Macmillan Books for Teachers

500 Activities
for the Primary
Classroom
Contents
About the author
About the series
General
introduction
Section I: Listening andspeaking

17

Section 2: Reading and writing

48

Section3: Vocabulary
andgrammar

Section 4: Storytelling and drama

Section5: Games

Section 6: Rhymes, chants and

85
114
ISO

182

songs
Section7:Artandcraft

211

Section 8: Content based learn

236

Section 9:

ICT

and multimedia

Section 10: Learning to learn

286

Index:
language structures and grammar

310

Topics and lexical sets

311

Leaming skills and attitudes

312

Activity titles

318

Further reading
SetwccnTo"
Macmillan Education

Road,OxfordOX4JJ'

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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 32

About the author

I am an educational consultant, teacher trainer and writer based in Madrid. I am
also an assessor of courses leoding to the Cambridge ESOL young learner teacher
qualifications, the CELTYL and YL Extension to CELTA. As a teacher, I have worked
with young learners In several different countries,
including Venezuela, Portugal and Spain. Teacher education has long been one of my
main Interests and I hove many years' experience working with teachers, teacher
trainers and educational managers ln a wide range of contexts In both the private
and state sectors. I hove also freq
run teacher education
courses for organizations such as the British Council and the Council of Europe, as
well as Mini5tries of Education and other teaching Institutions, in many diff
countries in Europe,
Latin America and Asia. Over !he years, I have co-authored several course books
(including a multl-medla project, Bugs, which won a British Council Innovation Award)
as well as written supplementary materials and numerous articles about teaching
children.

Thanks
This book reflect over twenty years of working with children and owes much to the
many people who have shaped my thinking and classroom practice both directly and
Indirectly. I would specially like
to acknowledge and thank the following people
who, through their books, conference sessions and/
or seminars, have had a tangible
influence at portlcularly fonnatlve times: Lynne Cameron, Bruce Campbell, Robert
Fisher, Howard Gardner, Edie Garvie, Carolyn Graham, the late Susan Halliwell, and
Penny Ur.
In turning classroom experience Into a book, I would llke to thank the Series Editor,
Adrian Underhill, and everyone at Macmillan who have given me so much help: in
port!cular, Kate Melliss for her commitment to the project; Anna Cowper for her
sensitivity in helping to shape the material lnitialiy
and for her support throughout;
llll norent for her wise guidance and understanding at every stage of writing and for
her dedicated help on the Index; and Alyson Maskell for her superbly insightful and
meticulous editing. I would also llke to thonk Karen White for managing the editorial
process, Balvir Koura for managing the design, Hazel Barrett fo managing the
permissions and CindyKauss fo very kindly stepping in beyond the call of duty to
help with these.
Huge thanks are also due to the following colleagues for generously contributing
their expert
and insight in comments on draft versions of the introductions to diff
sections: Kay Bentley, Gall
8Jis, Dr Janet Enever, Chris Etchells, layne Moon, Shelagh Rix on and Scott Thorn
although any
remaining short
are of course my own. I should also like to thank the two
anonymous readers of the draft for their useful feedback and constructive advice.
Last but not least, very special thanks to my family- to my husband, Alan Matthews,
who acted as an inltlal reader of the introductions to each section and who, together
with our (now grown up) chlldren, Jamie and Hannah, gave me constant
encouragement and support, and without whom the book might never have got
beyond being an Idea.

Ded
For every teacher who lries to bri

out the best In every child.

About

About the series

Macmillan Books for Teachers
Welcome to Macmillan Books for Teachers. The titles are written by acknowledged and
innovative leaders in each field to help you develop your teaching repert
practical
skill and theoretical knowledge.
Suited to newer and experienced teachers, the series combines the best of classic
teaching methodology

with recent cutting-edge developments. Insights fr academic

research are combined with hands-on

experience to create books which focus on real-

world teaching solutions.

We hope you will find the ideas in them a source of inspiration in your own teaching
and enjoyment in

your professional learn

Adrion Underhill

Titles in the series

AnA-lo(ELT
Scott Thornbury
BeyondrheSenrence
Scott Thornbury
Children Leaming English
Jayne Moon

&

Steve Wolters

Teaching ReadingSkills
Christine Nuttall
Uncovering Grammar
Scott Thornbury

Discover English
Rod Bolitho

Teaching Practice
Roger Gower, Dione Phillips

&

Brian

Tomlinson
Leaming Teaching
Jim Scrivener
Sound Foundations
Adrian Underhill

Aboutlhe seties

700 ClassroomActivities
David Seymour

&

Mario Popova

Blended Learning
Barn

Barrett

&

Pete Sharma

General introduction
The approach

No printed word nor spoke11 plea

Can teach young minds what they should be.
Nol al/ the books on al/ the shelves
But what the teochers are themselves.
RUDYARD KIPLING

There are two phrases which are quite commonly used

by reachers, as ifthey were in some way conclusive.
One of them is 'Tt works'. Tile reaction to this ought
always to be'Why?' The fa
rhal something works
i.s no more interesting than the fact that something

does

not work What we need to do in both cases

is
to enquire about the conditions fo SL

failure,

and to make them as explicit as possible so that they

can be tested by other teachers in different teaching
situations. The phrase 'It works' should mark the
beglnningof enquiry,notits conclusion.
HCNRI' WJOOOWSON I

1 About the book

ofthe bo

The main approach of the book is to

provide immediate, workable Ideas and
solutions to the perennial question of
What on earth am J going to do with my class
tomorrow? Parallel to this, the approach
emphasizes developing on awareness of
the complex factors Involved in working
effectively with classes of children and
laying a solid foundation In primary
language teaching skil
The activities are designed to take into
account the looming and development of
the whole chlld, rather than simply to
provide a sert
of'redpes' for narrowly
focused language practice. This Is refl
in the alms and procedures, as welt
as in the comments and suggestions that
follow each activity, and in the scope of
the Index, which also includes reference to
learning skills and anitudes, as well as
language, topics and lexical sets The
activities ore designed to be used creatively
and to generate a range of further
personalized teaching ideas. They are
also designed to act as a guide
and support in developing your own
criteria
for selecting and using activ
appropriately ln class.

Ducription

ofthe

materials

Aim1 ofthe boo

General introduction

Thls book is a compendium of activities

for primary language teachers of children
aged 4-12. The main aims are:

This is divided Into twoparts Th first

part, About the book, includes an outli
of
the aims and approach, as well as a brief
description of the materials and how to
use the book. The
secondpart Working with children, contains
sections on creating optimal conditions for
children's teaming, managing children
positively and general guidelines for
setg up and using activitiesin clas.s

to provide a wide-ronglng resource of

practical Ideas which are easy to use
and which con be adopted flexibly
ond creatively in diff
contexts ond situations

to provide support for primary language

teachers in their own professional
development through encouraging
them to use the actlvlttes as a
sprtngboard for personal investigation
and enquiry into what 'works' for them
ln their owndasses.

Whothebook i5 for
The book Is suitable for:

primary languageteachers working

in the state or prtvate sectors

candidates following teacher education

courses such as the Combrtdge ESOL
CELTYL, the YL Extension to CEL A and
the Trtnity Certificate In TESOL

language teachers who have been

trained to teach adultsand who ore

being asked to teach chi!drenforthe
firsttime.

evaluate the teaching and learn

that results from doing the activities.
Activities within each section
The activities are organized to renect
the topic and title
section to
which they belong. However, there Is
also some overlap between the
sections in the sense that, for example,

Secti
of the book
The book is divided into ten sections which
reflect key areas In primary language
teaching. These
are: Listening ond speaking, Reading and writing,
Vocabulary and grammar, Sforytelling and drama,
Games, Rhymes, chants and songs, Art and
Con/ent-based learn

craft

/CT and multi-media,

and
Leaming ta learn Each section introduction
gives
an overview of methodological issues
related to the topic and Invites you to
refl

analy:t

and

Gene

inrrod

listening skHJ (Section 1) ore also

developed through
activities in other sections such as
'1) and

Storytelli11g ond drama (Section

Rhymes, chants and

songs (Sect
6); reading and writing
skills ore also developed through
activities ln other

sections such as Contenf-based learn

(Section
8) and /CTand multimedia (Section 9).
Slmllarly, activltles which involve
drama ore also included
In G<lmes (Section 5) and Rhymes, chants
and songs (Section 6) and

activitieswhich contribute to the

development of children's Vocabulary and
grammar (Section 3) also appear in
several other sections of the book.
Overall, throughout the sections,
there ls a balance in activities
suitable for children of diff ages
and levels. This balance varies
depending on the secti
Far
example, the sections on Reading
andwrifing and JCTand multimedia contain
fewer activities for very
youngchlldren, whereas the sections
on Rhymes, chants and songs and Storytelling and
drama contoIn more. For each activity,
information Is given under the
following headings: level, age, organlzat/011
aims, Ja11

focus, materials,

procedure commenrs and suggestions. Time is

not Included as part of this

information since this Is very variable
and depends on the level and age of
the children, the size of the class, as
welt as other factors relevant to
individual activities, such as lhe
number of vocabularyitems In o game
or the length of o story or text.
Level The level of activities is specifi
ln relotion to the Council ofEurope's
Common European Framework (CEF)
bands and these ore sub-divided into
Al.I,Al.2,A2.l,A2.2, BI.I, Bl.2.
However, since the CEF has been
developed with older
learn
1n mind and the learning
contexts and domains for children are
somewhat different, and 11kely to be
more limited in scope, this
spedfl
ls approximate. The levels
given for
activities in each section ore those
that children ore currently working
towards, and not levels which they
hove actually attained. Forexample,

500 Ac

fo the Primary Classroo

on activity which isspedfi

levelAl.I may be done by chlldren
who are almost co beginners and
just beginning to work towards
level Al.I , rotherthan having already
reached it.
In terms orrecognized public YL
exams which children may be
working towards, the specifi levels
correspond In the following way: level
A1.1 - equivalent to
CombridgeESOL Starters or
TrinityESOLGrode I; levelA1.2-to
Cambridge ESOL Movers or Trinit
ESOLGrode 2; level A2.1
- to TrinityESOLGrade 3; and level
A2.2- to CambridgeESOL Flyers and
TrinityESOLGrade
4.
Level
BI.I
ls
equivalent
to
TrinityESOLGrode 5 and level BI.2 to
Combridge ESOL Preliminary English
Te
and Trinity ESOLGrode 6.
Age Each activity includes the age
range fo which it is likely to be
appropriate. It needs to be stressed,
however, that this is likely tovary ln
diff
contexts and
cultures,depending on
a range of fa
such as the age
children start school and the approach
to literacy in their fi language (LI). For
many activities, the age range specifi
ls qulte broad, eg 6-12. This indicates
that the some technique or procedure
may be suitable fo different ages
depending on either the materials
used, or the way it Is realized, or bath.
Organization Thisexplains how
each activity Is organized, eg whole
doss, pairs. Altern
forms of orgonizolion ore also given,
where appropriate, in the comments
and suggestions which follow each
activity.
Aims The aims specified fo each
activity include language aims as well
as broader educational aims such as
cognitive, content, social and
attitudinal alms. Through considering
learn aims in o holistic way, activities
go beyond the
narrowconfi
of Isolated language
practice and take into account children's
overall education
and development In o more rounded way.
Language focus This shows the main
language that children will use during
an activity. Where altern
language
may be used, this Is also stated and

additional explanations provided ln

the comments and suggestions as
necessary.
Materials These ore designed to be
easily available andlor easy to
prepare. Photocopying
In some cases, optional moterials such as,
for example, puppets, real objects or other
props are also suggested.
Procedure The procedure fo activities is
set out in steps which are easy to
followand/or adapt in ways which are
suitable for your class. In some cases, the
procedure described is for a generic
adivity, illustrated by an example, which
you con then either use or apply in other
ways.
Comments and suggestions These
include such things as a commentary
on the nature of the activity,
guldellnes and tips for doing It
successfully ln class, ideas fo
variations and follow-ups, suggestions
of when it may be appropriate to use
the activity and ideas for
adapting it for older or younger children

is not usually necesry. Examples of

materials to use or adapt are
frequently provided, including sample
texts, simple Illustrations, diagrams,
grids or mind maps to co
section on Story
and drama and
identify the activities that you think will
be most suitable. If, on the other hand,
you are doing a specifi topic with the
children, eg rainforests, or a unit of work
which fo
on a particular lexical set, eg
parts of the body, or an aspect of
grammar, eg comparative adjectives,
then you can fi potentially suitable
activities to use by looking these up in
the Index. Altern you can also use the
Index to access activities which develop
particular cognitive skills, eg classifying,
or which are designed to promote social
skills,
eg collaborating, or activities which
develop children's confidence and selfesteem.
Before using an activity in class, you
might like to read the general guidelines
for setting up and using activities (see
Generalguidelines on pages 14-15). Aft
using one or more activities from

and/or different levels.

a particular section, you might like to

The Index
The Index is arranged into four
alpQabeticolly organized sections:
Language, Topics a11dlexical sets,

reflect, analyze and evaluate the children's

Leaming skills and attitudes, Ac1ivity

titles. The Index is designed to help you

identify and select appropriate activities.

The inclusion of learning
skills and attitudes as part of the Index
undhlines the relevance of these in
children's overall education and learning.
References to these link in with the alms
which are specified for activities.
Further reading
Suggested further reading is included on
page 320.

How to use the bok

The book can be used in a number of
ways.
If you want a general overview of a
range of methodological issues on
different topics related to teaching
children, then you might like to read the

general introduction first, followed by

the introductions to each section, and
familiarize yourself with the kind of
issues and activities that each one
contains. As a compendium, the book
con be used flexibly to supplement a
wide range of course books and syllabustypes (eg structural, functional, story,
content- or topic
based) and dipped into whenever you
want ideas for activities.
You con find what you need easily, either
by looking in a specifi section or under
an appropriate heading in the Index. For
example, if you hove decided to use a
specific story book
with the children and are looking for
ideas of how to exploit it, then it will be
best to go directly to the

response
to the activity, and your own, by
answering the questions in Ref

time which ore

included at
the end of the introduction to each section.
These questions are also suitable to use as
the basis of
workshop discussions with colleagues.
lfyou get into the habit of regular refl
as an
integral
part of the way you approach teachinglearning processes with children, you will
find that over time you will build up
conscious awareness of your own
personal theories of teaching and learn
In this way you will develop a set of
principled beliefs about what 'works'
best In your classroom which is rooted
in your own professional practice.

2 Working with children

Creating optimal conditions fo children's
learning
There is no defi
research evidence or
universol agreement about the best age
to start learn
a foreign language and,
as has been said 2, it is optima!
conditions rather than an opti
age
which counts. All children ore unique in
what theybring to the classroom
and in their ability to process
information and learn through different
facets of their Multiple lntelligences3.
They areolso unique in their pers
preferences and emerging learning
styles. Whether you are working with fo
olds or twelve-year-olds or any age in
between, you may like to consider the
ingredients of the

General introd
'CWheel'4 (M"e figure l) as a tool for helping
you to create optimal conditions in order to
moximize children's learn

and enable

everyone in your classes to blossom and thrive,

both as engaged, responsible learn

and as

people.

Figure l Th

c.Wheel

The C-Wheel takes as its start

point the

centrality of the child and the child's

learning. It

is made up of eight principal

segmentsshowing a range of factors which

contribute to creating optimal conditions for
children's language learning. All the
Ingredients of the C-Wheel
start with the letter 'C', hence the name. There
are also subordinate 'C' ingredients included In
the description of some segments. The C-Wheel
segments clockwise round the wheel are as
follows:

I Context
Children make sense of the world and of
language through the context they find
themselves in. Children pay far more anentlon
to the whole situation than to language, and
the younger they are, the truer this is.S It is
only as children get older that they are able ta
deal with d!sembedded language, and this Is
often one of
the problems with the transition fr
to

primary

secondary school. The context in which

children

carry out activities in the primary

classroom needs to:

be natural, real or unders

be relevant and make sense to the child

500

Ac

for lhe Primory Classroom

allow for the discovery and

between what the

ehlid already knows, about

construction of meaning

the language onerabout the world, and what

allow for learning to be active and

experienti

ls to be learnt

encourage the use of language as a

between what is learn and how it is learnt

vehicle to do things which hove o real

purpose

support children's understanding, for

book or body language, mlme and

Coherence is a factor In creoting optimal

gesture can do.

conditions for learning in both the short and

longer term. One way of making learn

created when you acti

coherent Is through creating meaningful

look to build in

connections within and between Jes.sons In

a number of ways. These include

contexts and making connections to other

areas of children's learning and experience
in ways described above. Jn terms ofthe
internal

connections:

coherence of what Is being learn

to other areas of learning,

eg

sci

maths

(that Is, when you build in real co

it is

important that learning should never seem

bitty or fragmented to children. At the same
time, lt needs to be broken down into

another 'C' ingredient)

appropriately sequenced steps, so that

to the child's real life experience at home

{see Section 10).

3 Coherence

Optimal conditions for learning may be

focus on helping chlldren learn how to learn

example, in the way visuals In a story

2 Connections

(that Is, when there is also on integrated

children don't feel overwhelmed. Over the

and at school

course of the primary years it is Important to

to the way the child's life, language and

ensure that there ore

culture (also a 'C' ingredient) compares

plenty of opportunities for children to acquire

and relates to English-speaking peoples

and learn language in meaningful,

and cultures

comprehensible and supported ways. You also

to what has gone before and what

will

follow In the teochlng-leorning sequence

Jonguoge chunks or isoloted lexls, but rather
that pattern and regularities in the Jonguoge
system groduolly emerge once the child ls
conceptually reody to perceive them (see also
introduction to Sedion3).

need to ensure that learn

does not become

fossilized at the level of

children. In on everydoy classroom context, the
ZPD con be paraphrased simply as the gap
between a child
being able to

carry

out on odivlty without any

help or support and an activity which is simply

out of reach for the child at the moment and

Coherence ls olso achieved when activities

cannot be attempted without guidance from

provide reasons for doing things that children

someone who

is

more knowledgeable or sld

con understond and perceive as relevant, and

when

the relationship of the outcomes to their

leYel of potentiol development

as determined through

own looming Is mode explicit and explained

problem-solving
underodultguidonce

(se also
introduction to Section 10).
4 Chollenge

ZPO

It Is Important to get the level and balance of

Ungulstlc and cognitive challenge right for
children (and cogniti

is onother C-lngredient

here). lf octlvitiesare too eosy, children

Ac

wil

level os

determined by independent

simply become bored, de.motivated and possibly

disruptive. If activities ore too diffi

developmen

problem-solving

children

ore likely to become anxious, and also de

motivated and possibly disruptive.

Flgure

TheZPD (based on Vygotslcy, 1978: 76)

The concept ofthe zone of proximal

development (ZP0)6 (se figure 2) is helpful
in pitching octlviti

and learning sequences

at an appropriate level of challe"nge for

There is no point teaching below the bottom of

the ZPD because the child can already function in
a competent and independent way here and no

newlooming will take place. Equally there Is

the difference between this and the child's

no pointteaching above the top of the ZPD

current level of competence Is too great. In

because

this way, the ZPDprovides o valuoble

conceptual framework

fo situating the level of

challenge in activities that may be appropriate

for children at any
one time -activities which stretch and extend
learn

but at the same time are also

ochievable and allow for success.

'Flow'1

is

another relevant factor in relation

to challenge and creating opti

fo children's language learn

conditions
.'Flow' is

to do with feeling emotionally positive and

motivated towards a learning activity and
your own performance. It's the feeling you
have when you're 'on a roll' with an adivlty
you may hove to do, such as writing a report
or on ess

or even preparing a lesson! 'Flow'

Is a
kind offe

towards an activity and your own

performance that says something along the

lines

of 'yes-it's-a-challenge-but-l'm-into-it-ond-

1' m

determined-to-do-lt-ond-l'll-feelgreot-

when-1
do--it'. Precondltions for creating 'flow' hove been
described as 'a perfect balance between available
skills and challenges8, When children experience
'flow', they feel a sense of pos

energy, pleasure

and self-motivation towards their own learning.

This drives and inspires them fr

within,

rather than as a result of any extemol reward,

and can be a powerful motor for sustaining
persistence and effort in learn

over the

longer term.
When the level of challenge is right and
children experience 'flow', this leads to a sense
of achievement and success. As the saying
goes, 'success breeds success', and this in
tum helps to
build up confi

(another (-ingredient) and

selfesteem and also often to positively Influence

behaviour and heighten levels ofperformance
too.
S Curiosity
Clos

related to the conceptsof challenge ond

'flow', it Is also important to arouse and

maintain children's curiosity. to generate a desire
to learn and fi
the act of learn

out about things, and to make

interesting, relevant and

enjoyable In
its own right. Jn order to maximize learning we
need to sustain children's interest and curiosity
in appropriate age-reloted ways. This curiosit
oon extend to all kinds of topics as well os to
other people, cultures and language itself. The
way you realize different classroomtechniques,

activities and procedures should provide

opportunities

Genei-alintrOOuction
for children to be curious,
investigative and experimental. ii
should also create a climate in
which asking questions and finding
out for yourself is encouraged
rather than suppressed.
6 Care
Another essential factor in creating
optimal conditions for learning is the
affective climate created in children's
learning environment. As hos been
said, 'Children don't care how much
we know until they know how much
we core.'9 All children need to feel
treated and cared about as
individuals rather than as a group to
be controlled. In large classes this
may sometimes bedifficult, but can
be got round by developing
strategies for finding time for
personalized
moments in which you can convey
that you know and core about each
child. (see also Relationships
p.11 and Respect p.13).
Core for children also manifests
itself in the extent and nature of the
support you give children while they
ore learn
Scaffolding 10 is the
metaphorical term often used to
describe the special kind of help
given by the teacher at
any one time to make it possible for
the child to progress from imitating,
repeating or copying, to being able
to perform more competently and
independently, in other words to cross
the ZPD referred to earlier. In
language classes, support or scaff
for children's
understanding and
developing language use may be
provided by, for example,
using visuals and real objects
using mime and gesture
modelling processes to carry out
activities
recasting and expanding children's
language in a natural way
providing opportunities for
rehearsal and experimentation
asking questions appropriately
responding to children's meaning

providing encouraging feedback

appropriate and constructive praise.

Using positive language is another
important factor in creating an
environment of care. You may like to
reflect on the number of negative or
critical comments, as opposed to
positive or supportive comments, that
you give children during lessons. In the
fi
of a smallscale study 11, it was found that on
average children receive 460 negative
or critical comments and
10

500 Ac

for !he PrimoryClossroom

75
positive
or
supportive
comments every day.
Through
thinking about ways in which we
con
comment
positively
and
supportively about
what children are doing
appropriately or getting right,
rather than focusing and
commenting
on what they are not doing
opproprtotely or getting wrong, it
is possible to create a shiftin the
emphasis ofcare we give children.
This con
potentially hove a hugely benefi
impact both on their attitudes and
their learning.

there is natural and real

interaction and
communication in a social
environment
children are given opportunities IQ
respond in personal, divergent ways
and to choose what they want to
say or do.
8 Creativity
The mention of personalized, divergent
responses leads naturally to the last,
but not least, segment of the wheelcreativity. All children come to class
with creative potential, and developing
creative thinking skllls as an integral
part of language lessons:

7 Community

allows 'hidden talents' to emerge

Community is the superordinate for

three other important Cingredients: communica1ion, col/
and cooperation. In order to
create
optimal conditions for learn
we
need to work towards creating a
sense of community in the classroom
where:

increases personal investment and

ownership
- thus helping learning to become
more memorable

activities are shared experiences and

events
children are encouraged to
cooperate and collaborate, and to
help and respect eoch other
diversity is positively valued
and there is recognition that all
children will contribute and
participate in uniquely different
ways
English it is feasible to include activities
which develop creativity, fantasyand
imagination (see refere
to
developing creative thinking skil
in
the Index forsome examples) and the
outcomes are frequently both inspired
and inspiring.
Around the C-Wheel
Teaching and learning nevertake
place in
o vacuum. Around the
edge ofthe C-Wheel, therefore,
arefactors which provide the
parameters and fi
for shaping the
ways in which optimal conditions
forlearn
maybe realized
appropriately in diff
cultures
and contexts.
As areflective activity, you may like
to think about how the C-Wheel
applies to your own teaching and
children's learning where you
currentlywork. As you use the
activities in the book, you may also
like to extend, adapt or reinvent the
C-Wheel to showthe factors that,
fr
yourown experience ofclassroom
practice, seem to provide optimal
conditions for children learning in your
context.

develops fluency and flexibility in

thinking
ollowsfor humourond fun.
Opportunities for creativity are
often lost as children get older. In
order to create optimal
conditions for learn
we need to
include
activities which develop creativity,
fantasy and Imagination that are so
much part of the world of primaryaged children and which con lead to
positive new learning. Even when
children only have very limited
linguistic competence in
Managing children positively
The main aim ofmanaging children
positively is to create and maintain a
happy working environment in which
the norms and rules of classroom
behaviour ore respected and children
are engaged in purposeful activity and feel
secure and motivatedto loom. Maintaining
a balance between children's enjoyment
and acceptable behaviour is oft
one of
the greatest challenges primary language
teachersface.
As children move up through the
primaryyears, it can be helpful to see
classroom management as a continuum. At
one end ofthe continuum, with very young
chlldren, classroom management
is essentially implicit, with the main
focuson socializing children
whoorenewto a school environment.
This includes establsi hing learn
routines and the formation ofgood
habits, such as looming to payattention
and
learning to share. Bycontrast, at the
other end ofthe continuum, once children
ore in upper primary and fomillar with
school life, classroom management can
be much more explicit, with well-

established expectations ofbehaviour,

and reference to rules and norms
which children understand and are
largely willing to accept.
With any age group, however, it is
important to beaware that
managing children positively isa
complex, interactive process in
which a

dynamicweb of relationships and

interrelated patterns of behaviour ore
built up over time. As part of
managing classes ofchildren positively,
it is important to take initiatives to
establish clear working parameters as
soon as you meet
a new class forthe first time. Jn order
to do this, you may fi
it useful to
consider the seven
'R's 12: Relationships, Rules, Routines,
Rights, Responsibilities, Respect and
Rewords

Relationships
The relationshipsthat you establish with
the class as a whole, and with the
individuals that make up each class, lie
at the heart ofestablishing a healthy
and happy working environment and
managing children positively. Jn a smallscale survey conducted with childre
between the
ages ofsix and eleven in Spain 13,
children most frequently identified
qualities ofgood teaching that
reflected their relationship with the
teacher. These included someone who
is fair, patient, caring, affectionate,
kind, fu
listens to
you, helps you, makes you work,
treats you as a 'person', tells you
offif necessary, but doesn't get
angry or shout. These qualities,
identifi
by children themselves, provide a
useful bassi forthinking
aboutthekindofrelationshipsyou
intend to establishwithyourclasses.
Although every teacher has their own
unique personality and 'teaching
persona' and wi!l go about establishing
relationships in differentways, the
following general points help in getting
offto a positive start.
Learn the children's names as soon as
you can and always use them.

before or aft

formal teaching begins or

while children are working individually.

Model behaviour that you would also like
the children to adopt. For example, be
polite and

courteous, use 'please' and

Avoid having favourites (or at least

make sure thatthis doesn't show).

Listen to what children have to

say. (Ifa child wantsto tell
yousomething at an
Inappropriate moment, postponetill
laterbut
don't then forget, as this
will give the message that you're
not really interested.)

Build up children's confi and selfesteem and encourage them to

believe they con succeed.

Be patient ifyou need to explain

orglve instructionsmore than
once.

Create li
forpersonalized
moments in which you convey
that you know andcare about
eoch child as an individual.
Thismay be, forexample, at the
start or end oflessons,

'thank you' when

Generol introduc
11
you ask them to do things,

smile and greet

them whether in or out ofthe classroom.

Use praise appropriately to provide

constructive feedback and encourage
participation and effort.

 Use inclusive language, eg Let's ... I Today

we're

Use humour and show a sense offun.

Be fair and firm aboutenforcing rules and

insisting on children's adherence to

times be neither desirable nor possible foryou

to enforce. In this case, a communication rule
eg We must ask ffwe

formulateddiff
need

classroom

children if, forexample, they have something

they desperately need to say. It may also at

going to ...

ta speakSpanish (MayI speakSpanish, please?) may

Keep calm at all limes; try notto raise

your voice or shout

be more effective. This version ofthe rule will

not only establish English as the main
language of

Ifyou tell a child off, make it clear it's

communication in the

classroom but will also encourage the

their behaviourthat you don't like, not

children to thinktwicebefore giving you a

them.

signal that they need to resort to their

Be consistent. Ifyou soy that you or the

class will do something, make sure it

mother tongue.
The most effective rules are ones which are

happens.

expressed using inclusive language (our

Mork and returnwork promptly. Be

rules for our classroom) and for which the

constructive in your comments and respond

children feel ownership. It also helps when

to

rules can be expre55

children's intended meanings, ratherthan

just

language accuracy or spelling.

As you develop your relationship

with

positively

ratherthan negatively in
diff

order to highlight desired behaviour. For

classes and children, it iso good idea to get

into

example, in a rule such as We mustn't shout in

the habit of monitoring yourself and how

think ofshouting,

things

positively, eg We must

are going. Through reflection and

analysis ofyour

own behaviour (the only

person in the class whose behaviouryou can

actually change), you will
be able to identify aspects ofthis that make
your relationshipswork better and produce a
more

positive response in the children.

our classroom, the immediate association is to

whereas ifit is expressed
talk quietly in our

classroom, the same rule is more likely to work

to better effect.
The best way to establish rules as part ofyour
working parameters is to involve the children
in

decisions about which ones will apply.

Depending
on the age and level ofthe children, the

Rules
Rules may eitherbe imposed by the institution
or established as port ofyour working
parameters.
It is usuallybest to hove as few rules as
possible

procedure you use to do this can vary (see

10.14 for an example).

Routines
Routines are established pattern ofbehaviour

and to make sure thatthe rulesthemselves, eg

in which everyone knows what is expected

We mustput up our hands ifwe want to speak,

ofthem and what they should do. The

as well

introduction of

as the re-0

for the rules, eg Ifweal/ talk

classroom routines is

instrumental in setting up

working parameters

a/once no-one listens to what we have to say,

which function effectively

are clear to

very young children they play a particularly

everybody.

