TEACHING ENGLISH TO VERY YOUNG LEARNERS

 
About this course:
In this course, you will be introduced to the different classroom dynamics that take place in a
lesson with very young learners.
 
After introducing some of the different types of class activities which can be useful for very young
learners, the course will give an overview of the resources and games that can maximise language
acquisition.
 
Based on content by Pere Cortiella:
 
Pere has taught English to children, teens and adults for over
13 years, specialising in young learners. Ho studied at the
University of Edinburgh, has a Master’s Degree in Education,
speaks four languages, runs many teacher training courses for
the Catalan government and is currently a teacher trainer in
International House Barcelona. He has spoken several
conferences and is the coordinator for young learners in
ICCIC.

He has also co-authored four books for primary learners,

published by Mosquito Books BCN.
 
 
LAB AIMS:
In this section you will:
 Develop an understanding of the typical problems of teaching young learners
 Learn about how to structure a lesson for young learners
 Develop an understanding of how to estabilish routines
 Explore examples of how to set up vocabulary games and storytelling activities
 Experiment in class to develop a better awareness of teaching young learners
 Reflect on your experiments
 
 
ACTIVITIES, SPACES AND TIMINGS:
Let’s think about the different types of activity suitable for a class with very young learners.
This is a list of activity types that should be carried out in a lesson:
 
1. Warm-ups
2. Routines
3. Vocabulary games
4. Table time
5. Story telling
6. Closing activities
 
Generally, it’s a good idea to have your routine classroom activities near the start of the lesson, to
give learners a sense of familiarity. It’s also a good idea to have the story-telling activities towards
the end, as these tend to practice any vocabulary and grammar that learners have had input in.
 SPACE AND TIMING
1. Warm-up—> Time: 5 minutes
Space: At the back of the classroom
 
1. Routines—> 5 minutes
In front of the board
 
1. Vocabulary games—> 10 minutes
At tables in groups of four
 
1. Table time—> 15 minutes
At tables in groups of four
 
1. Storytelling—> 15 minutes
Sitting in a group in a corner
 
1. Closing activities—> 5 minutes
 
 
FEEDBACK:
 Activities should be kept under 15 minutes due to the learners’ shorter attention span
 Carrying out activities in different physical spaces of the classroom will help to keep
learners engaged during every part of the lesson
 Following the same structure every lesson gives the learners a sense of rhythm and routine
which they need to feel safe and comfortable and it helps them understand quicker what is
going on in the lesson
 Always try to start the lesson with mid-energy activities. Then slowly start low-energy
activities to finish the class with very high-energy activities. This will guarantee the learners
are in the right state of mind for every stage of the lesson 
 Choosing the right kind of activities, keeping them under 15 minutes and assigning them a
different space in the room will help your learners to feel calm and relaxed and enjoy the
lesson
 ROUTINES
 
The importance of routines:

Now, we’re going to look at routines in the

young learner classroom. Routines are short
activities which always happen at the same
point in a lesson.

They allows us to introduce, revise and

practise language points with the learners

 
Look at the routines in the young learner classroom. Routines are short activities which always
happen at the same point in a lesson. The allows us to introduce, revise and practise language
points with the learners. Look at the images of some example routines (ogni routines ha una
corrispondente età)
 
1. Before learners come into the class, ask them to line up and tell you a word/phrase they
learned in the previous lesson—> Ages 3-5
1. Spell out the names of your learners quickly. They identify themselves and say hello—>
Ages 6-8
1. Have a weather corner on a wall in the classroom. Learners write/say what the weather is
like every class—> Ages 6-8
1. Every class, one learner is in charge of writing the date on te board, and ask s everyone
else: ‘What day is today?’
1. Draw one big circle on the board. Draw two clock hands and learners say what time it is—>
Ages 3-5
1. Dictate the jumbled letters of a numbers. In pairs, learners figure out which it is and put
the letters in order—> Ages 6-8
1. Use a poem or a song for the learners to learn and practise any useful vocabulary or
grammar it contains—> Ages 6-8 but also 3-5
But we can’t ask them grammatical rules
 VOCABULARY GAMES
 
