CLASSROOM LANGUAGE JOURNAL

1. ORAL COMMUNICATION IN EARLY LANGUAGE
LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
ALFONSO PIEDRAHITA HERRERA
ESPECIALIDAD DE INGLÉS
ESCUELA UNIVERSITARIA DE MAGISTERIO DE ZAMORA
UNIVERSIDAD DE SALAMANCA

2. CLASSROOM LANGUAGE JOURNAL
Important notes of today´s class:
 The children will use the English language as their second
tonge when they have a good “role model”.
 That´s why is very important to use the English language in the
class to communicate the lessons to the kids.
 In some ocassions we can use spanish sentences to explain
something that the children can´t understand properly when you
are speaking in English.
 It´s important also to translate the sentences that the students
sais to the English language because is one of the best ways to
create new knowledge in the children.
Vocaroo records:
 1D. Calling the roll in English.
Vocaroo_s0Z2a3Aes3xE.mp3
 1E. Starting with a song.
Vocaroo_s1BilpQbrelo.mp3

3. To have an idea of how to start our classes, here we have a easy
schema that we can follow:
DEVELOPING SOCIAL SKILLS
By the end of Infants the children should be aware of, or be able to do the
following:
CLASS ROUTINES:
 Enjoy participating in a story.
 Enjoy listening to each other in the group situation.
 Show a willingness to tidy up and pleasure in helping.
 Not shout in class.
 Realise the importance of switching off lights, turning off taps, flushing the
toilet, putting paper in the bin, etc.
GREETINGS AND
FORM OF ADRESS
GOOD MORNING
CHILDREN
CHECKING
ATTENDANCE
LET’S CHECK TO SEE WHO
IS HERE. REMEMBER
THAT YOU HAVE TO
ANSER I’M HERE!
IT’S ANYONE
AWAY?
TODAY WE ARE
GOING TO SING A
SONG
WAYS OF
STARTING
LESSONS

4. Greetings and goodbyes:
 Say good morning, good afternoon, hello and goodbye.
 How are you? Fine, thank you.
Feelings
 Express feelings: happy, sad, cross, angry, hungry, frightened, scared,
surprised, and shy.
 Express love for family and affection.
 Value the friendship and help of others.
 Have positive self-esteem, actively participate in class and enjoy seeing
displays of their own work and that of their peers.
 Play different roles and express emotions using dramatisation (puppets, soft
toys…).
 Participate with pleasure at parties and celebrations.
Personal hygiene and health:
 Understand that sweets cause tooth decay.
 Have an awareness of the importance of a balanced diet.
 Understand and respect dining-room rules like: “Wash your hands before you
eat”, “Brush your teeth after eating”.
 Enjoy eating fruit.
 Realise the importance of protection from the sun in summer and the cold in
winter.
 Understand daily routines related to hygiene and dress.
 Be able to dress and undress themselves.
Behaviour patterns:
 Understand and respect dining-room rules like “Don’t throw food”, “Don’t
annoy your friends when they are eating”.
 Take pleasure in listening.
 Learn to choose, make thoughtful decisions.
 Say “please”, “thank you” and “sorry”.
 Promote positive behaviour patterns in the school, in the classroom and in
the playground.
 Accept the concept of losing/winning when playing a game.
 Recognise difference between people, avoid discrimination.
 Have developed a helpful and co-operative attitude during playing time.
 Promote basic organisational habits: constancy, attention, effort, initiative...

5.  Be aware of the importance of a job well done, and be able to take on board
the idea that correcting errors is part of “doing something better”.
 Appreciate clean and tidy surroundings.
Sharing and participating:
 Realise that the classroom equipment belongs to everyone.
 Share classroom equipment, and take turns to use things.
 Enjoy tidying up, and know where to put things.
 Help in class and in the home, i.e. set the table at home, have class monitors.
 Be interested in contributing towards a frieze, decorating the class for
Festivals, collecting items for a display, bringing things from home.
 Take pleasure in giving presents (birthday, Christmas) and giving thanks.
 Take turns and follow the rules in a game.
 Enjoy celebrations and parties.
Showing respect:
 For people:
 Respect the equality of boys and girls; understand the importance of
avoiding sexist stereotypes in games, songs, classroom activities, stories
and use of language.
 Realise the importance of taking it in turns to speak.
 Have an appreciation of people who help us in our daily lives.
 Show an interest in other places, cultures and people speaking other
languages.
 Have respect for other people’s personal space.
 For things:
 Take care of classroom equipment.
 Use different areas of the class correctly.
 For the environment:
- Appreciate plants and animals.
- Be interested in looking after plants and animals.
- Show curiosity about the immediate environment.
- Know about traditions such as Christmas and other festivities.
- Have an awareness of road safety.

