Permitting Ss to confer and compare answers while completing an exercise encourages an open atmosphere where Ss readily consult one another. Although you may hear some whispered use of L1 , you can quickly bring that back under control when discussing the answers as a class.
Before allowing Ss to complete an exercise, always demonstrate how, even doing the first few together as a class. Remember, the exercises are not to test the students...exercises are to help them practice the vocabulary and grammar structures that have just been introduced.
Remember, these are exercises, not exams. Repeat the audio as you see fit. Ss are training their ears. NOTE: For all listening exercises, write the answers on the board so Ss can visually check their work. If Ss don’t agree with the answers, play the audio again to confirm.
For larger classes, you may need to divide into smaller groups for certain activities. NOTE: Before grouping the Ss, while you still have their attention, model the activity. When you are confident that Ss understand the instructions, divide them into groups.
New Ss are often tempted to copy vocabulary and then write a translation next to it. Do not permit this! Clear your voice, stamp your foot, pretend to rip that page out of their notebooks! Instead, teach Ss to draw a small picture to jog their memory.
When writing materials on the board, give Ss enough time to copy in their notebooks. Ss may be tempted to simply use their cell phone to take a photo of the board, but writing the material actually helps them impress the language on the brain.
Never assume that because you introduced something last class or even before break, that Ss will remember. Do not reprimand Ss for not remembering; simply review or re-teach the material in another format before starting the exercise.
Remember, these are exercises, not exams. Repeat the audio as you see fit. Ss are training their ears. NOTE: For all listening exercises, write the answers on the board so Ss can visually check their work. If Ss don’t agree with the answers, play the audio again to confirm.
Stop and repeat the audio as you feel necessary. Ss are training their ears! When finished, play the audio once through without stopping so Ss can check their work. Then write the answers on the board for confirmation.
The alphabet is not something Ss normally learn quickly. Do NOT be fooled by the fact that Ss can sing the alphabet as a class. Individually, Ss have a lot of difficulty identifying letters. Ideally, the alphabet should be practiced for a few moments every class. By Unit 12, each St should be able to spell without hesitating.
Playing upbeat background music during an activity where Ss must mingle and speak helps nervous, self-conscious Ss, by giving the classroom a party atmosphere.
Stop and repeat the audio as you feel necessary. Ss are training their ears! When finished, play the audio once through without stopping so Ss can check their work. Then write the answers on the board for confirmation.
Class is always more fun with props. A prop is any visual aid that you bring into the classroom, whether it be flashcards, posters, or realia. Bring a toy animal (or some other age-appropriate object) to demonstrate the prepositions. When teaching items of clothing, bring baby clothes or Barbie clothes to pull out of your bag. It adds a level of interest to your class, and Ss appreciate the extra effort.
Whenever possible, ask Ss to answer in complete ideas, not just a single word. By constant repetition of complete ideas, Ss distinguish and reinforce speech patterns. Take advantage of exercises in the book, asking Ss to read aloud, not just their answer, but the complete sentence.
Class is always more fun with props. Props are any visual aid that you bring into the classroom, whether it be flashcards, posters, or realia.
Bring a toy animal (or some other age-appropriate object) to demonstrate the prepositions. When teaching items of clothing, bring baby clothes or Barbie clothes to pull out of your bag. It adds a level of interest to your class, and students appreciate the extra effort.
Do not permit Ss to interrupt the audio. However, YOU may stop or repeat the audio as you feel necessary. When finished, play the audio once through completely (without stopping) so that Ss can check their work. Then write the answers on the board in order to confirm.
Wordy explanations at this point are futile! Demonstrate and make visual notes on the board! Always give Ss time to copy your notes from the board. Although the same information is in the book, taking notes helps Ss retain the information.
Discussing all the answers to an exercise before allowing Ss to write is a way to check if Ss really did understand the explanation. As you walk around looking at their books, you will quickly notice which students need more help.
You or the audio should establish correct pronunciation, then a St can try. Never permit a beginner to modal a conversation or a reading. It can result in reinforcing bad pronunciation.
For all listening exercises, make sure that the answers are later written for Ss to see. Never simply discuss the answers. If a St misunderstood the audio, he will still like misunderstand it when the class discusses it!
Wordy explanations at this point are futile! Demonstrate and make visual notes on the board! Always give Ss time to copy your notes from the board. Although the same information is in the book, taking notes helps Ss retain the information.