Games are very useful way for young learners to remember and practise vocabulary. Match the 3
stages of a vocabulary activity to their definitions:
 
Stage 1: Language identification
Stage 2: Autonomous production
Stage 3: Language presentation
 
 Stage 1: LANGUAGE IDENTIFICATION
Vocabulary is introduced to learners in a simple way that they can understand. This can be done,
for example, by using flashcards. Learners see a picture of an object and the teacher says what the
object is called in English
 
 Stage 2: AUTONOMOUS PRODUCTION
Learners are tested to find out whether they know what something is called in English. For
example, the teacher might show a picture of an object and ask learners to say what they see
 
 Stage 3: LANGUAGE PRESENTATION
By this stage, learners should already have learned a group of new vocabulary items. Now, they
are encouraged to draw upon this new knowledgeto explain what things are in English
 
OVER HEAD: Hold a flashcard over your head without looking at it. Ask learners questions until
they say what it is—> Language identification
 
JUMP OVER: Lay out the cards in a line on the floor. Say the name of a card and ask one learner to
jump over that card—> Language identification
 
SLOW REVEAL: With the set fo cards face down in front of them, turn cards over one by one and
say what is on each card. Learners listen—> Language presentation
 
FIVE TIMES: Hold a card up. With the other hand, use your fingers to count to five and say what is
on the card five times—> Language identification
MAGICIAN: Spread out the cards and hold them so that learners can see what is on them, but you
can’t. Ask a learner to pick a card. Make guesses until you are right about what is on the card.
Learners must say Yes, it is / No, it isn’t, as you guess—> Language identification
 
 DESCRIPTION: With the set of cards facing away from learners, look at the first one and describe
it. Learners must guess which one you are looking at—> Language identification

POINT TO: Place the set of cards facing away from learners, look at the first one and decribe it.
Learners must guess which one you are looking at---> Language identification

MEMORY GAME: Place two sets of flashcards face down on the floor. One by one, learners flip
two over and they say what they are---> Language production

PICTIONARY: Choose a learner and show him/her a flashcard picture or whisper a word into
his/her ear. The learner draws the picture on the board and the first learner to guess the picture
gets to draw the nwxt one--> Autonomous production

FLIP: Lay out all the flashcard in front of the learners. Learners close their eyes. Flip one card so
that it’s upside down. Learners oper thei eyes and try to remember which card it was and say what
was on it--> Language identification
 TEACHING ENGLISH TO
YOUNG LEARNERS
COURSEBOOKS: Coursebooks can be a great asset. To make the most of them, it’s important to
prepare activities before your learners open their books. Look at the Coursebook extract and make
notes on the question:

 What games could you play with your learners, based on this content?
Think about what you could do:
- Before learners open their books
- During the activity
- Following the activity and when their books are closed.

TABLE TIME USING COURSEBOOK WITH VYLS:

Look at these games. Decide if they would be best played before, during or after a vocabulary
activity. When you have finished, read the feedback
1. You describe items, learners find them--> During
2. You say an item and learners press their thumb on the correct picture--> After
3. Learners point to or count different items--> Before
4. Play a game of Hangman with the new vocabulary--> After
5. Learners spell out the page number--> Before or during
6. Give learners a sum to fing the correct page number--> Before
7. Ask learners to find the correct page by describing what is on it--> After
8. Play a game of Passwords. Write a word on the board and make sure half the class
cannot see it. Learners who can see the word should try and give clues to help the
other learners guess what the word is-->  After o During

FEEDBACK:
- Increasing motivation is the key to success when it comes to using coursebooks
- Never miss an opportunity for language practice
- Make activities fun!
- Encourage learners to use chunks of language rather than single words
 STORYTELLING
The basic principles of storytelling:
Young learners enjoy stories, and storytelling is an important tool in the language-learning
classroom.