6. Apart of that, we were talking about the importance of have habits in class. We
put in common some of them, for example:
 ACT AND REACT
 CHECK ATTENDANCE
 NATURAL USE OF THE LANGUAGE
 LISTEN AND SPEAKING ENGLISH
 SPEAK AND PLAY
 RECONSTRUCT SENTENCE IN ENGLISH
There are only some examples, but we have to think about healthy habits too,
for example:
Another posters that would be important inside our classroom:
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
By taking proactive measures, a good teacher can avoid some classroom management
problems that may accompany, for instance, changing from in-class mathematics to in-
gym physical education. Suggestions for making low-key responses, and also for
defusing the proverbial power struggle, should it arise, have been included.
- Using Low-Key Management Techniques
- Making Smooth Transitions
- Making smooth transitions results
- Aiding Struggling Stragglers
- Defusing a Power Struggle
- Forming Random Groups
Using Low-Key Management Techniques
1. Use the “one-minute-talk” technique. When students are restless and chattering, tell
them they have one minute from your start cue to your end cue, during which time they
must talk. Works like a charm.
2. Use proximity. Move to an off-task student but avoid calling his name or embarrassing
him.
3. Develop a rapport with “difficult” or reluctant students. Get to know them personally as
well as from a “learning” point of view.
4. Circulate when students are working. Avoid the temptation to sit at your desk and mark.
5. Use nonverbal cues, such as a frown or crossed arms, when one or two students are off
task.

7. 6. Anticipate misbehavior and deal with it inconspicuously. Avoid making it the centre of
attention.
7. Use I-messages when explaining your expectations: I need … I want … I expect …
8. Make positive descriptions of expected behaviors. (We will carry out this task with only
quiet talk, as opposed to There will be no loud talking.)
9. Explain how misbehaviors personally affect you or make you feel. (When you do that, I
have to stop my instructions. I feel upset when you … because I have to …)
10. Adopt the “stepping-on-my-last-nerve” technique. Find an obvious form of nonverbal
communication that lets students know that they have pushed you as far as you can go.
Making Smooth Transitions
1. Keep all transitions as brief as possible and plan ahead for them. (Know exactly what you
want students to do.)
2. Always have all materials ready before class.
3. Establish and reinforce rules for entering, leaving, and beginning a class. Train students to
respond to a “moving signal” and rehearse the actions.
4. Establish and reinforce procedures for routine tasks, such as the taking of attendance.
5. Plan more material than you think you need so that there is no unexpected down time. 6.
Arrange the classroom for efficient movement of desks, students, and equipment.
7. Create and post a daily schedule and review this with your students.
8. Complete and clarify instructions before relinquishing student attention. (Don’t move until …)
9. Provide and stick to a time limit for the transition. Adopt the “beat your own time” concept.
Kids love it and become experts quickly.
10. Always plan for down time. (When you are finished, you will …)
Making smooth transitions results
1. Solve the mystery. Try to find out why the student is behind—lack of confidence, missed
skills or strategies, physical fatigue—and deal with your findings appropriately.
2. Reassess the needs of the particular student. Does he really need to do twenty questions,
or can he get by with ten? Consider the minimum you will expect or he will need for success,
and ask for only that.
3. Reinforce “partial completions.” Discuss what has been done, as opposed to what has not.
4. Make a prioritized list of all the areas or tasks in which the student is behind. Discuss this
with her and strongly consider “wiping the slate clean” and offering a fresh start. (Sometimes,
being far behind is so daunting that catch-up is impossible.) Alternatively, pick one or two
important tasks to complete.
5. Offer individual or small-group tutorials at a regular time and place every week.
6. Use a barter contract (as in the anecdote above). Point out what is expected, ask the student
how much he is willing or able to do, and come to an agreement about what will be completed.
Increase your expectations a little at a time.