It is important that any rules you establish are

perceived as fairby the children and that you
con

actuallyenforce them. For example, a rule

which

states We must always speak English in

class may,
at some moments, be perceived as unfairby the

with all ages. With

important role. In order to introduce and

establish routines successfu

you need to

have a clear plan ofthe are-0 these will cover

and
the form they will take. For example, you may
like to think ofroutines for such things as

greeting the children

12

500Activilies fo the

Primary Clowoom

taking the register

startinglessons
getting into pairs or groups
moving fr

oneport ofthe

classroomto another

 doing particular activities, eg ones

involving movement or stori

getting the children's attention

then you also have the responsibility notto

starting and stopping acti

mock or lough at others, and so on.

giving out and collecting

in

materials

looking ot and/orcorrecting
children'swork

collectlng in and return

homework

going to the toilet

tidylng up

endinglessons.
Familiar routineshelp to makechildren
feel secure and confident In the
classroom. They promote cooperation
as, for example, when we all help tidy
up together. Th
also fostero sense of
community and belonging, In the
sense that we all know and shore the
way we work and
do things together in the classroom.
Routines
con also ploy on Important
role in providing opportunities for
natural language acquisition. For
example, In a routine at the start
oflessons whereyou ask and talk
about the weather, overtime children
will noturolly acquire the language to
do this without being formally taught.
As children become Increasingly
familiar with routines and what is
expected ofthem at different stages
oflearn
they act with greater
autonomy. This helpsyou to manage
yourdosses positively. It also helps
save your energy and voice (highly
important Ifyou are teaching full
ti

as, in some areas at least, once

routines are established, children will

only need a prompt to know what to
do.

Rtght1 and re1pon1ibilities

Rights and responsibilities are
oftentwo sides ofthe same coin.
Here ore some examples fro the
children's perspective. Ifyou have the
ri to tcJ
in the lesson, then you
also have the
responsibility to rememberto bring your
books. If
youhave the ri9ht ta speak
in the classroom and haveothers
listen to you, then you also have the
responsibility to listen to others when
they do the S(l
Ifyou have the
ri9htto use the classroom scissors,
crayons and glue, then you also have
the responsibility to share them with
others when
theyneed to use them as well. Ifyou
have the rig/1 tohavea tum in gomes,
then you also have the
re
sibility to respect the tums ofothers
when they play. Ifyou have the ri
to
se the pictures when the teacher tells
a story, then you also have the
responsibility not to block the view of
others. If you have the rl
not to be
mocked or laughed at,
respond

toyouas

individuals,

Although ii Is unlikely to be appropri

to
talk about rights and
responsibilities explicitly with children,
it is Important 10 model through your
own behaviour the way you value these.
For example, with responsibilities, ifa
child constantly forgets their book, lt
may be necessary for the teacherto
issue frequent reminders and
reprimands. However, what typically
happens is that on the one day the
child remembers to bring their book,
the teacher may well not comment at
all. Ifyou wish to positivelyreinfo
the
child's sense ofresponsibility In this
oreo, then you need to show explicitly
that you value this. A quiet word
ofprasi e, eg Welldone for rememberingyour
bok today, Juan! Is much more likely to
reinforce the behaviour you wont than
saying nothing, which may leave the
childwondering why he bothered to
bring his book anyway orwhether you
even noticed or cared.
Similarly with children's rights, it is
important
to show through
yourbehaviour that you value these
and are willing to protect them. If, for
example, a child mocks or laughs ot
another child in the doss, you need to

make it dear that this behaviourIs

completely unacceptable. In this case,
itmayalsobe worth explicitly discussing
the reasons for this, possibly In a
private moment afterthe class, and
Inviting the child to consider the
situation from the other child's point of
view by asking how they would feel If
the same happened to them. In
encouraging children ta reflect on their
behaviour and see things fr
others'
point ofvlew, they ore more likely to
act towards others in a responsible
way.

Respect
Respect is the glue which holds
together all the other 'R's. Respect
cannot be taught explicitly but it can
be modelled In all your behaviour,
such as using the children's names,
being polite, respecting personal spoce,
valuing diversity, recognizing that
children contribute and porticipote in
different ways and understanding that
they have feelings and 'offdays' just
like you. The most Important thing
about fostering an atm
ofmutual
respect as part of
managni g children positively is to
remember that respe
workstwo ways.
Ifthe children feel that you respect and
treot them like individuals rather than a
class to control, theywill also respect
and

Geneml introduc

13

Rewards

ratherthanwith a collective group mentality

It is usually best not to use any system of

which is always much

exttinsic rewards to raise motivation levels and/or

positively.

harder to manage

ensure good behaviour, at least ot the outset.

between the reward and the reason for it is

This gives

always fr

a positive message that you expect everyt

Greatwork, Doniel

to go well. However, there may be times with

andAntonio. Ionlyheard English in thegame!

Two

some classes when introducing

arewardsystem

can be an eff

marbles in tile;or fo

way to

reinforce appropriate behaviour and/or to add

an additional, motivational, feel-goodfactor to
things that are

different enjoyable ways, eg using stars, stic

smiley

marbles in
help

faces,

rame

a jar. Ifused eff

promote

collaboration,

tickets
they

or
can

appropriate

behaviour and
individual as well as classeffort. However, if
used without care, they may also have the
opposite effect andcreate a divisive atm05phere
of'winners' and 'losers', in which some children
become obsessed by collecting stars or points,
or whateverit is, while others adopt a strategy
of opting out, which has a correspondingly
negative effect on their motivation, eff
behaviour in

The eff

you!

ofindividuals collecting rewards

forthe benefi ofthe whole doss creates an

atmosphere in which there is p05itive peer

already going well.

Rewardsystems can be devised in all kinds of

points,

in the children's mind, eg

and

class.

pressure to make

aneffort work well and

produce approptiate behaviour. A

collaborativerewordsystem like
this con also be made fun by your challenging
the class, eg Canyou fi

thejar byFriday? I

don't think so! Shaw me I'm wrong!

Ifyoudo decide touse a reward system such
as the one above, it is a good idea to
regularly vary the system you use for
accumulating rewards,
eg marbles, raffle tickets, stars, as, ifyou
always use the same, it is likely aft

a while

to lose its associations ofpleasant expectation,

surprise

and fun. It is also essential always

to use reward systems in the positive way ln

which they are

intended, ie as rewords, rather

The kinds ofrewardsystems which generally

than negatively or

work most eff

taking, or threatening to take marbles back

ively are ones where

individuals are rewarded and the reward

contributes cumulatively to a pri

which Is

won by the

punitively, forexample, by

out ofthe jar once they hove

been awarded.

When planned for and implemented together,

the seven 'R's provide an integrated

whole class. For example, !n the case of

framework fo

managing children positively

collecting marbles in a jar, individual children,

and creating a

pairs or groups maybe awarded marbles

in which teaching and learning take place in

duting lessons

on effective and

fo

harmoniousway. As a reflective activity, you

for example, working well, making an

happy working environment

effort to speak English, helping others,

may

completing their

which you con implement the seven 'R's in

work carefully. As soon as the jar is fi

your own classes.

with marbles, the whole dos gets a ptize.

This may be something as simple as
watching a favourite

Generul guidelines fo
and using a'tivities

video, having a quiz, playing a favourite

game, orwhateverelse you and the
childrenchoose.
The jar forthe marblesshould not be too
big,

so that the prize or pay-off is

attainable over a

reasonably short period

sett

up

Once you have selected the activity

oractivities

you ore going to use in class, the

following is a

general checklist ofthings you

may need to do:

Prepare the language youwil! use

Use a familiar signal to getthe children's

tosetup activities before going into

oftime, eg a week or, maximum, two. If it

class.

takes a whole term (a long time in the life

ofa child!) to fill up the jar and earn the

like to note orthink ofpractical ways in

prize orpay-off then they are likely to lose

attention (this may be a gesture, a

interest and enthusiasm. When giving a

tambourine, a clop ofthe hands, a bell, a

reward, this is best done instantly as an

ongoing part ofyourteaching, so that the
association

rhyme, standing
in a special place or putting on a special
hat).
Wait until everyone is quiet and
attentive before starting to explain what

1A

500 Activities

for rhe Primary

Classroom

to do. Try and use neutral body

language and facial

expression as you do this. Don't give

up- at

you are waiting

least one child will notice that

Announce the general nature and

10 ... play agame/do a group survey
actout a role play in order lo ..

teach vocabulary, elicit what children

know, encourage them to predict or guess
answers, etc.

Divide

the clas into pairs, groups or

teams, ifthis is relevantforthe activity. Use

gesture, names and/ornumbers to
reinforce children's understanding
ofintended groupings and to show the
physical organization ifnecessary, eg if
children need to turn round their
choirs.

Give clear Instructions appropriate to

the language level ofthe children.
Keep instructions short and chunked
into stages. Use simple language
patterns and

accompany your

instructions by gesture, mime

orvisuals to clarify meaning

Demonstrate how the activityworks In

practice. In the case of a pairwork game,
forexample, this may mean inviting one
or

two children to the fr

ofthe

dosseitherto ploy part ofthe

gamewithyou or each other while the
restsee how it works, orplaying the
game with the whole dossonce ortwice
before they ploy in pairs.

Check that the children understand

what to
do beforetheystart the activity. If
relevant,

it ls also worth double-

checking that they knowtheirpartner,

group, team or role. If you
speakthechildren's Ll but don'twant

Assoon os you are sure everyone dearly

understands what to do, give o signal to start
the activity.

Establish or create a context and use

this
as on opportunity to, for example, pre-

go through themselves in order to be able to

carry out on activity or task successfully.

purpose orthe activity, eg We'regoing

to start and do your

management for you

to

to

use it yourself in doss, you may like to

ask a child to tell you the instructions
briefly in theirown language. This
enables you to check the children hove
understood and has the added bonus
ofgiving those children who may need
itthe opportunity to hear the
instructions repeated in their own
language.
Ifappropriate, model aloudprocedures or
thlnking processes that children willneed

During ond aft

the activity

or the whole class has worked in order to

Allow the childrento carry out

convey how much you value this.

the activity independently and

Conduct

responsibly ond make it dear

introduction

that you expect them to do this.

learning

review

(see

to Section 10) as a follow-

up to the activity if appropriate.

Monitor discreetly and be ready to

Condusion

encourage, give help or stop any

trouble developing if necessary, but

Everyteacher, every doss and every child is

don't make the children feel you

different. This is what makes primary language

are watching them too closely.

teaching a unique and dynamic ongoing learning

experience, not only for thechildren but for

Train the children to look up in

you. This book suggests ideas forcreating

orderto let you know when they

hove fi

optimal learning conditions forchildren, ways

dolng

to manage children positively and over 500

a task or activity and always be

activities to use in doss - at the end ofthe day,

ready with something else fo them

however, in mediating and making It all

to do while others fi

'work'successfully, your best resource is most

Use a signal fo stopping the

activitybefore

defi

YOU!

moving on. Always

stop while children are still

engaged and enjoying the activity
and before

interest has waned.

Vary the way you givefeedback,

check answers or invite individual
children to report bock or

tell/show

the restofthe classwhattheyhove

done. Keep up a pace to this in
orderto ovoid the childrenbecoming
distracted orlosing interest. Actively
look forpositive things to comment
on aboutthe way individual children

Genero

References
l This quotation is from Widdowson
H. 'The incentive value oftheory in
teacher education', ELT/ Vol38,
1984.
2 Rlxon, S. 1999 Youn9
LeomersofEn9lish:Some Research Perspectives.

Harlow: Longman
3 Gardner, H. 1983 Fr

ofMind: The

Theory of Multiple Intelligences. London:

Fontana
Gardner,

H.

1999

fntelii9ence

Refi'a

Multiple Intelligences fo the2Ist Century. New

York: New York Basic Books

Howard Gardner's theory of
Multiple Intelligences
currentlyidentifi
eight diff
intellJgences. These are:
verballinguistlc, musical, logicaldeductive, visual spatial,
kinaesthetic, interpersonal,
lntropersonal and naturalist.

intrcxl

15

4 I originally developed the (-Wheel

to use on teacher education
cours
with primary
language teachers. See also Read,
C. 'Towards
Whole Leorn in Creatinga Positive and
Practical Leaming Environment, Eds. Gika

&

Superfi

IATEFL 1998

5 Donaldson, M. 1978 Children's Minds.

London: Collins/Fontana
6 Vygotsky, L 1978 MindinSociety.
Cambridge Moss: Harv
University Press
7 'Aow' ls a concept originally
developed
by Cslkszentmlhalyi and other
American psychologists working at
first on the
peak performances of athletes. See
Csikszentmiholyi, M. 1990 Flow: lhePsy
gy ofOptimol Experience. New York: Harper
and Row

8 van ller,

1996 Interaction in

thelanguage Curriculum:Awareness, Autonomy

&Authentidty.

Harlow: Longman

9 Andres v. de 1999 'Self-esteem in

the Classroom or the Metoporphosis
of Butterflies.' In Arnold, 1. (ed.)
Affec inlan9uo9eLeaming. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
10Wood, D., Bruner, 1. & Ross, G. 1976
'Therole oftutoring in problemsolving.' Jn }oumal of ChildPsychology
andPsychiatry 1 7/2: pp 89-IOO

1 1 report

by lack Canfi

DePorter, B.

&

in

Hemockl, M. 1995

Quon/um Leaming. London:

PiotkusBooks
1 2 Reod, C. 'Managing Children
Positively.' In
ETP Issue 38, Moy 200
1 3 Read, C. 'What makes a teacherspeci
for
you?': unpublished survey of 120
primary school children that I
carried out in Spansi h ln
January20 at Arturo SoriaSchool,
Madrid, with the help ofAno
Sober6n.

16

500 i\c

for the

Primary Clossroom

Section 1 Listening and speaking

When children start learn
English at
primary school, there is usually an
emphasis on developing listening and
speaking skills. Through listeningto
English, children are led naturally
intospeaking. From using single words
and formulaic language, children
gradually develop the abiHty to
produce language and to interact with
others in a more extended way.

Learning to listen
When learn
to listen in English,
children ore actively engaged in
constructing me<ming and making
sense ofwhat they hear. To do this,
they use not just language but their
knowledge of
the world and clues
provided by the context, for example:
their expectations about the
intentions of the speaker
predictions about what they will
listen to
the speaker's use ofvoice, mime and
gesture
the reason and purpose for which
they are

listening

other features in the immediate

environment which support their
understanding, eg flash cards, story
or course book illustrations, posters,
real objects, puppets, sound eff
on
a CO, orthe visual setting ofa DVD.
Essentially, young children need plenty
of

opportunities to listen to language

In addition, you can use: Storytelling

and drama (Section 4), Games (Section
5), Rhymes, chants and songs (Section
6), Art and craft (Section 7), and
Content from other areas ofthe curr
(Section 8), to develop children's
listening skills. Ideas forthese are
included in each section. The listening
activities in this section include ideas
which do not fall directly into those
categories and also ideas which can be
adapted and applied to listening texts
from othersources, such as the course
book.

Developing listening skills

In L2, as in LI, children
developlistening skills
beforespeakingskills. It is enriching
to expose them to language that is ahead
of
their productive competence, as long
astheir understanding is guided and
supported, for example through
mime, illustrations and/orthe activity
they are asked to do. From the outset,
it ls important to use a vari
ofdifferent spoken text types:
instructions, rhymes, stories, songs,
dialogues, conversations, descriptions.
It is also important to build up
confidence and show chlldren that
they can be successful listeners
without necessarily understanding
every word. The use of longertexts,
such as stories, can also help develop
children's extensive listening skil
where listening Is motivated by
pleasure rather

embedded inengaging and

than information (see Sect\on4,

meaningful contexts Through

Storytelling and drama).

listening, children become familiar

with the

sounds, rhythm and

intonation of English.
Listening also allows chl\dren to
recognize,
understandand respond to language
non verballybefore they produce
itthemselves.
Classroom talk as, for example, when
you give instructions, organize and
manage different classroom activities
and give the children feedback,
encouragement and praise is a major
source oflistening material for
children. As foras possible, it is
advisable touse English forthis kind
ofclassroom language. Through
repetition and routines, you will build
up an expanding repertoire
oflanguage that children
understandand respond to as part
ofeveryday communication in class

When you do a listening activi

it is
often useful to plan for the following
three
stages:
before,
while
and
after
listening.
Stage I
Before listening, youneed to create a
clear context which interests and
motivatesthe children and you need
to establsl h a reason and purpose for
listening. It may be appropriate to
introduce new language or vocabulary
which occurs in the listening text at
this stage too.
Children can also be encouraged to
predict and

make active guesses about

the listening, based on

pictures or other

clues.
Stage 2
Whilelistening, children do oneor
more activities to develop listening
sub-skil

such

as listening for global

understanding or gist,

Sectior 1 : listening and spoking

listening for specific infonnation or
detail, listening for mood or attitude,
and to show their understanding
either verbally ornon-verbally or
through a written res1>0
such as
completing

17

a grid.
Stoge3
After listening, it may
ask

be

appropriate to

children to report bock, express their

opinions or relate the text to their
own lives ln a speaking activity using
at least some ofthe language it
contains.

Learning to speak
Speaking Is a complex skill andthe diffi
for children learning a foreign language
shouldnot be underestimated. Although
childrenoregood at imitating and may
acquire better pronunciation than older
learners, they are still developing
language and discourse skl!ls ln their LI.
Their
age and level ofsocial, cognitive and
emotional development need to be
taken into account when planning
speaking activities In English.

Spoken interaction and spoken production

Speaking skil
into two

can be broadly divided

areas: spoken interaction and

spoken production.
Spoken interaction refers to the ability
to ask and answer questions and
handle exchanges with others,
whereas spoken production refers to
the ability to produce language, for
example, in a rhyme,
adescriptionoran account, such
as retelling a story. It is important
todevelop children's compelence in
both these areas in order
tobuild up confi

and lay the

foundations for future learning.

Initially children will benefi fr
activities which require lots
ofrepetitionand which help them to
memorizevocabulary and 'chunks'
oflonguage and acquire pronunciation
in a natural way.
Many such activities can be found ln the
sections on Vocabulary and grammar
(Section 3), Games (Section 5) and
Songs, rhymes and chants (Section 6).
Much ofthe language children produce in
the early stages of learning will be
single words or short formulaic
utterances, eg /'m li
There moy also
be a tendency tomlx languages, eg in
the case ofSponish-speaklng children,
Ddme elrubber (give me the rubber), Mira!
El monkey esta a/If (Look! The monkey's
there). Rother than explicitly correcting
language mistakes, it is best to respond
to children's meaning and what they ore
trying

18

500

Ach

fOf rhe PrimaryClos.sioom

In order for a speaking activity to be

successfu it Is important to set clear
goals and establish whatthe
outcome(s) ofthe activity will be. It
Isalso Important to ensure that the
language
demandsare within the children's
current level of competence and to
prepare for, model, rehearse and
demonstrate the language children will
need
to use befo
they begin. It may also be
appropriate to Introduce explicit rules to
ensure that the activity isdone in English,

to communicate.

As

you do this, you con

remodel or recast what they say, eg Yes.

You'rt>
monkey

The
there!

Very young children may be reluctant

to speak atfi
and it is importantto
give them time to listen and absorb the
sounds of English before parti
actively. Insisting on
participation is likelyto be counterproductive. The best strategy is usually
to provide lots of opportunities for
speaking activities ln a very secure and
non threotening way, eg through choral
repetition ofaction rhymes or choral
counting games, and allow children to
join in when they ore ready.
In order fo children with only mlnimol
llngulstic competence to start learning
to commun!cote
in English, it is important to establish
simple classroom routinesfrom the
outset. These include, for example,
greetings and goodbyes at the
beginning and end oflessons, asking
for
permission, eg to go to the tollet, sharpen
pencils,

get crayons, etc andclassroom

language,

eg

I don't understand. I Canyou rt>

/hot, please?
Even very young children con be taught
the following threephrases formulolcolly:
tthink ..., Maybe ... Idon't know and then be
encouraged to use these regularly ln
class 'discussions', eg
T: (pointing to picture)
behind/hebush?

Who's

PI: I thinkit's /he lion. P2:

Maybe it's the elephant. P3: t don't know

Frameworks fo speaking octivities

Whateverthe children's age, It Is
important to provide fr
for
speaking activities which encouroge
them to use English for real purposes
which they can relate to, rather than
simply practise language for its own
sake. As children become increasingly
capable ofinteracting
with each other in pairs and groups, It
ls also importantto ensure that
speaking activitiesore designed to
foster active listening, turn-taking
andrespectforotherpeople's opinions.
None of thesecan be token for granted
because chlldren are still developing
these skills and attitudes as port oftheir
general educational and personal
development. Speaking activ
which
are personalized and offer choice tend to
Increase children's willingness to
participate. Such activities give them
'ownership' of language, thus helping
to make learn
more memorable.
Wheneverpossible, it is beneficial to
estobllsh fra where children ore
motivated to speak and feel thatthey
have something they wantto say.
rather than In LI, and to elicit andtalk
about the reasonsforthis (SeeSection 10,
Leaming to learn
Over time, through speaking
activities which use dlfferent
interaction ponerns and provide
opportunities
for
meaningfulpract
ofa
range of
discourse types, children will
develop confi
in
theirability to produce English and to
interact with others in class.

Pronunciorion

Throughexposure to English in the form

of classroom language, instructions,
games, stories, dialogues,co rhymes,
chants and songs, children develop fa
with the
sounds, rhythm and intonation pattern
ofEnglish andImitate these features in a
natural way. Jt is important to provide
lots of models and to build
up children's confi

through the

Reflection time
Asyou use the listening and speaking activ
In thissectlon with your classes, you may
Jlke to think about the following questions
and use your responses to evaluate how
things went and plan possible
improvements fornext time:
I

acceptance ofopproximote pronunciati

This gives them limeto acquire good
habits in an unforced

activity clear?

way. Insistence on correct

pronunciation with very young
children Is likely to prove counter
productive.
With olderchildren, in addition to an
implicit, global approach lo
pronunciation, it is often appropriate to
do activities designed to raise
awareness ofparticularfeatures of
pronunciation thatmaybe different
fromthe children's own language.
Pronunciation activities included in this
section con be adapted to
caterforparticular diffi
that
speakers ofdiff
languages mayhove.
(See also Section 6, Rhymes, songs
and chants, for further acti
to Improve
pronunciation, and Section 2, Reading and
writing activities, for Ideas on developing
awareness of sound-spelling
correspondences
Inwords.)

Motivation: Did thechildrenwont to

listen/ speak during the activity?
Why? / Why not?

2 Purpose: Was the purpose ofthe

Was it a purp

the children co
3

that

relate to?

Preparation: Were the language

demands of the activity appropriate?
Was there suffi llngu!stlc preparation
and practice beforehand (ifnecessary)
to enable the children to do the
activity?

4 Learn
support: What support did
you give to help children
understand and/or use language
during the activity (eg pictures,
actions, prompt words, a chart to fill
in)? Was the learn
support
approprtate?

5 Personalization: Did the activity

provide an opportunity
forpersonalization?Ifso, how did this
aff
the children's response?

6 Timing: Was the activity a suitable

length
to
sustain
involvement? Did it
timed?

Sect

l:

Liste

interest
and
need
to be

or.c

speo

19

Gym sequence

1.1

Age 4-

Level Al.1, Al.2

Organization whole class

Aims To listen and respond to instructions; to focus attention and harn

children's physical

Language foc
ofthe body

energy in a positive way.

imperatives, acti

words, parts

Materials Essential: none I Optional:

aerobic music

Procedure

I Askthe children to stand up.

2

Give instructions for a short gym sequence in a rhythmic way and do the
children in time with the music, ifyou use this, eg Hands in
the air. One, two! Touchyo toes. One, two! Bendto the/ef One, two! Bendtotheright.
One, two!Run on thespot. One, two!Tum around. One, two!And sitdown. One, two! (L
begin!)
actions with the

Comments and .s
This acti

works well os a routine forstarti

lessons. Change or odd to
the instructions regularly but always remember to demonstrate new
actions fi

Askthe children to puttheirchoirs undertheirdesks and move

awayfrom these before

starting. This Is important for safety reasons.

Avoid actions like stretching arms outsideways in order to preventphysical

contact between

the children and possible disruption.

lncreose the level ofchallenge eitherby giving more complex instructions,

eg

left

Putyo

elbow toyourright knee! orby going foster, orby not

modelling the actions yourself.

With older children, you can ask pairs to prepare their own instructions
fora gym sequence

and take turn in different lessons to do these with

the rest ofthe class

With younger children, ket!

the sequence short, introduce variations less

frequently ond
avoid using 'right' and 'left'. Altern you con simply say,
eg Do this! One, two! Do this! One, two! In a rhythmic way and children copy
your actions.

This acti

can also be used in conjunction with 10.3 inorderto create a

stateofreadiness

forlearn

g.

1 .2 Listen and respond

Level Al.I, Al.2

Age 4- 8

0.ganization whole class

Aims To listen and respond non-verballyto instructions; to develop

concentration skills,

l.2b

and physical coordination.

In theexamples: imperatives

Language foc
and :

confi

classroom objects

l.2c, l.2e classroom objects, toys, any vocabulary on flashcards

l.Zd classroom objects prepositions
ofplace

l.2f anyvocabulary on fl
eg

animals

Altemalives: any otherfamiliarlexical set, eg parts ofthe body, food,

colours, clothes

Materials Essential: classroom objects, (I.2f) flashcards I

Optional: flashcards

Procedure

Use ony one or a combination ofthe following procedures.

1.2e1
I

Dothe e1

Give the children instructions, eg Walk!fump!Run! Skip! Hop! Do the actions with
the children

20

ions

500 Ac

at first.

for the Primory Clossroo

2 Repeotthesequence regularly, eg os on opening or closing lesson routine.

Introd other new actions gradually to the sequence, eg Fly/ Walk on tiptoe!
March! Stop doing the actions
yourselfos chlldren become familiar with
the language and con respondconfidently.

l.2b

Show me

Soy, eg Show meyoorbook/yourpencil/yourshoe and hold up or point tothe

itemswith the children as they respond ot fi

l.2c

Bring me

Loy out classroom objects, toys or flashcards on o table owoy from you and
the children.
I

2 Ask pairs ofchlldren to bring you the objects or flashcards In tum, eg Bring
me the red crayon,

l.2d
I

please!/ Thankyoo.

Put it here

Ask the children to hold up a crayon (or other small classroom object).

2 Soy, eg Put the crayon on your book/inyour bag/ underyourdesk and chlldren respond
with you

otfi st.

3 Speed up the instructions as children become more confi

l.2e

Take a photo

I Ask the children to Imagine they hove a camera and demonstrate this.
2 Either stic flashcards on the walls around the classroom or use real objects or
furniture.
3

Give Instructions to pairs ofchlldren in turn, eg Take aphoto ofthe elephan/, please!

4 Children wolk over to the floshcord of the elephant and pretend to take o
picture. They can

also soy Click! each time they do this.

5 Encourage the rest of the doss to clop and soy, eg Fantastic! ifthey take o
'photo' ofthe object

1.2f
I Sti

you soy.

Jump to the elephont

flashcards on different walls around the clasm.

2 Give instru

ionsto pairs or groups ofchildren in turn eg Jump lo lhe

elephant!IHop lothe

tiger!

3 Encourage the rest of the class to clop and soy, eg Hurray/ If children do the
correct action ond

go to the correct flashcard.

Comment. and suggestions

Short octivitiessuch as the above give children lots ofopportunitiesto

listen to the teacher
and respond non-verbally. This is non-threatening
and builds up children's familiarity with
listening to English In o natural
way.

You can vary the instructions to fit in with whatever you ore teaching,
eg Touchyour nose/ ey
for parts orthe body; Touch something blue/red!
green forcolours Point toyour
trotJse
shoe
shirtfor clothes; Eat a(n)
banana/apple/ice morn for food. The instructions
con also fo
port
ofsimple action games (eg

5.9

Musical instructions).

You can also increase the challenge by varying the type ofinstructions, eg
Jump threetimes/J

Touchyour nose!JPoint to the window! or by saying, eg fyou're

wearing something blue, waveyour

anns!Jlfyou're wearing something red, touchyourtoes!

Sec

1:

lislo1rig and spe

21

1 .3 True or false?
Level All

Age 4-12

Organization

wholeclass

Aims To listen and respond non-verbally orverbally to sentences which ore

true or fa

to

Longuage foc

develop concentration and pay attention.

any, depending on the topic, storyor unit ofwork, eg
simple, cmi (forability), Ihere

present simple, past

iare

Moteriols Essential: none I Optional: flashcards, poster or course book picture

Procedure
I Decide on the non-verbal or verbal response you want the children to give In
the acti
ond
explain and demonstrate this. Forexample, non-verbal
responses for true sentencescouldbe
for children to puttheirhands on
theirheadsandforfalse sentences to fold their orms. Verbal
responses
could be to soy Yes! or repeat the sentence for true sentences and to soy

No!

ortu

the sentence into a tr

2

one, for false sentences.

Soyo series of true orfolsesentencesbased on the unit ofwork, topic

orstory thotyou are

currently doing and children respond verbally ornon-

verbally In the way you have set up.

Comments and suggestions

With veryyoung children, this activit

needs to be done with reference to real
things, pictures oractions in the children's immediate environment, eg using
flashcards TheduckisyellowI
The horse is re
With older children,
sentences con be longer and need not necessarily refer
to the immediate environment. Forexample, sentences may relate to topic or
content-based
work, eg

Mammals layeggs!Bearscanswim,

listening or reading text the

or to a story or other

children have done.

Youcan vary the non-verbal responses In the activity depending on the

age ofthe children, the space in yourclassroom, as well as the stage in
the lesson and whether or notphysical movement is appropriate. For
example, in a more kinaesthetic version ofthe acti
you
can ask
children to jump three times for true sentence and tu
round on the
spot for false

This activity gives you an opportunity to observe and evaluate Informally

which children
respond confi
and appropriately each time, and
which children wait and copy what their friends do, and who may need
more individualized attention and help.
The activity is

also

suitable to use forvisual observation ofa posteror

picture in the course

book, eg

TheN!'s

man driving a bluecar.

1 .4 Mime what happens

Level All
Age 4-10
Organization wholedass
Atms Tolisten to a sequence ofevents; to show understanding through
mime; to supply

missing longuage in the sequence.

Longuage foc: In the ex

personal

present simple,

clothes, places,

actions,

food,

possessions

Altemarlves: post simple,

Materials Essential: none

any other fam!llarvocabulary

Procedure
I

Invent a simple sequence ofevents about something that happens to the

children. Tell the
events to the children and get them to respond by miming
what happens. Do this with them at firs eg Oneday it's very co

Youpulonyourcoat,yourgloves andyourha/. Yougetyourbicy andyou

ride ta lhe park. Suddenlyyou se a li'
You'N! very happyandyou
wave loyour fr
You gel offyourbike. You pulyour bike on
thegrassandyou andyour fr
play fo

tagefher.
22

500 Ac

for the Primrny Clawoom

You run,you kicktheboll and,ye you score a goal! Nowyou're verylimlandvery hot. You
buyan enormousicecream Mmm, it's deliciousl Suddenlyyou lookatyourwalch. /I's lime logo
home! You pick upyour bicy
and wovegood 10 yo fr
You rideyo bicy
home.
2 Repeot the sequence. This time, If oppropriote, do the mimes but leave

gaps in the telling. Children do the mimes ond o!so supply the words,
eg T: 011 day lt's very (mimes shivering} . .

rr: co
Comments and suggestions
Thsi acti
can be groded depending on the language you use as
well as whether you model the actionsforchildren to co
Through miming the events, children asate longuoge and
meaning kinaesthetically, which helps to make it memorable.
With younger children, it is best not ta Include more than four to six
short sentences to mime, as morethan this Is likely to be confusing, eg
One dayyougo fo walk in theju11
You heara
noise. You look behind the /rt. Oh, no! There's o /Ion! You run away as fastasyou can.
Phew! Now you're safe You also need to do the mimes each time you repeat
the sequence with thsi
oge group.
With olderchlldren, you con repeat thesequence, leaving more and more
ofthe longuoge for them to supply, untilthey are reconstructing the
events independently. As a follow-up, you con ask them to write or
complete o version ofwhat happens or to prepore another similar
sequence ofeventsto tell the class in the same way.

