach . Littk wonder, then, that sorne reachers feel rhat in ord er to reac h out ro rheir you nger
pupils th ey need ro 'sing and dance lik e Big Bird' , as one colJ eag ue p ut ir.

) j
Activities for Very Young Learners

rE getri ng yo ur srll o Il ts ro fOCllS th ei r attentio n is an importa nt iSSlle for you too, yO l! wil l nn d cha t References
this bo o k ffe rs lots f ide;:! .' ami p ractica l a ctiv ities ro draw o n. H ave a look at the Tips for teaching
Egan, K. (199 7) j
very young learncrs (p ages T6-30 ), for exa mpl e. They will help yOL1 with planni ng, setting up r Olltinc ~ ,
C hi cago I res'
ma rk ing t he stages o f a less0 n clea r! y ·wd lls ing a wide variety of diffcl' nt activitics (includ ing
Peccei ,J ea n Srih\
chang ing tne pa ce of a lcsson according ro yOllr perce prion of the interest level / mood o f t he cla ss) .
Pi ~lge r,]. (2001)
T he m ulti- s nsory acti vitics in C ha p rer 6 (pages 149-172) a re also a very effecrive wav ro engage
Vygor ky, L. S. ar
learne rs, a no t he suggesrio n s in C haprer 7 (pages 173 - L9 4) pl'o vid e guid ance in hclpi ng students to
Woo d , D., Brunel
toc us a nd develop che ir rhinking skill s.
PsychologYal

Surnrnary of sorne key points

Further readí
• R esea rc h does no t su pport t he com m on ly-held belief that ve ry young children are the best
Early child devE
langu;:! e Jearners wha te ver th e circumstances, neither is there any ciear evid e nce in bvo u r of a
Bodrova, E. ,u ld 1
critica l peri o d for la ngu age learning.
EducaticJll , Pe
• In naturallea rn ing contexrs very young children will effortlessly and rapidly acqllire r ative-like
Egan, K. (J SR) I
proficien cy. As b ng uagc teach er , w e a re w ell advised to create cl a ssroom culture · that come close
Egan K. (1:999) 7
ro rhe q ua liti o f inte racüon that children enjoy in such naturallea rning co nte x rs .
the Elementllj
• Perceive d problem s such as lack of attention ol' lack of motivation are often rhe outcom es of a
na rr ow fo cus that lo oks a t Ja nguage a lone . 50 the more mea ningful and chalI e ng ing the langllage
Early second lal
learn ing ex peri ence is fo r t he learne rs, rh e m ore e ngaged they will be, and the m o r e;:! ble ro focus
Bird o n g, D. (ed.
rh ir a tte ntion .
Erl ba u mA. c
• Rhy rhm and rhyme, imag anJ im a ginative thinking, story t h ink ing and small talk ;:!re im p orta nr
G ran eoa, G . an d
cogni ti ve rools . T h y p lay a key role in the child 's learning of t he new lang uage.
• Scatfo ld ing i one of t he most im porta nt teache r intcrvenrions when working with ver y young
Attainment J
Herschensohn,j.
lea rner . c h ild will be able ro say on their ovvn tumorro w wha r rhey are able to say w irh the
M ntrul, S. . (1. 1
teacher's h elp rod a y.
Jo h a Ben jami
• Ver y y )Ung children I am gra mm a t naturally, through hearing new strucrures in natural conrexrs,
ikolov, M. a nd
and then imita ring, n ticing , re membering and trying ro app ly them.
and Early For
• Err rs a re nanr rallearning pheno rnena, and need to be viewed as such .
• In a dd ition to having a solid level of linguistic and me thodological comperence, the teacher of very
Language tesel
young lea rners need s ro h ave an aware n ess of the learning and develo pmcntal opportun iri es rha t
Cameron L (2.0C
rhe sha red sp ace o f t he c1assroo m offers, rhus being an educHo r as muc h as a language teac her.
Ligh tbown , P.. t[,
ln conclusion, teaching very young lea rne rs is about being sensitive ro tb e needs and develo pmenr P ress.
o f rhe whole child.lt involves providing routines and activities in a meaningful and engagin g way Puc h ta, H . an d
within a safe, structured and learning-centred environmen t. Using accessible but natural language leamers i1ged
and rhe a p prop ria re sca ffolding techni ques, w e can g uide our children towards producing bnguage T horn bury, 5. 'TI
appropriate for t hei r conversational nee d -. Stevick 's In flu
We encouragc you ro p ractise becoming aware and present in the classroom. W e hope the activiries in
th is boo k wi l! de light you as well as your ve ry young Jearners .. . a mI we wi sh yOl! weIl on your jOllrney.
 1ntrodu ction

lO, )' OU wi l! bnd t ha t References

le Tips for teaching
Egan , K. (I 997) Thc Fducated Mind: How Cognitive Tools Shape Our Understanding, Univ ersity of
g, serring up routin es,
C hicago Press.
ies (including
Pecce i, J ean Stilwell (I999) Child Language, ROlltledge.
nood of the cJa ss ).
Piaget, j. (200I) The Language and Thought ofthe Child, R outledge C lassi cs.
ie \Va)' to engage
Vygorsky, L. S. and Kozulin, A. (20I2) Thought and Language, The MIT Press.
helping stude nts to
Wood , D., Br uner, J., & Ross, G . (1976) 'The role of tutoring in problem solving', in Journal of Child
Psychology and Child Psychiatry,.1 7, pp. 89-1 oo.