8. 7. Seat the straggler close to a faster student, and encourage them to help each other. (One
benefits in a practical way; the other, in the positive feeling that comes from helping a peer and
from being appreciated by you.)
8. Consider giving the straggler an older student buddy, someone who comes to your class for
a few minutes daily to help the straggler get organized and get going.
9. As soon as directions have been given, move to the straggler. Quietly and respectfully,
provide more start-up motivation: for example, clarify directions, check for understanding, and
check for necessary materials.
10. Keep parents informed of your efforts to help the straggler, but avoid burdening them with
numerous areas in which the straggler is behind. This is your problem, not theirs.
Aiding Struggling Stragglers
1. Solve the mystery. Try to find out why the student is behind—lack of confidence, missed
skills or strategies, physical fatigue—and deal with your findings appropriately.
2. Reassess the needs of the particular student. Does he really need to do twenty questions,
or can he get by with ten? Consider the minimum you will expect or he will need for success,
and ask for only that.
3. Reinforce “partial completions.” Discuss what has been done, as opposed to what has not.
4. Make a prioritized list of all the areas or tasks in which the student is behind. Discuss this
with her and strongly consider “wiping the slate clean” and offering a fresh start. (Sometimes,
being far behind is so daunting that catch-up is impossible.) Alternatively, pick one or two
important tasks to complete.
5. Offer individual or small-group tutorials at a regular time and place every week.
6. Use a barter contract (as in the anecdote above). Point out what is expected, ask the student
how much he is willing or able to do, and come to an agreement about what will be completed.
Increase your expectations a little at a time.
7. Seat the straggler close to a faster student, and encourage them to help each other. (One
benefits in a practical way; the other, in the positive feeling that comes from helping a peer and
from being appreciated by you.)
8. Consider giving the straggler an older student buddy, someone who comes to your class for
a few minutes daily to help the straggler get organized and get going.
9. As soon as directions have been given, move to the straggler. Quietly and respectfully,
provide more start-up motivation: for example, clarify directions, check for understanding, and
check for necessary materials.
10. Keep parents informed of your efforts to help the straggler, but avoid burdening them with
numerous areas in which the straggler is behind. This is your problem, not theirs.
- Defusing a Power Struggle
1. If the student is still showing some semblance of control, offer pencils and paper and invite
him to write or illustrate how he feels. If he wants to, he can tear the paper up.

9. 2. Invite the student to take a speed walk either to a specific location, such as a washroom,
and back, or once around the school.
3. Invite the student to imagine blowing a balloon up with his anger—then popping it.
4. Suggest use of a pre-established time-out area, and indicate how long the time-out should
be. (See “Time-Out Procedure,” next page.)
5. Maintain eye contact and a calm voice when speaking to the student.
6. Maintain proximity to the student, but avoid being too close—she may feel her personal
space has been compromised.
7. If you feel too irritated or angry to deal with the situation right then, take a time-out yourself.
Explain that you need a few minutes and say exactly when you will return to the issue.
8. Invite the student to accompany you outside for a few minutes of fresh air. This allows both
of you to get away from the reinforcement of classroom peers.
9. Avoid making such statements as “I know how you feel,” which the student may find
patronizing. You can only guess.
10. In the heat of the moment, quickly remind yourself that you are the adult and will act like
one, no matter how upset you may be. Describe the situation as you see it: “You seem angry.
You didn’t get what you wanted to play with.”
Forming Random Groups
1. Odds & Evens: Count, starting at “1.” All the odds go together, as do the evens. Recount
within each group, using the same pattern, to form four groups in total.
2. Alphabet Awareness: Students take paper tags with a letter of the alphabet on each—there
are as many different letters as groups desired. They silently choose a word beginning with the
appropriate letter, perhaps boy for the letter “B,” then move around saying only their word to
find others who have words beginning with the same letter. A letter “B” group might be made
up of boy, big, black, butter, and perhaps a second boy. This activity promotes the alphabetic
principle and phonemic awareness.
3. Sweet Talk: From a bag or container, students randomly pull a piece of wrapped candy, one
color or kind representing each group desired. For example, all the red candies signify one
group. Once they have formed their groups accordingly, they can eat the candies.
4. Shakes: Students draw a tag with a number from a container. Keeping their numbers silent,
they move around shaking hands with others—one shake for each number. They form their
groups by quickly finding others with the same number of shakes.
5. Words: Use words relevant to a topic being studied and as many as you want groups. For
example, to create six groups in Science, the words on slips of paper might be electricity,
conduit, amps, wires, negative, positive. Students draw papers randomly and then locate other
students with the same word.
6. Silent Signals: Verbs, such as creep, hop, slide, skip, and crawl, or feeling terms, such as
sad, happy, angry, and nervous, appear on randomly chosen papers to encourage students to
behave in a certain way to find their groups.