1 .5 Colour dictation
Level Al.I

Age 4--8

Organizarion

individual, whole class

Aims To listen and colour a picture following instructi

to develop
concentration sk!l
to name colours and/or describe a picture.
language foc

be, present simple, colours, familiar vocabulary

Materials Essential: crayons I Optional: a photocopy ofany line drowing

depicting known
vocabulary (one for each child)
Proc:
I Drawa simple picture on the board eg asbelow, and ask the children

to copy this, or give out

photoco

ofthe picture.

2 Saysentences to describe the picture, eg Thehouseispurple. Chlldren colour

the picture
3

following your instructions.

Once the children have finsi hed, either ask questions, eg Whal colour is
the house? or get childrento describe the pict
eg The house ispurple.

'\ I /

Sec

Lfatening ondking 23

Comments and suggestions

Ifyoudrawa picture on the board forchildren to copy ratherthan use a

With younger children, using a ready-prepared picture is recommended, as

ready-prepared

picture, encourage the children to predict and guess

what you are drawing as you do this.

copying one from

the board will be too challenging and time-consuming.

Asyou

describe the picture, get the children to put only a dot ofcolouron
each item. They then finish colouring ot the end. This avoids the
problem of children colouring at diffe speeds. It also helps you to
manage the class if the children are sharing cr

Altern

you can make the dictation collaborative by asking the children

to suggest the

colours. This also enables you 10 provide richer language

input as you negotiate these, eg

T: T/1ehouseis ... Pl: Orange! P2: Pink! T: 0.K! Great! How many thinkit'sorange? How
many lhink
it'spink? {children raisetheir hands) Fanraslic! Thehouseisorange. Whata
like tolive in an orange house/ Wouldyou like to live in on

beautifulhouse! I'd
orangehouse?

The speaking part ofthe activity can be turn

into a memory game by
asking children to tum over the completed picture before describing
it. Alternatively, ifyou colour the picture on the board
differentlyfromthe instructions you hove given or, ifyou prepare a copy
of the same re<i
picture coloured differently, children can be asked
to fi
the differences between this picture and their own.

1 .6 Visualization
Level All
Age 8-12
Organization whole class
Aims To listen to a description and creole a picture in your mind; to
develop the imagination; to settle the class and cr

Longuage

foe:us

ability). places,
Altern

a quiet, refl

mood.

In the example: present simple, present continuous, can (for

adjectives ofdescription, adjectives offeeling

any fomilior language and vocabulary

Moterials Essential: none I Optional: a CD ofslow, relaxing music

Procedure
1

Ifyou hove music, ploy thsi

softly as a background to the activity.

2 Ask the children to put down their pens, relax and dose their eyes. Ask them
to try and
imagine the scene as you describe it, eg It's a beautiful, sun11y day. You're al
the seaside. Thesu11

isshining brightly and thesea is deep blue-green. You're

lying on a towel on thesand. Yourwhole

rhesa11dinyour fi

body fee

-it's softand worm. Yo

warm. You car feel

con hearthesou11d

and rhythm

ofthe waves breakingon 1he beach- splash, splash, splash. You can
hearthesounds of

birds in the sky In the distanceyou con hearsome small

children playing. Now a dog is barking and

you con hear theengineofa small

boatpassing by.

When you finish, give the children o fewmoments to come out ofthe fontosy
you hove createdand bock into the world ofthe classroom. Ifyou like, you can
ask questions about the visualization, eg Wherewereyou? Whatcouldyou
see/hear?How didyou fee

Comments and suggestions

Thisact
is notsuitable for all classes -you need to hove a good and
trusting relotionship with the group.
It is important eithernot to include unfamiliar language or to make sure that
any longuoge

24

is comprehensible, eg Nowa dog is barking ... (Woofl Woofl)

It helps to modulate your voice soft and rhythmically and to speak

quite slowly as you describe the scene you wont the children to
Imagine.
With youngerchildren it is advisable to keep thevisualizationshort.

500 Activities for the PrimoryCloss

You need toplan when youdo the activity carefully. The children are unlikely to be
ableto

switch suddenly from averylively activityto a quiet, reflective one andso

you need to lead

them to this gradually.

As you do the activity, notice the diffe

feel restless and fi
imagine

responsesofthe children. Although some may

It hard to create pictures ln their minds, you can tell that others can

the scene veryvividly.

1 . 7 Sentence round
level All

Age 4-12

Organization whole class

Aim1 To complete sentences fo

and

a given starter; to take turns; to develop confidence

self-esteem.

Language foc
any, eg present simple, adlectlves to describe feelings: Ilike . . . I1 fee happy
when ... /When lgrowup, I want to ..
Materials Essential: a small object, eg coloured handkerchief, soft ball, toy,
stoneorpuppetto

pass round the circle

Proc:
I Ask the children to sit In a circle.
2

Choose a sentence starter for them tocompletewhich relates to the topic or language
ofthe lesson and either say th1s or wrtte lt on the board.

3 Give one child the object to pass round the circle and invite them to complete the
sentence with something which is true forthem.

4 They then pass the obiect to the chlld next to them, who completes the sentence In o
slmllor

way, and so on round the circle.

Comments and suggestions

Thisactivity provides afr

a

forpractising a particular language pattern In

personalized way.

Through passing the object, o clear protocol lsestablished for tum-taking and when to
listen

and when to speok.

The repeti

ofthe sentence starter provides repeated modelling forchildren who

may be more hesitant about speoklng. lfyou like, you can also build in o
convention whereby children can say 'pass' the first time the object goes round
the circle Ifthey ore not ready to
contribute.
With veryyoung chlldren, you may like to pass round a famlllar puppet and ask the
children

to tell theirsentences to the puppet ratherthan to the whole group. This is

more intimate and

may feel less threatening forsome children. Altern

use a soft boll, you may fi

in

itworksbetterto roll the boll to diff

the circle, who say a sentence and then

If you
children

roll the ball back to you each lime,

rather than passing it round the circle. This also keeps

children alert as they do not

know who you will roll the boll to each lime.

With older children, you may like to precede the sentence round with a pair work task
ln

which children find out abouttheirpartner and use the sentence round to report, eg

When Elena grows up, she wants to beo famous ballerina.

See also,
self

eg 7.8,

10.1 and I0.2 for other activities to develop children's confi

and

esteem.

Sec

listening ond king 25

1 .8 Favourites bar chart

level Al.I, Al.2/ A2.l, A2.2

Age 6-10

Organization whole class

Aims To say your favourite thing in a particular category; to build up a bar chart on
the board; to understand how to read a bar chart; to show intere and respect for
otherpeople's opinions.
Language foc
How

Jn rhe example: sports, be, present simple, questions with Who, What,

many, like, numbers

Altemoti11
animals, colours, food, fruit, school subjects, types ofmusic, eg pop, rock,
classical, jazz, rap, reggae, types ofstories, eg animal stortes, adventure stories,
detective stories, ghost
stories, fairy tales, science fiction

Materials Essential: pieces ofpaper or card to fi in the bar chart on the board (one for
each child), blu-tac I Optional: large piece of paper or card
Procedure
1 Drow a llne neor the bottom ofthe board and divide this into six or however many
sections

you wish to include in the activity

2 Write the names ofthe sports, or draw symbols, in each section, eg b<l
tennis, karate, judo, swimming.

Draw a vertical line and wri

football,

numbers going up the board on the left side ofthe chart.

4 Give each child a piece ofpaper (the same slze as the sections in the chart on the
board) and ask them to write their name on this in large letters.
5 Ask individual children to say theirfavourite sport in tum, eg My
favouritesportisswimming
and to come and stick the card with their name in the appropriate place on the
chart.
6 When all the name cards are in place, use the bar chart to talk aboutthe class's
favourite
likejudo?

sport

eg What's the e/ass's favouritesport? Wha likes karate? How manygirls/b

What's David's favouritesport?

basketba

football
ka

tennis

judo

sWimm1ng

Comments and suggestions

This activity is useful in helping children unders

how a bar chartworks. Point
to the numbers on the left ofthe chart and the name cards children have stuck
in each section to demonstrate how to read the chart.

As a fo
ourclass, the

children conwrite or complete sentences about the chart, eg In

fovo
sport is .... / .. . girls/b yslike ..

Ifyou wish to display the bar chart aft

the activity, build itupon a large piece
ofpaper or card instead ofthe board. For best eff
the chart and the pieces
ofpaper with children's names should be in contrasting colours

With older children, it may be appropriate to ask them to make a version ofthe
bar chart using computers and PowerPoint (see 9.13).

26

500 .A.c

for lhe Primory Clossrom

1 .9 Classroom shop
Age 6-10

Level Al.l, Al.2, A2.l, A2.2

Organixotion pairs,who\eclass

Aims To ask for and give thingsto people; to ask andsay prices; totoketurn to use Please
and

Thonk)OU
language foc

In theexample:present simple, havegol, can (for requests), How much ...?,

shops, shopping, classroom objects, numbers, colours

Altemotlves: I'd like . . ., clothes, pets, toys

Materials Essential: classroom objects, eg rulers, pens, scissors, penci cases; pieces
display prices (6-8 for each pair or group); paper money (eg 10 x I euro
child) I Opllonol: plasti toy money to use Instead orpaper money

ofpaperto

paper 'coins' foreach

Proc
I

Divide the class into pairs or groups offour.

2 Ask each pair or group to choose six classroom objectsfrom among their
possessions to go

lnto their classroom shop.

3 Ask the chlldren to decide the price for each Item, write the prices and make a display on
their
desks. (Make sure the children realize that the shop is only pretend and that they are
nol
4

really going to sell their possessions!)

Elicit and practise language you want the children to use anddemonstratethe activity
one pair, eg T: Good morn

with

P: Good morn

T: Haveyou gol anyrubbers? P: Yes,

have. Look. T: Howmuch ore the rubbers? P: Twoeuros. T: Con I have rhsl rubber,
please? P: Yes, ofcourse. That's two euros, please. T: Hereyou are P: Th you. T: Goodbye.
P: Goodby
S Ask the children individually to write a shopping list ofthree things they want to buy.
6
7

Give out paper money (the same amount to each child, eg 10 x I euro paper 'coins').
Divide the class in halfand assign the role of'shoppers' to one halfand 'shopkeepers' to
the

otherholf.

8 Children visit the shops and buy three things.

9

Atthe end, askthe children to show and tell what they hove got, eg J'vegota redpen,
agrttn

pencil sharpenerand o rubberand how much money they stlll hove left eg

I'vegot two euros.

10 Children then change roles andrepeatthe activity.

Comments and suggestions

This activity needs careful management. Ifyou are concerned about having halfthe class
as

'shoppers' at thesame time, It

Isbest to ask fewer children

to take turn to

visitthe 'shops'.

The currency for the classroom shop can either be the currency ofthe chlldren's country or,
eg American dollars, Austrollan or British pounds. With youngerchildren, It ls usually
better

to use the currencythey ore familiarwith and, eg one and two euro coins only.

With older

ifthey
to

children, it may be appropriate to use dollars or pounds, especially

are likely to travel

these countries.

After the activity, older children con compare dollars or pounds with their own curre
and/

or use the Intern

to fi

out current conversion rates (see 9.20).

This activity can bedone In a similarway for a variety ofdiff

pet

shops, eg clothes shop,

shop, toyshop, grocers shop. Forthese, youwillneedto either prepare

ordownload fr
orreal toys, etc.

the

intern

pictures ofitems tosell in the shops oruseplastic fruit

Sec

1:

li:1m9

arid spea

27

1 . 1 0 Find a partner
Age 8-12

Level Al.I, Al.2

whole class

Organization

Aims To find a partner by asking and giving personal information; to logically deduce who
is

your partner from the answers to your questions.

language foc
countries,

What'syour name? Howoldareyou? Where oreyou lr

nationalities,

cartoon

I'm ...

characters

Materials Essential: a set ofpairs of cards, one card for ooch child, with invented
information; for a class of24, you con make two each ofthe following cords

Asterix

Snoopy
Tintin

10

II

The USA

Spain

Franc

Mickey Mouse
10

Australia

Snoopy

Garfield
Lucy

II

10

Tintin
12

Th

II

Th

Italy

Japan
Garfield

Asterix
Mickey Mouse

10

10

Argentina

10

France

Lucy
8

Poland

The USA
Procedure

card

Give out one

Instruct them to look atthe Info

to each child.
on their card and to keep this a secret.

3 Tell them to imagine thatthis is their name, age and the country where they are fr

4 Explain that the object of the

activity

is to find a partner who has exactly the some

identity as themselves.

5 Elicit the questions chlldren will need to ask, ie What'syour name?/Howold areyou?/Where

areyou fr
6

What'syour name? P:
Oh, I'm nine. So wecan't bepartners

Demonstrate the activity by asking one ortwo children questions, eg T:

I'mAsterix.

T: Oh.

Meloo. Howoldareyou?

P:

I'm ten.

T:

7 Ask the children to stand up and walk round the doss taking turns to ask and answer
questions until they find their partner.

As soon as they find their partner, ask the children to sit down together and write a short
description ofthemselves, eg

My 11

the USA

28

500 Ac

for the Primary Classroom

isSnoopy. I'm tenyears old and I'm American/fr

Comments and suggestion1

Thisactivitycon be madeshorterorlongerand more orless challenging, depending on
how many pieces ofinformation you Include on each caret Forexample, you could
just include names or you could add additional lnfonnati
eg the month of their
birthdays ortheir
fa
food.
Ifnecessary, you oo build in an additional ru to the activity which Is that children
should onlyanswerquestions Ifthese are asked ln English.
Assoon as children findtheir partner, ItIs importantto give them a short task to
do (eg as descr1bed in the pro
above) in order to settle them down and
to ensure they don't disrupt others who ore still doing the activity.
Ifyou oredesigning yourown cords, you need to ensure that there are at least
two pairs of carili withcharacters ofthe same name and only minimallydiffInfo
ion.
lnsteod ofca
characters, you con also use the nomesofreal fl.l
stars that the children know.

1.1

1 1 Three t hi ngs about

Leve

All

Age

8-

pop orsports

me

Organization whole class (mingling) or groups

Aims To soy things about yourself; to ask and find out about other people; to show
interest and respectforthe opinions ofothers.
language foc
In the example: like + Ing, sports and freetime activities
Alremarives: present simple, con (for obillty), want to, going to, food, places,
countries
Materials Essential: sticky paper notes, or small pieces ofpaper and paper clips (one fo
each child)
Proc
I Glve o sticky paper note (orsmall piece ofpaper andclip) to each child.
2 Ask them to draw three smotl pictures to show what they like doing in theirfr

time, eg a

lV

a book, a football, and attach the paper to their fro

3 Explain and demonstrate that children should walk round the class, look at each

others' drawings and talk about them, eg PI: I like watching rv. Doyou
don't. I likereoding. P3: Me too.

P2: No,

4 At the end, ask children to stand next to the person they've talked to who they have

most in
S

common with.

Ask a few pairs to report back to the class, eg Welxi

likeplaying football.

Comments and suggestions

This activity personalizes language and thepictures ploy on Important ro
providing a
focu and pro
for children to speak.

in

lt ls advisable to get the children to rehearse the language they ore going to
usebeforethe activity, eg through choral repetition.
It may be a good idea to set a time limit for both parts ofthe activity, eg drawing the
pictures
- two or three minutes, and mingling - five minutes.
Ifthe class is large, you may prefer thechildren to remain seated and do
theactivity in
groups. Alternati
Ifthe children ore seated In ro
you may
ask them to just mingle with the children in their ro
The act
con be used to practise a vartety ofdifferent language structure and
vocabulary, eg I can play thepiano./I want togo fo Peru./Ilikechicken. II'm goi119
to the dnema.

Section 1

Litoomg ond speaking

29

1.12

Describe and draw

Level All

Age 8-12

Organicmon wholeclass, pairs

Aims To draw and descr

a picture; to listen and draw a picture
froma descripti
to notice similari
and diff between pictures.
Languoge foc:
In the example: there is/are, present continuous, havego/,
actions, things in the
park, prepositions ofplace, on rhe left/right, at /he
top/bottom, in /hecentre
Altern

any lexical setsultoble to draw in a picture, eg furniture,

part ofthe body (people oranlmals)

Moteriols Essential: none I Oplional: photocopies oftwodiff

to describe anddraw
(oneforeach child)

pictures

Procedure
I Ask the children to tell you things you can fi

in a park and write a

list on the board, eg tree, flower, bush, bench, pond, boot, kite, football, bike,
skateboard, baby, eh/Id, man, woman, dog

2 Ask the children to draw two frames approximately 15x10cms with

a ru
in their notebooks.
3 Ask them to choose six items fr

picture ofa park scene

fr
minutes.

the board and secretly draw a

which contains these Items ln one of the
Give a time llmll for this, eg fi

4 When the children are reody, divide the class into pairs.
5

Explain that they should take turns to describe their picture to their
partnerand draw their partner's picture in thesecond frame.

6 Draw a fr
on the board ond demonstrate the activity by getting
one child to draw what you descr
eg T: There's a tre an the left Two boy
are playing football near the fre. On the right there's apond. There'sa boo/an thepond.A
childis fl
a kite abovethepond.
7

Children take tums to describe and draw their pictures.

8 At the end, they compare their pictures, identify the similarities and
differences and report
back, eg We've both got flowers in ourpictures. /In
mypiclure there are
anyboys.
Comments and suggestions
This Is awell-known activity which can also work well with children.
It's advisable to fomillarize children with phrasessuch as on the lefl/
at the top/boltom, in t/1 e centrebefore the activity. II may also be helpful to
label a frame on the board with these phrases for reference during
the activity.

 It's Important to insist that chlldren draw simple pictures, using stick fi
and to seta time limit for drawing, as otherwise some children may
draw elaborate pictures which are diffi
todescribe.
Othercontexts that work well forthisacti

are: drawing a room at

home, eg a bedroom or living room, or drawing an imaginary animal,

person or monster.
30

500 Ac

ihes for rhe Primary Classroo

1.13

Photo of
Level All
Aims

me

Age 8-12

Organization pairs, whole class

To identify

fricmds in photos; to describe whatyou were like when

you wereyounger; to
show interest In others; to develop self-esteem; to
become aware ofthe way you change as you growolder.
In /he eJrample:

Language foc
adjecti

to

Altern

wa_Vwe

Materia

descr

be

havrgof, presentsimple, partsofthe body,

people, toys, fa

past simple, usedto

Essential: photos ofthe children when they were babies or toddlers

(one photo of

eochchild)

PnK:
I During the previous week, ask all the children to bring in a photo
ofthemselves when they

werebabies ortoddlers.

2 Giveeoch photo a numberand stick them on the walls round the classroom.

3 Divide the doss into pairs.

4 Ask the children towrite the numbersln a list in their notebooks.
5 Ask them to go round the class together identifying who they think Is in
each photo, eg I think
6

it's ... /Me too!/No, I think it's ..

is In each photo.
eg She'sgot big ey

Ask the pairsto report back to the doss who they think
Ask Why? and encourage them to justify their answers,

7 Give each photo back to theirowner as ii Is identifi

8 Ifchildren ore AI level, ask them to hold up the photo and tell the class
one or two things about themselves, eg In thisphoto I'm twoyears old. I've got my
fallO
teddy bear. Ifchildren are A2 level or higher, ask, eg What wereyou like
whenyou wereyounger? and children respond,
eg 1 was fa/. / f had curly hoir. /I
likedmilk./I used to cry a lot. /My follO
toy was ayellow duck.

9 Altern

divide the doss into pairs and ask children to tell each other fi

things about when they were younger.

10 They then report bock to the doss and/orwrite a description ofthemselves or
each other.

Comments and suggest;ons

Afewchildren may either forget to bring a photo or nol have one. In this
case, you can ask

them to draw a picture ofwhen they were a baby

ortoddler instead.
Children usually fi

it very enjoyable looking at each others' photos

and talking about

when they were younger. Interest and curiosity in

each others' past also helps develop self

Thisacti
can also be done in conjunction with the rhyme 'When I was one'
(see 6.14).

1 .1 4

Fashion show

Level All
Aims

Age 8-

To prepare

Languoge foc
Mcrterio

Esse

and accessories,

Organixation groups, whole doss

a fashion show; to describe what people are wearing.

present continuous, havegot, clothes and accessories, co
dothes fo the fashion show I
eg handbags, scarv

Optiona

hats li

dressing up clothes

fake jewellery; a camera

orvideo camera

Section 1: Lislen

ood speo

31

Procedure
I Jn thepreviousJes.so
home

ask the children toprepare and bring In (or wear) clothesfr

for the fa

clothes borrowed

show. These can either be their own clothes or dressing-up

from members of their family.

As part ofthe preparation, osk children to

be

ready to describe themselves in the clothes

choose, eg I'm wearinga /ong, purpleskirt, a pink scarfo11da white Tshirt.

l'vegot a block handbag ondowhi1eho1.
they
3

Divide the class into groups of 4-6 children.

4 Ask each group to decide the order for theirshow and who is going to present the
'models'.

Ifthere are any children who do not want to participate in the fashion

showthemselves,
they can be asked to do the commentaries. Ask the children to prepare and write the
commentaries fo

He/

show In their groups, using a framework, eg Thisis

their fa

...

She's wearing ... . He/She'sgot ... .

5 When the children are ready, move the desks, ifnecessary, to creole a 'catwolk'.
6 Ask the groups to take turn to present their fa

showsto therestofthe class.

Comments and suggestions

At higher levels, children can prepare more detailed commentaries with more complex
vocobulary, eg a slriped/cheded shirt, o v-neck!polo-neckjumper, o hol/

/berel.

As the groups do their fashion shows, you con give a task to the rest of the doss In
order to
focus theirattenti
while they watch, eg Find two things that ore the
same

asyourshow

or

Be reody to soy the clothesyo like bes/.

You can also organize a clas vote to nnd out which fashion show the children think is best
(children can vote for any group apart from their own). However, it is
this Ifyou

and

bestnot to

do

think It may lead to disappointment and Joss ofself-esteem

Ifyou have a digital camera wit

a video function, you may like to video the 'shows'

download ondwotch them laterwith the sound down so children can

reconstructthe commentaries. Altemotively, you can toke photos ofthe chlldren ond
theycan subsequently

use these to write descriptions and make a display of their

'show'.

1 . 1 5 My ideal bedroom
Level

Age 9-12

All

Organization whole class, individual, pairs

Aims To plan, draw and describe your ideol bedroom; to ask and fi
people's

Language foc
Mat

furn

prepositions of place, asking questions, but

Essen/la/: none I Optional: picture ofa child's bedroom, A4 paper for eoch child
window

door

choir

0
32

500

out about other

ideol bedrom; to compare ideol bedroms.

Activities

fOf rhe

Primoiy Cbwoom

boo

Proc
I
2

Showchildren the pictureofa child'sbedroomifyou have one.

Askthem to name bedroom furneg bed, /able, desk, chair, ru lamp, wa
chesl of drawers, mirror, shelves,
bedside table, notice boord and write the words they suggest !n a list on
one side ofthe board. Remind them of others ifnecessary.

3 Draw a pion ofa bedrom on the board and ask the children to copy this
onto a page in their

notebooks orgive out sheets ofplain A4 paper for

them to do this.
4

Explain that you want them to design their ideal bedrom and todeci
where each item of furni
should go on the pion.

5 Demonstrate this by drawing shapes and labelling them on the plan on !he
board.

6 Children work Individually and design their bedrooms. Set a time limit, eg fi
minutes.

7 When they are ready, divide the children lnt'o pairs.

8 Without looking at each other's plans, get them to ask each other questions and
fi

fi
eg PI: Where'syoorbed?P2: ft'sopposite the window. PI: Oh, my

diff

bedlsnear the door.

9

At the end, children compare their plans and check the differences they hove
found.
10

Ask a few pairs to report to the class, eg My wardrobe isopposi1e 1hewindowbut

{)(]11id1swardrobe

isnex/ tothe desk.

Comments and suggestions

Children fr
enjoy the 'design' side ofthis activity. However, it may
beimportant to
stre that the plan is 'Ideal' and to be sensitive to the
fact that, ln real life, children's rooms
moy well be small and/or shared
with siblings.

At lowerlevels, the acti

offurn

and the

can

be done with as few as six items

prepositions next to, neor, opposite, betWtn.

As a follow-up, chlldren can be asked to draw and label plans

oftheirrealbedrooms athome.

They can eithertake turnsto describethese

in the next lesson orwritea short description.

This activity con also be used forchildren to design, eg their ideol living
room or their Ideal

1.16

garden.

Machines at home

Level All
Age 10Or
individual, pairs, whole class
Aims To identify machines at home and who uses them; to ask and answer
questions about
machines members ofyour family use; to be aware ofgender
differences In machines that
members ofyourfa
use.

Language foc
machines at home,

present simple, questions and answers in third person,

members ofthe family, (adverbs offr

because)
Materia

Esse,11ia/: none

was
machi
ne

telephone

computer

Sec

l Lis1e

ond spea

33

Proc

I Drow a simple grid on the board, as above, and ask the children to
copy this.
2 Ellclt the names ofmachines at home, eg dishwasher, washing machine.
3

Ask the children to write the words at the top ofeach column ln the grid.

4 In the column on the left ask the childrento write members of their

family, eg

My mo1her.

5 Ask the children to think lndivldually about who uses the machines in

their family and to

writeticks (.I in the correctspaces In the grid.

6 Divide the class into pairs.

7

Children take turns to askquestionsand find out about theirpartner's

families, eg PI: Does yourfa
use the dishwasher? P2: Yes, he does. Doesyo
sisteruse the iron? P2: No, she doesn't.

8 At the end, ask some children to tell the

IMy father

doesn use

the iron

and/or to wri

clas, eg

My mo1her uses thecompuler.

sentences abouttheir families using the grid.

Comments and suggestions

Try and

fi
out machineschildren have at home and only use these In
the activity.

Show Interestbut make sure you never respond judgementally to

things children tell you about their families.

Children can also use adverbs offrequency as part ofthe activity,

eg Doesyourmotheruse the microwove? Yes, sometimes. /My brotherneveruses the iron. /My
fatheroften uses the computer.

As a follow-up, you may like to ask children why they think some people in
their families
use the machines and others don't, eg My brotheruses the microwave
becouse hecon't cooli !My

fatheruses the vacuum cleanerbecause helikescleaning the house.

1 . 1 7 Listening grid
Level All
Age 9-12
Organization individual,wholeclass
Aims To listen to a dialogue or text fo detail and complete a grid; to

use the grid to reconstruct the Information.

Language facus Jn theexample: present simple, daily routines, times
any other suitable language ond vocabulary
Materials Essential: o text or dialogue for children to listen to, eg from the
children's course book, a prepared gri based on the text or dialogue
(se example below) I Optional: cassette/CD and player
Altemotives:

""

gei"P

Vooe"

7.30

""
bceakfos

""

""
I""'

goh=<

dionec

bed

Jack.
Mortho
Proc
I Draw the grid you have prepared on the board and ask the children to

copy it.

2 Explain that they should listen lo lhe text you

the limes in the grid.
3

Givean example, eg

Vanessageu up at halfpaslseven

ore

going lo read and note

andwrite this ln the table.

Playthe cassette/CD or read the children the textyourselfonce or

twice, eg Vanessagets upat halfpastseven. She hos o showerandcleans her teeth and then
shehas breakfasl ateight o'clock.

34

500 Ac

for rh Pnmory Classroo

Vanessagoes toschoo with her fatherat halfpast eight. She has lunch athalfpast
and she

goes home on the bus at quarter to fo

herhomework and watches TV

Shegoes to

Alt

twelve

school Vanessa does

She has dinnerotseven o'clock with her molherand father.

bedat halfpastnine.

5 Children note the times in the grid and compare and check their answers.
Comments and suggestions

Listening grids provide a flexible means ofchecking comprehension oftexts or

dialogues
prepare.

text using
The
focu

animals orthings. Theyare easy to

provides an alternative to asking Wh- questions aft

listening. Instead

can say, eg Tell meabout VoneSStl and children reconstruct key Informati

you

about two or more people, place

The use ofa gri

use

in the

their completed grids.

ofa grid ovoids children having to write complete answers and enables them to

on lsi tening, which ls the target skill, rather than writing during the activity.

The completed grid provides a framework and prompt for oral and/or written
reconstruction

following the activit

In manycases, all theacti

requiresis that children write ticks and/orcross ln the
gri as they listen, eg In texts or dialogues about people's likes and dislikes ordescri
ofdifferent
animals and features that they have or haven't got.

1.18

Follow the route

Lev Al.2,A2.1,A2.2
Age 9Organixation pairs
Aim To give and follow directi
on a simple plan or map.
La
foe:us Imperatives, directions, places in a city or town, ordinal numbers
Materials Essen/ia/: none / Optional: photocopies ofo pion or mop (one for each
child)

Proc:

Divide the class Into pairs.

2 Draw a simple pion or mop on the board (see example above).

3 Ask the children to copy thsi and individually decide where their house is (or the
supermarket, a lost puppy, treasure, a party, a conce

etc, depending on the context you

wish
to use
partner.

and to draw an X in the place on the map, keeping this secret from their

4 When the children are ready, explain that they should take turn to give each other
directions and to draw the route to their partner's house (or other place) on their
mops.

5 Mork

the start position on the mop on the board and drawarrows to show left and

right.

Sec

1 li51en

and spooking

35

6 OC!
Gounder

eg Go straighton. Tum left

right. and ask them to draw the route on the

the activity by giving one child directi

thebridge. Tum firs

map on the board

7

Once both children

their

in

each pair hove hod a tu

giving directions, ask themtocompare

maps and routes.

Comments and suggestions

Make sure that the children have their maps the same way up as they do the
activity so that there is no confusion between which is left and which is right when
they give directions.

This activity con be made less challenging Ifyou do not add any additional elements to
the map (children just say Tum left/
/Go straight on. IStop.) or more
challenging ifyou do, eg Tum right01 1he traffi lights. /Go under/p the bridge.
With higher levels and older chlldren, the acti ity can also be done using enlarged
copies or

downloads of maps or plans fr

places, eg tourist

the intern

and directi

to real local

sites such as a castle or theme park. In this case, it may also be

suitable to link the activity to

planning an iti

1.

for a visitor (see

9.21)

or a

clas

outing (se 1.26).