Further reading
nare the best
Early child development:
'nce in favour of el
Bodrova , E. a nd Leong, D. J. (20°7) Tools ofthe Mind: The Vygotskian Approach to Early Childhood
Education , Pearson Education.
r cquíre native-li ke
Egan , K. (J 988) Primary Understanding: Education in Farly Childhood, Rou tledge.
tures rhat come c10se
Egan K. (J 9 99) Teaching as Story Telling: An Alternative Approach to Teaching and Curriculum in
texts.
the Elementary School, University of Chicago Press.
beourcomes of a
mging the language
Early second language acquisition:
ure able ro focus
Birdsong . D. (ed.) (1999) Second Language Acquisition and the Critical Period Hypoth esis, La wrence
Erl ba um Associ ates.
11talk an.' importa nt
Granena , G. and Long, M. (eds.) (2013) Sensitive Periods, Language Aptitude and Ultima te L2
Attuin111ent, ]ohn Benjamins.
•V¡th v{'ry young
Herschenso h n, J . (2007) Language D evelopment and Age, Ca mbridge University Press.
to 5ay with the
MomI ul, S. A. (2008) Incomplete Acquisition in Bilingualism. Re-examining the Age Fa ctor,
]ohn Benj a mins.

in natural contcxts,
Nikolov, M. and D jigunovic, ]. M. (2006) 'Recent Research on Age, SeconJ La nguage Acqu isition,

and Early Foreign Language Lea rning', in AI1IJUal Review ofApplied Ling uistics, pp. 234-260.

1, rheteachet" of very
Language teaching methodology:
ppportunities tha t
ameron , L. (200 1 ) Teaching Languages to Young Learnel's, C am bridge University Press.
ng uage teacher.
Lightbown , P. M. and Sp ada , N. (2013) How Languages are L earnt, 4th edi tiol1, Oxford Un iversi ty
alld developmenr
Press.
J ellgagÍ:Ig way
Puehra, H. and W illiams, M. (2011) Teaching Young Leamers to T hink . ELT activities for young
a turall angll age
learnel's aged 6 - I 2 , Cam b ridge Univers ity Press a nd H elhlíng La ngu ages.
ducing lall guage Tho rnb ury, S. 'The Learning Body' in Arn old , ]. an d Murphcy, T. (20I 3 ) Meaningful Actian: Earl
Stevick 's In fluen ce on Language Teachil1g, pp. 62-78, Ca m br idge Un iversiry Press.
ope the acrivities in
di on ~rour journey.

15

Activities (01' Ve ry Young Learners

Tips for teaching very young learners

Here is a p ossib

Wanner: Beg
1 Lesson planning today ? (pag 3"
ch an t ( T.5 pagt
Lesson plannin g is a lways important, but it is e. sential vvhen teaching very young children, since
Circle rime: ~
this age group requires a wide variety of short activities. C hildren will get bored if activiti es t<1ke
p honi work o
too long and w ith au t nece saril y mean ing to , will start to disrupt your c1ass. Get them standing and
qu estion an d ar
moving, then sitting and singin g, then moving again. Craft acti vi ties will also keep childrcn in vo lved .
T I'Y to provide individual and group working and play ing time within the lesso n. Encourage good Story: Tel! a s
interaction but a lso independent endeavour. 4 Stories and st<
Your lesson plan hel ps you to keep track of the order in which you are going ro do al! these things, how or theatrt'
as well as givin g yo u a place to jot down extra inform ation you ma y need ro keep in mind f ar an
Topie / Craft
activity you are prescnting for the first time. You can also make a note of m a teri als you wi l! be llsil1g at
foc us (take n fr
each stage of your lesson. Fi nally, pl a nning gives you an idea of the time each activity w il! ta ke.
displays and eh
Típs: Garue or TPE
• Think abour [he main topic of your Ic.s son and wha t yo u want to achi eve. Think about what you h ildren (see Cf:
hope children wil! have learned by the end of the lesson. This is sometimes called the 'a im' of the Wrap op: Pin
lesson. W ilt yo ur c!ass lea rn new words (e.g. cat, lion), a new concept (e.g. pets vs wi ld a nimals ) o r foil wed by a 'g
how ro use a str ucture (e. g. A cat's small. A lioll 's big)?
• Keep to the sa me basic rou rme in every lesson. With very young learners, ro utine is very impo rtanr. e the nexr pag
Kn o wing wha t comes n ext wil! help children remember the langu age they need to fulfil each ta sk.
U se the ro utine that works for you - sorne te achers always start with a sro ry, Eor instance.
• Think abour the way the w hole lesson works. When writing your lesson plan, try ro see the flo w
of your 1es 50n in your mind's eye, like a film direc tor go ing through a script, imagining the va ri o us
scenes of a film he or she is planning. Think oE how each activity fits into the overa ll sequence . Is it
a good fit ? If not, would it fit better somewhere else in the sequence or would a difierent acti vity be
better? As you write your less on plan, you are likely to see a na tura l progression.
• Plan 'transitions' between activities, as wel l as the main points of yo ur lesson. , ce C hap ter .I Class
rOlttines and classrnom management, for activities to help you move from one step of the lesso n to
the next. Write down the activities yo u are planning but a lso note the m ain language yOl! wiU need
ro use and a nything that w ill help you present your id eas.
• Be flexible. You ma y not ha ve time t O do a ll the activities or steps you've planned. Yo u m ay
sometimes need to change the order of the lcsson stages to suit wha t you are do ing o n a particular
da y (you might decid e to start with a craft activity, for example, makin g puppets, so th at children
can use the puppets to particip a te during story time).
• H ave your material ready. Remember ro set up the song you need so it is ready on the CD p[ayer
or computer, or have your H ello slide on the interactive whitehoard when childrcn come in.
• Think a bout the lesson when it h as finished. Use a section of your lessol1 plan to write down ideas
and rem inders for the next cl ass and to highlight things th at went well or area s yo u need ro work on.

r6
 Intro duction

Here is a possibl e order (very lesso n could fo]Jow:

Warmer: Begi n your lesson with a 'helio' routine (sec, for exampJe, T.1 ~<ame tags: Who's here
today? (page 32). When everyone has arrived, make a cireJe and perform the Hello, how are you"
chant (1.5, page 36).
g children, since
Cirele time: M ove on to routine activities, for exampJe, talking about the date or th e wearher,
if activities take
phonics work or revising tapie voca hul ~lr\ ', Use the board, charts, chants, songs, fla shcards and
-rhem sta nding and
qu estion and answer techniques .
ep chiJdren invoJ ved .
. Encourage good Story: Te 11 a story, genera JJy reJated to the topie / craft ac tivity or gamt' which foJJ o ws (see C hapter
4 Stories and storytelling). The story might be from a picture book 01' it could be a short film , puppet
[O do all rbese tbings,
show or theatre ac tivi ty, encouraging ehildren 's participation.
pi111l1ind for an
Topie / Craft: The chiJdren do this aeti vity in groups at their tables. It can be based on the day's
~ll s :rou will he using a t
focu s (ta ken from the story or the vocabuJary topic, for exa mplc). See Chapter 5 Arts, crafts and
ri vit}' wilJ take.

displays and C hapters 6 and 7 for ideas.

Garue or TPR: D o a get up and move activ ity, playa garue or perform an action story with the
link about w hat you
ehil dren (see C hapter 2 Movem ellt and games).
llled rhe 'aim' of the
Wrap up: Fini sh the Jesson with a settling activity, such as What did we do today? (1.14, page 49),
ts vs wild aniJ11 als) or
foJlowed by a 'goodbye' routine, for example, performing the G oodbye chant (1.1 5, page 50).

¡rine is very imp ortant.

See the n ex t page for a lesso n plan template.
~e d ro fulfil each task.

, for instance.

n, trv to see the tlow

imagining rhe various

overalJ sequence. Is it

Ja different activity be

Slon.

l. See ( ha pter 1, e lass

ne step of rhe lesso l1 to
anguage you will l1t'ed

nned . You may

. do ing on a particular
'pets, so thar child[en

ldy on rhe CD player

hild ren come in.
1 ro wri te down ideas

as you need to wo rk on.

17
Activities fo1' Ve ry You ng Learners

2 Startin
~ Lesson plan
At th beginnir
Class: ... ... ...... .... . . Date: ... ...... ....... . .
bee n using onl;
the English lan
Topie: .............. .......... .. ........ ......... .......... ... ...... .. .

prior knowled¡
Aims: ...... .... .... .... ..... .......... ... ...... ...... ...... .. ... ..... ... .. .... .... .......... .... ........... .. .. ............ ....... .

Tips:
• Crea te a po
Stage and time What Materials language 01
\'(Ic{come b,
l . Warmer
Time: you've got s
arrhe child r
them fee l w,
2. Cirele time • Havesomet
Time: jackets a nd
at each ta bl,
f r the rest l
3. Story b fo re and t
Time: 7.7 Recogni
• Signal the t
exa mp le, c1~
away the ite
bo . . That's,
4. Topie / eraft • Us e a r utin
Time: mo od for le;
chant (page
• Acrivate the
5. Game la. t lesson o
Time: brai ns ro rmi
story about
review fami
6. Wrap up ( .g. C ar)', '
Time: applause fOI
instruction I
Post·lesson notes: ... ........... .. ... ................ .. ..... .. ........ ........ ..... ..... ........ .. .. .... .... .. .. ... .... .... .. .. .

Fro m A ctivitres (or Very Young Learners © Camb ridge Unive rsit y Press 2017 PHOTO COPIAB LE

r8
 Irttro duction

2 Starting the lesson

At t he heginning of each elass, children may seem ' far away' from English beca use rhey have probably
becn using onl y their own language since yOLlr last lesson. You need ro help them ro reconnect with
the English language as fast and efficiently as possible. T here are various ways for you to activa te their
prior knowledge and remind them tha t they are in a learning environment.

Tlps:
• Crea te a positive learning atmosphere from the very beginning of the c1 ass. Establish that the
language of the lesson is English by talking ro the children as they enter the el assroom, e.g. M aria!
Welcome back! So good to see you again . .. . Are )'OU OK, Mario? Yes? That 's goo d to hear. ... Oh,
you 've got something in English on your T-shirt, Sandy. What does it say? ... D on't forget to smile
at the children. Getting down to their level, so that you are face to face as you speak, wil! m ake
them fee! welcome and safe as they arrive.
• Rave something ready foc children to do. If you ha\'e regular latecomers or need ta deal with
jackets and bags when the children come in, prepare a simple activity for the other chjldren ro do
at each tableo If children are allowed ta 'run wild' when they come in, it can affect their behaviour
for thercst of the le sso n. The activity you choose should be something the chil dren have done
before and that can be easily tidied away once completed . Exampl es are: 7.2 Sorting (page 17 5) or
7.7 Recognizingshapes: puzz les (page 182).
• Signal m e start of the dass. Use a elear signal to tell the class that it's ti me ro start the lesson, for
example, elap your hands and say It's time to start the class, everyone. Ask the children ro tidy
away the items on their tables, jf they have been doing pu zz le s or sorting, e.g. Put the pieces in the
box. That's right Emma, in the box! Well done!
• Use a routine activity, song or chant to settle the children down. Tú get the children in the right
mood for learning, use a song or chant they are very familiar with, su eh as 1.7 The cirele time
chant (page 39).
• Activate the English children already know. Get the chil d ren thi nk ing abo ut wh at they did in the
last lesson or rev iew the tapie vocabulary th ey have been learning. O ne way ro do thi s is by word
brainstorming. 5ay, for example, Give me words (rom th e last lesson. / Give m e UJurds (mm the
story about Afia . / G ive me (our UJords (or (ood. / G ive m e (our l1umhers / colours. Alterna tivcl y,
review famili a r instructions: ask a child ta come ro the front and give an instruction ro a elassmate
(e.g. Gary, clap your hands.). That child stands up, carries o ut the jnstruction, gets a round of
appl ause for getting it right, then swaps places with the child at the front and gives the next
instruction to a different child.