 Match these basic principles of storytelling with their descriptions:

- Make sure learners are clear about the language they are learning
- Play attention to how your learners sit
- Relate language to the topic of the unit/project
- Remember that learners will “switch off” if they become confused
- Repeat the same story more than once

- It is important to choose stories which feature the vocabulary and language dealt with in
the current part of your course and to fully integrate the story into the programme (3)

- Always make sure the book faces the learners, so they can see the pictures. Don’t be afraid
to stand up to tell the story and to be expressive and theatrical (2)

- Stories are usually written for native-speakers of a language. Reading a long story or book
from start to finish will not benefit learners. Be ready to adapt the telling of the story by
choosing relevant language for your learners (The most important aspect is 4)

- Adapt the story, so that you use easy sentences. Ask learners to repeat any target language
that appears in the story (the main principles is 1)

- The second time we tell the same story, learners stop focusing on the story and begin to
focus on the language, so it is important to tell the same story 3-4 times. Young learners
will appreciate this and it will increase their motivation (5)

Decide which of the three stages of storytelling (before, during, after) each activity
would suit. When you have finished, read Feedback for more ideas:
1) Be very expressive /theatrical --> during
2) Ask students to role-play the story --> after
3) Introduce the characters --> before
4) Revise language from the story --> after
5) Introduce the setting, time, etc… --> before
6) Ask learners to repeat what they hear --> during
7) Do some follow-up games --> after
8) Pre-teach vocabulary --> before
9) Check that learners know what’s happening --> during
FEEDBACK:
- Before the story:
Ask learners to sit on the floor in a group
Ask learners to sit quietly before you begin
Familiarise learners with the characters and the setting
Use pictures, or the cover of the story book to elicit vocabulary they already know
Introduce key vocabulary for the story

- During the story:

Encourage learners to repeat target vocabulary or structures from the story
Speak slowly and clearly
Make sure they are following the story by asking comprehension questions

- After the story:

After the third time you tell the story, ask learners to tell you the story
Revise the language learned by playing games
Ask learners to take on the roles of characters from the story and act it out. Create a little play to
act it out
Above all, have fun and be enthusiastic!
 BE / GET USED TO something (I’m used to…) + USED TO
Study this example situation:
Jane is American but has lived in Britain for 3 years. When she first drove a car in Britain, she
found it very difficult because she had to drive on the left instead of on the right. Driving on the
left was strange and difficult for her because:
- She wasn’t used to it
- She wasn’t used to driving on the left
But after a lot of practice, driving on the left became less strange:
- She got used to driving on the left
Now after 3 years, driving on the left is no problem for her:
- She is used to driving on the left

I’m used to something = it is not new or strange for me

- Frank lives alone. He doesn’t mind this because he has lived alone for 15 years. So he is
used to it. He is used to living alone (We can say both of them)
- My new shoes felt a bit strange at first because I wasn’t used to them
- Our flat is on a very busy street. I expect we’ll get used to the noise but at the moment we
find it very disturbing
- Fred has a new job. He has to get up much earlier – at 6.30. He finds this difficult at present
because he isn’t used to getting up so early

It’s your turn now:

Read the situation and write 3 sentences with used to as in the example Jane is American. She
came to Britain and found driving on the left difficult. A) At first she wasn’t used to driving on the
left. B) But soon she got used to driving on the left. C) Now she has no problems. She is used to
driving on the left.
1. Juan came to England from Spain. In Spain he always had dinner late in the evening. But in
England dinner was at 6 o’clock. Juan found very strange at first.
A) At first he wasn’t… used having dinner at 6 o’clock
B) But after some time he got… used to having dinner at 6
C) Now he finds it quite normal. He… is used to have dinner at 6
2. Diana is a nurse. She started working nights 2 years ago. At first she found it strange and didn’t
like it.
A) At first she… want’t used to working nights
B) But after a while she… got used to working used to working nights
C) Now she doesn’t min. she… is used to working night

Do not confuse I am used to doing (be / get used to) with I used to do: they are different in
structure and in meaning.
I am used to (doing) something = something isn’t strange for me
- Frank is used to living alone
I used to do something means only that I did something regulary in the past. You can’t use this
structure for the present.
- This days I usually stay in bed until late. But when I had a job, I used to get up early