1 9 Prize holiday course

Level All
Age 9-12
Organi.z individual,whole class (mingling)
Aims To ask about holiday plans; to deduce ifsomeone has the same holiday plans as
Language foc
going to, months,countries, holidayactivities, sports
(because, expressing opinions)
Moteri
Essential: none I Optional: photocopies ofthe table below (one for each child)
you.

Ireland

dirrl>

March

Rock;

Dec

RoWing course

course

Procedure
1

Ask the children to imagine that because they are so good at Engllsh they have won a
holiday

course in on Englishspeaking country.

Draw a table on the board as above.

3 Ask the children each to

choices on a

choose

a country, a month and a course and note their

piece ofpaper. Explain that they must keep this secret.

4 Ask children to go round the class asking questions to try and fi

going to

someone who is

do the same course, in the same country, at the same time as

themselves.

Ellctt and practise the questions before they begin, eg Whereoreyou going? When

areyougoing?
6 Once chttdren fi
month

What oreyou going to do?

one or more people who hove chosen the same course in the same

and country as themselves, ask them to sll down together and write sentences

about what

they're going to do.

7 At the end, ask some pairs to report back.

Comments ond suggestions

be built up collaboratively, with the children

months and courses ratherthan you. This makes

The Information in the table can

suggesti

opti

the activity more

to do.

for countr
motivating,

as It

is then based on things the children really want

36

500

Ac ivolles for the Primory Clossroom

 With older, higher level clas, instead ofasking children to write sentences
obout where they're going, you con osk them to think ofreosons for their
choices and then report bock to the class, eg P: We'rt>
to
Irelandon a ridingcourse inAugus/. T: Why? P: We lhinklhert>

beautifu horses in Ireland. /We thinktheweatherwillbe better inAugus1.

Thsi

can also be linked to using the intern

courses (see

to fi

outaboutreal holiday

9.23).

1 .20 Transport survey

leve All

Age 8-12

Or

groups,

wholedoss

Aim1 To ask and find out how people come to school; to ask and find out
how long the journ

Language foc

takes; (to compare journeys and means of transport).

In /hee.o:

means of transport,

present simple, questions with How ...?,

journ

times, prefe

(comparative

adjectives)

Alternative

can, skills and acti

havegot, pets, toys; like, food, fruit,

vegetables

Essential: none

Optional: photocopies ofsurvey toble (one

fo

each child)

by

car

by

bvs

by motor
b;l<

wal"- (or
oo foot)

by troi

./

Proc:
I

Divide the class into groups of4-6.

2 Drow the table on the board os above.

3 Ask the children to copy the table (or give them each o copy) and to
write the names ofthe

members of their group in the fi

column.

4 Elicit and practise questions children need to ask to complete the table.
5 Demonstrate the activity with one child, eg T: How doyou come to school, /o?

P: Bybus. T: How

longdoes it take? P: (About)

45

minutes.

Children take turns to ask and answer questions in their groups and complete
the table.
7 Atthe end, ask some children to reportbock to the doss, eg/o comes

toschaolbybus. It rakes45 minutes. Ifoppropriote, children can olso compare

journ
times, eg It's fa
bycar than by train.If/'s slowerby bike than bybus.
Comments and suggestions

With higher levels, you can ask children to say which means
oftransportthey prefer ond

why, eglprefe cars. They're faster. // prefer

rrains. You canreadon a train.

With lower levels, you con omit the lost column ond the question about journ
time.
Children con use their completed tables to wri
oftheir group

sentences obout the members

Thsi activity can be used as a lead-in to topic work on, for

example, traffi
pollution.

rood safety, personol travel safety or airond noise

Group and doss surveys can be done on many topics, such os skills ond
activitieschildren
con do, pets or other things they hove got, or food they
like. (See olso 9.13 fo creating chorts on computer to show the results.)

Secl

Liste

orid speo

37

1 .21 Find a friend who . . .

level All

Age 10-12

Organization

wholeclass

Aims To ask and answer questions giving personal information; to fi

note the name of

language foc

/n

theexample:

present simple questions and answers, fr

activities,

sports

Altern

any familiar language and vocabulary, eg

simple, free-time

and

one person who answers 'yes' to each question.

act

havegot, pets;

ities; can (for ability), sports, skil

ever
I Optional: photocopies

past

like + -ing; want to,

countries, jobs; present perfect,

Materials Essential: none

ofa table to complete (one for

each child)

Find a friend
reads in

. has cereal
.

who

bed ot night
fo

breakfast

playsfootbollon Saturday.
has piano lessons.

. goes

tobed at ten

.. watches

o'clock

TY after schol.

Proc:
I Prepare a table for children to complete (see above).

Write this on the board and ask the children to copy it into their
notebooks, or give them each

a photocopy.

Elicit the questions children will need to ask.

Explain and demonstrate that children should walk round the class, fi
a
fr
who
answers 'Yes'to a question andwrite theirnames in thetable.
Theyshould try to fi
a
diferent fr
fo each question, eg T: Doyou
readin bedat night? PI: No, l don'/. T: Doyou

rood in bed at night? P2: Yes, l do.

S

Children sit down once their tables are complete.

6 Ask, eg Whoreads in bedat night? and children replywith information they

hove collected.

Comments and suggestions

This is o well-known activity which can also be used with children if
it is not too long- no

more than 6-10 items In the table.

It is not usuallysuitableforyounger children, as themental operation

ofchanging the

statements in the table into questions can be

confusing.

Ifyou hove a large class, it may be best to get the children to mingle in
rows, orin two hoIves, rather than the whole class together. This limits
the amount of movement and helps to prevent over-excitement.

In order to ensure children use English during the activity, you may like to
build in a rule that they should only answer questions ifthese are asked
in English.

When children hove completed their tables, it is importanttoseta furthertask

to settle them

and keep them engaged while others fi

writing sentences

38

500 Ac

for 1he Primary Class

This could be, forexample,

Find a
mend who ... goes lo bedalmidnightI... likes cowboy movies/ ... comes toschool by bike.

from their tables orthinking ofthree more items they would like to findout about, eg

Find a fr
who
.. hasgot ogoldfi / ... went to the ci11 (lostweekend)I ... con do a handstand/...
likes reading/
... wants tobea doctor/... wants togoto Australia/... has been toLondon.
Some examples oflanguage you can use in variations ofthis activity are:

1.22

Frisbee

level All

Age 7-12

Organizatfon pairs,whole class

Aims To say what you can use something for; to develop crootive thinking skills; (to develop
reference skills)

Language focus can (for possibility), any vocabulary children need

Materials Essential: frisbee or other object I Optional: picture dictionaries or bilingual
learner

dictionaries (class set)

Procedure
I
2

Show the chlldren the object you have chosen for the activity, eg a frisbee.
Ellcit or suggest one or two things you can do with afrisbee and demonstrate these, eg

con

use a fr

as aplate. You can use

fri

You

as a hal.

3 Divide the class into pairs.

4 Ask them to see ifthey can think often more things to use a frisbee fo and to write a list.
5 Explain that ifthey don't know the words in English, theyshould writethem in theirown
language. Set a time limit forthis, eg five minutes.

6 When the children are ready, goroundthe

You can use a fr

clas

getting one idea from each pair in turn eg

as ashie/d.

7 Count up the ideos as different pairs contribute.

8 Write words children say In

LI

on the board

9 At the end, ask the children to use bilingual or picture dictionaries with their
partnerto fi

two ofthese words each and then report back to the class.

10 As a follow-up, askchildren to draw and label pictures ofall the things that you can do
with a

frisbee.

Comments and suggestions

Bydoing an activity like this, children ore
encouraged to think flexibly andto develop their
imagination. They also feel a sense of
achievement and 'ownership' of Ideas and this
helps to build self esteem and make learn
memorable as well as enjoyable.

You may be surprised by how many creative ideas

children have. An example by a seven-year-old child

once taught ls 'You con use o frisbee as o

swimming pool for ants'.

Othereverydayobjects which are suitable to use
for

this activity area ruler, o stone, o pot or a

CD case.
Morco, age 7

Section 1 : Listening ond speoking

39

1 .23 Helping at home

Lev All
Age 9-12
Organization Individual, groups,wholeclass
Aims To refl
on ways in which you help at home; to ask and soy ways in which
you help at home;to complete a questionnaire in groups; to be aware ofgenderdiff
in ways boys
and girls help at home.

Language
jobs

foe:us

In the example: present simple questionswith ever, adverbs offrequency,

othome

Altern

activities andsports, food

Materials Essential: none I Optional: photocopies ofthe questionnaire (one for ooch child)

Do you

ev

always

make your

sometimes

bed?

. tidyyour roorn
lay the table?
deor the table?

.
..

put things in the dishwa

take tke rubbish out?

... wa

the

plants

Procedure
I

Elicitways inwhich it is possible to help at home, eg makeyour bed, tidyyourroom.

2 Write a questionnaire on the board (see example) and ask children to copy it into
their

notebooks, or give them each a photocopy.

Ask the children to complete the questionnaire for themselves by writing ticks in the
appropriate boxes.

Dividethe class into groups offour.

Explain and demonstrate that children should take turns to ask and answer the
questions in

their groups and write the initials oftheir fr

in the appropriate boxes in

the table, eg
T: Doyou eve makeyour bed? P: Yes, oft
6

T: Doyou ever takethe rubbish out? P: No, never.

At the end, ask children in different groups to report back to the rest ofthe class, eg fuan
oft

lays the table. Pedro never lays the table. Ana and

sometimes lay the table.

7 Ask the children to think about ways in which they could perhaps help more at home
and

listen to their ideas.

Comments and suggestions

Before preparing the questionnaire, fi

out questionsthatore likely to be most

relevant to the children, for example, ifthey don't hove dishwashers at home, then it
will be more
appropriate to osk about washing the dishes or doing the drying up.
Thenumberofquestions in the questionnaire dictates thelength ofthe octivity. It is
usually
bestto restrict the numberofquestions to no more than 6-8 so that the
activityis not too long.
You may find it advisable to structure the activity so that children take turns to
askquestions

AO

500 Ac

to each member ofthe group in turn

for the Primary Classroo

 Ifyou wish to make the activity eosler, you can omit the adverbs offre
simply answer Yes, Ido
Idon't.

and children

With older, higher level children, ii may be appropriate to discuss whether

there is a

difference in the way boys and girls help at home and the

posslble reasons for this.

Act

based on simple questionnaires con also be used forother areas ofpersona!

habits
eg getting exercise (Do you everplaya sport/wa to theshops.7)
oreating healthily (Doyou ever
eat /h
drink milk?) This con also be linked to
content-based learning (see 8.13, 8.14, 8.19).

Older children con also use computers to produce charts to show the results ofquestionnaires

(se 9.13).

1.24 Agree or disagree?

Level A2.I, A2.2, BI.I, Bl.2

Age 10-

Organiation

individual, pairs, whole

class

Aims Todecide to whatextentyou agree or disogree with o numberofstatements;

tolisten to

and express personal opinions; to show interest and respect fo the point

ofviewofothers.

Language foc
because Altern

Mate

In thee.:mmple: should, expressing opinions,

must, ought to

Essential: none I Optional: photocopies ofthe list of statements (one for each

chlld)

f Children st-o.J
2
3
'l

go

to bed before

10 o'clock

Children should hcJ. homework ei

Children shou

day

doallsehorkon computer

Children should do sport

Children should rea one

f?'lef'/ day
bo every wek

6 Chifdren should hcJ. more imetoplay

5
I

'

'

I
5
I

'

'

Proc:
I

Explainthat you recentlyread on article about children and you're interested to know the
class's opinions about some oftheviews expressed.

2 Dictate six statements to the children orwrite these on the board and children copy
them, or

givethem each a photocopy.

3 Write numbers S to I next to eoch statement and ask the children to do the same (se
example).

4 Explain the key: S =Stronglyagree; 4 .. agree; 3 : don't agree or disagree; 2: don't

agree;

I ::disagree strongly.

Ask the children to circle a number for each statement according to their personal
opinion.

Set a time limitforthis, eg 2- minutes.

Oivide theclasslntopairs.

7 Askthe children to take turn to tell their partner whether they agree or disagree with eoch

agre children.s
homework everyday because they need time to do other things.
statement and their reasons fo thsi , eg Idon'!

hove

Ask different polrs to report bock to the class. Use their responses as the basis fora class
discussion about each statement.

Sec

1 : Lislelling ond spea

41

Comments and ugge1tions

An activity like this encourages children to express, justify and
defendtheirpersonal
opinions. You may well be impressed by
the maturity oftheir response!
Give children t!me to try andexpress thelrvlews in Engllsh. It ls usually
best not to Interrupt
andcorrect mistakes but be ready to prompt,
encourage, recast and/or extend contributions as appropriate.

Foro less challenging vers

ofthe activit

children con simply

write

tick ora cros by

each statement depending on whether they agree or dsi agree.

This kind ofactiv

is suitable to use in relation to any topic where
there may becontroversy
and disagreement, such os doss rules (eg You
mustraiseyour hands to speak) (see also 10.14) or
every day) or as on Introduction
healthy eating (eg You oughtlo eat fr 1 fh
to content-based lessons to find out children's opinions and what they
already know (eg Allbears hibern

in

winter).

Older children can also use computers to produce charts to show the
combined opinions of
thewholedoss(see 9.13).

1 .25 Questions galore

level A2.1, A2.2, B.1.1, BI.2

Age 9-12

Organization whole doss

Aims To listen to on account and ask relevantquestions; to develop

concentration skills and payattention.
Language
Materi

foe:us

pastsimple, presentsimple, questions

Essen/la/: none

Procedure
I Explain thatyou ore going to spend about three minutes telling the

doss what you did at the weekend and thatyou want the chlldren
to interrupt you as much as possible by asking relevant questions.
Every time a child asks you a question, stop and answer before continuing
again.
2

3 Keepa record on the boord ofthe number ofquestions children ask you,
eg T: Last So/flrd ay
/wenttose a fr

... P: What'.s
fr
name?T:}ane. P: Howo/d is she?T:About25. P:
Where do she llW! T: in the country. I went to herhouse ... P: What time didyougo? T:
At about ha/(past te11. P: Didyouwa/k?T:No, I didn't. fwe
by bus. P: Howlong did ii
take?
4 At the end, count up the number ofquestions children have asked

you and, ifappropriate,

5

praisethe children forthinking ofso many.

You may also like to review the different types of questions and
encourage the children to noti
theway they ore formed.

Comments and suggestions

Very often lt Is the teacher who asks oil the questions in lessons
rotherthan the children, so this activity Is a refreshing way of
reversing these roles.
Children are generally interested in listening attentively too real
account ofsomething you
did. They also enloy Interrupting you in
the activity since this Is not what they are usually allowed to do.
Theactivity is useful as a review ofdiff

questi

types. Ifyou

like, you con also tu

it into a game with the classcoring two
points for every correctlyformed question they ask.

42

50 Ac

for

1he PrimoryClowoo

1.26

Making plans

Le
A2.2
class

Al.l, A2.l,A2.l,

Age 9-12
whole

Or

individuals, poirs,

Aims To plan a class outing in groups; to make and respond to

suggestions; to compromise, if necessary, 1n order to ogre(! a plan.
language foc
wanr ro ..., like/
Altern

In the example: shall, suggestions (Let's ..., What about .. .ingi')

don't like/love, places to visit

I'dlike to ..., personal posions (fo

birthday presents), items

for a party
Materials Essential: none I Optional: leaflets of local places to visit and/or
cinema ond theatre listings or access to the internet

Our class outing

Afternoon

Dinner:

Pn>c:
I Ask the children to imagine that one doy next week they can go on a

doss outing instead of

2 Eli

coming to school.

some idoos ofplace to go, eg SC1

park, waterpark, science museum, zoo,

cinema, theme pork, fun fair, zoo shopping centre, cinema, theatre, concert.

If you hove leaflets oflocol places and/or cinema and theatre listings,
show these to the
children.

4 Askthe children each to think ofthree places they would like to go

to (one ln the morn

one in the afternoon and one In the evening) and where theywould
like
to
have
lunch
and
dinner,
eg
pizz
restaurant,
hamburgerrestaurant, and to note their ideas.
5 Ifyou like, write a fromeon lhe boord fo
(see example).

children ta copy and use

6 Divide the doss Into pairs.

Explain that the children should take tums to make and

respondtosuggestionswith their partner and plan their day. Set a time
limit forthis, eg fi
minutes.

8 Demonstratethis with one child, eg T: Whatshall wedo in the morn

let'sgo to thescience museum. T: Oh, no. I don't like science. What aboutgoing to the
safaripark?

P:

GreatIdea! I Jove

P:

animals.

When the children are readywith their plans, invite diferent pairs to
make suggestions for the day out to the whole dos and note the
plans which everyone agrees on in theframeon theboord.

Comments and suggestions

 You may llke to consider putting pairs together in groups offourto

discuss and agree plansbefo
bringing the whole doss together.
This hos the odvontoge ofproviding more
Section 1: listening

and

speok.43

opportunity to practise the language. On the other hand, chlldren mayget

restless ond start
us!ng Ll lfthe activity goes on too long.

This activity con be developed Into a proiect on loco\ places to visit, In which
children use
the intern
to find out, fo example, opening times, cost
ofentry, and to identify things they most wont to see. (See also 9.21 fo
relotedoctlvity.) It con also be linked to giving directions (see l.18).

IfIt ls feasible to subsequently organize a real class outing to one ofthe

places children have

suggested, this con be very motivating.

Thisactivitycan also be used in the context of planning a class party

and/or a collective

present to give to a teacher orfr

1 .27 Camping weekend

le

Age 9-12

A2.l, A2.2, SI.I

Organizatio

whole class, pairs

Aims Todecide and agree on eight items you neI fora comping weekend;
to list the items in
choices.

order ofimportance; to explain and give reasonsforyour

ln theexample need,

Language foc

because,

moy/mighl, suggesti

(Lei's ..., Whatabo

...?)
comping items
Altern

wll

Essential: none I Optional: photocopies ofa list ofcomping Items (one for
each ehlid)

Mat

Th

to take camping

nx:ksack.

. ,1e;"9"9
mobile phone
compings
' """

tin
torth
matche

penknife
spo and for/I;
wa ch
plasters
insect. epe
compass
towel
roa"

Proc
I Ask the children to imagine that ii Is a cold and rainy weekend ln spring
and that they are going to go comping by a lake in the mountains with
a group of fr
Explain
that
they hove got a tent, wonn clothes and tins of food.
2

Ask the children to suggest what else might be useful and write a list on
the board (see

3 Divide the
4
5

dos

example), or give them each a photocopy.

into pairs.

Explain that the children con only take eight items with them
Ask them to work with theirpartner and write a list ofthe eight things Ihey
decide 10toke, In orderofimportance. Altern
askthem to
tickeightthingson the list you have given them and then number them in
order of Importance.

6 Demonstrate the activity with one child or pair, eg T: What do

weneed? P: l think

need a sleepir19 bag. T: Why? P: Becauseitmaybecold. T:

Yes,you're right.
7 At the end, ask the pairs to report bock to the class and give reasons, eg
T: Who thinksyou need
a mobilephone? P: Isabel and me. T: Why? P: Becausewe may need

to
44

plione thepolice

50 ActiV1!1es for

rhe

P1imory Class

Comments and suggestions

Thsi activity appeals to children'simagination. Some children
mayfeelvery.s
about which items to take and the reasons fo these. You need to be
readyto prompt and/or help
with language to explain these, if
necessary. However, ii is usually best not to do this too quickly and
to give children an opportunity to experiment In getting their me-0
across independently If they can.
Acti
in whichchildren are asked to prioriti
or rankthings In
orderofimportance usually generate Jots of discussion. Any kind
ofadventure situation works well forthis, eg a
week in the jungle,
ona raftat.sea, intheArctic, oron a desert island.

Pronunciation activities

1.28 Tongue twisters

Le

All

Age 8-12

Organiarian

whole class, pairs

Aim Topractise saying a particular sound In a tongue twister; to

raiseawareness of how particularsounds are formed; to improve
pronunciation skills.
La

foc

any, depending on the

tongue twister Materials Esse111ia/: none I

Optio11a/: stop watch

Procedure

I Drow the chlldren's attention to the portlcular sound to be practised in

the tongue twister and demonstr

how ii is made. Forexample, In
the case ofIs/ followed by a consonant, hold your Index fi
to your
mouth and make a hissing noise like a snake.
2 Repeat, but thsi time tum the hissing noise into o word, eg Sss...sl!
Oke! Do thsi several times with different words the children know

followedby a consonant, eg school, spider, Spai11, star. Demonstrate that

there is no vowel sound before 's' at the beginning ofwords.
3 Soythe tongue twister you hove prepared slowly, egStupidStevestole

sixtyscaryspiders from a

school in Spain andgetthechildren to repeat it with

you. Ifyou like, write it ontheboard.
4

Get the children to soy the tongue twister again three times, going
fasterandfastere<i
time.
S Divide the doss Into pairs.

6 Ask the children to see how many times they con soy the tongue
twister with their partnerIn one minute. Ifyou have a stopwatch, use It
to time the activity.
Ask the children to report back haw many times they managed to say the
tongue twister.
7

8 You can also ask them to tell you any tongue twisters they know in their
own language.
Comments and suggestions
Tongue twisters provide an enjoyable way ofpractising Individual
sounds that children may
fi
diffi
depending on their LI. (This
one is particularly suitable forSpanish speakers.) You need to be
aware and fi
out which sounds these are in order to maximize the
usefulness ofthe activit
Some other examples oftongue twisters to practisesoundschildren may
find difficult are:
/hi Happy Horry helps at home in the holidays.

lb! and Iv/ Brian Is brilliant at baskelball. Vanessa is very good ot 110 loo
/I/ and lrl LDYely Lucy likes lonely Luke. Rich Roland rides a red ra
bike.
Is! and III Suesellsseashells at the sea.side Sheila sell.s shoe at a shop in 1hedty
In cases where there ore two sentences and contrasting sounds In the
tongue twisler, children can take turn to say one sentence each when
they time themselves in pairs.

Sec1ion 1 : Li5ten

ond spo

45

1 .29 Sort the sounds

Level All

Age 8-12

Organization whole class

Aim To practise discriminating between two or more sounds; to raise awafeness

ofthe
diff
between sounds; to raise awareness ofthe correspondence
between sounds and spelling; to improve pronunciation skills
lg
focu5 any plural nouns
Materials Essential: none I Optional: copies ofoutlines to
foreach child)

write

the words in (one

Procedure
1 Decideon the contrasting sounds you wontto focus on, eg /s/ as inelephantsand
/z/ as in birds.
2 Explain and demonstrate that ifyou say a word with /s/, children should
repeat the word and hold out an arm like the trunk ofan elephant. If you
say a word with /z/, they should repeat the word and pretend to fly like a
bird.
3 Say diff
plural words in random order and children respond by repeating
the words and doing the actions. Examples of words you can use are:
bananas, shops, dogs, cats, sweets,
tomatoes, leaves, books, plants, bears, cars bikes, boats, f
Comments and suggestions

The words you use in the activity should be known to the children. It is
usually best to hove no more than 20 words.

Other examples of contrasting sounds suitable to

use

in this activityore, eg

/!/and /i:/ as in
chicken and cheese and/J/, /!JI and/d:, as in sugar, chocolate andjam
As a follow-up to theactivity, it may be suitable to draw two outline
shapes on the board which suggest the sounds you have practised,
forexample shapes ofa chicken and a wedge ofcheese, and ask the
children to copy these. Dictate the words to the children and they write
them in the shapes according to the sounds. You con then ask them what
they notice about the spelling ofthe words with the same sound.
Forexample, theywill notice that /If in eg ll chicken andchipsis written
with an 'i', whereas /i:/ in eg cheese, icecream,green and meatmay be
written either with 'ee' or 'ea'.

1 .30 Clap the stress!

Level

All

Age 8-12

Organization whole class

Aims To practise word (or sentence) stress; to raise awareness ofthe

importance ofstress in pronouncing Englishintelligibly; to improve
pronunciation skills.
Language focus any, depending on the words orsentences chosen
Materials Essential: none I Optional: a percussion instrument
Proc
1 Draw two sets ofcircles on the board to reflectthe wordstress pattern you
wish to practise, egI Ooo 2 o0o.
2 Clapthe rhythm foreachone (oruseo drum or other percussion
instrument) and getthe children to join in clapping loudly on the
stressedsyllable, andsoftlyon the othertwo.

3 Explainthatwords with more than one syUoble have the stresson diff

syllables and that people understandus more easily Ifwe say the stress
correctly. You may like todemonstrate
this by saying a word in the
children's own language with the wrongstresswhich theymay
fi
diffi
to understand.

Elicitor give two examples ofwords which have the stress patternsyou want to

practise, eg
I Ooo elephant

2 oOo banana and getthe children to clop the rhyt

the words.
5 Divide the class in half and assign one stress pattern to each half.

and soy

46

500 Ac

for

the Primary Classroom

Explain that you are going to say a series ofwords and thatthe children
should repealthe
word and clap the rhythm ifit has theirstress pattern
Examples ofwords you can use are:
telephone, lom{l
hgmburger, Su_

day, Dece_
pyjamw.

compw.

cjnema,grg_ndfo

7 Children con then change roles and repeat the activity with different words.

At the end, ask the children to write a list ofthe words in their notebooks and

mark the stress.

Comments and suggestions

Thewordsyou use In the activityshould be fa

to the chlldren.

Other wordstress patterns you may wish to practise are, eg two syllable
words with patterns

Oo as in b.u

oroO as in rePQ[

Children can also repeot and clap the stressin sentences or questions yousay, eg

Wht:

the

b{JI/ IIt's fime for lunch. or in rhymes and chants (see Section 6).
Through clapping the rhythm ofword and sentence stress, chlldren develop
aware
of
thisfeature of pronunciation. With older chlldren, it may
also be appropriate to drawtheir attention to how stre
pattern in
English may be different from their own language.

1 .31 Weak forms /a/

Level All
Age 10Organizatian whole class, pairs
Aims To raise awareness ofthe existence ofweak forms in connected speech;
to notice and
produceweak fonns appropriately in their own speech; to
Improve pronunciation skills.
Language foc Jn the example: present
simple,

Altern

havegot, personal information

ives: any famlliar language and

vocabulary

Materi
Essential: none
Procedures
I

Demonstrate the difference between weakforms and strong fonns in a,

and,

to and at by saying contrasting pairs ofphrases orsentences, eg

I've gota Uer{) sister. /J'vegot a
U/) sister. Fish and Ure
chips. IFish and (/:Jl{) chips.
I'mgoing to Utu:{) lheshops. II'm going to Ut.3 lheshops.
/learn English at Uae
school./I team English 01 U{) scho.
2

Explain thatwhenwe speak naturally, we usually saythese words

andmanyothers llke them, eg an, bul, for, /he, of, in their weak
fonnsondthe vowel sound then becomes fa/. Draw this symbol on the board.

Explain that you're going to tell the children something about yourself and as
them to try
and notice the way you use weak forms. Say, eg My name's

Susana and (land!) J live in Valencia. I wor or(!!) SI. fohn's school.
l'vegot a (fa dog and (fond!) 1 like lsi tening to (/bi} music.
4 Ask the children to help you reconstruct the text and write it on the board
5 Saythe text again. This time pause after each sentence and ask the
children to Identifythe
words with //. Inviteindividual children to
drawthe symbol above these words on the board.

6 As a follow.up, ask children to write a slmilar short text about

themselves and to practise

saying it naturally, using weak forms.

Comments and suggestions

Rasi ing children's awareness ofweak fonns helps them to pronounce

English naturally and also helps them to produce sentence stress pattern

correctly. Howeveryou need to be careful that because the focus ofthe acti
Is on weak fonn
children don't over-emphasize these when they speok.

As furtherpractice in recognizing weak forms, you can play any listening

text ln the course

book you ore using and ask children to say

Stop!

when they hear any weak forms.

SectlOfl 1: Liening ond spea

47

Sec

Reading and writing

What is involved in rea

Reading andwriting ore two sides

ofthesome coin. The more children
reod, the betterwriters they are llkely to
become. This is generally held to be
the case as much in LI as when children
leorn a second or foreign language.

Learning to read
Manychildren are growing up ln on
increasingly print-dominated world
where, although they may leom to click
on o computer mousebefore they learn
to turn the pages ofa book, reading Isa
vital skill As children grow older,
reading competence in English is
essential to pass exams and to succeed
at secondaryschool and beyond.
Through leoming to reod in English,
children develop positiveattitudes,
strong motivation cmd a sense
ofachievement. Re<i
also reinfo
and extends what children learn orally.
Reading In English provides on
opportunity to build on
andtransferskills fr
and to LI. Foroll
these reasons, It is arguable that it
would be doing children a disserv
not to lay solid fo
in early foreign language literacy at
primary

school.

When to start reoding

One ofthe main debates is not about
whether children should learn to reod
andwrite In Engllsh, but when lt Is
mostbeneficial to start. The answer is
neither clear-cut norconclusiveand
depends
on the contextand a range offactors,
such as the children's LI, and
whether lhis shores the Roman
script, the children's existing literacy
skil In Lt, how much English
theyolreody
know, and their own interest and
enthusiasm for learn
to reod. With
very young children, It may quite
often be this latter factor which drives
the process, as for example, when prereading
children notice that instead ofwriting
'Very good', you wrtte something else,
such as 'Excellent', on theirwork, or
when beginning reodersrespond
enthuslostically to using a word cord
bonk as 'importantand serious' learn
The usual approach In most foreign
languageprogrammes, however, Is that
reading and writing In English
ore Introduced gradually aft

basic

Reading competence involves

constructing meaning and
makingsense ofwrittentext. It requires
the complex interaction of knowledge
and skills at multiple levels. These
include, for example, the recognition
ofshapes of letters of the alphabet,
gropho-phonemic correspondences and
the direction oftext. They also include
sight recognition of common, high fr
vocabulary and morphemes, the
recognition ofsyntactic patterns and
word order within sentences, and an
understanding ofthe str
and organization oftexts. When
children read In English, they need to
learn to make use ofvisual,
phonological and semantic cues in an
integrated way and to relate these to
their previous knowledge and
experience ofthe world, the topic and
the genre ln order to constructcoherent
personal meaning. To enable children to
become competentreaders in Englsi h,
they need practice in developing their
knowledge and skills in oil these areas.