PHOTOCOPIABLE

19

Activities for VC!ry Young L earners

3 The teacher's toolkit 4 ClassroOl

Every reacher of very young ¡ea rners needs an arra ' of materials ar hand. Preparing a ' teaeh er's Tbc1C re well-k n¡
roolkit' wiJl mean you can <llways find the things you need ar the righr mo mentoWe uggesr yo u ' tore minds and ro 0 0
all of your materials in a imple box with your na me on it and take it w ith you ro eaeh lesson . Yo u are p articipa ting a ppl
sure ro need at least one item from it, sudden.l y and withour warning, in almost every da . Re view roles as teachers is
your roolk ir often and keep it refreshed ro match changes in your c1a ss ropie or rhe new songs / srories Another, of course
your children a re Jearning. en vi rooment. TheJ
Lo ok in your toolkir when you a re p la nning your lesso n, as yOl! will find some of the mareri als yOl! o r pun isbment.
need are already rhere (c.g. topic flas hcards, rh e song CD, your srorybook fo r the week ). You ean also Developing our
u se so me of the item s in • om walk ir at rhe end of the Icssan ro review what the children have done as new and inven ti
(see also 1.14 What did w e do toda)'?, page 49). everyone re ponds
a ha ppy an d relax~
Tool5 to include: below, ce Chap,e.
• A pen and notepad
• Board pens - Keep a mini whiteboard in the toolkit with the pens, if possiblc. Tips:
• Flashcards - It is useful to keep them in a plastie envelope or folder. • Have a well th
• CDs (see Tip 1 Les é
• Your current Story • Think about wl
• Sticky ta k or selJotape - Sticky tack in particular seems ro be one uf rhose things you can never chiJdren seem t~
find when you masr need ir (it m ust be abl e to move of its o\>vn accord in rhe night) . Among other rhey sir tOgethel
uses, it's es ential for displaying to p ic posters and ch il dren's work and playing f1 ashcard games. eparare the ch i
• Scissors, gl ue tick, hole-punch - These are not unly vital fo r craft activities, but also for mak ing with other chile
an d repairin ite ms such as name tags. • Prai e children I
• Materials for your 'birthd ay ro utinc' , for example, a cardboa rd crow n, birthda y cake ano candles be doing. . ive l
(see 1. ~ Celebrating birthda)'s, page 38). it, e.g. Rlght eue
• An cxample o f a finis hed craft item if you are making somerhing with yo ur class thar day. O h well dOlle, (
• Sticky notes - YOll can use these for wri ting reminders, making obs rv ations during the class (see like Charlie? 01
ip 8 bservation techniques, p age 27), playing games or as bookmarks. • Have paper or s'
• Sticker - T hese might be topic-related (animals, sha p es ) or rewa rd stickers (stars, smil y fa ces). you observe. 501
• Apron among cnildren
do ing crafr , lor
• Teach a particul
oth r or distraet
say Hands 011 h(
arms. That's rigl
• Have a techniqu
ex am ple, wait 1I 1
for a craft activi l
go ing to ma!,e ti.
... Look at fuie s
G regor? Oh, t/ir.

20
 Introduction

4 Classroom management
ing a 'teach er's There are well-known techniques which enco mage children to listen, ro participare, to use th eir
~Y¡e suggest you store minds and ro cooperate with rheir classmatcs. When children master the combination of listcning and
peadl lesson. You are participaring appropIÍate ly in rhe classroom, ir is known as being on task . O ne of o m most important
ivery c1a ss. Rev iew roles as teachers is ro encourage th e kinds of behaviour that develop yo ung chil dre n's learnj ng sk ilis.
,he new sangs / sto ries Al1other, of course, is giving them the freedom to play, ro be and to explore who they are in a 53 fe
environ me nt. Th erefore, th e core value of classroom management is guid ance rather than discipline
~ uf the materi als you ar punishment.
~ week ). YOIl can also Developing om c1assroom management skills comes with practice and is a never-ending process,
thildren have don e as new and inycntive methods ro motivate our children come ro light. O ne thing we do know is that
everyone responds to positiv e feedback and thar giving children a cl ear idea of whar they need ro do in
a happy and relaxed manner is the best way to help chi/dren become great learners. As we ll as rhe tips
below, see C hapter 1 Class routínes and classroom managem ent for more ideas.

Tips:
• Havc a weU tho ught-out lesson plan. This is th e best pre paration for good cl assroom management
(see Tip 1 Lessonplanning, page r6).
• Think about where your ch ildren will be sittin g to avoid djsruptions. Certai n combinatiolls of
l!llgS you can never childre n seem ro work better than others. You may find thar sorne chil dren annoy each oth er if
nighr). Among oth er they sit together in cirele time or for table activities. O nce you've identified these com bin ations,
rlg flashcard gamc.,. se parate the children in question by putting th eir na m e tags on different tabies or by sitting them
but alsa fo r rn ak ing with othe r c hildren at cirele tim e.
• Praíse children for 'bcing good' and point them out as a model to sbow the others what they should
lday cake :¡nd candles be doing. G ive clear in structions, catch the children who quickl)' carry them out and comment on
it, e.g. R ight eueryone, ít's story time. Sit and listen. What are w e doing? We're sitting and listening.
:lass that day.
Oh well done, Charlie! That's great sitting and great listening. What about you, Delia? Can you sit
¡ during the class (see
like Charlie? Oh that's great. A nd thank you, Ahmed. What nice sittíng! Let's start.
• Haye paper or sticky notes and a pen handy to write down any positive or negative behayiour
(stars, smiley faces). you observe. Sorne children find it ea sier to be on task th an orhe[ s. M ake a llote of the differences
al110ng children (see Tip 8 Observation techniques, page 27). Sorne children are o n task when
doing crafts, for example, but don't coopera te so wtU during ci rele tímv.
• Teach a particular posture to help cruldren sit still. When ch íldren are poking and pulling at each
oth er or disrracting elassmates, ask them ro sit in a familt ar posture. F or example, use gestures and
sa y Hands on heads, hands on k nees, cross your arms ... T hat's right, John. Very good. Cross you r
cmus. That 's right, you too, Milly. Well done!
• Have a technique for transitions, cncouraging good bchaviour before moving to a new acti vity. Fo r
example, wait untiJ children are sini ng down and listening before yOIl move them ro their tables
for a craft activi ty. N ame the children wh o are ready and let onl)' th ose ch íldren move, e.g. \l¡'Ie're
going to make this drago n now, isn't that great? But stop! First, good sitting and liste1u'ng, please.
... Look at Jules! C reat sitting. You can stand up and go to the tableoCan you sit lik e So phía,
Gregor? Oh, that's great. Thank )JOU. Sophia and G regor, go to the tables!