10. 7. Happy Families: Randomly chosen papers identifying family members lead students to their
“group families.” For example, Mother Smith, Father Smith, Uncle Smith, Sister Smith, and
Baby Smith compose one group.
8. Sing-a-long: Randomly drawn papers indicate simple songs the students know (e.g., Three
Blind Mice). On cue, students move around singing the songs as prompted by the papers and
find others singing the same songs.
9. Switcheroo: Randomly select as many students as you want groups, for example, five
students for five groups, and number the groups. Each student in turn chooses someone from
the class. Once you randomly draw a number (1–5), the chosen student goes to the group with
that assigned number. No one knows who will end up where.
10. Q/A: Pose as many questions on paper as desired groups; having correct answers on paper
determines group membership.
In the video “Teacher Survival Guide: Classrom Management”, we can see Lilia, who is
teacher of Social Studies and Lenguage Arts in the sixth grade of Primary School. We
can diferenciate the needs and levels of the students in the class.
Classroom management wants to prepare a safe space where the students can learn
the whole of contents that you want them to learn.
First of all, one of the most important thing is to establish routines in the classroom that
the kids will know and develop during their studies. Lilia share some strategies that se
founded really useful:
- Lilia is always walking around the students in the classroom to support them
in any moment.
- She also try to work with individual targets depending of the student.
- She has a signal who have a meaning for all the students, so, when their see
Lilia doing the signal, they know how to do inmediatly.
- She use non verbal cues to minimize disruptions to her teaching process.
Also, she bring us some useful advises to improve our lessons:
- Use of diferent games, competitions keep the students motivated and also
promote the participation, which make lessons easier and funnier.
- Breaking down lessons into their smallest opponents parts.
- She also advice us to use positive narration to the whole class intead of
focusing individualy.

11. LESSON FOUR: LISTEN AND DO
If you ask children in English to do something you are:
- using language for a purpose
- giving them the opportunity to show they understand.
The pupils need to understand just enough to follow teacher instructions, but they don’t need to
speak yet. Each time the teacher speaks in English is giving the pupils another opportunity:
- to acquire language
- to absorb the sounds and patterns of the language naturally.
Giving instructions in English
At first, you can use gestures and demonstrate what you want them to do. After a few days,
they will understand without your gestures, and the will have learnt a lot more English.
Listening and identifying
When children do ‘listen and identify’ activities they are:
- practising a basic language skill – listening
- making sense of English words and phrases
- developing their vocabulary
- acquiring meaning and sounds together.
For vocabulary development
For ‘listen and identify’ activities you can use:
- the classroom and all the things the
children can see
- Cuisenaire rods or coloured bricks or
blocks for colour words or size words
- objects that you bring in
- objects that children draw or make
There are tow stages to ‘listen and identify’
activities:
For grammatical awareness
You can use ‘listen and identify’ activities to do
more than extend the children’s vocabulary.
You don’t teach grammar to very young
learners but you can help them discover
meanings. By doing activities that focus on
basic concepts such as singular/plural gender,
children unconsciously begin to acquire a
feeling for what is grammatically accurate.