How to opprooch teac:

rea

As a start, it is a good Idea to ensure

that the children's classroom Is o
llterote, print rich environment in
English. This can include, for example,
labelling classroom furniture, creating
a weather and date chart, making a
birthday calendar and making a chart
ofkey instructions, egListen, Read, Dra
with symbols to show
what they mean. It can also Include a
displayof
pictures offamous people, story or
course book characterswith speech
bubbles for key classroom language, eg
Canyou repeat that,please?I've
fi
Idon't understand and o notice
board where you and the children can
write messages, eg Pleaserememberto bring
a photo on Monday.
In developing initial reading skills in a
foreign language, lt Is beneficlol to read
aloud regularly with the children (see
2.7 Shared reading) whlle they follow
the pictures and/or the text in a story
orbig book. This provides an implicit,
global opportunity fo children to
become familiar with conventions of
print and text. II also enables
you to show and share yourown pleasure
and enthusiasm fo reading, which is
llkely to be catching, and to model
the proces and strategies involved.

literacy has been establishedin LI

(and poss

also

L2 ifthechlldrenore growing upln a

bilingual environment).
48

500 Ac

f01

the Primary Classroo

When teoching children

toreadthemselves, lt isbestto base
this initially on language that
is
already fa
orally/aurally and to
use a
co
ion ofwhole-word sight
recognition, as in activity 2.3, and
phonic;, as in act
2.1. The potential

for using phonic; in a foreign language

context, however, is often limited, given
children's lock ofvocabulary in English. Core
also needs to be taken that children ore
not sounding out letters and words in a
meaningless way. The use ofphonic; is
usuallymost effective when embedded in a

context such as a rhyme or chant (see

Section6).
Whetheratword, sentence ortext level,
reading activities should be meaningful
and create o reason and purpose for
reading which practise one or more subskills. These Include de-coding wri
language, skimming a text for global
understanding, scanning a text fo specifi
information, inferring implicit meaning
in a
text and understanding the
writer's intention
As children move
up through primary, it is important to
expose them to on increosingly wider
range oftexttypes or genres and to
develop their awareness of different
purposes for reading andstrategies to
use (see2.32).
Aswith developing listening skills, many
reading activities can be usefully staged
into before, while andofl
lfchildren
ore not yet confi readers, ii is
particularly important to create interest
and motivation before reoding, as they
can easily feel daunted by chunks
oftext. After reading, it is often suitable
to leod into an activity inwhich children
write, using the text they hove read as
a starting point or guide.
As well as developing intensive reading
skills, it is also important to develop
extensive reading for pleasure, either
through the use of doss readers and/or
a school or doss library. By encouraging
children to writebook reviews ofwhat
they reod (see 2.20) children con build
up a personalized record oftheir reading
and also be encouraged to develop
critical reading skills.
While there ore no definitive
conclusions fr research on how
reading in a foreign language should
be taughtto children, by providing
opportunities to develop skills at letter,
word, sentence and text level,
creating frameworks for children to
read for meaning in purposeful ways,
modelling your own enthusiasm and
the processes and strategies involved,
encouraging personal, divergent
responses, and raising

reading awareness ofgenres and

strategies, as and when appropriate,
children will develop into increasingly
competent readers by the end of
primary school.

From reading to writing

Reading provides a scaff
forlearning
to write and it is fr
appropriate to teach
reading and writing in an
integratedway, both in the initial
stages and when children have more
developed skills

Initial writing
In the initial stages oflearn
to write,
young children need to develop handeye coordination and fine motor skills,
and the effort and concentration which
goes into fo
letters
and words is a challenge in itself. The
amount of time children need to spend
on the mechanic; of forming letters and
words in English lessons also depends
on the writing system used in their L I.
The emphasis in initial writing is to
support and consolidate oral/aural
work, through,
for example,
reinforcing the unders
and
spelling offamiliar vocabulary items
and sentence patterns. However, even
at this early stage, it is important
thatwriting activities are mode
meoningful and cognitively engaging
ratherthan mechanical (see 2.4 and
2.5)
and that children are given
opportunities for personalization and
choice in what they write (see 2.17
and 2.19)
As children progress, they can be
introduced to writing short texts, which
may either be based
on a model (see
2.11) or structured by a series
of
questions or prompts (see 2.27). Through
providing frameworks which guide
children's writing and lead to successful
outcomes, children develop confi
and enthusiasm for

writing, aswell as on increasing ability to

incorporate linguisticfeaturestypical
ofwriting, such as the use
ofconjunctions, and to structure and
organize texts.

How to oppro(h teo(hing writing

When setting up writing activities, it is
important to create motivating and
meaningful contexts, a reason and
purposeforwriting and also to ensure
that the children have a sense of
audience and whothey ore writing for.
There also needs to be careful
preparation to equip children with the
language they need to express and order
their

Secli0<1 2: Rea
ideas in on appropriate way. Before
children write independently, It is also
often helpful to model
the processes and .strategiesInvolved in
creating o text with the class together
(se 2.8 Shored writing).
Duiing the writing process, lt Is import

10
encourage children to be responsible for
checking

(se

and correcting their own work

also Section

and writing

49

10 Leaming to learn) and, as they

getolder, to be willing todraft edit and
revise theirwritten work, and to understand
the value of this. By regularly displaying
children's written work or publlshlng
this in doss books, you can conveythatyou
value theirefforts. Thls
alsoencourageschildren to take pride in
the pre.se
ofthelrwork, and take

care

over things such as legibility and

accuracy,
a.s
as develop on Interest ln, and respect
for,
the work of others.

During the primary years, as children

become more confident writers, It Is
Important to give them experience
ofdiff<!
genres and areas
of
writing In addition to inltlol writing.
These include collaborative writing, a
dynamic proces in which children's
Ideas ore shaped through working with
others and the fi
product is

children have to say and value their

attempts to communicate what they
mean, children will leove primary
school with the confi
and
enthusiasm to develop into more .skll
writers in

future.

Reflection time

a joint effo (.se 2.18, 2.22, 2.31),

functional writing .s
o.s invitations (eg
2.24) and reports (eg 2.25), personal
wrlllng In which children record their
experiences, attitudes and feelings (eg
2.19), poetry writing, which gives
children the opportunity to explore the
power ofwords and play with the
rhythms and pattern oflanguage (eg
2.28-2.31) and Imaginativewriting (eg

As you use the reading and writing

activities in this section with yourclos.se
you may llke to think about the
following questions and use your
responses to evaluate how things went
and plan possible improvements for
next lime:

andseealso Section 4 on Storytelling),

which
takes children beyond real experiences
and Into a world ofinvention.

2 Meaning: Was the activity meaningful

Fee

I Skils: What sub-skills of reading

and/or writing was the activity

aiming to improve? Was it effective?
Why? /Why not?

2.18,

ond correction

When giving feedback and correcting

written work, particularly in more
challenging and/or persona\lzedareas
ofwrltlng, lt Is important to respond to
children's meaning, and not just to
spelling and grammatical mistakes. A
positive comment on the content, eg
What a lovelypoem! Ican almost re I'm 01
l/1eseaside!, plus, with older children,
possibly also focused correction ofa
target aspect of language, eg verb
forms or use ofprepositions, ls for
more likely to make your feedback
memorable and motivating
than correcting every single mistake.
Through conveying that you are
interested Jn what

50

500 Acfivi

P1imary Clowoom

foi the

forthe
children? In whot way? How
did this influence theirresponse?

Control: How controlled was the

activity? Did the children need more or
less guidance to be able to work
independently?
Reasons for reading/writing: Were
these mode clearto the children?
Werethey relevant? In the case
ofwriting, did the chlldren have a
.s

ofwho they were writing for?

Modelling .strategies: Was there an

opportunit
foryou to
explicitlymodel reading and/or
writing strategies and processes with
the children? What impact did this
hove?

Feedback and correcti

How did you
give children feedback on their
written work? Did you respond to
their meaning as well o.s their
language? Doyou thinkthe feedback
will motivate the children to want to
write In future?

2.1 1 Letters in the air

Level A.I.l

Age 4-8

Organization whole class

Aims To recognize the shapes ofletters; to drawletters with your Index fi

to relate
letters

and sounds; to develop motorskills.

Longuoge foc
vocabulary

Letters ofthe alphabet, familiar

Materials Esse IlaI: flashcardsor pictures

Proc

offamiliarvocabulary

I Showthe children a picture orflashcard ofa familiar vocabulary item, eg

banana and

children say the word.

2 Say, eg Banana starts with 'b' (/bi:!) It's 'b'(/bi) fo 'banana'. Canyou drawa
'b'likethis?

Stand with your bock to the children, hold out yourarm to the right and
draw a big 'b' In the

air with your fi

Get the children to do the same.

S Repeatthe procedure with other familiarvoc

elephant, fi
6

eg apple, ball, car, doll,

Stick the pictures or flashcards on the board.

7 Secretly choose one and write the Initial letter in the air. Chlldren Identify
the letter you drow

and say the word.

8 Repeot once or twice, then osk individual children to toke turns to do the
same while the rest

ofthe doss looks and identifi

the letters ond words.

9 Write the initial letters for all the words in jumbled orderon the boord.
10 Invite indi\iduol children to draw matching lines fr
to the corr

the letters

pictures or flashcards on the boord.

11 Ask the children lf they can think ofother words they know which stort
with each letter ond

sound you haveworked on, eg alligator, bear, cat,

dog, egg, frog

Comments and suggestions

Use either upper or lower

case

letters In the activity depending on what you

have pre
taught the children and/orthe lettersthey are most familiar wit

(iftheir

language uses

in LI

the same script as English).

With older children, instead ofdrawing leuers in the air, you can ask a

child to the front of the doss and draw the letters on their back. In this
case, children work in poirs during the fi
port ofthe activity and take
turns to draw the initial letters on each other's backs. The second
port
ofthe activity can then be a guessing game in pairs.

Asa follow-up, you can make a classroom display ofthe letters you hove
worked on, with pictures ofvocabulary Items the children know. In later
lesson$, you can then repeat the activity with diff
letters and
vocabulary items and change the display regularly 10 reflect
these. If
appropriate, you can also Include the words foreach voc
item in the
di$play In orderto encourage whole-word sight recognition.

2.2 Plasticine letters

Level ALI

Age 4-8

Orgonixation Individual, whole class

Aims To make letters ofthe alphabet out ofplasticin

shapes of leners from

to Identify the

touch; to memorize the shapes of letters; to develop

motor skills.

Longuage foc

lettersofthe alphabet

Materials Essential: a strip ofplasticine foreach child, a bllndfold I

Optional: alphabet

fl

or frieze

Sec

2: Reoding ondwr,t1rg

51

Pro
I Write the olphabet ln large letters on the board or disploy the olphobet
flashcords or frieze.

Children say the olphobet with you.

3 Demonstrate how to make letters out ofplasticine by rolling it Into o

strip and making the

shape ofo letter.

4 Give out plasticine to eoch child.

Ask thechildren to use the plasticine to moke theshape ofony letter

oftheir choice or, for

example, o letter which is included in their fi

nome. Encourage the children to use the

alphobetfr

letters on the board,

or floshcords as o guide.

When the children are ready, getthem to trace

overtheirplasticineletterwith their fingers in
the samewoy thotthe letteris
written and to soythe letter.

7 They can olso repeot theprocedure with other letters mode by their friends.
8

Collect all the plostlclne letters ond arronge them in a row on your desk.

9 Ask individuol children to the front ofthe

ond osk them to try

dos

in tum. Blindfold them

and identify oneortwo ofthe letters by touch

olone.

10 Ifappropriote, get the rest ofthe doss to clop ondsay, eg Fantoslic! ifthey do
this correctly.

Comments and suggestions

With younger chlldren, lt may be more opproprlare to give them an

outline shope ofa letter

on poperor card ond ask them to stick bits
ofplasticine onto the shope ofthe letter Instead.

Olderchildren can olso use plasticine to moke whole words. Jn this

activity can be

usedfor revision, eg Makeone oftheclothes

cose

wordswe learn

the
last

wtk, oros port ofa unit of

work, e.g Make a word forone fodyou like in
blueplasticine and one food you don't like in red plasticine. Chlldren canthen reod
eoch others' words.

Through using plasticine children are encouraged to ottend closely to the

shope oflndividuol
letters. As well as developing motorskills and hondeye coordlnolion, the activitymakes
forming letters and words both
memorable ond enjoyoble.

2.3 Word shapes

level Al.I
Age 6-8
Orgoni:1:
whole class, Individual
Aims To recognize the shapes offamiliorwords; to motch words and shopes;
to copy and write

fa words; to develop motor skills.

Longuage focus 1111/ie example: colours

A//emalives: any fom!llor vocobulory

Materials Es

rial: none I Optional: coloured pens, croyons, photocopies

ofjumbled words

ond shopes (one for each child) (they are in the correct

order below)

red c:'.l

green [j=

blue

pink p

yellow black
orange c=:
white c:

52

500Ac

for rhe Prunory Ckiwoom

Procedure
I

Ask the children to name colours they know and write the words on the board.

2 Draw the shape of one ofthe words, eg

soy which colour it

red

and ask the children to

corresponds to.

3 Ask a child to draw a matching line fr

the shape to the word 'red' on

theboard, and if appropriate to writetheword 'red' inside the shape,
oryou con do this. Ifyou have coloured
pens, use a red pen to do this.

4 Draw the children's attention to the way that the 'r' and the 'e' are the
some height in the

wordand the stalk on the 'd' Is higher.

5 Repeat the procedure forall the colours.

6 Ifyou hove prepared photocopies with jumbled colour words and shapes,
give these out to
7

the children.

Ask them to work Individually and use crayons or coloured pens to match
the shapes and

words and to write the colourwords inside each shape.

Chlldren then compare their completedsheetswith a friend andread

thecolourwords
together.

Comments and suggestM>n

Thisactivity helps to develop sight recognition ofwhole words which ore

a familiar part of
children's vocabulary. II also draws children's attention
to the importanceofreproducing
stalks and tolls of letters above and
below the line in their own writing.

Children enjoy the puu.le element and close visual observation

With olderchildren, the activity can be a guessing game Jn pairs. Chlldren

take turns to draw
the shape ofa word fr
a specific lexical set they
have learnt, eg pets. Their partner guesses the word and then spells and
writes it to show how ii corresponds to the shape.

involvedin matching words

and shapes.

2.4 Word sequences

level

Al.I

Age 6-

Organization whole class, individual, pairs

Aims To logically deduce the pattern in word sequences; to practi

familiar words; to

Languoge foc
Altern

writing

write a wordsequence for a partner to complete.

In theexample: clothes

any other fa

vocabulary

Materials Essential: none

Procedure
I Write a sequence of familiarwords on the board following a 1,2, l,2 pattern eg
boots, shoes, boots, shoes, boots, ,_.
2
3

Read the sequence rhythmically. Encourage the children to joinin and

supply the Jost two
missing words.
Repeat the procedure with other word sequences from the some lexical set, eg

col, hot, T-shirt, _,_ (following a

1,2,3,1,2,3 pattern) or
jumpe jumper, trousers, jumper, _ ,_
(following a 1,2,2,1,2,2

hat, T-shirt,
trouser

pattern or

shirt, shirt, socks, shirt, shirt, _,

_(following a I, 1,2,1,l,2 pattern

4 Ask the childrento copy and complete the word sequences ln theirbooks.

5
6

Check theanswersby asking thechildrento reod the word sequences.

Ask them to invent and write the fi
five words ofone ortwo more
sequences using familiar

Sec

2 Reading and writing 53

vocabulary from the same lexicalset. They can either

followonyofthe poItemsyou hove introduced orthey can creote o
new pottem.
Get them to check the spelling ofwords before theybegin, eg by looking in
their course book.
7

8 When they are ready, childrenexchange theirbooks with a

portnerand read and complete eoch other's wordsequences.
9 They !hen return the books to the original owner, who checks that the
sequences hove been completed correctly.
Comments and suggestions
This activitygives children practice in copy1ngand writing fam11iar
words. The logical
deductive element involved In working out
what comes next ln the sequence ensures
cognitively engaged.

that

they are also

Through reading the wordsequences aloud In a rhythmic way, children

are helped to predict what comes next. The use ofrhythm while reoding
also helps children to memorize the written form ofthe words.

2.5 Copy and classify

Level Al.I, Al.2

Age 6-10

Organization whole class, Individual

Aims To copyand clossify familiar words Into categories.

Longuoge focus /n the example: food, fruit ondvegetables
Altern

any language, eg animals, sports, free-time activities

Materials Es.

none

Proc
I Ask the children to tell youfoodwords they know and wri
board, eg eg,
tomato, hamburger, chicken, sausage cheese, apple, banana,

/elluct

these on the

ham, pear, orange.

2 Draw two columns on the board and write headings, eg 'Food from
animals' / 'Food from
tre or plants' at the top of each one.
3

Ask the children to copy the headings Into theirnotebooks and to copy
all the foodwords on the board into the correct column.

4 At the end, children check their answers in pairs and then with the

whole class
Comments and suggestions
Thisactivityprovides practice in copying and writing at word level
but also challenges children to think by asking them to classify
the words. This helps to transform a potentially mechanical
copying activity Into a cognitively engaging and meaningful one.

A range ofothervocabularyand categories can be usedin the

activity, eg Food that is go
Ibod foryo
FruitIVegetables, Animals Iha/ Ort' mammals
rt>ptiles, Sports thal use/dOl

use a

ba

Frtt-time aclivilies tholart>

art>

go exerc

Children can also be asked to copy and classify words in a

personalized way, eg Food/ like/ don't like, AnimalsI think art>scary /not
scary This can lead Into a speaking activity in which children ask
questions and exchange their views.

2.6 Alphabet cords

Level

Al.l,Al.2

Aims To practi
alphabetcards.

Age 6spe

Organization pairs,whole class

and making famlllar words and/or sentences using

Longuage foc
In theexample: !healphabet, parts
ofthe body Altern
any familiar language and
vocabulary
54

500Activ11ies for

the Primory Classroom

Material1 Essential: sets orthe alphabet cards below in envelopes (one far each
pair) I

Op nal:

setsof plastic letters in bags

- - - ,- - -- .,- - -- -,- - - - r

- -- -- - - , - --

, - - - - 1 -

- - - - r

: a : a : a : a : e : e : e : e :
- - - - : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - : - - - - - - - - :
- - - _

: s

- _ _

: s :

t :

t : t :

d : h
-;1-, -- - - - - - - , - - - - - - II

, - - - - 1
-

: h

-:
- - - - t: -n : -o : o : - -o
- - - - r - - - 1

- - - i-

- - - r

_ -

-- - r
s : s
-

; --_

t : d : d :

- - - r - - - -

---

- - - -

: i I : I : I:
- - - -,,- - - - 1-

- - - - r - - - - r - - - - 1

!.

- - _ 1 _

- - J _ - - -

_ - - - _1 _ - - - -'- - - - . L .

- . l

!- u i u i g i j i k i
q i - v i w i x- Z);I;

- - .L

- - .

- -

-- J

-- -

--

L -

-- J

.-

- - - l

- - .

I. -

---

y
- --: - y-- :- y

-:
: - :- -
b - b--: - --:- : - -- : - -: : : p p
f
f
-:
--r -: r- -:

-- .

I.

- _ l

_ - - -

z
-

--

Procedure
I

Divide the class Into pairs.

2 Give each pair a set orthe alphabet cords above.

3 Askthe children to use the alphabet cards to make as many words as they
con fr
fi

particular lexical set, eg ports ofthe body. Set a time limit, eg

minutes.

4 At the end, ask each pair to say and spell one ofthe words they have made
in turn.
5

U otherpairs hove the same word, they turn their cords or letters
farthisword face down, so

thatthe same word doesn't get reported bock

repeatedly.

6 Keep a score ofhow many words the children collectively manage to make.
7 Be ready to remind them ofany words which are port ofthe lexical setthat
they moy hove

forgotten.

Comment1 and 1uggution1

Sets ofolphobet cords con be mode by wrtting leners in a grtd on an A4

sheet of poper,
photocopying the sheet for as many sets as you wont and
then cutting out the letters and storing them In envelopes. For each set
ofolphobet cards, you need more ofcertain letters to
reflecthow
frequentlythey are used, eg foureoch of'a', 'e', '$', 't', three eoch of'd', 'h',
'i', '\',

'n', 'o', 'r', 'y'; twoeoch of 'b','c',

' '
'k', q , 'v', 'w',

T,

'm', 'p', 'u' ondone eoch ofthe rest: 'g',

'I',

'x', 'z'.
Childrenconcutout and makethesetsofalphabet cords themselves before doing
the
activit
It Is a good ldeo to give eoch set ofalphabet cards a number and
to ask the children to write this on the bock ofevery cord In their set
ond on the envelope used to store the cords
This meons that Ifany
alphabet cords fall on the floor or get mislaid, it is possible to identify
immediately which set they belong to.

used for a variety ofactivities which do not take up

much time. It can
be useful to keep the sets to hand, eitherforuse
wheneverthere ore a fewspare minutes In a
lesson orfor fast fi
(eg How many wordsca you make that we've used in today's lesson?).

Alphobet cards con be

Here are three examples orother activities you can do using alphabetcards.

a) Dictate

words

related

to

Individual children to do

the

topic,

story

or

unit

ofwork

(or

Invite

thsi ) and children use the alphabet cards to

make the words you say as fast as they can.

Sec

2: Reading orxl wo1ing

55

b) Alphabet bingo: Children choose

6-8

alphabet cards, lay them out

on their desksand tum them overas yousaytheletters. The fi

child to tum over all the letters says Bingo! and is the winner.
c) An
In pairs, children make anagrams ofthree words related to
the topic, story or unit ofwork usingthealphabetcards. They then
exchange placeswith anotherpair and move the alphabet cords to
tum the anagrams into words.
The physical manipulation ofthe alphabet cords supports children's
initial reading and
writingskills and helps to make accurate
spelling enjoyable and memorable.

2.7 Shared reading

Level All
Age 4Organization whole class
Aims Toread a text aloud with the children in orderto model reoding
strategies; to build up understanding ofthe content and textual
features in o shared and collaborativeway
Language foc: any
Materials Essential: any text, eg letter, factual text, story, picture book,
big book, graded reoder, text in the course book
Procedure
I

Prepare for reading thetextby, for example, discussing the topic, el!
citing whatthe children
already know, encouraging prediction and,
possibly also, pre-teaching essential vocabulary
whose meaning
cannot be inferred fr
the context.

Read the text aloud with the children. Children either listen and look
at pictures only or follow the text as you read. Encourage
participation and ask questions to build up children's
understanding
ofthe language and the content ofthe text, the way that it is
organized and
any particular features ofthe genre, such as the
formulaic openings and endings ofa letter orstory, orfeatures ofthe
language, eg the use of repetition, alliteration or onomatopoeia
(children don't need to use these terms) that you wish them to notice.

3 Be readyto pause, go back and rere

bits ofthe text again as often
as necessary in order to clarify children's understanding and to
model reading strategies that help them to decode and make
sense ofthe text.
4 Ask questions that help children relate the text both to their own

experience and lives, as well

have read.
S

as to othersimilartexts that they may

Encourage them to form their own personal views and responses to the
text and think about their reasons for these.

6 With older childre

and higher levels, it may also be appropriate

to guide their thinking about such things as the audience, style
and structure ofthe text, as well as the writer's intentions and
inferred meanings.

Comment5 and suggestions

Reading aloudwith children can have enormous benefits. These
include modelling basic skills such as decoding spelling and sound
pattern and phrasing text in order toconstruct language and
meaning from print on o page.
The concept ofshared reading impliesthatyou readwiththe childre
ratherthan tothe
children. Jn otherwords, you and the children interact
andworktogether in orderto investigate, analyse, refl
reason and
develop understandings based on the text. The fact that the reading is
'shared' enablesyouto explici
model outloud cognitive strategies

and processes whichthechildre

subsequently make use of in their

will be able to intern

own independent reading.

and

In order fo shored reading to be successful, it is import

to
thinkcarefully aboutthe kinds ofquestionsyou will ask to build
confi
and help children construct
meaning
56

500 Ac

forthe Primary Classroom

fromthe text. There needs to be a balance between questions tocheckand

establish basic comprehension and higher order, open questionswhich
lead to analysis, renectlon and a deeper level ofunderstanding and learn
Depending on the ageandlevel ofthe children, it may be appropriate or
necessary to ask some ofthese questions in LI.
Itisnot usually advisabletoask chlldren toread aloudtothe restofthe class.
Other children either tend to lose Interest quickly or else cannot easily
hear or understand whot Is being read. Ifyou do wont children topractise
reading aloud, it is best to get children to do this in poirs ('paired
reading') using a text that Isalreadyfamiliar, or to find ti
for children to
take turns to read to you individually, while the rest of the class is engaged
in otherwork.

2.8 Shored writing

level oll

Age 5-12

Organization whole class

Aim5 To create a text with children in order to model writing strategies; to

draft, edit and write contributions In a shored and colloborotive way.
Longuage foc
Jn the example: be, present simple, adjectives to describe
animals, havegot Altern any language and vocabulary or text type
Materials Essemia/: none I Optional: o picture, poster or DVD to use os a stimulus to
writing
Proc:
I Prepare forthe writing activityby creating Interest ond using o stimulus to
prompt Ideas, eg
a picture orposter, a letter (which the children ore going to reply to), a
related text, on extract from a DVD.
2

Seto goal for theactivity. Forexample, with youngerchildren doing a topic

ofwork on bears
and responding too poster: Let's write a description ofthegrizzly beartog
Whatcanyo
me oboul thegri

tell

bear?

Use the children's contributions to bulld up o text and write this on the
board, eg Pl: Is big. (sic) T: Yes. That'sright. So whatcm1 write? Thegrizzlybear .. .
P2: is big. T: (writes) Good. And anything else? (using gesture to show height) P3:
Toll. T: Verygood. Sowhatcan we wri/e? P4: The grizzly bear is big and fall. T: (writes) Great.
What about the9rizzly bear'scolour? Shall write
about that? PS: Yes! Brown! T: OK. And what's thsi ? P6: Fur. T: Welldone. So what can
write?

4 At the end, get the children to read the descripti

you hove
constructedtogetherand ask them to copy It into their notebooks (with
youngerchildrenthis may be one or two sentences
only), eg Thegrizzly bearisbig and tall. It hos got brown fur. Thegrizzly bearhas got o big
headand
ll

eats fr

small ey

ll l!asgotsharpteeth and slmrp claws. Thegrizzly bearlikesswimming.

ll

also eats frv

and berries fr

trees.

5 As a follow-up, older children con write a description ofanotherbear, eg a

giant panda or polar bear, either individuallyor in pairs, using the text
you have constructed together os o guide and model.

Comment5 and suggestions

Aswithshored reading, sharedwriting enables you to model cognitive
strategies and processes which the children will be able to intern
and
subsequently make use ofln their own independent writing.
Shored writing is o technique that con be used with oil ages and levels
ofprimary. With very young children just beginnni g to write, it helps
develop fi
motor skil and is motivating in theway that It involves
children in contributing to and creating whattheywrite themselves,
ratherthan mechanical copying. With older children, the technique is
particularly usefu
to use when you are Introducing them to a new
writing genre, eg a story, a report, a letter,
a recipe, a poem, and you con demonstrate ond model specifi language
features and conventions with the whole doss before children work more
independently.
Sec

2: Reading end

writing 57

 Through the technique ofshored writing, children hove o permanent record in their
notebooks ofa written text that they can refer to as a model and guide in their

awn

writing.
In this way, shared writing provides an Invaluable scaffoldor support ln
developing

children's

skil

and confi

as autonomouswriters.

2.9 Secret code

level Al.l, Al.2,A2.l, A2.2

Age 8-

Organization whole doss, pairs

Aim1 To develop familiarity with the alphabet; to encode and decode messages using a
secret

code; to practise reading coordinates In a grid.

Language foc

In theexample: the alphabet, presentsimple, prepositions ofplace

numbers, present simple (describing people)

Altern

Mate

Essential:

none I Optional:picturesofthe 'gang' and 'jewels'

Procedure
I Create a co

forthe activity, eg A very dangerotJ gang hcu stolen the Queen's cro

jewels in London. The police haveinterce

on Intern

message in secre code saying where

thejewels are.
Ifyou have pictures to show the 'gong' and the jewels, stick these on the board.

Check ch!ldren understand the context.

Draw a grtd on the board to show how the secret code works:

A E
a g

0 U
s y

f I
4 Explain and demonstrate this by showing that PI= m, GA= c,PO .. s, etc. Write o word
in code on the board, eg Ml GO MA MA TI and ask the children to work It out using
the code (the word is

'queen').

Divide the class into pairs.

Write the 'intercepted internetmessage' ln upper case letters on the board and ask the

children

to work It out and write the message as fast as they can:

TOTE l>
1> MO 1> BE Po / PA BI l>M/GETI /PA /PDP! PA BE BE I BI
1>M SA / TA PA PE /GE TI / PA I MOTE GE TO 1>M /50 PA TI /GO TI SA 1>M
BI/PA/TO BI 1>M l> GETI/TOTE >MIGA PA BI /51 PA BIME
7 Check the answersby asking children to tell you where the jewels ore andtoread the
complete

message: Thejewels are in a small redbag in a white van undera tree in the carpork.

Explain that the police open the white van In the car pork but, Instead of the jewels,

they fi anothermessage.

9 As

the pairs to work together and invent and write the mess

jewels are

10

now. Seta ti

limit, eg fi

saying where the

minutes.

When the poirs are ready, ask them to exchange and work out each other's messages

58

500 Ac

for the Primary Classroom

Comments and suggestions

Reading and writing messages insecretcode Is generally very

appealing to children- and you may be surprisedhow fast theyworkI

Depending on the age ofthe children, youcan increase ordecrease

the level ofcognitive challenge In the way the code works. An
exampleofa simplercode is A= I, B .. 2, C= 3, etc. A more complex
code is one where A: n, B

..

o etc and ronversely N

o, 0 b, elC.

An alternative version ofthe activityis to hove a description ofa

person, eg spy, robber, In
secret code and children work outthe
message and match the descri
to a
picture.
Instead ofusing an invented code, you can teach olderchildren
thephonemicalphabet
and use this as a 'secretcode'. Children
generally fi
this both challenging and enjoyable, especially learn
new shapes ofletterssuch as /u/ and /r
This also has the added
benefi
ofbeing useful in the long-term for learn how to pronounce new
words. However, it is only likely to be suitable for chlldren who come
froma language background that shares the same
alphabet as
English and who are already confident speakers.

2.10

0 Date puzzle

Level Al.l,Al.2

Age 8-12

Or

individual, pairs, whole class

Aims To read a series ofsentences and identify the dote In a puzzle.

Language foc
time, be,

In theexample: days, months, ordinal numbers, prepositions of

have got

adjectives to describe people, clothes

Altern

Materials Essential: none I Op

pagesfrom a year calendar

Proc:
1

Create a contextfo
doing the puzzle, eg to find out the date
ofsomeone's birthday (yours or a story character's), the date ofa porty
orschool outi (real orpretend), the date ofasecret
meeting (eg
between spies, story characters).

2 Draw the calendar below on the board and ask the children to copy this.

MAY
$Un fl/i{Jo Tue Wed Thu
2

9
16

10

23

D
'"

30

31

"
II
18
25

Fri
7

Sat
I

'"

8
15

19

20

21

22

26

27

28

29

12

3 Draw children's attention to theshortform ofwriti

'odd'(1, 3, 5, 7,
etc) and 'even' (2, 4, 6, 8, etc) numbers.
4

Dlvtde theclossintopa!rs.