For all listening exercises, make sure that the answers are later written for Ss to see. Never simply discuss the answers. If a St misunderstood the audio, he will likely still misunderstand it when the class discusses it!
Many Ss can sing the alphabet, and chant the days of the week, and the months of the year. Don't be fooled. Having Ss read the alphabet, days, and months out of order is helpful to ensure that they can actually produce them and haven't just memorized the sequence of sounds.
Letting Ss predict the words of a conversation, and then listening to the audio in order to confirm, gives Ss a sense of accomplishment.
Long explanations are not effective! Showing sample sentences and pointing out simple charts on the board can be much clearer than a long English discussion.
Do not permit Ss to interrupt the audio. However, YOU may stop or repeat the audio as you feel necessary. When finished, play the audio once through completely (without stopping) so Ss can check their work. Then write the answers on the board in order to confirm.
Long explanations are not effective! Showing sample sentences and pointing out simple charts on the board can be much clearer than a long English discussion.
In many cultures, it is not appropriate to ask someone's age. If your Ss are relatively young, they won't mind offering their ages, but avoid asking an adult woman "How old are you?". If you need additional practice, give Ss individual slips of paper with another identity...a name and an age. You can ask the questions, and Ss enjoy responding with their alter identity.
Due to time constraints, you won't be able to correct every exercise yourself. But try to take the time to pick up a few random books and correct them in order to see if Ss really do understand the material, or if you should re-teach that material on another day.
Never assume that because you introduced something last class or even before break, that Ss will remember. Do not reprimand Ss for not remembering; simply review or re-teach the material in another format before starting the exercise.
For all listening exercises, make sure that the answers are later written for Ss to see. Never simply discuss the answers. If a St misunderstood the audio, he will likely still misunderstand it when the class discusses it!
For all listening exercises, make sure that the answers are later written for Ss to see. Never simply discuss the answers. If a St misunderstood the audio, he will likely still misunderstand it when the class discusses it!
Be sensitive to Ss' feelings. Do not point out Ss as examples of adjectives such as old, young, short, tall, fat, thin, ugly, big, or little. Avoid touching when teaching body parts or clothes vocabulary.
Discussing all the answers to an exercise before allowing Ss to write is a way to check if Ss really did understand the explanation. As you walk around looking at their books, you will quickly notice which students need more help.
Discussing all the answers to an exercise before allowing Ss to write is a way to check if Ss really did understand the explanation. If a St still has it incorrect after having discussed the answers, you know exactly who needs more help, or if the class as a whole needs to continue practicing this material.
When pre-teaching, insist on all Ss' complete attention. Make Ss close their books. Model many examples on the board. Always give ample time to copy or make notes immediately afterward.
For better time management, avoid repeating the instructions several times. Insist that everyone puts down their pencils and pays attention. To avoid confusion, do the first one or two together as a class. These are exercises, not exams.
Realia is a term for real life objects that students can touch, feel, and even smell. Realia saves time, as recognition of an object is immediate and no explanation is needed. Real objects make the learning experience more memorable.
Teach Ss a life skill! Although Ss can’t understand every word they hear, they should attempt to form a mental picture with the words that they can pick out. This is an important skill any language-learner needs to develop!
You or the audio should establish correct pronunciation, then a St can try. Never permit a beginner to model a conversation or a reading. It can result in reinforcing bad pronunciation.
Some Ss love to blurt out answers, not giving other Ss the time to think for themselves. Curb this during class discussion by calling only on those Ss who raise their hand. During listening exercises, insist that Ss remain silent until reviewing the answers at the end.
Ss are more likely to participate orally if you innocently leave an example of the new grammar structure on the board. Even quiet Ss are willing to participate because they know where to look for a reference if they get 'stuck'.
Be sensitive to Ss’ feelings. Do not point out Ss as examples of adjectives such as old, young, short, tall, fat, thin, ugly, big, or little. Avoid touching when teaching body parts or clothes vocabulary.
Don't underestimate the importance of the audio. Ss need to develop the skill of listening for relevant information, or at least picking out words, in order to follow a conversation. They need to learn to not get hung up on trying to understand every word.
Never assume that because you introduced something last class or even before break, that Ss will remember. Do not reprimand Ss for not remembering; simply review or re-teach the material in another format before starting the exercise.