12. 1. Talk to the children about the things you
want them to learn the names of.
2. Ask the children to point to or show you the
things when you name them.
Listening and doing – Total Physical Response
TPR is when children listen and follow a whole sequence of instructions, doing what the teacher
says. It is a good way to start using English for communication in the classroom.
The teacher:
- tells the pupils what to do
- uses clear pronunciation and natural intonation
- helps them understand by gestures or by doing the actions
The pupils:
- have to listen carefully to the instructions
- enjoy doing the actions
- can do the actions all together or on their own
- do not have to speak (but often do!)
- understand because the movement and language go together.
Follow the leader
The most basic TPR is when children copy the teacher and listen to what he says.
‘Follow the leader’ is a good activity for very young learners starting to learn English. It is good
and fun they see and understand what to do at the same time. Later, when children are familiar
with the activity, they take turns calling out the instructions to the others.
Topic-based TPR
You can use TPR activities for vocabulary practice.
TPR routines
You can use TPR to wake children up if they are feeling sleepy, or let children have a break
when they have been concentrating on another activity.
TPR for arranging the class
Using TPR activities from the very beginning gets children used to directions in English.

13. Listening and performing – miming
Revising and consolidating topic words through mime
When children are familiar with the vocabulary used for a particular topic, you can introduce
mime.
The children:
- have to listen carefully when you describe what they have to mime
- have to decide how to perform what you describe
- may need some thinking time for this
- move and act but do not have to speak.
Miming is more complex than simple TPR activities. TPR involves children doing everything
you say. Mime gives the children more freedom to be creative.
Children have to be familiar with the language of the topic you are going to describe. Mime is
very suitable for stories: as you read, ask the children to mime the key actions.
Miming to rhymes and chants
Before children begin to say the words in rhymes and chants, they should understand roughly
what they mean.
- Listening and miming helps children understand when they are learning rhymes and
chants.
Listening and responding games
You can extend the listening activities you do in class in many ways. One way is by playing
games that demand careful listening.
These games help children have fun and make them listen while you are speaking English.
Right or wrong
Here is a simple response activity.
- Ask children to listen carefully.
- Explain what you are going to tell them something. It might be right or wrong.
- If you are wrong, they must clap twice and if you are right, they clap once.
Simon says

14. This is a very popular action game. It is very easy and the children have to listen carefully, to
find out whether to respond or keep still. You can play inside or outside.
When you play ‘Simon says’:
- if possible, have a space where all the pupils can stand up
- with big classes choose actions that children can do sitting down
- stand in front of your pupils
- explain before you begin
- tell them they can only move when you say ‘Simon says’
- tell them that if they move when do you do not say ‘Simon says’- they are out
- tell them that, when they are out, they have to sit and wait for the next game.
You can use other words instead of ‘Simon says’. You could use:
- ‘Teacher says’
- a pupil’s name – ‘Anna says’
- or other words such as Please.
VOCAROOS LESSON 4:
- 2A: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0Uey5MuRMpk
- 2B: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0404SvZs3bE
- 2C: https://vocaroo.com/i/s17MATGukXiG
- 2D: https://vocaroo.com/i/s04sYczhH2fI
- 2E: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0LD0Zhwt3aT
- 2F: https://vocaroo.com/i/s19wN6v5VuIi
- 2G: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0511I8xPv0b
- 2H: https://vocaroo.com/i/s11I2RU6ko4P
- 2I: https://vocaroo.com/i/s03tVGZNU39Y
- 2J: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0LQjzk4p3II
- 2K: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1wsqLcnX2lj
- 2L: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1mLHeZ8fSXR