5 Write the puzzle sentences below on the board.

I The date isn't oo a Friday

is after the ISth.
dote is Ofl even number.

2 The date
3 The

the doys and pre-teach

The datehosn"t 9ot atwoin it.

5 The date isn't oo

a Su

Sec

2: li!eo

ond wr

59

Explain that children should reod the sentences ond cross offthe dates on
orderto find the date as fast as they can.

the calendar In

Check the answer (Tuesday I8th).

8 With olderchildren,
forone month to

ifyou

have a yearcalendaravailable, give the page

each pair.

Ask the children to work with their partner and write fi

sentences to
creole a similar puzzle foro date oftheirchoice using the month
calendartheyhave got.
Explainthatthey should order and structure the sentences the same way as
the original puzzle, eg 1 The dare Isn't on a . . . 2 Thedate is before/after the . . . 3
The dateis an everv'odd number.

JO When the children ore ready, ask them to exchange their puules and work out
the dates.

Comments and suggestions

The logical-deductive nature ofthis puzzle makes reoding and writing
atsentence level

purposeful, challenging and enjoyable.

With younger children you wilt need to workthrough one puzzle

whole class fi
jsn'l ona Friday.

in

with

the

order to model the thinking proces out loud, eg Thedo/e

Solet'scross

off

Fridayslike this.

The cognitive demands of solving and creating a puzzle are likely to ap1>
to some children more than others. Sy orgonlzlng them ln pairs, children
con help eoch other and talk
through the steps to solve the puzzle. This
also ensures that the activity is not threatening.
With pictures ofpeople or a group photo, you can create slmltar reading
puzzles for fi

ing a

mystery person, eg Theperson hasn'tgot long hair.

Theperson Isn't wearingjeans.

2.

1 1 Riddle time
Level Al.l, Al.2, A2.l, A2.2 Age 7-12
Aims To

create

Language foc
Altern

Organization pairs, whole

dos

andwrite riddles; to read and solve the riddles.

Jn the example: colours, present simple, havegot, animals

present simple, jobs, food, everyday objects, It's made or.. ., You use ii to ..

Materials Essential: A4 poper (one sheet foreach child), crayons, paper clips (two
foreach
child) or blu-tac (a small amount for eoch child)

It'> bl.uk and ..!Uh. It U

"'g...w.. !tS got lbw
.. 9""

"1 lt

60

500 Ac

for the Primary Classroom

Proc
I Say one or two riddlesorally and ask children to guess the animal, eg It'swhite.
II lis in /he Arctic. ll'sgo fu and fa to keep warm. II eats fish, meat andplants. (A
polar bear.)

2 Divide the doss into pairs.

3 Ask each pair to choose two animals and to write a riddle about each one

in theirnotebooks. Ifappropriate, write a skeleton fr forthis on the boord, eg

It's_. Ir lis in_.
lt'sgot_. lleats_.

4 When the children ore ready, give an A4 sheet to each child. Demonstrate
folding this Into
thirds.
S

Ask the children in each pairto write one ofthe riddles they hove
prepared in the top Inside
third ofthe A4 sheet, and to draw a picture
ofthe animal and write the name in the middle third.

They should then fold up the bottom third ofthe paper to cover the picture
ond either put two paperdips (one on each side) or stick the comers and
middle down with small pieces of
sticky-toe to ensure that thepicture Is
not visible.

7 When the children ore ready, ctrrulote the riddles round the doss.

Children read and solve

each riddle with their partner ond then look
ot the picture to se lfthey ore right.

8 Ifyou like, osk them to keep a score ofhow monyriddlestheysolve correctly

and reportbock

otthe end.

9 Theriddlescan then be displayed forchildren to read again at their leisure.

Comments ond suggestion5

In this activity, children are wri

foron audience (otherchildren in the
doss)with a clear purpose In mind (to invent a riddle - usually as
challenging as possible! - for other children to do). This takes the foc
off practising writing for its own sake ond makes the activity
engaging
ond enjoyable.

The use ofA4 paper for the riddles and the process ofdrafting and

rewri
which fonns port ofthe activity, encourage children to take
core in the presentation oftheirwork. You
may need to set a time
limit, however, to ensurechildren do not spend too Jong drawing
pictures to go with their riddles.

Otherexomples of lexical oreos which ore suitable for riddles ore jobs, eg
Shewears a white coat. She works In a hospital. Shehelpspeople. (a doctor); food, eg
It'swhite orbrown It comes fr
an animal. IIgivesyou protein. (on egg); everyday
objects, eg It'smadeofmetal. You use it to rut

fo.

(a knife)

2.122 Reading grid

le
Aim5

All

Age 9-12

To read

longuage foc

Information.
In the example: be, there is/are, present simple, questions,

adjectives to describe
Altern

Organization individual, whole doss

a text for detail ond complete a grid; to usethe grid to reconstr

orexchonge the

place

cities

any other language ond vocabulary, eg onimols, con (for ability),

action words

Materials Essential: text(s) forchildren to read, eg fr the course book, junior

reference book,
magazine, readeror the intern a prepared grid based on the
text(s) (se example on the next
page) I Oplional: photos or pictures to
illustrate the texts

Secti

Reoding ond Wfirmg

61

Tokyo ,

NewYork:

London
location

population

12 mil\ior>

main
language
p/aces toisit

&.:

Proc
I Draw the grid you have prepored ontheboard andaskthe children to copy this.
2 Ex

and demonstratethatchildren should readthetext(s) and note the answers in the

grid. An exampleofa short text forthe grid above is: London is in the sou/h ofEngland. ft

is on the River Thames. The population ofLondon is about twelve million. The main
language is English. There are many famous places to visit in London. Some ofthe most
popularplaces are Big Ben, Bucking/Jam Palace and tli London Eye
3 When children have completed the grid, elicit the questions they need to ask for each
piece of information, eg fo location: Where's . . .?
4 Children then check the answers by asking and saying the information they have
the grid, either in pairs or with the whole class.

noted in

Comments and suggestions

Aswith listening
ofchecking

grids (see 1.17), reading grids provide a flexible means

comprehension oftexts andare easy to prepare.

The use ofa grid can provide an alternative to asking Wh- questions after
you can say, eg Tell me aboutLondon and children

reading. Instead

reconstruct key Information using their

completed grids.

The use ofa reading grid avoids children having to write complete sentences and
enables them to focus on extracting specific information fr
which is the target skill.

The use ofa reading gri

activity, for

reading

text,

can provide the basis for an oral information gap

example, ifyou ask the children to read about one city each and

then exchange the

information in groups ofthree.

Reading grids can be used as the basis ofinternetwebsearch act (see Section 9).
You con also prepare simple reading gri
level. In this case,

at sentence rother than text

children write ticks and/or crosses in the grid as in the example

below.

dog

.I
X

Itcan ... jurn

= Yes
= No
? = I don't
koow

... ruo

,/

,/
x

cl
. sWim

62

500 Acl

for the PrimaryClassroo

x
,/

cat

hamster

bird

turtle

fish

2.13 3 Guess and find out

Level All

Age 8-12

Organi:r.

pairs, whole class, Individual

Aims Tomotivate children to read; to predict or guess whether statements

ore true or false; to check your predictions.
language foc
/n the example: weights and measures, present simple, can
(forpossiblllty),
superlativeadjectives, explaining and justify
opinions, because
Alremarives: any familiar language and vocabulary, eg was/wel't' past simple,
dotes, famous
hsi torical fi
Materials Essential: textsforchildren to re
eg fr the course book,
juniorrefere book, magazine, reader or the Intern I Optional: photocoples
of true/falsestatements based on the
text (one for each pair), a photo
orpicture to lllustmte the text
Proc
I Divide the class into pairs.
2 Intr

the topic and show the children a picture ifyou hove one.
falsestatements or dictate these orwrite them
on the board. Forexample, fora text on blue whales, these could be:
Eithergive out the true/

I The blue wMle is the largest mammal in

the world 2 A ba whale isfiveme
long when it is born.

more

3 An adult blue whale conweirJ:' tMn 100

tons 'I The blue whale can stay under water

for on hou
s lhebfue ..no ha,,hocp eeth

6 The blue whale

eats big fish.

3 Askthe pairs to decide which statements they think are trueand

whicharefalse. When they are ready, ask them to report back and
justify their views, eg We think number I is false because the elephant Is the larg
mammal in the world. Do not say the corre answers ye1.
4 After a brierdos discussion about all the statements, children read
the text to fi
out how manyanswers they got right.

The blue whale is the

largest mammal in the
world. When it is born, a
baby whale is about seven
metres long and weighs
nearly two tons. For about
six months it feeds on its
mother's milk. By the lime
it is fully grown, the blue
whale can be thirty metres
long and weigh 130 tons.

It
con
stay
under
water fo about on hour
before it comes to the
surface to breathe.
The blue whale hos no
teeth and is harmless to
other fish. It eats very
small sea creatures. In
spring and summer it eats
four tons of

5 Atthe end, check the answers (1 T 2 F 3 T 4 T 5 F 6 F)

Askthechildren ifthere areany facts aboutthe blue whale that they
find surprising andlisten to their response.
Secrion 2 Reading and w111ing

63

Comments and suggestions

By guessing or predicting whetherstatements are true orfalse, children are

motivated to read
the text and fi
out whether or not they are right.
The true/fa

statements and class discussion prepare the chlldren for

language they will

read in the text and help to ensure that the reading

activity is focused and purposeful.

2.

This activityworks well with a wide range oftopics, eg biographical

texts about famous
people and/or hlstoricol fi
eg Mozart, Isaac
Newton, or descriptions ofnatural
phenomena, eg volcanoes, icebergs.
II is alsa suitable to use as the basis ofa websearch
activity(see Section
9).

14 Read and order

Level

Age S-12

Al.2,A2.l,A2.2

Organi:i:

pairs, whole class

Aims To read and order instructions to make a recipe; to show interest in a

recipe fr

another

Longuage foc

country and culture

In the example: cooking vocabulary, imperatives, weights

sequencers(firs 11
then, aft that, fi
Altern
present simple, daily routines
Materials Essential: none I Optional: copies ofvanilla fudge recipe with the
and measures,

instructions in
jumbled order (one for each child), either plcture(s) or real
items for the recipe, vanilla fudge
Procedure

I Pre-teach vocabulary for cooking instructions, eg nouns: bowl, saucepan, tin,

spoon; verbs: stir, boil, beat, rut, add, pour.
2 Explain that children are going to learn how to make a sweet called 'vanilla
fudge', that is
popular with children in Britain.

3 Either give out the photocopies orwrite the ingredients on the board (see step 6
below).
4

Elicit or explain that g= grams and ml=millilitres.

Divide the class into pairs.

Ifyou are not using photocopies, write the instructions to make the recipe
in jumbled order on the board (they ore in the correct orderbelow):

Vanilla
fudge

Put the butter, sugar and milk in a saucepan.

Boil the butter, sugar and milkfo 30 minutes.

Stirwith a spoon.
Takethe saucepan offthe heat. Add vanilla
essence. Beat the mixture until it is thick
and creamy
Pour the mixture into a tin
and leave it to cool
Cut the fudge into squares and eat it- mmm,
delicious!

Ingredients
500g brown
sugar
60
butter
275ml
milk
essence

7 Ask the children toread and orderthe instructionswiththeir partner. Write

1 by the fi instruction as an example. Ifthe children have photocopies,
ask them to number the

instructions in order.

When they are ready, ask the children to report back, using sequencers, eg Firs put

the butt
... Nextboil the butter ... Then take thesaucepo11 ... Aft
..., Aft that .. alternately until).. . Finally rut the fu
64

500 Ac

for lhe Prirn

Cla

that . . . (repeat Then

..

9 Ifyou have broughtsomevanilla fudge to class, itmaybe appropriate to givethe

children a

little pieceeachto try(butsee also commcmt ln second bullet point below).

JO Ask thechlldren ifthey like the fudge and encouragethem to compare it with

recipes fo

typical sweets in their countr

11 Ifyou like, explain that they can also make chocolate, nut or raisin fudge in the
some way by adding these to the recipe instead ofvanilla essence.
Comment.s and .sugge.stion.s
Make the point that cooking con be dangerous and that children
shouldneverattempt to make fudge on theirown unless thereis an adult willing
to help.
Before doing any activity which Involvestastingfocxl or drink, you need to check
ifchildren have allergy problems. If there Is any doubt about this, omit this
stage ofthe activity.
With older, higher level children, you can ask them to write recipes for their own fa
sweets cokes orbiscuits, using the vanilla fudge recipe as a guide. They may also
like to make the reci
at home (with or adult help) and bring theresultsintoclas
forothers to
try (ifthis Is suitable given the proviso above). The children's recipes can be
illustrated and
displayed ormade into a class recipe book. Altern
the
recipes can be produced in an electronic format including scanneddigital photos
ofthe results(seeSecion 9).
This activity is also appropriate to wein othercontexts, such as describing dally
routines, e.g.
First she hos o shower. Nextshe has breakfast.

2.15 5 Pairs dictation

Level All

Age 8-12

Organixation pairs

Aim.s Toreod, dictate and write missing words In a text; to collaborate and take tums with
a partner; to use communication strategies appropriately.
Language focu.s Jn the example: present simple, ca
any fomlllar language and vocabulary

(fo

ability), per19uins continents

Alternative

Materiols f.ntial: photocopies ofthe some text, eg fro the course book, junior
reference book, magazine, reader or the internet, with different words missing (A
and B versions) (one
copy ofA and B for each poir)

enguin

they

Pengu;ns a" bfrds.

but

can't
.
Penguins
live by the
;n
!he southern part ofthe
. There
are penguins on the
ofSouth America
Africa. Australia and

New

B
Penguins
Zealand.

1J

Penguins ore

bul they
can't fl
Penguins
live by
the sea in
the

porto
f the world. There are
penguins on the coasts
ofSouth
, South Africa,
and
New Zealand.

Sec

2 Reading ond wri1ing65

Procedure
I Divide the class into pairs ofA and B.
2 Give each child their respective version ofthe text and explainthat
they should keep this secret. Explain that although theirtexts are the
some, differentwords are missing.

Demonstrate that children should take turns to read the text and dictate the
missing words to
theirpartner(Child A starts). Point out thattheycan ask
their partner any questions they like
in order to do this, eg Canyau repeat that

please? How doyou spell 'southern

4 When they have finished, children compare and check theirtexts ore the some.

Comments ond suggestions

Pairsdictationgives children an opportunity to read aloud in a nonthreatening context and motivates them to do this in a clear ond
intelligibleway. The activity also encourages turn
toking and active
listening.
Since the main focus ofattention is on dictating andwriting the missing
words, it is usually a
goodidea to follow up a pairs dictation with a
further activity to ensure understanding ofthe whole text.

2.16 6 Wal l dictation

Level All
Age 8Organization groups
Aims To read,dictate ond write missingwordsin a text; to collaborate and
take turns in groups;
to use communication strategies appropriately.
Language focus In the example: be, have got, present simple, dinosaurs, ports
ofthe body,

Altern

adjectives ofsize

any familiar language and vocabulary, eg post simple

Moterials Essential: short texts on colouredcard (one for each group) (NB the

names ofthe dinosaurs in brackets on the example below are forreference

only; they should not appear on
the texts.) I Optional:
pictureswhichmatchthe texts

This dinosaur has got a big

body and is very long. It has
got a very long
neck and a
very long Ul
It has got a
small head and small eyes.
It hasgot small teeth. This
dinour has gotbig legsand
fe
like anelephant. lteats
plants. (Diplodocus)

3 This dinosaur has got a big

body and a big head. It has
got two long hornsand one
short horn. It hasgotsmall
eyes
and a big mouth. This
dinosaur has got a frill on its
neck. It ha5 got four e;
leqs
andatel
ery strong.
lteats plants. (Tric:ern

66
500 Ac
Classroom

for the Primary

This dinosaur is very big and

tall. It hasgota bigheadand
very long,sharp teeth. This
dinos.:i
hasgota short neck
and a big body. It has ti
a big tail. This dinour has gottwo
longlegsand twovery ehort legs.
Iteats meat. It is very dangerous.
(Tyrnnnourus Rex)

Thi5 dinos.:i
has got a small
head and small eyes. Ithasgota
big body and
a big tail. it has gotlotsofspikes
on
its back and its tail. Thisdinoe;
has got fo
short fot
legsand bigfeet.
Itcan'trun very lteats
plants. (Stegosaurus).

Proc
I Divide the class Intogroups of4-.
2 As.

a coloured card with a text 10 each group

3 Stickthe cords on the classroom wol\s away from where the groups are sit
4 Exploin thot the objective ofthe octMty Is forthe groups to get the

text fromthe card on the wall into their notebooks as fa

as they
can. Explain and demonstrate that one personfrom each group
should go to theirtext, read and remember one or more sentences
and then go back and dictate it to the rest ofthe group. Point out
that the rest ofthe group can ask any
questions they like, eg Conyo

repea

thotplease?How doyou spell 'spike?

5 Whenever you say Change! the person who is dictating musl

Immediately sit down and another member of the group takes
over.
6 While they are dictating, children leave a gap in the text Jn their
notebooks which they con complete later. Once they have
finished, ask the groups to take their text offthe wall,
compare it to what they have wri
and correct anyspelling or
other mistakes. Ifyou have pictures which match the texts, stic
these on the board. Ask the groups to read their text again and
identify the descri

B)

ion they have got. (Answers: 1 C 2 A 3 0 4

Comments and suggestions

Thedinosaurdictations can be done using eitherthepresentor
past tense, eg This dinosaur hod a bigbody011 was vt'')' long, whichever Is
most suitable. As a follow-up, children can workin diff
groupsand play a guessing game, eg Hasyo
dinosourgot horn IDid yo
dinosaurhavt' homs?

Wall dictalions Integrate listening, speaking, reading and writing

skills and help develop
childrens memory. They also provide a
framework fo encouraging children to collaborate, listen to each
other and take turn
Children generally enloy the physical movement during the activity.
However, forsafety
reasonsyou need to ensure that there Is
nothing to trip over and that ch!ldren do not run.
It is usually a good Idea to have different texts for each group so
thatthey cannot listen In and copy each other. Thetexts can
either be related to the same topic, as with dinosaurs,
or theycan be separate paragraphsfroma longertext or story. In
thiscase,chlldren from
different groups can then work together to
decide on the best order of their paragraphs to make the complete
text.

2. 17 A special photo
Level All

Age 7-12

Organizotion whole class, Individual, pairs

Aims To describe a special photo; to say why the photo is special.

Longuage foe:us Jn the example:be present simple, present continuous,
members ofthefamily,
clothes, adjectives to describe people, feelings,
because
Alremativt'

past continuous, past simple

MaterKl

Essential: you and each child bring a speciol photo to class

Sec

2: Reodingood wr1tm9

67

Proc
1 Write the following prompt questions on the board: Who Is in thephOlo?
Whereareyou/they What areyou/they wearing? Whydoyou like the
photo?
2 Show the children your photo. Build up a description in response to the prompt questions
and write this on the board eg This is a photo ofmy mother, my fa
mysister andme. We ore In the garden. My motheris weti
blue
/rousers My falherisweti
o redshirt. Mysis/erisweti
green shorts. I'm wearing ayellowskin. I like this photo because we're
happy.
3 Chlldren then work individually and write a description of their special photo by
answering

the promptquestions and using the description ofyour photo as a

guide.
4 At the end, divide the clas Into pairs andchildrenshow eoch other theirphotos and
read theirdescriptions. These con then be displayed or mode into o doss album.

Comments and suggestions

Children enjoy the personalization ofthis activity and the use ofprompt questions
helps

them to organize and structure theirwriting.

With olderchildren and higher levels, you can adjust the prompt questions to
make the

activity more challenging, eg

Who took /hephoto? (context)

Why/Where/W
did he/shelake
thephoto?
What were thepeople
wearing/doing? (description) Howwere
they fee
Why is the pholo speda/ foryo
(personalization)
An example ofa description ofa photo using these prompts is: My fa/her took thisphoto
at my
gmndmolher's 70/h birthdayparty lastAugust. Mygrandmotherwas wearing
a bluedress. She was opening herpresents. Mycousin and bro/herwere
helping her. Mydog was playing with thepaper

and barking. EW!ryo

was laughing and fee
special fa me because it was a great party.
The opportunity to show and descr
about

themselves and boo

VE'

happy Thisphoto is

special photos in doss helps children feel good

their self-esteem.

2.18 8 It happened yesterday!

level A2
Bl.2

A2.2, BI.I,

Age 10-12

Organizat;on groups, lndivlduoJ, whole

doss

Aims Tocreate dialogues and write about on imaginary event; to collaborate and take
turn In groups; to show willingnes.s to
imagination.

draft

revise and edit written work; to develop

Languagefoe:us Tn theexample: postsimple, actions, everyday acti ities, sequencing

words

A//emotive

post continuous, conjunctions

Materials Essential: sets ofpast tenseverbcords with two or three blank

foreach

gro up)

went

saw

was

cards

listened to

talkedto

decided
had

needed

(one set

took
68

500 Ac

fo<

stayed

the Primary Clowoom

visited

looked

Proc
I

Divide the class into groups of four.

2 Askthe chlldren to Imagine thatyesterday they didn't come to school

and something

extraordinary happened.

Give a set orverb cards to each group. Ask one child in each group to
give out the verb cards
(2- foreach child) and to put the blankcards on the desk.
3

4 Explain and demonstrate that the children should take tums tosay
a sentence using one or theirverbcordsand build up an
imaginaryaccount ofwhat happenedyesterday. Ifa child
wants to
use adiffe
verb from the ones they have got, they should
writethis on one ofthe blank cards.

5 As children do the ac iv
cards they use fo

demonstrate that theyshould Jayoutthe verb

each sentence on the deskIn order, eg Yesterday we togo to thecentre

of1own. We lQli! a brilliant fi
We to a restaurant. Wetoa man anda womon.
The mon a11d woman
very nervous. They OOd. million dollars in cash. Theyto escape from thepolice.
We
lo/heirstory. Theyl:l: togive usthemoney
man and woman. The policel.l the man andwo

Thepolice. Thepolicethe
away. We mtl home.

6 Oncethe children have fi ask them to write thesentencesthey hove

built up, using the verb cards laid out on the table as a prompt.
Ask them to look forways ofcombining
sentences and/or using additional words to make their account more
Interesting, eg Yesterday we decided togo to the centre oftown and we saw a brilliant fil
Afl

the fi

we went to a restaurant wherewe talked toa mananda woman.

7 Children can also odd more verbs and more detail to their accounts,

eg The man

wastallwilh

black beardand the woman had long, red hairand was very

beautifu

8 When children have finishedrevising their accounts, ask them to

write out (and also possibly illustrate) a final version.
9 Children then take turn

to read each others' accounts and/or these can

be displayed.
Comments and sugges.;
Through collaborating in groups and using thepasttense verb
cards as support, the process of creating on imaginative narrative
text is made feasible and enioyable.
Before asking children to revise and Improve their accounts in groups,
it may be best to take one group's account and explicitlymodel this
process with the whole class. Alternati
you may like to elicit or
suggest coniunctions which ore llkely to be useful, eg 011d, so, but,
because, next, then, alt
before they begin.

Tomake the act

more challenging, you canwritethe
verbcardsin the infi itive and children transfonn these Into past
simple or past continuous as theycreate their accounts,

eg

We were

listening to the man and woman's story when thepolice arrived.

2.19 9 My diary
Le

All

Age 6-

Organi:r.a.;

whole class, individual

Aims To write (and draw pictures to illustrate) a personal diary; to take

pleasure in writing about personal activities and events; to develop

self-a
do in free
Language foc

(eg about what you

ti

or food you eat).

dates, days

week, times, postsimple, free-time ac

ivities, food, meals Mat

Essential: none I Optional: special notebooks to
be used as diaries or hand-made
books (see 7.140) (one foreach child)
Procedure
1 Children eilheruse theirschool noteboo

orspe

notebooksormake a diary.
Sec

2: Reod

ond wri

69

Explain the purpose ofthe diary. Thismaybe openforchildren to record whatever

they like

about each day, or it may be more structured as port ofa unit ofwork,

forexample to write

what they did in their fr

time, or to record the food they ate,

every day for a week.

Establish when you expect the children to write their diaries, for example in the last ten
minutes ofclass time, and elicit or give an example ofa diary entry, eg Monday 2nd
February: I

had mypiano lessen at 5 o'clock. I did my homework. Ihad dinnerat 7 o'clock. I

watched TV fo two

hours. At 9.30 l went to bed. /Wednesday 4th June: Forbreakfa

hadcereol and milk. Fora snack

in !hemoming Ihad a banana. For lunch I hadpizza and an apple. Fora snack in theallemoo11 I
had three biscuits. Fordinner1 hadsoup andayogurt.
4 Ifyou like, children can also illustrate their diari

with drawings or photos.

Commenh and suggestions

Ifchildren are writing diaries for a specifi

period and objective, at the end ask

questions, eg How manypeople ... watched TVevery day?I . .. ate fr

eve day? and use
the children's responses as the basis ofa class discussion about personal routines and
habits.

Ifthe children are writing an open-format diary in an ongoing way, give them an
opportunityto show you this from time to lime, but do notinsist. When you read
children's

personal diaries, be sure to respond to their meaning, eg What a great

day! or I'm sorryyou

had a headache on Tuesday. Ihopeyou're better now rather than

correct them forspelling or

grammatical mistakes. Be aware also that children's diaries may contain information
that

you need to act on, for example, !fa child writes about being bullied.

Keeping a personal diary in English gives children a sense ofsatisfaction andbooststheir

self-esteem. Responsibilityforchoosing what to write gives children 'ownership'
oflanguage
and makes the activity motivating and enjoyable. This also often has a positive
impact

on children's care and pride in theirwork, with diaries oftenbeautifully

illustrated and

presented.

With younger children who are just beginning to write, it may be suitable forthem to
keep

a weekend diary. In this case, childrentell you one or two activitiesthey

didafterevery

weekend and you write sentences in their diary, eg 1 we111swimming. I

had lunch with my

Gra
did.

Children copy the sentences you write and draw a picture to illustrate what they

2.20 Book review

Level All

Age 6-12

Organization whole class, individual

Aims Towrite about a bookyou have read; to describe it and say what you like and
dislike

about the book; (to say ifyou would recommend the book to someone else, to

give reasons fo

Language foc:

youropinions).
present simple, (adjecti

to describe people, places, clothes oranimals,

adverbs ofmanner, would)

Moteriols Essential: none I Optional: photocopies ofa book review form (one for each
child) or

A4 paperfor children to write their reviews (and draw pictures)

Proc:
I Briefly discuss the book or books that children have recently read or that you have read to
them. Ask questions as appropriate about the pictures, characters, setting, plot, genre, etc.
Z
Encourage children to soy what they like and/or dislike about the book and to give
reasons.

3 Give out the book reviewformyou have prepared or write it on the board for the
children to

copy. See the next page fortwo examples of forms fordifferent ages and

levels
NB you will need to include more space forchildren to write than is shown here.
4 Ask the children to work individually on their reviews.

70

500 Ac

for 1he Primory Class

TI!

book

Describe !hemoln choraciers

Whoorelhe mmnchorocters?

Wos the plot 1n!mstm9?Why? IWhy

Draw a pictu

to

show you

oot? Oidtheaothorusthom01J

fOYOU

choroder

sospense.mystery

or scenein the book

Whotdidyoolike/ dislikeaboutthe book?
Would you rtcommend the bookto
your fnends7

5 At theend, ask children to exchangeand read each others' reviews.

Comments and suggestions
By writing reviews ofbooks they read, children ore encouraged to
develop critical reading skil
and also to become better wri1ers.
Ifchildren keep their book reviews together In o folderor fi
(paper or
electronic), overtime they bulld upo permanent record ofwhat they
hove read In English. If children ore using portfolios, they may also
like to Include book reviews they write

as1Xl

of their dossier.

2.21 Speech bubbles

Level Al.1, Al.2, A2.l, A2.2

Age 7-12

Orgonixotion whole class, pairs

Aims To read and match speech bubbles to people in o poster; towriteand

act out a dialogue. Language foc
any language children know which Is
sulloble fordirect speech, eg greetings, requests, offers, questions; food
or other vocabulary relevant to thepictureyou have chosen
Motertols ssential: a poster Including lots ofpeople (eg one that
accompanies acourse book), two or threeprepared pairs ofspeech
bubbles (see next page). empty pairs ofspeech bubbles (two for each
pair ofchildren) I Op
magazine pictures showing two or more
people, or
cartoon strip stories
Procedure
1

Show the children the poster you have chosen for

Sec

theactivity.

2: Reading ond w111ing 71

2 Ask questions about the poster, eg Where are they What arethey doing?
Whar's lie/she eating?
3 Show the children the pairs ofspeech bubbles you have prepared and read
them out in tum, eg Doyou wanta sandwkh? Yes, pleose./ls thefi
good? No, it'.s horr e./Can I tryyour milkshake? No,you can't.
4 Ask the children to imaginewho in the poster Is saying each speech
bubble. Invitechildren to
the fro
by the appropriate characters.

of the doss to stick the speech bubbles

5 Divide the doss into pairs.

6 Giveeach pairtwo moreemptyspeechbubbles (orchildren can make these).

Askthem to
choose two characters In the poster andinventand write on
exchange between them on the
cut-out speechbubbles.

When the children ore ready, Invite them to take turns to stick theirspeech
bubbles by the

characters on the posterand read them to the class.

8 Ifappropriate, you can then ask the pairs to extend thespeech bubble
exchange and write a
dialogue ofabout 3-12 lines betwn the characters
on the poster they have chosen.
9 When they are ready, the pairs can take turns to act out their dialogues to the
class.

Comments ond suggestions

This activity glves chlldren practice in writing direct speech In an enjoyable,
andoft
humorous, way. It also encourages them to observe detail and
expressions !n pictures ofpeople.

Posters ore oft

don't have a

availableas part ofchlldren'scourse

boks

However, ifyou

poster, you can use photos ofpeople fromoldmagazines or

download these from the Intern

An allemotive is to use comics or jokes. In this case, you need to blank

out the text in some or

oil ofthe speech bubbles. Children then work in

pairs and (re-)lnvent and write the text.

72

500 Ac

for rhe Primary Cloroo

2.22 Consequences
level All

Age 9-12

Organization whole class, groups

Aims Towrite sentences In order to construct 'stories' following a set pattern;

to collaborate and

language
Altern

foe:us

take turn

in groups.

/n the example: past simple, places

present simple,

be

havegot, clothes, colours, numbers, parts ofthe body

Materials Essential: A4 paper (one sheet for each child)

Procedure
I Give a sheet ofpaperto each child. Explain that children ore going to writea
simplestory

together, following a set pattern Write this pattern on the

board:
(name ofa boyIman) mer
(nomeofagirl/woman)
in(place)

Ha.

