1. Acquisition of a
foreign language.
Rubén Borreguero Ortíz.
Procesos y Recursos para la Ens-Apr de una L.E. en E.P.
Grado en Educación Primaria, mención de L.E. (Inglés)
Universidad de granada. Campus de Ceuta.

2. What is acquisition?
Acquisition (mother tongue)
• When comprehension of real messages occurs.
• Does not require extensive use of conscious
grammar rules
Learning (foreign language)
• Conscious learning of grammar rules
• Long lists of vocabulary
Unconscious
process
Conscious
process

3. What is acquisition?

Acquisition implies to learn a foreign language as we acquire our
mother tongue.

It implies to think in the language you are acquiring.
Silla
This is
Silla Chair
ACQUISITION

4. 4 basic SKILLS
Writing
Reading
Speaking
Listening
comprehension

5. Silent Period
Why is good a S.P. at the
beginning?

Listening skills appear before
than speaking skills.
We must supply comprehensible input, in low pressure context, with
messages they really want to hear; messages close to their real life
situations.
We do not have to force them to speak the F.L., but we must give them
the possibility to do it, the possibility to produce when they feel ready.

6. The input.

Apart from being comprehensible, it must be one step over the learner’s
ability.

We acquire when we understand messages with structures which are a little
beyond where we are in that moment.

7. The oral-input
It must be:
Importance of Phonetics and the
development of a clear
pronunciation in Teacher Training.

Slower;

more carefully articulated;

with common vocabulary, less slang vocabulary;

and shorter sentences .
It allows pupils to distinguish
sounds, stress, rhythm and
intonation patterns

8. Listening
We can start from the very beginning with:

Greetings.
–
–
–
–

Good morning.
Hello, hi.
Goodbye, see you later, see you.
…
Commands.
–
–
–
–
–
Open/close the door/window.
Pick up your pen/pencil/rubber… / Pass me your…
Be quiet.
Do your homework
…

Simple questions.
–
–
–
–
Who is missing today?
How are you?
What is your name?
Did you do your homework?

9. Listening

It mustn’t be a passive activity for our pupils.
Teacher giving
directions
(Hide and seek)
• Pupils listen to the teacher.
• Pupils act.
• With no necessity to produce
any oral messages.
•When we make us of listening activities, if there are 2 or more speakers, the
voices must be totally different.
•Visual support always needed in early listening exercises in order to create a
context and assist the listening effort.

10. Speaking
Activities:
 Role-plays.

Describing pictures, situations, etc.

Singing songs.

Greetings, daily expressions, commands…

…
Though the F.L. is the goal, the use of the mother
tongue is good as a helping hand to maintain
motivation when they get lost .
The communication is broken when they don’t
understand.

11. Reading

Storytelling.

Real texts. We have to adapt them if it is necessary.

To hang posters with vocabulary in the classroom,
with classroom rules.

12. Reading aloud.
• 5 things to never say to a beginner reader.
• DON’T SAY: Stop. Re-read this line correctly. Do. Not. Interrupt. Your. Child’s.
Reading.
•DON’T SAY: Come on, speed up–you have to read a little faster! OR Slow down–
you’re zipping through this!!
•DON’T: Laugh at mistakes.
•DON’T SAY:You know this. . .
•DON’T SAY:You’re wrong. That says [ . . .]
LINK
CLICK
HERE!!

13. Writing

Easy and short writings.

To write poster for the classroom.

Use of post-it’s.

Describing images, situations, daily situations.

To write the Three Wise Men letter in English.

To write their birthday cards.

14. Bibliography
•Madrid, Daniel & McLaren, Neil. TEFL in Primary Education. Granada. 2004. Manuales
Mayor Editorial.
•http://teachmama.com/learning-during-read-alouds-5-things-never-to-say-toemerging-readers/ (last visited January the 24th)
•http://www.sdkrashen.com/content/books/principles_and_practice.pdf ( last visited
January the 15th)
•http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/language_stages.php (last visited January
the 15th.)