15. LESSON 5: LISTEN AND MAKE
'Listening and making' involves children in a more creative process.
- The children have to make decisions.
- There is more time to think and comment.
- There are opportunities for co-operation between learners.
- The children have something to take home at the end of the class.
Listen and Colouring
Listen and colour Colouring is a very simple activity for language work with VYLs and YLs. Before
you begin, make sure that all children have colours, crayons, markers, coloured pencils orfelt
tipped pens.
LISTEN AND COLOUR
Let the children help you organizer and give out the materials for colouring.
Display all the children's work on a wall chart or on the walls.
Comment positively on each child's work as you take it and put it up on the Wall.
Use plain flashca rds for colouring children can use this set of cards later for word games.
Use drawings of animals, food, clothes which can later be cut out
Make the activity more challenging:
- give outtwo pictures,one of a girl and one ofa boy, and give two i nstructions at a
time
- give children alternatives,
- divide the class in two and give different instructions to each group. Later use these
pairs of different pictures for games
Listen and Draw
Children can draw by themselves without instructions. But your aim is to get them to listen to
some instructions in English.
LISTEN AND DRAW
Talk about things in them to the whole class.
Talk about things in them to the whole class.
- Put two up on the board and talk about the differences or ask the children to
spot the difference: How many differences canyoufind?
- Make up a story about what is happening or talk about what might happen
later: The cat míght eat the bírds.
After drawing let children compare pictures and then color them quietly.
Go round and talk tot hem in English as they colour, and comment on their work.

16. Drawing Games:
A drawing game helps everyone to work together and the children have to listen. Explain
everything clearly at the beginning.
DRAWING GAMES
- Make a wall chart of a monster house and let the children put their monsters
in different rooms.
- Get the children to draw or stick in cut out furniture. Use other fun topics
for drawing, such as witches, ghosts, or clowns.
After drawing monsters ask child ren to colour then.
Hold up a picture and describe the monster to the class.You could make this into a
Right or Wrong game
Listen and Make
There are many things that children can make in class, for example, they can make models out
of modelling clay, plasticine, play-dough, paper, or card.
They can make posters to go on a wall. And it is always fun making things for a special occasion.
Children love celebrations and festivals.
Think of all the occasions you can celebrate with children. Make a list of some things your pupils
could bring in to school to show you on some of these occasions.
- Personal events, e.g. birthdays, coming back to school after a holiday.
- Festivals and special days
o in your country
o in other countries
o in English speaking countries.
Use opportunities such as these to talk in English about the things children bring in. TelI the
children what happens during celebrations in other countries. Some of the days may be
celebrated in your country as well, but in a different way.
Making Cards
Making greeting cards In English-speaking countries people send cards on special days such as
Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, and on someone's birthday.

17. VOCAROOS LESSON 5:
- 3A: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1UJhSPZ3rLt
- 3B: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0zcqOhXPM9M
- 3C: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0Jq0wK3EFoW
- 3D: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1LegmN28uc7
- 3E: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0OBrk3JsJ8R
LESSON SIX: SPEAKING WITH SUPPORT
The focus on this unit is on pupil’s responding and beginning to speak some English.
We can support children when they are starting to speak English:
- by using English in the way we described as caretaker talk
- by encouraging all the efforts children make to speak English, no matter how small
- by listening carefully when they speak and not interrupting to correct small errors.
Using classroom phrases
Pupils respond to their teacher. They:
- ask you questions and tell you things they want you to know
- often repeat comments and requests
- can easily learn to repeat the set expression you use during their English lesson.
When children repeat set phrases it does not necessarily mean language acquisition is taking
place. But they are:
- getting used to saying English sounds
- practising the intonation pattern
- gaining confidence, especially if you praise them or show your approval in other ways.
It is best to introduce useful classroom phrases in the situations in which they are normally used.
Saying rhymes and singing songs to practise pronunciation, stress, and intonation
Children soon begin to repeat the words as they do the actions. They are speaking with the
teacher. This builds confidence and feeling of achievement. Children usually like singing and
performing, because it helps them feel at ease with English. They enjoy learning song and
rhymes they can sing or say to their parents at home.