For all listening exercises, make sure that the answers are later written for Ss to see. Never simply discuss the answers. If a St misunderstood the audio, he will likely still misunderstand it when the class discusses it!
You or the audio should establish correct pronunciation, then a St can try. Never permit a beginner to model a conversation or a reading. It can result in reinforcing bad pronunciation.
The alphabet is not something Ss normally learn quickly. Do NOT be fooled by the fact that Ss can sing the alphabet as a class. Individually, Ss have a lot of difficulty identifying letters. Ideally, the alphabet should be practiced for a few moments every class. By Unit 12, each St should be able to spell without hesitating.
From the first days of class, establish some hand signals or gestures. For example, show you want a contraction by moving your hands together indicating they should put the words together. Or show you want a complete sentence by moving your hands further apart indicating that they should expand. If they answer a simple Yes or No, hold up three fingers indicating that they should continue with word 2 and 3 for short answers.
Never assume that because you introduced something last class or even before break, that Ss will remember. Do not reprimand Ss for not remembering; simply review or re-teach the material in another format before starting the exercise.
Drilling is basically a term referring to repeating until it can be done automatically..and it works. But it can become monotonous, so don't just listen and repeat as a class. Point out random students, or indicate that only one row, or only the boys should chant back. Ask them to yell it or whisper it. This keeps all Ss on their toes in case they are called upon.
Realia is a term for real life objects that students can touch, feel, and even smell. Realia saves time, as recognition of an object is immediate and no explanation is needed. Real objects make the learning experience more memorable.
For some reason (unknown to even the most experienced of teachers) students tend to charge ahead to complete an exercise without looking at the example provided for them. Try to teach Ss the inherit benefits of reading all the instructions carefully. This skill will help them immensely in all aspects of life.
Don’t frustrate your Ss by erasing the board before they have had time to take notes! If it was worthy of writing on the board, it is worthy of copying in their notebooks! Copying will reinforce it in their minds (or at least they'll know where to find it in their notebooks when they want to study it).
Beginners need to see answers written on the board, to confirm their answers visually, because they are still training their ears. However, due to limited class time, it isn't always reasonable to write all answers on the board. For exercises that have simple choices, write the options on the board. Then Ss can read their answers to you for practice (as you point to the answer on the board).
When completing written exercises, many times you have fast-finishers (Ss who finish quickly and then distract others). Scan their work, and simply indicate how many mistakes were made but not what they are. This will encourage them to go back and self-correct. If a St really cannot find his mistakes, have him refer to that part in the book, or confer with another student. This will create an atmosphere of student responsibility, as they learn to self-correct, and not rely solely on the teacher.
Be sensitive to Ss'feelings. Do not point out Ss as examples of adjectives such as old, young, short, tall, fat, thin, ugly, big, or little. Avoid touching a student when teaching body parts or clothes vocabulary.
Although some classes are very large, an experienced teacher will attempt to personally mark some exercises so as to see what percentage of the class truly understands. Upon finding common errors, you know if it is necessary to go back and re-teach or clarify in another way, or to get extra help for a St.
For better time management, avoid repeating the instructions several times. Insist that everyone puts down their pencils and pays attention. To avoid confusion, do the first one or two together as a class. These are exercises, not exams.
At this level, it is not necessary to focus on the names of tenses and other grammar structures. For example, instead of teaching about how to form the 'present continuous', show them how they can talk about action at this moment. The focus should always be on helping them communicate, not so much on the grammar jargon.
For some reason (unknown to even the most experienced of teachers) students tend to charge ahead to complete an exercise without looking at the example provided for them. Try to teach Ss the inherit benefits of reading all the instructions carefully. This skill will help them immensely in all aspects of life.
For better time management, avoid repeating the instructions several times. Insist that everyone puts down their pencils and pays attention. To avoid confusion, do the first one or two together as a class. These are exercises, not exams.
Be sensitive. Don't embarrass a beginner by pointing out his bad pronunciation. Simply wait until the end of the exercise and review all common problematic words.
However, in time, your class will develop a comradery, and won't mind being corrected because they feel safe to make mistakes in front of their classmates.
A beginner flourishes when he actually has something to share with the class. Don't always call on the students with the waving arm. If you know that a shy, quiet St has the correct answer, call on him. It will boost his confidence to continue participating.