21
Activities for Very Yo ung Leamers

• U se chants to get children 's attentioD, e.g. One, two, three (count with your fingers), hands ttp (p ut 5 Storytellil
yo ur ha nd u p and wai t for children ro do the same) and loo k at me (point to yourself).
Storie are i!TI o
• Use 'time outs' sparingly to help a misbchaving child calm clown . If a chil d is overexcited or
and storytelling, Pi
disruptive, you may wish to give him or her a 'tim e ou r'. T he child sirs by him / herself, a w ay from
help to fol!ow [he I
the rest of the class. T hree th ings ro remember abour this techniqu c are: a ) it is often yo u who need s
t ime O ll r from the child, b) ir is never the child we are p u n ishing, but the beba vi o ur we are addressing
Tips:
a nd c) for this age group, ' time out' should be a very sh ort period of time (less than a minute) . T he
• Choose the sto l
aírn is sim ply to gi ve the child a little time alone ro calm do wn before they rejoin the gro up.
enj oyed hy the·
• Always make it clear why you are unha p py w ith a child's b ehaviour. For example, if you are giving
wi th your topi ~
a 'time out' , a lmly explain me' reaso ns to the child, e.g. Adrian, 1 asked you to sit here because
you choose tOI
you are not working well with the oth er children. Please listen and look. Can you do that ? Listen?
• Read the ·tory I
Loo k at m e? Thank you . N ow come and join us!
voca bulary can
• Use a star chart to belp chilcl rcn recognize goo d b eh avio ur. Draw two lines horizontally on a piece
• Plan your actiol
of A3 paper to divide the paper into thirds. Draw a smiley face in the top third of the pape r. D isplay
• Keep pre-teachi
the c hart high up on a wall or noticeboard. Make a yellow paper star for ea ch child. Wr ite a child 's
reac h no more ~
n ame on each star and sti ck the m in the middle sec tion of the A3 paper with sticky tack.
teachin g vocab l
W hen a child is behaving in a way that brings harmony to the class, move their star to the
• Clearly mark th
section of the pape r \N it h the smiley face on ir. M ove the sta rs for children who are being d isruptive
du ri ng the ttll in
down to the bottom third of the paperoUse thi s cha Ft as yo u wouId playa game . Active ly lao k for
• how tbe cover
rea sons ro move ch ildren up, making sure ro pay attenrion to quier child ren (e.g. Thank you for
and generate inj
helping, Julien! Up you go! (moving the star upon rhe chan) ... ). Use rhe chan to help the childrcn
• TeU children th
w ho ofren need extra support to manage their behaviour, e.g. Oh! Stewart! We're sitting listening
as yo u say, e.g. P
to the story but you're running. DOWI1 you go . .. . (moving rhe star down on rhe chart) h that's
• Hold the book s
better! OK! Here's your star next to the happy face. (moving rhe srar back up) Well d one!
thar you have or
Never move stars in anger and rry to sl11ile and stay calm. Remember ro start every cla ss with al!
and sta nd be idé
the sta rs in th e middle sect ian of the chart.
• Use differentvo
• Dcal with in terruptions quickly. Somerimes a child will wanr your attention when you are working
spea ki ng, for ex:
with rhe whole class. The reason for inrcrrupting wil! always seem importa nt to rhe child . If it is
• U se varying toOl
(e.g. rhey need ro go ro the bathroom or rhe y are upset) dcal wirh the situ arion immediately. Yo u
something i ab(
ma y even have ro stop the class to resol ve rhe issue.
• En courage partí
Howeve r, when a child wants ro te!! yOl! abour their hab y broth er, a visit ro rhe p ark ar so me
They ca n al " ce:
orher marter, rhe resr of rhe class is likely ro become disrracted. Por these k inds of inrerr uprions,
• When telling sto
pul! o ut your notepad and write the child's name down. Te!! the child That's very interesting. Yes,
Fo r example, ge !
w e'll talk abaut it latero Show yo ur notepad and say Here's your name. Tell me latero You may even
'l don 't knOlli'?I
be a ble to use some of the incidental information children rcll you to involve them in an activity
perfectly accept
larer in the lesson: Guess what? Alba has a new dog! Wh at 's your dog's name ? Well, here's a story
know ), ro use wl
about a petoTt 's a very strange pet .. .
• Clearly mark th,
the storytelling r
• Let clllJdren 1001
w ith a n Our Sto
• Make an Our St,
• U se tbe story as
p lants from seed