:1;;:.
0

P,Oter mR.t

And the consequence was

...
Checkthechildren understand the meaning
of 'consequence', le result.

Lit:l Red Riding

H=ri.

2 Give an example ofo story following the

pattern, using the names of either famous

people or storybook characters or reol
people the children know, eg Harry

Potte met Li/tie RedRiding Hoodin thedisco.

Hesaid

10 her,

'I like chocolate.'She said to him,

away!'Andthe consequence was they Wt>

'Go

to live on

Mars.

3 Explain and demonstrate that children

should write
4

the fi

line only.

They should then fold the paper down so

that no-one can se what they have written
and pass

It

on to the next person.

5 That person should then write the second

line, fold down the paper and pass it on In

the same way until the story is
completed.

6 At the end, divide the class into groups.

7

Ask the children In each group to unfold

the papers they have got, read the stories in
tum and choose the

bestorfunniest

'(f> .

. <'

ffie. Wert to live.

O
f

Mrs.

one.

8 When they are ready, ask one child fro

hove chosen to the

+i,
,.
..
,,_,":}
And lie cons"lue ""
Sh. "Md ta

each group to read the story they

restoftheclass.

9 At the end, ask the class to decide orvotewhich storytheythink is overall

best.

Comments and 1ugge1tk

Children enjoy the
the nonsensical,

secrecy

offoldingdown the paper after each line and

often humorous, stories which are created.

As the linguistic demands are limited and follow a pattern the activ
suitable to use at

elementary level. Itcan also

be

done inthe present

tense IfthisIs more appropriate.

Instead ofa story children can, for example, invent the name ofan
animal and write a
description following aset pattern, eg name /size
I colour I ears I eyes / legs/ tail.

is

Sect

2:

Reo

and wr1r1ng

73

An al1emative version ofconsequences involves children drawing pictures

(hat andhead/
chest and arms I waist and legs I feet, shoes) and
inventlng a monsteror person. In groups, children then choose the plcture
they like best, invent a name and write a description. They
thenshow
thepicture and read the description to therestof the class, who listen and
decide which one is best.

2.23 A work of art

Level All

Age 6-12

Organization whole class, pairs

Aims Todescribea work ofart; to express personal opinions; to read and

match works ofart

and descriptions; to show interest and respect for the
opinions ofothers; to develop visual
literacy and awareness

Language foc
describe
Altern

ln the example: can (forablllty), there is/are, colours, adjectives to

people and feelings, places, oplnlons

looks like

Materials Essential: a reproduction ofa work ofart, poslcardsofa selection

ofworks ofart (one

foreoch pair), paper to write the descr

on

Procedure
1 Shaw the children the workofart you hove selected for the activity.
Eitherelicitortell the
pointing.

childrenthe name of the artist and title ofthe

2 Ask the children to descri

they like or don't
3

what theycon se in thepointing.Elicitwhat

like about it and the reasons forthis.

Build up a description ofthe work ofartwiththe wholeclassandwrite this on

the board.
Use a frameworkto do this, eg Jn thepicture lcan see ....There'salso ...
. f like the .. .. f think the picture is ..
Divide the class into pairs.

5 Give a postoordofonotherwork ofart and a piece ofpaper to each pair.

Ask them towrtte a

description ofit inthesomeway.

When they are ready, collect in the postcards and descriptions.

7 Give each postcard a number and each description a Jetter and stick
them in jumbled order
8

on the classroom walls.

Ask the children to walk round thedos.sro

thedescripti

and

with theirport

reod

match them to the works ofart.

Attheend, checkthe answers and invitethe children to soy

whichworkofarttheylikebest.

Comments ond suggestions

This activityencourageschildren to developvisual literacy through
noticing detail and

interpreting meaning in pointings.

With youngerchildren, It may bebetterto choose paintings which are

realistic and uncluttered and they can simply write, eg f can se ... a blue
horse, a girl in a reddress, or to
choose abstract paintings and they write the
colours and/or shapes, eg
green andyellow circle.

fcon see red,purple,

blue and black.

Jf

con see a red,

With older children, you can choose paintings with more detail or abstract
painti
and children canwrite, eg Itlo like .... /Itmakes me fee/ ... . It
may also be appropriate for
children to write about materials, eg water
colour, and techniques, eg collage, that the artist
""

Ifchildren ore doing a project on a particular artist, eg Picasso, you can

select postcards from
different artstic periods of his life and use the
activity as an Introduction to discussing and
comparing these.

74 500 Ac!Mties for the Primary Clo$Sroom

 Ifappropriate, children can also paint a picture inthestyle ofa particular artist
a follow

as

up to this activity.

2.24 Party invitations

Level Al.1, Al.2

Age 7-10

Orgoniurt

whole class, individual

Aims Toidentify infonnation to include In a party invitation; to write and respond to a

party Invitation.
Language foc
prepositions, days, dates, times, please, thankyo
I'dlovetocomeII'm sorry I
can'tcome
Mat
Essential: none I Optional: A4 coloured card (cul in quarters) to
use fo the invitations (one for each child)
PnKedure
l Establishpossible contexts forparty invitations, eg a birt
party, beoch party, Christmas orcarnival party.

party, dosparty,fancy-dress

2 Ask the children what information you need to include In a party invitation, eg who
it's fo what kind of party, the day, dote, place, time and who the invitation is from,
plus possibly also special Instructions about what to wear orbring.
3

Create a frameworkforthe invitation on theboard, elicltlng orestablishing the

prepositions

that It would be appropriate to use for each piece of information.

Party

Invitation

Please come to

party

4 Give on example ofa completed Invitation, eg To David/Please come

tomybirthdaypartyI
onSaturday2ndJune/at my house/from 5 o'clock to 8
o'clock./fr
MichI/Pleasewear fancy dress.
5

Assign who each child in the class should write theirinvitation to (as faras
possible, pair children who like each otherbut who are sitti
faraway from each
other).

Either give out the coloured card or children can write the Invitation In their
notebooks.
6

Sec1ion2: Reoding ondwritirig75

7 Askthem to decidewhatkind ofparty they are going to have, invent

the information about the time and date, etc and write an invitationto
the child they have been assigned.

8 As two children to act as 'postboy' and 'postgirl' and deliver all the
invitations.
9

Children readthe invitations and then write a reply following a fr

eg

DearMichael, Thankyou fo
invitalion toyour
party
. l'd love to
come. /l'm sonylcan't come. From David.
10 The 'postboys' and 'postgirls' deliver the replies and children reodthem.
1l At the end, count up how manychildrenacceptedthe invitations they were
sent.

Comments and suggestions

Although childrenwill want to choose who towritetheirinvitationsto, it is
best ifyou decide,

in order to avoid a situation where some children get

lots of invitations and others get none.

Children enjoywriting and receiving instant replies to their invitations

through the
'postboys' and 'postgirls'. Hoving an immediate audience also
makes the activity purposeful.

Wheneverthere's an opportunity, you can use the first part ofthe activity
for real invitations, eg for children to invite their parents to come to an
end ofterm show.

2.25 Interview and report

Level All

Age 7-12

Organi:i:

pairs, individual

Aims To prepare and write questions for on interview; to carry out an

interview; to askfor

personal information; to use the information from the

Interview to write a report.

Language focus present simple, questions, personal information, jobs, daily

routines

Altern
past simple,
was/were Materials
Essential: none Procedure
1 Ask the children to decide who they are going tointerview, eg

anotherteacher, member of
staff, fa
member, neighbour or other
adult friend. Pointout that whoever they Interview should speak English!

2 Divide the class into pairs.

3

Ask the children to prepare 6-10 questions fo

their interview together, eg

What'syourjob? What time doyou start work?Howdoyougo

Wheredoyou live?
to work?

4 Children then interview the person they have chosen using these questions.

They con either

do this in pairs if, for example, you have arranged for
them to interview colleagues in break
time, or Individually, ifthey are
going to interview someone ot home.

Children then write up their interviews into a report, eg MrsScottlivesin Rome.

She's a teacher.
6

Shegoes to work by bus.

If you like, children con illustrate theirreports with a photo or picture of the
person they hove

interviewed. These can then be displayed.

Comments and suggestions

This activityprovidespractice in writing questions for a real purpose and
introduces children
to the genre ofreport writing. Children olso hove on
opportunity to communicate in English

outside the classroom.

Interviews con be conducted on a range ofdiff

topics, eg to find out

food and leisure
hobits, to find outfavouritesin a number ofdifferent
categories, or to fi
out opinions about
particularissues. The activity ls
also suitable to use to practise the past simple tense, for
example, in
interviews to find out whatpeople did and liked etc when they were
younger or when they were atschool.

76

500Ac

for the Primary Ckis.sroo

2.26 Mind maps fo writing

Level

All

Age 9-12

Organization

whole doss

Aims To prepare for writing a text by crro ing a mind mop; to collaborate to
produce a text Language focus In the example: tigers, present simple, ad)ect!
ves to describe on animal, parts ofthe body, comparatives, superlatives
Altern
any fa
language orvocabulary
Materials 5

a preprepared mind mop I Op1ionol: a picture or photo to

introduce the

topic ofthe text, a large piece of paper to write the mind mop and/or text on
Procedure
I Write the topic of the text in the centre ofthe board or paper, eg Tigers and show
the children
a picture lfyou hove one.
2 Say, eg Let's wrile a description oftigers. Whatkindsofthingsdo we wa
toinclude? Use the children's suggestions to establish the main categories and
write these around the hooding.
3 Conti

in the sameway, asking the childre to suggest things to include in the

for each category and odd them to the mind mop. Use the mind mop

description

you hove pre.prepare

foryourown reference and to guide the children's Ideas,

ifthey get stuck, but do not stick to

this rigldly.

4 Once the mind map isfi

use ii to build up o text collabora vely with the
chlldren. Eitherwrite the text on the board or on paper as the children
suggest sentences, or ask children to take turn to be the 'class
secretary' and do this. An example ofa text bullt up with children using
the mind mop oftigers ls as follows:

Sec

2: Read

and wr11ing

77

T19Crt1 t.1rethe

l?loeetu111 the

world. A rMle ter 19 two mt'tf

long t.11'\d wehe 100

kiloe.
Thefe1Mletigerlet.1 tigre5!l lti9 &1Mllerthil therna

- -- - - --- -- -- t.1

pci11t&tuet.

TheyMve goteht1

i;l,;iW!1t11'1dt1 longtt1ll.

Tigere live lndi,;it.11'\ N;i1.1 Jn hotrti nfte. They,;ileotive Sll:>eri,; i11

mountt1l11et.1 fo
withsnow.There1.1re1.1
Z0 1.1nde.:ift.lrlparl:
Tere &lup in the day When lt'e hat, they elt 111 water or ewim i11 rive '!. At nightthey
huntfor
food Thetiger'e ft.ll'OI

food I& wild pigt.1nd deer. They,;ileo et.I monkeye1.1

go,;ite.

Tigert1 1.1ret1nlrna
l11 dtl
Thereoreonly4.000tlgert1 In theworid toda:y
up, children can construct a similarmind map in pairs for a different

5 As a fo
anIma I In

danger and then write a text independently bosed on this.

Comments and sugge1tion1

The use of mind mops based on the work ofTony Buzon (see p.320 forreference)
introduces
children to a way oforganizing and planning their wri

work which

they

may fi

helpful. Be aware, however, that mind mops tend to appealstronglyto some

children and
much less so to others.

Mind maps are particularly useful for planning texts such as descriptions, which
do not

develop in a linearorchronological way.

A:<. you build up o text fr

the mind mop with children, talk about the language, eg
Doyou
think we shouldwrite 'They'or 'Tigers'here? Which sounds best? Why? By explicitly
modelling the processes Involved in constructing o text, you help children become
aware ofthese when they
write Independently.

See also Section 10 for using mind maps to help children learn grammar (10.10)
and to identify how they like to work (10.18).

2.27 Structured paragraphs

Level ALI, Al .2, AZ.1, AZ.2 Age 8-12
Aims To read and fi
structured

the answers to a seri

Orgoni:r.

pairs

of questions; to use the answers to write

paragraphs.

Language focus unusual mlnl-beosts, present simple, be, havegot, colours, parts
ofthe body,

adjectives to describe unusual minlbeosts, adjectives ofsize

Alternatives.: any language orvocabulary, depending on the topic and text

Materials Essential: copies oftexts or reference books containing the answers to the
questions
(one fo eoch pair) I Optional: photos orpictures to illustrate the topic, access to
the internet

Procedure
1 Divide the class Into pairs.

V\lhotcoloorisit?

2 Announce the topic, eg unusual mini-beasts,

and write a list ofquestions on the board

Howbig is it?

that
you want each pairto answerfo one unusual
mini-beast, eg:

What

special features

has it

How many years does it Jiv

Where does it
live?

What does

it eat? Is it
dangerou

got?

78

500 Activ1!1es

forthe

Primory Closs

2 Assign an unusual mini-beast to each pair, eg tarantula, whipscorpion, shield

bug, rog

3 Give out the texts or reference books. Childrenworkwith their partner and
find the answers

-4

to the questions.

They then write two paragraphs about their mini-beast following the orderof
the questions,
eg The whip.scorp
isblack. Itis six centimetres longand has a long, thin
tail. It lives fo
one
year. The whipscCH
lives InAsia andSouthAmerica. ffea/s insec1s, cockroaches, frogs and
toods.
ftisn't dangerous.

If the texts or books are illustrated, children can also draw a picture of their

mini-beast. They

can then either circulate ond read each others'

descriptions or tell each other about their

whip scorpion

Comments and
suggestions

tarantula

Thi activity is particularlysuitable to use Jn order togrode the task ifthe texts
s
you hove
available ore above the children'sreading level. The questions you
prepareshould require
the children to scan the text forspecifi key inform
but not to read or
understand it In detail.

In order to coter for differentabiliti

within the doss, you may like to
have available a framework for writing the paragraphs on cord,
whichyoucan give to chlldren who need more support, eg TheX is ...
(colour). It

is . ..

(size). ft hasgot ... (special features). It lives

(numberofmonths/y
is/isn't

fOT

TheX lives in ... (nameofcountry/continent). lreats . . . (food ft

dangerous.

This activity can be done as an internet websearch activity using a

suitable pre-selected site
in a similar way to a mini.quest (see 9.2-4 It
con also be linked to other content-based work

8.6).

on the topic ofbugs

(se

2.28 Shaped poems

Level All
Age 7-12
Organization whole class, pairs
Aims To write sentences to describe something; to create a shaped poem.
Language foc
plants, animals,

be, havegot, present simple, adjectives to descri

eg tre or

objects, fruit orvegetables

Matertals Essential: on example ofa shaped poem I Optional: paper or card

(one piece for each

child)

Proc
I Tell the children that they ore going 10 write a shaped poem. Explain what
you moon by this, iea poem which is written and laid out in the shape ofa
picture ofwhat it describes. Show
and read the children the shaped poem
you hove prepared, eg Sunflowers oreye
Sunfl
are toll, Sunflowers ore beautifu

Sunfl

fo

the su11, Sunfl

have got seeds, Sunfl

seare de
Sec

2: fleo

andwri!ing

79

-i'fl

&JOf/01,

;,yr._\oer
t<>,.

.sv-?

.{;

'l

S'Jnflo

te
"o
11. seeds 5unflol\t<i
ff' o,.
o'tler sunr;o %, e # rso,,.'>
o
tq.

i
::

;:
G-1t-

;,

01-<S>

"'
<'\

g.e.

#1 setd JdMO\rf'
.sv
#3

.pd
!,
"""'

!j
1i,

..
" ""
fr

" ..,.sttd'7 '

,& .l
.ia"'o
r,;
#

"

f::

/ nJ.'ln qaj'

.%-"'%'- Jdo\\

"'o>'lfo{J

)'3-?'

"

2 Askthe children to suggest ideas ofthings for a shaped poem, ega

tree, a banana, on apple, a snake.
3
4

Divide the dos into pairs.

Ask the children to choose the sublect of their shaped poem and to
write six sentences to describe It in their notebooks.

5 Monitor and get the children to check and correct their work before
moving on to the next stage.
6 Ifyou have paper or card, give this out to the children and ask them to
draw a picture and write their sentences to make a shaped poem.
Both children In each pair should make an
Individual version oftheshapedpoembased on thesentencestheyhove
prepared.
7 When they hove fi

These can

also be

children circulate and read each others' poems.

displayed or mode into a class book.

Comments and suggestions

Shaped poems practisedescriptive writing at sentence level and
allow children to be creative
with minimum linguistic competence.
Drawing a picture also helps to make language memorable.

2.29 Five senses poems

Level All

Age 8-

Organi:i:

whole class, pairs

Aims Tocreate and write a poem bosed on the fi

ability to visualize and imagine a place.
language foc
ofdescription

ca

(forpossibility), the fi

senses; to develop the

senses, the seaside, adjectives

Alternatives: countryside, weather

Materials Essential: none

80

500 Activ11ies for rhe Primory Classroom

Proc
I Drow a simple web on the board.
2

Wrtte The seaside in the centre and theverbssee, hear, smell, taste and touch
arranged around

this.

3 Ask the children to suggest things they con see, hear, smell, taste and touch
at the seaside. Add these to the web. Use this as on opportunity to revise
or Introduce vocabulary related to
the seaside.
use the webcreatedon the board to build up a poem with the whole
class, ordivide the class into pairs and, after eliciting orsuggesting one or
two example lines, get the children
to wrtte a poem based on the web
with their partner. An example ofa poem using this technique Is as
follows:

4 Either

Al

the seaside

lcanseeblueseaandgreysky
Jcan hearthe windand the
waves Jcansmellthesea
rca11tastethesa/1
And fcan touch /he soft yellowsand.

5 Once the children ore ready, invite a few pairs to read their poems to the
class.
6 Children can also illustrate their poems and these can then be displayed or
made into a class

book.

Comments and suggestions

This activity encourages chlldren to visualize and imagine a place using
the fi

The fi

senses as a

prompt for Ideas.

senses determines the number oflines in the poem and provides a

framework which

makes writing a poem accessible.

Thsi activity con form port ofa unit ofwork on places or holidays. In
this case, you may like to give children the choice ofwriting a poem
about the countryside instead. It con also be linked to otherwork on
the senses (see, eg 8.11).

Section

2:

Reoding ond Wfiting

81

2.30 Object poems

Level A2.l, A2.2, BI. I

Age 9-12

Organi:r:

whole class, poirs

Aims To observe, touch and examine an object closely; to answer questions in

order to describe

the object; to use the answers to create, write and edit a

poem about the object.

Language foc:

present simple, feelings, adjectives to describe objects, likea ..

Materials Essential: objectsforthe activity, eg shells, conkers, pebbles,

feathers (one foreach

pair) I Optional: photocopies ofthe question sheet

(one foreachpair)

Procedure
1 Showthe children the object you have chosen forthe activity, eg a shell.
2 Either give out the question sheet you have prepared or wrttethe questions
on the board.

What is it?
Where do you find
it? What size and
shape is it? What

colour is it?
How does it feel whenyou
touch it? What other words
describe it?
What does it makeyou think

of? What does it make you

feel?
3

Divide the class intopairs.

4 Give each pair a shell to examine closely and ask them to wrtte answers to
the questions.
5 Once the children ore ready, get them to write their answers ln the form ofa
poem.

Once theyhavewritten a draft, encourage them to cut, odd or change

words in orderto improvetheirpoems. An example ofa poem using
thistechnique is as follows:

Ashe/I
On the wetsand
Ukea smallp/o/e
White andpink
Smooth andshiny
Jthinkofthesea
!fe
happy
Comments ond suggestions
The questions provide ascaff

which helps chlldrenstructure the poem.

This activity allows forpersonal, divergentresponsesand oon be realized at

diff
levels, as the two examples ofpoems aboutconkerswrttten by eleven-yearold boys following a similar question sheet show:

82

500 Ac

forthe Primary Classroo

In

cold wintu

butfLj
Sit< an a C<lnku
And r.u, cl.o.m U.

U. It boun.c
Ana Uie prici<Oj ol>el "!'"
It brown and ugh1

And it swn

W< brain

bral<en

Eduardo and Rafael

cesorand
lovier

2.31 Feelings poem

Level All

Age 10-

Organi:r.

individual, groups, whole doss

Aims To express personal feelings; to create and write a poem

collaboratively; to show

Language foc:

willingness to draft

redraft and editwritten work.

presentsimple, adjectives offeeling

Materials Essen/la/: different starter lineswritten on cord, eg I fee happyI54J

angry/fri
when ... (one for each group), str
ofpoper (one for each
child)

Proc
I Divide the class Into groups of4-6.
2 Giveeach group, or letthem choose, a starter line.
3 Give each child a strip ofpaper and get them each to completethe
sentence with something
on their starter cord, eg

which is true for them inrelationto the feeling

tfee

happy when .. . I

play fo

with my

fr
4 Children read and compare their sentences In their groups and arrange
them in order,

to make a poem. At thsi

point, explain that they can add words, cut words

or change the sentences ln orderto improve their poems.

S

Oncethe children are ready, ask them to think about how their poems will
end. In order to help them, you maylike to suggest that theywritea fi
sentence startingwith 'But' which
co
wi
previous Ideas in
the poem. An example ofa poem using

this

technique Is as follows:

I fee happy when ..

/90 1o theporkon my
bike My friends come ro
my li
Iplay on my Mum's computer
Istayuplateand watch rv.
Butl/sadwhen
/l'stimetogo tobed
Andtheend
ofanotherday.
6 At the end, Invite the groups to read their poemsto the rest ofthe clo.s.
7 The children can then write outand illustrate their poems. These
caneitherbe displayed or

made into a class book.

Sec

2: Read

and wo1ing

83

Comments ond suggestions

Thsi activity issuitable otelementarylevelsince, individually, the children ore
only required to write one sentence
Ifchildren hove not done an activity like this before, it is best to model the
procedure by creating a poem with thewholeclass fi
Be prepared forthe fact that the children will probably need to use LI when revising
and
editing their poems in groups, as lt ls likely to be beyond their productive
level to do this In Engt!sh.
Notice the way children readtheir poems. As these ore something they hove created,
theyare likely to do this with spedol core.
Use the poems to make a doss book or wall display, thereby showing
thatyouvalue the children'seffort and promoting self .esteem.

2.32 Text types

Level A2.2, Bl.1, Bl.2

Age 10-

Organization wholeclass, pairs

Aims Todevelopawarenessofdifferent text types; to notice featureswhich help

identify different text types
Language foc

nomes oftext types, giving reasons with bemuse

Materials ssential: examples of different text types, eg poem, menu, newspaper arti
recipe,
Instruction manual, letter, greeting cord, postcord, advertisement, comic, joke,
dlory, timetable,
pair)

numbered

fo

the activity I Optional: bilingual dictionaries (one foreach

Proc
I Ask thechildren ifit's important to
to their Ideas.
2 Divide the

dos

be

able to read in English and Ifso, why, and listen

into pairs.

3 Ask thechildren to write a list ofthings people read, eg text messages, emails, web
pages, newspapers. Ifthey don't know the words In English, they con either use a
simple bilingual dictionary or note their Ideas in LI. Set a time limit, eg five
minutes.
4

Ask the childrento reportbock and recasttheir ideas in Engllsh ifnecessary.Write a

list ofthe text types they suggest on the board ond odd ony oddltlonol ones.

Poss the numbered texts round the doss to each pair in

identify the text types.

tu

and ask the children to

6 At the end, check the answers and encourage the children to say why, eg We think
number
o

1 is

poem

offo

because the lines are short. We fhink number2 isa menu because

it's got the names

andprices.

7 At the end, discuss diferent purposes for reading, eg We reada menu to see ifthere
some/h/ng we want to eat. We read a manual 1o findout how a newcamera works. Discuss
the way this lnnuences the strategies we use for reading.
Comments ond suggestions
An awareness oftext types helpschildren to understand thatthereore
differentpurposes for reading and diffe
strategies which they can use.
In this activity you can use authentic texts which are beyond the chlldren's
reading level, since all they ore requiredto do Is Identify the types oftexts.

84

500 klivi1ies for 1he Primary Classroom

is

Section 3 Vocabulary and grammar

Vocabulary and grammar are closely
interrelated Inchildren's early language
looming, both In
LI andin a second or fo
language. Young
children initially learn chunks oflanguage,
which combine vocabulary and
grammatical patterns in a holistic,
unanalysedway. As they growolder, they
develop the ability to relate
vocabulary to networks of meanings and to
notice andanalyse language forms and
functions more explicitly. Whether they ore
learn
holisll
when younger, or developing more
conscious language awareness and powers
ofanalysis as Ihey grow older, lt is vital to
give children plenty ofopportunities to
memortze, practise, recycle andextend
1helr vocabulary and grammar In
meaningful contexts throughout the primary
yoors.

Learning vocabulary
Children often measure their own language
leoming progress in terms of 'how many
words they know'. Learning vocabulary can
be one of the most significant and
satisfying outcomes
ln the firs yearsof English lessons. II bots
children's confidence and seJf.esteem. Italso
lays thefoundations for leading children Into
using grammatical structures, which initially
present a greater learning challenge, in
more extended and Cre<l
ways.

Words and concepts

Although initial vocabulary learn
In a
foreign language appears straightforw
with an appare one-t0-0ne correspondence
between words and the objects or concepts
that these refer to, it is in reality a very
complex process, which
developsgraduallyin a cycllcal wayovertime.

As part

ofthe proces oflearning vocabulary,

children need to learn the form ofthe word,
that ls, the way the word sounds and is
spelt, and the way itchanges
grammatically, eg when used
inthe plural. They also need to understand
the
mooning and the way that this relates to
other concepts and words, eg the way a
word like tiny
relates to other words to describe size, such as
bigand small In addition to this, children
need to beableto recall the word
wheneverthey need itand, in the
longerterm, to gradually extend

theirunderstanding ofits use. This includes,

for example, thedifferentways lt can be
combined grammatically with other
elements in sentences or dsi course, the
way itcollocateswith other words, eg weoon
talk about a tall building ora lollpt'rso but not
a tallmoumain (we need touse high
instead), the connotallons that It may have,
cg to refer to someone as very cl
may
Imply that they are cheeky as well, and an
awareness of style and register and
whether it is appropriate to
use in formal or informal situations. With older
children, lt may also be appropriate for them

to

Identify the grammatical propert

ofwords
and use metalanguage, eg noun, adjective,
verb, to describe this as well. In addition to
this, children's learn
ofvocabulary may
be compounded by cultural factors and
expectations, eg theirconcept ofa 'pie' to eat
maybevery different from an English or
American pie. It will also be infl
by their LI background and theirongoing stage
of cognitive, social and psychological
development, where they are still in the
process ofacquiring concepts and vocabulary
which they bring to
their understanding ofEnglish In a
contlnually evolving way.

The importance

of

recycling

Children often appear to learn vocabulary

easily, 'like little sponges', as the saying
goes. However, In the same way that
sponges Jose water, children also forget
vocabularyvery easily too, unless they ore
given regular opportunities to use lt, and to
deepen and extend their understanding
ofhow it
relates and connects to other language they
know.
Given this, it is essenti to recycle voc
regularly and systematically at all levels and
ages in primary school.
Through regularrecycling, children can be
given opportunities to meet the same
vocabulary, embedded in different contexts,
language and activity types, again and
again. This not only improves their reoolt
and develops memory processes, but also
extends their understanding and
associations ofvocabulary In an ever
expanding network ofmeanings and use.
Through using vocabulary In a vari
ofsocial, experiential and personalized
ways, children develop 'owners
oflanguage and this also leads to new
learn

Sec

3 Voc

laryond grommor 85

torecyclevocabulary In a range ofmeaningful

In addition to the vocabulary activiti

in

this

section, there are many examples

ofotheractivity

types, such as games, rhymes,

songs, stories,
drama, art and craft, which provide
opportunities

and creative ways. These ore described Jn

different sections ofthis book.

Voc:abuklry practK
With younger children, It Is most appropriate
to teach concrete vocabulary items which

relate to the 'here and now' oftheir

immediate environment and personal
experience. As children grow older, they
gradually become able to deal with more
abstract concepts and vocabulary removed
fr

their immediate surroundings. When

practising vocabulary, it

is Importantto

provide opportunities to help children:

With young children, initial learning of

grammatical patterns is implicit, based on
fonnulolc sequences and unanalysed chunks of
language met ln the context of, eg lesson
routines, songs, rhymes, stories and games. As
a result of

acquiring chunks of language,

children develop

associate words and meanings and

a sense ofachievement andbecome

develop their recall ofvocabulary (see

Increasingly willing to participate in dossroom

3.1, 3.2)

Initial stages

activities in

English. As they grow In confi

they also

think about the properties and meanings

of words (see 3.4)

begin to transfer chunks to new contexts and

improvetheirrecognition and spelling of

to

vocabulary (se 3.5, 3.6)

use them creatively. Two examples ofthis are o

child spontaneously transferring the chunk Too
much noise! from the song 'The wheels on
the bus' to the classroom, and a child asking
Can I go thl' colourplease? (sic) to request
permission to colour

reinforce connections between words (see 3.7)

personalize vocabulary learning (see 3.8, 3.15)

develop strategiesfor inferring meaning (see

3.10)

meaning ofunfamiliar words (see 3.ll)

collaborate and interact with others (see 3.3,
3.14).
Children also need tobe encouragedto
develop Independent and individualized learn
skills and strategies that wlll help them to
enrich and extend theirvocabulary, to
organize and record
vocabulary

a collectively produced mural, by using part

ofa

develop strategies forconveying the

in

systematic and logical ways, and

to reflect on and evaluate their own learn

in on Increasingly autonomous way (see Sect

10, Learning to learn).

Learning grammar
In orderto lay the foundations for
understanding and learn
aspects
ofgrammar, it

is

above oil

chunk ofclassroom language forasking

togo the toilet. The holistic learn

oflanguage chunks plays an Important role
in fostering children's enthusiasm for learn
English. II also provides them with a
potentially rich, internal language resource as
they grow older and are encouraged. or
expected, to pay attention to grammatical
features and apply more explicit analytical skil
to the way they learn

Understanding how English works

One ofthe key Issues and challenges
during the primary years is when and how
to move beyond the implicit teachinglearning of language chunks, and to
develop children's
awareness and explicit understanding ofaspects
ofgrammar. This wUI enable children to begin
to systematize their knowledge and

Important to give children exposure to

potentially enrich and extend the creative

language in meaningfu contextswhich

ways in which

engage them in

language. In terms ofage, it is unlikely to be

practising and using English

they are able to use

fo purposes which they can relate to and

appropriate befo

enjoy.

theogesof8-IO. It depends on factors such

somewhere between

as the educational and cultural context,

children's cogniti
86

500 Activities for the Pmnory Cbssroom

maturity and conceptual

readiness, their level and the numberofhours

spent studying English (it is best lfthey
already
hove basic skills), as well as the approach used
in
teaching their fi
mayInclude

language. This

explicit analysis ofparts

ofspeech and theuse of

metalanguage

which can usefully be transferre

learn

to the

ofEnglish. In tennsofhow it is

done, it is vital to fi

childfriendly, 'hands

on'

ways which naturally

developchildren'sinterest

and curiosity In

building up their understanding

oflanguage

meaning and developing

language use.