Study this example situation:

Dave gave up smoking 2 years ago. He no longer smokes. But he used to smoke. He used to
smoke 40 cigarettes a day.
He used to smoke means that he smoked regularly for some time in the past, but he doesn’t
smoke now.
- We use used to with the infinitive (used to do) to say that something regularly happened
in the past but no longer happens.
1) I used to play tennis a lot, but now I’m too lazy

- We also used to for past situations (which no longer exist):

1) We used to live in a small village but now we live in London
2) This building is now a furniture shop. It used to be a cinema
3) Ann used to have long hair but she cut it some time ago
 USED TO + infinitive is always past
There is no present

The normal question is did…use to?

- Did you use to eat a lot of sweets when you where a child?
The negative formi s didn’t use to (or ‘used not to’)
- Jack didn’t use to go out very often until he met Jill

Now it’s your turn:

You have to write some sentences about a man who changed his life-style. Ron stopped doing
some things and started doing other things:
- He stopped studying hard / going to bed early / running 3 miles every morning
- He started smoking / going out every morning / spending a lot of money
Make 4 sentences like these. When you finished you have to ask questions (es: I know he doesn’t
study hard now but did he use to study hard?)
1) He used to go to bed early. He never used to go out every morning.
2) I know he doesn’t go to bed early now, but did he use to go to bed early?
3) He used to run 3 miles every morning. He didn’t use to spend a lot of money
4) I know he doesn’t run 3 miles every morning now, but did he use to run 3 miles?

You can also use WOULD

When you look back on the past and remember things that often happened:
- When we were children, we lived by the sea. In summer, if the weather was fine, we
would* all get up early and go for a swim
- Whenever Arthur was angry, he would* just walk out of the room
*Used to is also possible in these sentences
P.S. This form does not specify whether the situation has changed in the present
 Used to vs. Would
Used to is used with action verbs and with stative verbs while would describe only action so it is
less common
- My grandmother used to / would often tell me stories about her childhood
But
- I used to love the stories of Winnie the Pooh (No I would love)
 MANAGING LEARNERS’ BEHAVIOUR
Positive feedback
One of the most common problems when teaching very young learners is managing them in class
Choose the correct options (3 are right and 3 are false) to complete the summary about managing
our leaners’ behaviour.
- Encourage them to be quiet and listen to you
- Additional work to do
- Create a positive connection with each of you
- Overlooked (within reason)
- Pointed out immediately
- A lot of positive feedback when they have appropriate behaviour

Managing our learners’ behaviour

1) The most effective way to earn the learners’ respect and gain authority is to create a
positive connection with each of you, especially the most difficult ones
2) To accomplish this, we must provide learners with a lot of positive feedback when they
have appropriate behaviour to encourage them to improve
3) Minor misbehaviour should be overlooked within reason

The five pillars of positive feedback

- Praising learners is an important part of helping them to improve
- Let’s look now at the ‘Five pillars of positive feedback’
- Match each of the five pillars to their definition provided in the following slide
(Awards points; Choose participating learners; G.A.M.E; Give smiles and high-five;
Nominate a King and a Queen of the class)
Definition of the 5 pillars of positive feedback:
1) Awards points: Have a system (for example, stickers), so that you can give them when
learners do something you want to praise. Keep a poster in the classroom with each
learner’s name on it where they can keep track of their progress

2) Nominate a King and a Queen of the class: When a learner has a certain amount of points,
they can be given this special title in the next lesson. Along with this, they get special
‘powers’, such as being able to choose where to sit, what game to play, etc.

3) Give smiles and high-five: These, most of the time, are recognition enough to encourage
learners to keep behaving well. Once you have established a positive connection with your
learners by doing this, they will respect you and listen to you more when you ask them to
do something
 4) G.A.M.E: Write these letters on the board. When learners misbehave, erase one letter. If
the learners behave well, write it back up. If the word is still up at the end of the lesson,
you can all play a game

5) Choose partecipating learners: Only let learners who have done what you have asked (for
example, to sit down, or be quiet) take part in an activity