22
 lntroduction

fingers ), hands ¡IP (put 5 Storytelling with picture books

yourself).
Srories are important Eor young childr en on so many levels (see the introduction to C hapter 4 Stories
overexcited or
and storytelling, page 89). If you choose your story well and recognize the points w here children need
,/ herseI f, away fl"om
help to follow the plot and encourage participation, child ren will join in w ith enthus iasm .
is often you who needs
viour we a re adcL:essing
Tips:
rhan a minute). The
• Cboose the story carefully. Look Eor storybooks with large, coJourEul pictures that can be seen and
oin the gro up.
cnjoyed by the whol e dass. Consider the level oE the language in the boo k, think how the story fi rs
O1 ple, iE you are giving
with your topic and abour activities you can do to cxrend and practise the ianguage. M ake sure
1to sil here because
you choose stories wirh endings that don't rely on understanding diEficult ideas.
In you do that? Listen?
• Read rhe story first. N ote any word s or concepts which children might find diEficult. See ha w much
vocabulary can be ta ught using the cover of the book and the fi rst page oEthe story.
Ihomontally on a piece • Plan your actlo ns. T hink oE m imes and gestures to explain actions, concepts or emotion s.
¡rd of rhe paperoDis play
• Keep pre-reaching of new words to a minimum. D raw pictures, use fl ashcards or real objecrs to
eh child. Write a child 's
teach no more than six key words from the story before you teU ir. Try not to prolong thi s ste p, a5
I sricky rack .
tea ching vocabulary is not the aim oE the activity.
e rheir sta r ro the
• Clearly mark the staft of the story. Start by sa ying Jt's story time. Expecr chi Idren to sit qllictl)'
.'ho are being disruptive
du ring the teUing of the story (see Activi ry J .9 the Listen, please chant, page 43).
101e. Actively look for
• Show the cover of the book JUst. Talk about rhe cover picture and use it to introd uce the characters
ie.g. Thank you for
and generate interest, e.g. What's this? Yes, it's the SUll . lt's a sunl1y da)'. What's this? lt 's a bea r.
1rt to help the chíld ren
• Tell child ren the title of t he story and the 311thor's name. Trace the ritle of the story with yo ur fi nger
We'l'e sitting listeJ/ing
as yo u sa)', e.g. Harry's birthday, by ...
rhe chart) Oh that 's
• Hold the book so everyone can see cach page. If you're using a smaU book, hold it at rhe bortom so
p) Well done!
t hat )'ou ha ve one hand free to tUrIl the pages and point, ti you 're using a big boo k, pro p it on a chair
tartevery class with all
and stand bes ide it. This lea ves your hanJs free to turn the pages, point, ma ke gestures or mim e.
• Use di fieren t voi ces for the differen t characters in the story. Alter your voice to show who is
:when you are working
speak ing, Eor exalllple, use a high voice for a baby bear and a J eep voice for a bi g bear.
Ir ro rhe child. lf it is
• Use varying ton e and pitch. Wh en you tell the stor)', yOll can whi sper o r sp eak very quietly wben
Jn irnrnediatel)'. You
someth il1g is abour to ha ppen, in order to add atmosphere.
• Encou rage participation. Give the children plenty of op portunities to join iD 01" repeat key phrases.
to the park or sorne
The)' can a1 so copy your mimes Eor the feelings of the ch a racters an d act out the story.
ieh of interruptio l1s,
• When teUing stories usin g 3 book, before turrung the page, ask the cbildren to make a prediction.
very interesting. Yes,
For exa mple, gesture tha r you are about to tillOthe page and say T here 's a s,¡ake: 'yes', 'no ' or
l1e later. You may evcn
'1 don't know'? If sorne children think they know the answer, they m ay 5ay yes or no aJ1 J this is
~ them Íll an 3crivity
perEectly acceprable. At the same ti me, wc' re giving our children a valuable new phrase (J don 't
('? Well, here's a story
know ), ro use when tbey are unslIre of an answer.
• Clearly mark the end oí the story. Wh en th e story's over, say And tha t's the story o{. ... Th.ís brings
the storytelling to a close and iE chiJ dren enjoyed the story they ma}' even cl a p or 5ay Again!
• Let children look at the storybook themselves. Pu t the book in a special place in the classroom
with an Our Storybook sign oE ncourage children to look at the book on the ir own.
• Make an Our Story display with rhe k ey vocabulary and phrases from the story.
• Use rhe story as tbe basis for a project. For exam ple, aEter telling Jack and the Beanstalk, grow
planrs from seeds.

2.3
Activities (or Very Young Learners

6 Organizing and giving instructions for craft activities • Give each

Child ren l
Most childre n adore cra ft activities and they will happily and busily get to work withour feeling also hand :
self-conscious or afra id . T he Success of a craft activity in the English language classroom often lies
• Display w
in giving dear in strucrions and we must also mak e sure that there is enough language input. T his abo ut the i
includ es asking childr 'n ro help, giving them choiees abour the materials they want to use, asking did we ma
them questions about whar they are making and giving plenty of positive feedback on their ereations. your hous