Don't underestimate the importance of the audio. Ss need to develop the skill of listening for relevant information, or at least picking out words, in order to follow a conversation. They need to learn to not get hung up on trying to understand every word.
Never assume that because you introduced something last class or even before break, that Ss will remember. Do not reprimand Ss for not remembering; simply review or re-teach the material in another format before starting the exercise.
Never reprimand a St for not remembering something that was discussed in a previous class. The words "But we talked about that last class." or "Did you already forget?" should never come from a teacher's mouth.
Letting Ss predict the words of a conversation, and then listening to the audio in order to confirm, gives Ss a sense of accomplishment.
Ss are more likely to participate orally if you innocently leave an example of the new grammar structure on the board. Even quiet Ss are willing to participate because they know where to look for a reference if they get 'stuck'.
When Ss take turns writing answers on the board, don't jump on every error. Wait until all answers are on the board, and Ss are seated, before asking the class if they see any errors. This way a St doesn't feel embarrassed, and it encourages a learning atmosphere, where students help one another arrive at the correct answer.
Some Ss love to blurt out answers, not giving other Ss the time to think for themselves. Curb this during class discussion by calling only on those Ss who raise their hand. During listening exercises, insist that Ss remain silent until reviewing the answers at the end.
Letting Ss predict the words of a conversation, and then listening to the audio in order to confirm, gives Ss a sense of accomplishment.
For better time management, avoid repeating the instructions several times. Insist that everyone puts down their pencils and pays attention. To avoid confusion, do the first one or two together as a class. These are exercises, not exams.
Wordy explanations at this point are futile! Demonstrate and make visual notes on the board! Always give Ss time to copy your notes from the board. Although the same information is in the book, taking notes helps Ss retain the information.
Due to time constraints, you won't be able to correct every exercise yourself. But try to take the time to pick up a few random books and correct them in order to see if Ss really do understand the material, or if you should re-teach that material on another day.
Save time! Make instructions clear to the entire class before beginning. Otherwise, you will exhaust yourself explaining and re-explaining to one St at a time!
Because of limited class time, have Ss read aloud the completed sentences for practice, but write only the missing words for the visual learners to check their work.
Because of limited class time, have Ss read aloud the completed sentences for practice, but write only the missing words for the visual learners to check their work.
Be sensitive to Ss’ feelings. Do not point out Ss as examples of adjectives such as old, young, short, tall, fat, thin, ugly, big, or little. Avoid touching when teaching body parts or clothes vocabulary.
Do not permit Ss to interrupt the audio. However, YOU may stop or repeat the audio as you feel necessary. When finished, play the audio once through completely (without stopping) so Ss can check their work. Then write the answers on the board in order to confirm.
Don’t frustrate your Ss by erasing the board before they have had time to take notes! If it was worthy of writing on the board, it is worthy of copying in their notebooks! Copying will reinforce it in their minds (or at least they'll know where to find it in their notebooks when they want to study it).
Some Ss love to blurt out answers, not giving other Ss the time to think for themselves. Curb this during class discussion by calling only on those Ss who raise their hand. During listening exercises, insist that Ss remain silent until reviewing the answers at the end.
Don't underestimate the importance of the audio. Ss need to develop the skill of listening for relevant information, or at least picking out words, in order to follow a conversation. They need to learn to not get hung up on trying to understand every word.
Before allowing Ss to complete an exercise, always demonstrate how, even doing the first few together as a class. Remember, the exercises are not to test the students...exercises are to help them practice the vocabulary and grammar structures that have just been introduced.
Because of limited class time, have Ss read aloud the completed sentences for practice, but write only the missing words so that the visual learners can check their work.
You or the audio should establish correct pronunciation, then a St can try. Never permit a beginner to model a conversation or a reading. It can result in reinforcing bad pronunciation.
Never assume that because you introduced something last class or even before break, that Ss will remember. Do not reprimand Ss for not remembering; simply review or re-teach the material in another format before starting the exercise.
Discussing all the answers to an exercise before allowing Ss to write is a way to check if Ss really did understand the explanation. If a St still has it incorrect after having discussed the answers, you know exactly who needs more help, or if the class as a whole needs to continue practicing this material.
Although some classes are very large, an experienced teacher will attempt to personally mark some exercises so as to see what percentage of the class truly understands. Upon finding common errors, you know if it is necessary to go back and re-teach or clarify in another way, or get extra help for a St.