18. Children often sing a song or say a chant or rhyme all together. However, when they are very
familiar with the rhymes, songs, and chants they can perform them by singing or saying
different parts in groups. This group performance is very useful with big classes. It helps
develop teamwork but ii still allows everyone to take part.Songs, rhymes and chants
- Start with very short rhymes or chants.
- Look for songs and chants that have
topics your children are learning about.
- Make sure the children generally
understand what they are saying – they
do not need to understand every word
but maybe the gist of the lines.
- Use songs and rhymes to play with
sounds: speaking softly – shouting
loudly.
- Use simple instruments to add to the
rhythm, such as tambourine, bell drum,
cymbal.
- Encourage your pupils to say them for
family and friends outside school
Practising new vocabulary
When children are listening to you they often repeat words and phrases naturally and
spontaneously. When you are introducing new vocabulary and learners want to speak, you can:
- encourage them to repeat the new items
- use pictures, sounds, and other senses, e.g. touch and feel materials, to support meaning
- use gestures, movement, and actions
- get children to colour pictures of the new things they can name
- repeat new words as often as possible and use them in context.
All of these methods will help your pupils become familiar with new vocabulary.
Just like children learning their first language, they can practise and play with new sounds.
Teaching new vocabulary
- Make class displays of pictures and
other memory aids to support new
vocabulary.
- Prepare to teach new words and
phrases in a meaningful way by linking
with a topic they are familiar with.
Playing vocabulary games
Guessing games and memory games are useful to help children become familiar with new
vocabulary in an enjoyable way. When you show children what to do and at the same time give
instructions for games in English, they are listening to you with a real purpose – to find out how
to play. They are also absorbing new vocabulary and intonation patterns.
Other games that require just a few set expressions plus a few other words are:
 Finding pairs: a memory game where children have to pick up two cards with the same
picture or word. (The cards are spread out face-down.)

19.  Shopping games: children act the parts of shop assistants and customers in different kinds
of shops to practise different vocabulary. +
 Happy families: a card game: players in groups of three or four have to collect four cards
from each other from the same 'family' or topic.
Vocabulary games
- Show children how to play the game and
give instructions in English while you are
doing this.
- Use lots of different games but use the
same vocabulary to help children
become familiar with it.
- New words and phrases need to be
used a lot after you have introduced
them so that children learn to use them
actively.
Practising pronunciation of new sounds
Children acquire pronunciation and intonation naturally by listening to you. When you talk they
absorb the sound of the language. But this does not mean that they will produce perfect words or
phrases when they begin to speak in English. They need:
- to try out the sounds
- to play with sounds
- your help and praise all the time.
Young children naturally like playing with language. They can mimic new sounds more easily than
older learners. When you praise their efforts you are motivating them to try again.
You can play games to encourage them to practise the sounds of English.
Vocabulary games
- In the classroom:
 you can arrange pictures of words
with the same sound together: blue
– shoe – two
 if the children can read, add the
written word underneath
 use actions to help the children
remember the face movement that
produces the sound: Stretch your
arms for wide mouth sounds.
- Use other expressions when you are
playing the game ‘I spy’.
I can hear with my little ear… I can
remember…
- You can use this little activity at any time
and for one or two words to remind
children of sounds and vocabulary.

20. REFLECTION:
Once the term is finished and I can analyze the set of contents covered in each subject,
I am ready to make a brief reflection on each one of them and what they have contributed
to me.
- Oral Communication in Early Language Learning Environment:
o In this subject we have worked on the methodology to follow in order to
get children to acquire a series of skills and knowledge that allows
children to have an oral communication in a language different from the
mother tongue.
o Among these skills and knowledge, we can highlight the importance of
phonetics and phonology, the phoneme system, phonological units,
spelling and grammar.
o In my opinion I think that the study of all these sub-sections of the subject,
has allowed me to acquire a new way of dealing with the teaching of a
foreign language, always remembering the importance of making children
participate, making them like learning another language and create an
optimal environment so that they feel safe to express themselves in it. Is
important to remark the use of different digital tools to make it motivating
for them, because the visual support is one of the main things to create
new knowledge.
- Literature and literacy in Early English Language Education:
o In this subject we have worked, year by year, with different stories to
acquire the objectives from each age. Starting with easy objectives like
recognize noun and verbs, adjectives, pronouns… and finally being able
to redact our own ideas for some questions.
o We have to make the children capable to express their own thinks and
this subject is really important to develop the communicative skills of
them.
o In my opinion, I have learned many things with this subject, such as being
patient with the rhythm of the children. The importance of choosing an
appropriate history for the course in which we are working will allow us to
advance by creating a base that in the following years will be of great help.
We must not forget that the use of new technologies gives us unique
opportunities to work on the objectives we want and will allow children to
begin to be self-sufficient to carry out the activities we propose.

21. Link of my blog: https://learntoteach247.wordpress.com/