Tips:
• Cho se a craft activity ch al links to the topic of the lesson. Try to find an activity that ti e~ in with a
story you have ro ld or the vocabulary set you are teaching.
• Think abou t each step in the project. Make sure you have all the materials for t he different steps.
• Plan your instructions. For eac h step of the activity, think about how you will explain wha t the
children have to do and how to use the different materials.
• Show the children an example o f what they will be making. Make the item before the dass. Set the
scene fo r y OU f craft activity before children go to their tables. Say, e.g. Today we're going to mak e
/1wgic wands . H old up the item you've made and let the children pass it around.
• Use helper to distrihutc and collect materials. Make sure everyone gets a tum as a helper.
• Demonstrate each stcp before disrributing th e materials children need . O nce they have craft
materials in front of thel11, ehildren will be busy cutting, painting or sticking rather than paying
attention to your instructi o ns.
• Oruy give children the materi al(s) chey need for each step. This avoids confusion and extra clutter.
• Clean up as much as possible between steps. This will help the children to see wha t step they are
at in th e project and it wil! save work at the end uf the lesson. Say, for exa mple, N ow let's put the
paper in the bill. O K. Now Henry 's going to collect the scissors. Jun e s going to give you the glue.
• Accept a e rtain level of noi se and char. Allow for an appropriate leve! of noise and for children
speaking in their own language while they are working. However, l110ve around the c1ass and
interact with individual children while this is happening . Ask questions with simple one-word or
sh ort answers, e.g. What colour do you need? Creen? How many circles to you want?
• Stop the activity if necessary to give more instructions. If you need everyone's attention, use a
chan t, e.g. O ne, two, three, hands up and look at m e or Hands on heads and look at m e. lf children
ha ve ra intbrushes or scissors in their ha nds, sa y, e.g. Put your scissors down on the tableo befare
you say the chanr. Once you have their attention, give the next set of instructions.
• Give lots of praise a nd encouragement. Enjoy your children's creations and the excitement making
them brings. Try ro fi nd something different or special about each child's work to comment 0 11,
and make sure you ask questions, e.g. Grea t! That's a lovely dog, Vera . Has it got a name?
• Make sure children know what to do when they have finis b ed. And make sure their names are
on their work! With the smallest ones, this could mean that you write the ir names 011 the craft
item as they're ma king it; with older children, try to get them to write their names on their work
at the beginning. If the items the c1ass have made need ro dry, get the children to hang them
on a clothesline with pegs or put thel11 on a drying rack. Take time to look at a nd comment on
everrone's work.
 Introdllctio/l

me
• Givc each child a large paper or pl astic plate at the begi nning of year with their name 0 0 it.
hildren use the plate throughout rhe year to paint and construct their creations o n. T he plates are
t withoudeeling also han dy for keeping crafts sepa rate until they're finished.
'assroom oftcn li es • Display work before childrco take it horne. Show children their a rt displ ay in the next c1ass. Talk
guage input. This about their work. Use this as an opportunity to revise language connectcd to the pro ject, e.g. What
r3nt to use, asking did we make? Shapes towns! H ere 's Bernard's town. Look at th e house! Wha t calour is it? [s it
ack on their creations. your house, Bernard? Wow! W hat great tOWI1S we made!

lvity that ti es in with a

br the different steps.

11 explain what the

,efore the c1ass. Set rhe

f /Ve 're going to make
md.

1m a~ a helper.

nhey ha ve craft

: rather than paying

sion and extra cluttcr.

'e what step rhey are

¡le, Now let"s put the

rlO give you the glue.

lise and for children

llnd rhe c1ass and

) simple one-word or

VOlt want?
s attention, use a
'!ook al me. If children
' 0/1 the tableo before

tions,
the excitement making
¡ek ro commenr on,
;/ gol a name?
re their names are
lames on rhe craft
lames on their work
(1 ro hang th cm

' ami comm ent on

25

Activities for Va )' Young Learners

7 Using songs, stories and games from the ínternet 8 ObserVé

T here 's a wea lth of resources O!1 the internet for ve ry roung lea rners of E nglish, but there a re al so Kee ping a reco n
problem wi th u sing these resou rces. No t every sto r y, song or game you find wi l! be appropriate, progre . The re
an d yOLl could flnd yo urself spending tu roo much time searching fo r a few minutes' worth of You can use the!
class material. discu s ,"vith a p,
exam ple of the
Tips:
• Choose material carefully. Wh en looking for songs, s hort stories or games online, consider the Tips:
chil d re n s la nguage level , whether the mater ial suits the topic of your les son and whether it will • Keep observ,
appeal to the age gro up . Avoid spending hours llsing search engines by asking colleag lles to dO'in obs n
recommend good educational websites. • Choo cthel
• Check che material. Ma ke sure you watch the song or srory or play the game in its entirety. Note in sm a ll grOl
an y ke a ng uage or concepts yOll might havc to pre-teach in order for the materia l ro work in your p articular b
c1a ss. Ensure that whatever yOll are going ro use is appropriate and check the advertising content • Use sricky n.
(occasionally adverts wi l! appear in the middle of a story or game, in which case you will have to oyou can J(
di card it) . Yo u cou ld suggest your centre install advert-bJocking software. ior th e chilJ
• Assign the material a place in yo ur lesson. ls it a good way ro start your eJass, e.g. a How are
Bel w are some
you ? song? Wo uld it add to yom cireJe time? If th e activity involves playing a game or a lot of
movement, it rnig ht be better placed after cireJe time or at the end of the lesson. AlbQ... ~s rr
• Set up in advance. Ma ke su re you ha ve all the equipment you need (e.g. computcr, re mote control,
~er olNn i
IWB, proj ector ). Pre pare the eJip or game by skipping any advertisements and pausing right at the
wnile U1e
begin n ing . Min imize the website / application and have it ready at the bottom of the sc reen to pull
up at the right p oint in your lesson.
are buM
• Be prepared for tech nical problems. H ave a back -up song, story or game ready wh ich does not
wwn /AYO!

requ irc the computer, in case you encounter technical problems . s u-eet.