Language awareness
One wayto explicitly develop
children's languageawareness is by
encouraging them to notice particular
language pattern orfeatures

ofgrammatical

forms and, if
appropriate, to compare and contrast
these with other patterns and fo
and/or with their own language.
Through stimulating childrento show
interest and ask questions about how
English works as
a system, and
encouraging them to observe
and
payattention to this, children ore
helped to de
metacognitive
awareness. This means
becoming more self-knowledgeable and
aware of the processes involved in their
own learn
(see also Section 10,
Learning to learn The provision
ofopportunities to notice features and/or
regularities in grammatical pattern con
also be particularly helpful for children
whohove a more logical-deductive kind
ofintelligence andwho may feel more
engaged when treatinglanguage as a
kind of\ogical 'puzzle', and also more
secure knowing that there ore 'rules'
that they can apply.
Awareness-raising or noticing activities
with chlldr
need to provide concrete
means of
dra
their attention to abstract
concepts in ways which involve active
participation and cognitive
engagement. These can take a variety
of

forms and

include, for example:

using analogy or metaphor (see 3.16)

relating parts ofspeech to colours (see

3.17)

manipulating word cards (see 3.17,

3.18)

using mime, movement and gesture

(see 3.19

and3.28)

using logicaldeduction (see 3.20,

3.21, 3.23,
classify

3.26)

ski\ls (see 3.22).

It isimportantto stress, however, that

noticing activities by themselves do
not by any means ensure that
children can automatically apply
whatevertheynotice to their own
language performance. For this
reason, therefore, noticing activiti
need to be accompanied by lots of
practice overtime.
The kinds ofpractice activities that
children mostbenefi from include both
controlled opportunities to manipulate
grammatical forms inorderto express
specific meanings within

how English 'works' and to use

these fr

time to time as an integral port of

supported fr
(see 3.13, 3.15, 3.21,
3.27; seealsoSect
1 and 6), and more
open-ended opportunities to experiment,
negotiate meaning and express and
communicate what they want to say (see
3.4, 3.11, 3.24; see also Sections 1, 4
and 5). As with learn
vocabulary,
regular recycling of grammatical patterns
and forms is also essential.

Metolonguage
In addition to developing language
awareness and providing for frequent,
varied opportunities forcontextualized,
meaningful practice, with
olderchildren it may also be helpful to
gradually introduce them to
grammatical metalanguage. This is
usually best done as it arises naturally
following meaning-based work on
stories or other texts, and is especially
relevant ifchildren are
also learning
metalinguistic terms in theirfirs
language. In this case, it may be
appropriate, for example, to organize a
colour-coded classroom
display ofgrammatical categories, such
as nouns, adjectives, verbs, and
regularly update this with words the
children are learning in each category
(as suggested in 3.17), or do other
activities
(se 3.30) in order to familiarize them
with grammatical terms and concepts
In a creative and enjoyable way.
The potential value ofbeginning to
learn metalanguage to describe and
analyse language towards the end
ofprimary school does not replace the
importance ofpractice
and needs to
be assessed in each context. If
it

is considered worthwhile, however,

itcan contribute signifi
to
children's developing metocognitive
awareness and also play an important
role in helping to prepare children for
the transition to secondary school
where the
approach to learn
explicitly

is likely to be more

grammar-based.

Teaching and learn

in primary school
is pre dominantly concern
with
developing basic skills and confidence in
using English. Raising children's language
awareness and explicitly focusing their
attention on aspects ofthe language
system in appropriate age-related ways
can help to complement and
enhancethisprocess. Itcan also laysolid
fo
forthe years ofstudy
still to come. As with other areas, it is
also importantto encourage children to
develop independent learning strategies
to support their \earn
of grammar
(seeSecti
10, Learn
to learn

Section 3: Vocobulory ond

grammar

87

Reflection time
Asyou use the vocobulory ond
grommor activities In thissection with
your classes, you may like to think
about the fo
questions and use your responses to
evaluate how things went and pion
possible Improvements for next time:
l

Concept
I meaning: Was the
concept
and/or
meaning
ofthe
language In the activity clear to the
children? Howwas this achieved?

2 Memory I recall: Were the children

able to memorize and recall the
vocabulary and/or language
pottem(s) practised during the
activity? What helped them to do
this?

3 Practice: What kind ofpractice did the

activity provide? How was this
complemented and/or extended by
other activities during the Jes.so and
in subsequent lessons?

4 Recycling: Jn what way(s) did the

activity recycle language and
extend chlldren's
learn

How could the language be

usefully recycled again?

Noticing I awareness raising: What

impact did noticing on aspect
oflanguage have on children's
interest, motivation and ablllty to
use language?

Thinking skills: What kinds

ofthinking skill did children need to
use during the activity? How did this
Influence their response?

88

50

l>.c

fOf Ifie Primary Clar.sroo

3.1 Learn with a puppet

Level A1. 1
Age 4-6
Organization whole class
Aims To recognize, practise and memorize vocabulary and/or short
chunks of language
by responding to a puppet; tocreate on
affectiveatmosphere which encouragesactive
participation.
Longuoge focus any lexical set and/orshort chunk of language
Essenrial:

Mat

forobjectsor

a puppet, real ob}ectS orflashcards I Optional:

a bog

flashcards (see 3. Id), music (see 3. lf)

Procedure
Use any one or a combination ofthe following procedures:

3.lo Follow the puppet's instructions

I Lay out the flashcards orobjectson the floor or stick them on the board.
2 Use the puppet tosay, eg Touch the banana ... Mario and Daniel.
3

Children listen and do what the puppet says.

J.lb Repeatwhat thepuppetsays

I Use the puppet to soy vocabulary orshort sentences which the children ore
famillor with,

vmying the pitch, volume and pace, eg Thegiraffe is iall. /The

lion is fi

2 Children listen and repeat what the puppet says in the same way.

3.lc Corrt thepuppet

I

Askquesti
and get the puppet to give the wrong answers or to say
Sntences with the
wrong info
eg The ball is blue.

2 Children listen and correct the puppet In chorus, eg No, ... !(naming the puppet)
Green!

3. ld Guess what the puppet's thinking about

I Put

3-<5 flashcards

puppet Is thinking

on the floor or board. Use mime to convey that the

about one ofthem. Encourage children to guess which

one.

2 Make the puppetshake its head and say No and then nod and say, eg Yes,
brilliant!when a

child guesses correctly.

3.le Guess whcit':J In the puppet's bag

I Put SVeral different objects or flashcards In a bog. Make the puppet
hold up the bag.
Children take turn to guess what's In the bog, eg
Elephanr!

its head and says Yes or No. Whenever the

puppet says Yes, take the relevant toy or fl
out ofthe bog.
Children clop and say Yes! Elephanl!Hurray!

2 The puppet nods or shakes

3.lf

PC15 the puppet

I Children sit in a circle.

2 Play music and children pass the puppet round the circle.
3 Whenever you pause the music, the child who has the puppet tells the

puppetsomething
aboutthemselves using language you want them to
practise, eg f Ukebiscu

SectlOfl 3:

89

Voc

loryond grommor

Comments and suggestions

The use ofo do.s.s puppet helps tocreote opositi affecti climate
which encoumges portldpotion in English and mokes very young
children feel secure. A famllior puppet provideso friendly, funny,
helpful presence which the children con relate to in o direct ond
spontaneousway.The puppetbringsfa
mogic ond humour into the
cla.s.s
and helps to make learn
natural and port ofreal events.
You moy hove a puppet as part ofthe children's course book. lfnot, any
soft toy, fe puppet, or puppet you makeyourself, eg from an old sock
or kitchen glove, can serve the purpose just aswell.
In addition to procedures such as theabove, a class puppet ls useful
to mark the beginning
and ends of lessons with greetings and goodbyes, to give feedback
and praise, and to manage the class in a positive way, eg Quiet
nowevery
... (puppet's name) is asleep!

3.2 Flashcard vocabulary activities

Leve Al.l, Al.2,A2.l, A2.2

Age 6-10 Organization whole class

Aimf To recognize, practise ond memorize vocabulary through associating

words, meanings ondplctures.
Language focus anylexical set or combination oflexicalsets
Material Essential: flashcards for one or more lexical sets I Op/Iona/: word
cards to motch the flashcards
Procedure
Use ony one or more ofthe following procedures:
3.2o. Flo.
I

instr

Slick a set offlashcards on the wa11s around the classroom.

2 Divide the class into groups.

3 Give each group instructions in
2-jump to /he

3.2b Flo.

tu

eg Group

- walk to thee/epha111. Gro

lion.

groups

I Divide the class Into groups. Assign each group a flashcard, eg 'opple' -

this Is their name.

2 Give Instructions, eg Apples, touchyour11ose! Carrots, putyour /1a11 onyour head!
Children listen and follow the instructions fortheir group.
3.2c Missing nashcord
I

Stic

a setofflashcards on the board. Children soythe words.

2 Ask the children to dose their eyes. Remove one ofthe flashcards.
Children open their eyes and name the missing flashcard.
l.2d Magic eyes
I

Stick asetofnashcords in a row on the board. Children say or repeat the

words.
2

Remove the flashcards one by one. Point towherethey were and

children repeatthe names as!ftheywere still there.

3.2e Lip reading

Stick a set offlashcards on the board. Choose one nashcard and
mouth the word silently. Children read your lips ond soy the word.
l.2r Repe

trlt's true

Stick o set offl

on theboord. Point to one ofthe floshcords ondsoy
the word. Ifyou hovesaid the correct word, children repeat it. lfnot,
theyfold their orms ond stoy silent.
This octiv'
con be mode more challenging ifyousoy sentences, eg //'so
blue car.

90

500 Ac

for the

Primory Classroo

J.2g Flashcard chain

I Stand orsit in a circle with the children.
2

Pass a flashcard to the child on yourleft and ask, eg Doyoulike ..? or What'sthis?

3 The child answers, then asks the question and passes the flashcard to the next child, and so

on

round the circle.

4 Intr

other fl

passed

in the some way until all the flashcards in the set have

round the circle.

Comments and suggest;ons

Shortacti

using flashcards famltiarizechildren with vocabulary which hasbeen

previously introduced. They aid memorizationthrough the association ofvisual Images

and
words, and help pronunciation by giving children fr
say

opportunities to listen to and

new words.

Children can also match wordcardsto the flashcards on the board Iflt Is
appropriate to familiarize them with the written forms of new words as part
ofthe procedure.

3.3 Kim's game

Level Al.I, Al.2, A2.l, A2.2

Age 8-12

Organization groups

Aims To observe, memorize and recall vocabulary in o picture or word list; to arrange
the words

in order of the alphabet or classify them; to work colloboratively In groups.

Language focus In the example: animals

any lexical set, eg food

Altern

Materi

f.

real objects fl

a posteror word list for children to

memorize, small pieces ofpaper I Optional:A4 envelopes

Procedure
I

Divide the class into groups

2 Give out small pieces of paper to each group (enough to write each word in the activity
on a

separate piece ofpaper) orchildren prepare these.

Give the children one minute to look in silence and memorize a set ofrea objects,
flashcards,
details in a poster or a word list. Forexample, a list ofanimals could be: hor
snake, penguin,
whale, butterfly, kangaroo, gorilla, dolphin, parrot, koala,
chimpanzee, crocodile, polarbear, zebra.

4 After a minute, remove the word list. Children work in their groups and write the words
they

ca

rememberon the pieces of paper.

S When they areready, eitherchildren arrange the words in alphabetical order on their desks
oryou ca write the sentencesbelow on the board and children classify the animals
(two for each sentence):
I They ore mammals and live In the
seo.

2 They can fly.

3 They eat grass.

4 They live In Australia.

5 Theylike eating fish.

6 They are reptiles.
7 They are like people.

6 Atthe end, fi
answers

out how manywords the children remembered and check 1he

to the activity they hove done. (Alphabeti

order: bunerfl

chimpanzee, cr
dolphin, gorilla, horse, kangaroo, koola, parrot, penguin, polar bear, snake, whale, zebra.
Classify

1 whale, dolphin

5 penguin, polarbear

2 butterfl

6 snake, crocodile

parrot 3 horse, zebra 4 kangaroo, koala

7 gorilla, chimpanzee)

Sectiofl Jc Vocobulo iyond

grammar

91

Comments and suggestions

The name 'Kim's game' is from the novel, Kim, by Rudyard Kipling, in
which Kim and others are trainedto memorize objects. In the traditional
version, there are twenty small objects on
a tray which, aft
one minute,
is coveredwith a cloth and participants recall as many as they can.

In this version, in addition to memorizing the vocabulary, children do a

further activity,
such as arranging the words in alphabetical order or classify

them. In the

case of the
fo
this encourages children to think about spelling and develop
reference skills through
arr
the words in alphabeti cal order. In the
case ofthe latter, children read sentences
which encourage them to think
about meaning and relate the vocabulary to their knowledge ofthe world
in a classifying activity.

If you have A4 envelopes, instead ofwriting the sentences on the board,

you can write one sentence on each envelope and stick them on different
walls around the classroom. Children
then classify the words by putting
the pieces ofpaper into the correct envelopes. Ifyou do this,
it helps to
ask eoch group to write the words in a different colour in order to be able
to check answers easily atthe end ofthe activity.

An altern
example ofthis version of Kim's game is with food vocabulary,
eg cheese,
tomato, musage, bread, chicken, milk, pasta, rice
carrot, banana, tuna fi rice. After recoiling the words, children
clossifythem into four food groups: meat and fish, fr
and vegetables,
cereals, and dairy products.

Ifchildren memori
a written list ofwords, lt may be appropriate to focus
on spelling when
checking the answers. Ifchildren memorize the
vocabulary fr
pictures, however, you may
decide it is more important
that they recall the words ratherthan focus on spelling accuracy.

3.4 Odd one out

Level All

Age 6-12

Orgonization whole clas, pairs

Aims To think about the meanings and properties ofwords; to identify a

vocabulary item in a
sequence that is different; tosaywhyit is different.
Language foc
any familiar vocabulary; be, havegot, present simple,

(because)
Materials Essential: none I Optional: flashcards orpictures
Procedure
1 Write a sequence of fo
words on the board, eg apple, carrot, banana,
strawberry.
2 Ask the children to identify the odd one out and say why, eg Carrot- (b
it's a
vegetable.
3 With older children, ask them to look again and think of other possible
answers, eg

Banana - (beca
itgrows in hot countries/(because) it's the
onlyone without double letters. Apple- (because) itstarts with a
vowel. Point out that there isn't only one correct answer.
4 Divide the class into pairs.
S

Write several different word sequences on the board, eg butterf

spider, grasshopper/

beetle,

turtle, mouse, rabbit, bat.

6 Askthe children to decide with their partner which is the odd word out in
eochsequenceand
7

why.

At the end, ask the pairs to report bock and count up all the possible answers
and reasons for

the odd one outin each sequence

Comments ond suggestions

This activity encourages children to think about the meaning ofwords and
relate this to their

knowledge ofthe world. You may be surprised by how

many possible answers and reasons

children come up with, for example,

forthe animal sequence above, Mouse- (because) it'spart

afa compurer.
92

500 Ac

for the Primary Classroom

 With younger children, it is likely tobe more appropriate to do the activity with one
word in each

sequence that Is obviously diff

eg hat, coot, ball, T-shirt

and children identify the word.

The activity con also be used with older children as a grammar-awareness activit
small, hat,

eg red,

oldwhere 'hat' Is the odd one out because it Is a noun and al l the others ore

adjectives.

5 Word search
Level All

Age 8-12

Aims Topre
offomillar

La

Orgoni:i

Individual

and do a word search puule; to Improverecognition and spelling

vocabulary.

foc

any fa

vocabulary

Materials Essential: none I Op

photocopies ofa grid ofsquares (10 x 10) (one foreoch child)

Proc
I Explain that the children ore going to make o word search puzzle fo someone else Jn the
doss to do.
2 Eithergive out photocopies ofthegrldsorosk the children to use a ruler to draw a grid of
!O x 10
squares(lcm foreoch square) in their notebooks.
J

Eitherspecify the numberofwords and lexical set that children should 'hide' in the grid, eg eight
clotheswords orleave this more open, eg Hide ten wordswe'velearn this term!

4 Explain and demonstrate that chlldren can hide the words horizontally, vertically or
diagonally and
thatsome letters may fonn part ofmore than one word.
S Ifthey are unsure ofspelling, ask them to check this, eg by looking In their course books,
before they
begin. Set a time limit for prepari
6

the word search, eg 5-10 minutes.

When the children oreready, collect in the grids and redistribute them. Children do each
others' puzzlesby circling or colouring the squares ofthe words they find. Again, you may
like to set a time
limit for this, eg fiveminutes.

7 Atthe end, children return the grids to theirowners, who check whether all the words in
their puzz

havebeen found.

Comments ond suggestions

Children generally want to prepare word searches fortheir peers which are as challenging as
possible!
This provides a strong motivation and purpose forreviewingvocabulary they have learn

Ashorter, simpler altern

to a word search Is a 'word snake'. Children 'hide' between 4-0
wordsin
the snake and then take turn to fi
each others' words in thesameway. Word
snakesaresuitable for younger children. If possible it Is best to give them a copy ofthe
snake, divided intosecti
for each letter, for them ta complete.

As neither word searches norword snakes focus on meaning or use ofvocabulary, you need
to ensure
that you combine them orfollow up with other activities that do. For example,
children can draw pictures and match these to the words in the puzzles or ploy a guessing
game to discover the hidden
words.

Section 3

\bcoOOloryond grammar

93

3.6 Key word crossword

Level All
Age 8Organization pari s
Aims To prepare and do a simple crossword; to reviewspelling offa

vocabulary; to think

In a logical-deductive way.

Language focus In 1he example: jobs, present simple, (It must

any familiar vocabulary, eg food

be .. .) Altern

Materials Esse tial: none I Optional: A4 sheets ofpaper (one for each pair)
Proc:
I Divide the class into pairs.
2

Explain that they are going to design and write a crosord for another pair to do.
Either

specify the type ofcr eg jOb crossword, food crosord, or leave it open fo the

children to use anyvocabulary theyknow.

Explain that the children should choose a keywordfor theircrossword and write this
vertically. They should then make the crossword by writingotherwords horizontally,
numbering the squares and writing clues. Demonstrate what you mean by building up
part

ofa crossword with the class on the board.

He/She works in the countryelde.

He/She works in a reetaurant or a hotel.

You go t:!
see one when you're ill.

0
0

5
6

I
5

5
p

4 Children prepare and write clues for a crossword with their partner. You maylike to
ask

them to do this in draft form In their notebooks firstandthen giveoutA4 paper

forthefi

version. Set a time limitforthis, eg 10-

mlnutes.

5 When theyare ready, chlldren exchange and do each others' crosswords to find the key word.
6 At the end, they return thecrosswords to the original owners, who check the answers.
Comments and suggestions
The fo

ofthsi crossword, with one vertical keyword, makes lt practical and

feasible fo children to prepare themselves.

Through preparing and reoding clues, children ore encouraged to think about the
meaning

ofwords and to deduce the answers in a logicalway. Ifappropriate, you

con set the activity

up so that children practise using It must be . .. as they do each others' puzzles.

94

500

.A.c

fo the Primary Classroom

3.7 Sort into sets

Level

All

Age 4-12

Organization

Aims To sort and clas.

reinforce connections

Language foc
Allemative

pairs

vocabulary Into sets; to aid memory and

between words.

In thee.(

rooms and furn

present simple

any familiarvooobulary

Materials Essential: sets ofsmall pictureor word cards (one for eoch pair)
Proc
l Divide the class Into polrs.
2 Give out a set ofcords to each pair, eg a set ofcords for rooms and
furniture might include: bed, shower, cooker, TY, sofa, fridge, toilet, chest ofdrawers,
wardrobe, armchair, dishwasher, both. Altemotively children can cut out and make
the cords before the activity.

3 Ask the children to sort the cards according to the rooms at home where
you usually find

them (bedrom, kitchen, bathroom, living room).

4 At the end, children compare their answers and reportbock, either by

each room or saying, eg Thebedgoes In the bedroom.

naming the Items In

5

Ifyou like, you con then ask them to thlnkofone more item that goes
in each room, eg a

lamp inthe bedroom, a table in thekitchen, a rug intheliving

room, a basin in the bathroom.

Comments and suggestions

Very young chlldren con sort pictures Into sets ofdifferent colours, eg

red,blue, yellow and green things, or sets ofanimals, eg wild animals

and form animals. The physical manipulation ofthe cards helps 10
develop visual observation ond classfi ying skil
in a concrete, handson way.

With older children, you can make the task more challenging and creative

by asking them to categorize cords in any waythey llke. For example, for
rooms and furn
children
might
choose to classify the Items according to whether ornottheyuse
electricity, orwhether or not
they areessential in a home.

With olderchildren, this activitycon also be

with gmmmoti

used

forfamiliarizing children

categories, eg nouns, adjectives, verbs, using

languagetoken from a familiartext.

3.8 Venn diagrams

Level All

Age 8-12

Ot-

whole class, individual/pairs

Aims Toclassify known vocabulary in a lexical set using a graphic organizer;

tocompare and

language foc

report bock on the way the items have been classifi

..

/rt theexample: clothes, present simple

Allemotives: any familiarvocabulary, eg animals, food, furn

Materials Essenlio/: none I Optio11

photocopiesofa Venn diagram (one for each ch!

ld)

Procedure
I Ask the children to tell you all the words they know in a familiar lexical set,

eg

clothes.

2 Write the words on the board or ask Individual children to take turns to
do this.
3 Drow a Venn diagram on the board oson page 96. Label the circles
'summer' and 'winter'.

4 Askthe children to copy this orgive out the photocopies ofa Venn
diagram.

S Either divide the doss into pairs or children con do the activity
Individually.

Children should write the names of clothes theywear in summer In the

circle on the lef

Sect

3 Voc

loryond grammor95

and clothes theywearin winter in the circle ontheright. Jn thespace

where thetwo ci overlap, children should write the names of clothes
they wear in both summer and winter.

summer

winter

7 Ifthe children are not familiar with Venn diagrams, model the
thinking process before they begin, to enable them to do the task
successfully, eg I wearshorts when it's hot. /I'shot in summer. So shortsgo here. I
wearo coot when it's cold. It'scoldin winter. So coot goes here. Iwear
trainers when it's hot and when it'scold. Jn summerand in winter.

So

trainers go here.

8 At the end, ask them to report bock and compare the way they have
classifi
the vocabulary.
9 Children can also use dictionaries to fi
Venn diagram.

three more words to add to the

Comments ond suggestions

Be ready fo children to classify the vocabulary in different,
personalized ways and encourage them to iUStify their answers, eg I
we shortsi11 summer and i11 winter. In winterI we shorts fo gym.
With youngerchildren, it may be appropriate to ask them to draw
(or copy) pictures ofthe
vocabularyas well as write thewords. This
will also tum the Venn diagram into a useful
record ofvocabulary learn
Venndiagramsprovide opportunilles forchildren to

thinkaboutvocabulary

in

a meaningful
way. Other examples ofsuitable lexical sets forchildren
to classify include animals (eg
whether they eat meat/fi
fruit/vegetables or both), food (eg whether It contains salt, sugar or
both), furniture (eg whether it's in the living room, the bedroom or
both).

3.9 Vocabulary swap

Level All

Age 8-12

Organizarion

groups, wholeclass

Aims Torecall and practise saytng four items ofvocabulary fro

different lexical sets in a
rhythmic way; to 'teach' the items to
friends.
Longuoge foc

In theaomple: jobs, transport, school subjects, food

Altemofil'f"

Mat

any vocabulary Items from familiar lexical sets

Essential: vocabulary swapcards (one fo

I; for a class of24,

96

500 Ac

each chlld -see 5tep

makeslxeach ofthe following cards)

for the Primary Classroom

Jo"'
teacher arti
fireflghter
vet

'""
bu

motomik
helicopter
plane

School
subjects
moths
history
music
science

Procedure
1 Divide the class into fourgroups. Give all the children in each
group the same vocabulary cord from one of the sets.
2 Ask the children lfthey can recall the vocabulary on their card and
get them to say the words as in a rhythmic chant. Spend a little
time with each group separately to practise this.
3 When oil the groups are ready, explain thattheyshouldstandup
and take turn to 'teach' theirword to someone who has a diffe
card by saying the words rhythmically and getting the
otherpersonto repeotthem.
4 As soon as thechildren hove 'learn each other'swords, they swap
cords. They then Ond someone else with a different card and
repeat the procedure.
S The activity finishes when the children have swapped theircards
three times and practised saying all the words.
6 At the end, you may like to collect in the cards and ask the
children to recall all the vocabulary.
Comments and 'ugge,tion'
This acti
is a usefulway of recalling and
memorizingvocabulary from diff

lexical sets. Through 'teaching' and 'looming' the words in a

rhythmic way in orderto swap the cards, repetition practice is
made purposeful, memorable and enjoyable.
Ifyou prefer, children can remain seated in groups during the
acti
Jn this case, each member ofthe group should have a
diffe
card.

3.10 0 Nonsense words

Le
A2.l, A2.2, 81.l, 81.2
Age 10-12
Organization wholedass pairs
Aims To Inferthe meaning ofwordsfr
the context; to develop
awareness ofstrategies to use when deducing the meaning
ofunfamiliarwords.
Language fac:
any language or vocabulary
Materials Essential: none I Optional: photocopies ofsentences containing
nonsense words (one
foreach child)

Sec
97

3 Voc

ond grommor

Procedure
I Write o sentence on the board including familiar language ond o nonsense
word, eg
2

The

glooperhasgot shortlegsand

long

toil.

Ask the children what they think oglooperls. They will probably say on
animal, possibly o
bird. Ask howthey know, and listen to their response,
eg It'sgoto toil. Point out that looking
ot otherwords in the same sentence

(or paragraph) is o good strategy to use when working

outthe meaning ofunfomlllor words. Elicit or point outthat looking ot the
form ofwords can
help too, for example we know that a

the in
singeror robber).
3

glooperls

a thing (ora noun) because

front ofIt and also because of er at the end (as in

oftheword

Divide the clas intopairs.

Either write 6-8 sentences with nonsensewords on the board

to each pair.
4
5

orgive

a photocopy

Ask the children to work out the meaning ofoil the nonsense words.
Ifchildren are familiar
with metalanguage, you can also ask them to
identify the pans ofspeech ofeach nonsense word. Some examples ofthe
kindsofsentences youcan use ore: fwosso pi/latch that !went to sleep. (/Ired or
exhausted, adjective) I She didn't hear the alarmcloc andglicked very late. (got up
or arrived- need to read more to confirm - past simple verb) / Ididn'twant

togo to school so I walked very zibly. (slowly or reluctantly, adverb) I She was very
rich butnotvery;affrey (cleveror happy or beautifu - need to read more to fi
out - adjective).

6 As a follow-up, encourage children to applystrategies for guessing the

meanings ofwords in

context when you next use a shored reading text in

class.

Comments ond suggestions

Children generally enjoy the puzz

element In deducing the meaning

ofnonsensewords
fr
theoontext. The activity also raises children's awareness that just
because they haven't oome across o word befo
It doesn't automatically
mean that they can't understand it. This is important forboosting canft
and self-esteem. It Is alsouseful training
forchildren's
own independent reoding ond will help them ifthey ore
required to do exams.

3. 1 1 Defi nitions
Level A2.2, SLI Bl.2
Aims To deft

Age 10-

Orgonii:.

whole class, groups

what you mean without saying the word; to develop

communication strategies

fo conveying the meaning ofvocabulary you

don't know.

Longuoge focus present simple, relative pronouns, It's aperson

(who}/ploce(where}/011

thing (which)

.. ., any familiar vocabulary

Moteriols Essential: word cords (1-3

should be o mixture of

foreach

child).

The

word

cards

people, places, animals and things that ore

fomiliorto the children and poss

fo

(se below fo

them to

defi

is to defi

a person, place, animal

examples).

Procedure
I

Explain that the purpose ofthe activit

orthing without

saying the word.

2 Elicit and establish that children con say, eg It's o person who .../It's aplace
where ... lt'son a11 which . .. Ilt's a thingwhich(youuse ta) ..

Do several examples with the whole doss and children guess the word, eg /I's
a person who helps sickanimals. (vet) lt's o place wherepeopleslayon holiday.
(hotel) It's a birdwithbig ey
which hunts at nighI. (owl) It's a thing whichyou use
to rut paper. (scissors)

4 Give 1-3 word

cords to

each child. Ask them to secretly prepare a defi

foreach

one

without using the word.

When they are ready, divide the class into groups. Children take turns to say
their defi

98

500 Ac

ions

and guess the words.

loi the Primary Classroo

Comments ond suggestions

Drawthe children'sottenti

to the

foct

thotit is very useful to be able todefi

you

mean ifyou don't know thewordforsomething.Using mime or gesture can also help to
convey what you mean.
Through teaming to use general purpose words such as t/Ji11
develop strategies which help them become more eff
needing

place, pers

children

ive communicators without

necesrlly to resort toLL

3.12 2 Categories
Level All
Age 8-12
Organization groups, whole dos
Aims To recall vocabulary from different lexlcal setsat speed; to collaborate in groups
Longuoge foc
any familiar lexical sets
Moteriols Essential: none I Oplional: stopwatch or timer
Procedure
I Divide the das.s into groups.
2 Say the name ofa lexical set, eg

food Use

a stopwatch or timer ifyou have one. Give the

children three minutes to work with their group and write a list of as many food
words as they

can think of.

3 After three minutes, ask each group to soy one of their words in tum while the rest
ofthe class

listens. Ifanother group hos the same word, then every

crosses

it off

their list.

4 When the children hove fi

clas

reading theirlists, count up the number ofwords the

hasthought ofcollectively in that category andwrite thsi ond the words

which only one group had, ifthere are any, on the board.
5

Repeot the procedurewithseveral other categories ond lexicalsets, eg clothes,

animals, sports. At the end, use the scores on the board to identify the lexical set in
which theclas.
knows most words ond to identify thewordsthat fewest people know.

6 Follow with an activity such os Moglc eyes (3.2d) to help more children remember
these

words too.

Comments ond suggest;ons

This activity gives children practice in retrieving words from memory at speed.
Through working in groups, children are encouraged to listen to and value each
other os a learn

For a more challenging version ofthe activity, draw and label four columns on the board,
eg food, clothes, animals, sports Say a letter ofthe alphabet. Children have three
minutes to
think of os many words os possible in each category beginning with the letteryou say.
They

then report back in the same way. Repeat several timeswith diff

Choo

letters

letters

which begin several words the children ore likely to know in each category and
ovoid letters which ore diffi
eg K, Y, J, Z.

Sec

3 abulory ood grammar 99