You r uotes.
tor membe
• Makesurey
a ch ild helpi
do n. YOll [
• Observe eve
points (the 1
• Ask a collea
fr eer than )11

sh, but rhere are a.l so
\Vil! be appropriate,
ITlinures' worrh of
online, cOllsid er rhe
un and whether ir will
king colleagues to
~me in irs enti re ty. N ote
¡ material ro work in your
tbe advertising content
:h case you will have ro
e.
ass, e.g. a How are
19 a ga rne or a lot of
!sson.
Jrnputer, remote control,
.and pausing right at the
ttoll1 of th e screen to pull
ready which does not
Introduction
8 Observation techniques
Keeping a record of your children's performance heJps you to crea te a re li a ble picture of their
progress. T he records you crea te by dedicating time ro observing individual s in cla ss are inval u;:¡ ble.
You can use them during parent-teacher con sultations or if you ha ve a particu la r issue you need to
discuss with a pareD!. Pa rents will appreciare concrete instances of good or challenging behaviour,
examp les of rhe language their child knows or evidence to suhstantiate any concerns you have.
Tips:
• Keep observation notes in rhe same place. Have a section at the back of your notebook for wri ting
down observations.
• Choose the best time to observe the children. This is when children are working in depcndently or
in small groups. You may of course want to write a qui ck note at other tim es when you notice a
p:micular behaviour or when a learning issue arises.
• Use sticky notes during classes. You might not have time to write complete notes d uring a lesson,
so you can jot down observations on notes.After the class, stick the notes wirh yo ur observations
for the child in question.
He/ow are some examples:
ALbCt ~s mru:::i..ng Gorka sala, 'I HUBO is helpinq
her own wwn aor¡'J liu. -fish,' Greta to put the
wi-fhoú..-J any correct nwnber
whiLe fue ofuers
lAYe btütd.mg fu e
prompJln!f' of beans into the
nwnberea pots
wwn IAYOt.ma., fue
streeL
Your notes are likely ro be shorter than these - they will contain just ellough information for you
ro rem em ber what you noticed. Don't try ro take more tha n three notes per cl a ~ s.
• M ake sure yo u take no tes about posirive as well as chaUenging mom ents. For example, if you see
a child heJ p ing others, showing progress or using Engli sh in a particllla rly interes ting way, jot it
down. YOll may have the opportunity to communicate these moments to pa rents .
• Observe everyone. C heck your notes to see which ch ildren are not generating many observa tion
poínts (these are ofren the quieter ones). Make an eHort to o bserve th ese chj ldren in the nexr c1 ass.
• Ask a colJeague to h elp you. If you have an assisrant, ask them to take some notes. T hey m ay be
freer than you to observe children during teacher-Ied activities.
27

Actiuities for Very You ng L eanzers

9 Involving parents
T he ro le of the parent in a ehild's edueation is fundamenta l to their sueeess, so mak e sur to keep Child's narr
pa rents infor rned of yOl!( class aetiviti es and topies, as well as their ehild's individu a l progress .
You r ch ild ren' pa rent · nr ca rers are importanr all ies. Their attitudes towards their ehildre n's
Teacher: _
langu age learning will iniluence th e children s own beliefs and motivation. This is why it is good ro
mee t the pa rents at the beginning of the year and a tso to diseuss progress with them througho ut the
yea r. YOll ca n involve pa rents in their ehildren's learning in a simple and informative way by sending
Assistant:
home a regular letter explaining what you are doing in cl ass. You wil! find an example layout for the
tetter on the next page.

Tips:
Please wat
• At your fir r meeting witb parent / carers, explain that you'll send home a letter with a summary
Website:
of what you've done in class. In this way, parents wil! know the topies, stories and songo you 've
eovered . You can choose hmv regularly to send the letter (e.g. weekly or monthly).
• lncludc the main (Opjes, songs or stories in your letter. You do not need to add everything you have
done in every lesson . T he conten t of the letter should enable parents to ask their children questi ons
and give ideas for fun ' homework' that parents and ehildren can share. Special tip:
• Provide links to any onJjne ma terial, such as soogs you've learned or games you' ve played in class
so that children can revise at home. Parents partieularl y eojoy the experienee of listeniog to theil'
chíldren singing English songs. LE you send the letter as ao emaiJ, you can easily add such li nks and Figure 0.1 : Exar
even attach sho rt video clips of th e cla s$ that you record during the lessons (ma ke sure you have all
the paren ts ' permi ss ion to do this befol'ehand).
• You may want to inelude a 'special tip '. Examples eould includ e: ' Errors are signs of le arning.
o body can learn without making mistake .' Yo ur child learns the new language by c10ing things,
fo r xamp le, action stories ol' craft aetivities.'
• lf using paper copies, hand o ut the letters when childrcn are ready ro go horneo O lder ehildren can
put theil' lette r in their bags. As you hand out the letter, sa y This is for Mummy and Daddy. Give it
to them when you get horneo
• Parents who don 't speak English should stilt be able to understand rhe categories in the letter, and
they will also be ab le ro share an Engli sh expericnce with their child, if you indude internet link s.
Yo u may wish to translate the letter into the ehildren's own bnguage if you're able to , ol' translate
topic nam es in brae kets, for example, Topie: clothcs (ropa) . Howevcr, we have found that most
pa rents like recei ving the letter in English.
• Ask parents ro discu the Engti h lessons wi th their children. Suggest they start with smalJ
question s, e.g. Was there a birthday today? Wh o did you sitwith? What did you m ake? instead oE
expeeting the child to describe everything the y did in the lessoo .

2.8
 lntru duction

ake sure to keep Ch ild's name : Date:

,dual progress.
their children's

Teacher: Our topic this week / month is

is why it is good to

em throughout the

otive way by sending We made

Ass istant: and
tample la yout for the

played a game called

Please watch 'The _ Song' with your child. Storie s:
~tter witb a summary
Website :
's and songs vou've
lthly).
Id everything yo u have
hei r children q uestioIlS
Special tip:
~ O ll ' ve
pla yed in class
~ of listening to th eir
,il)' add such link s and Figure 0.1: Example layout for a letter to parents / carers
make sure yon have al!

iglls of lea rnin g.

guage by doing things,

le. Older child ren can

myand Daddy. G ive it

aries in the leu er, and

nclude intern et li nks .
re able to, or tra nsla te
re found that most

tart with small

'OU make? instead of

29