Emma Nyman

15-10-22

Individual assignment
Prepositions are short words like in, over and of that do not have much meaning when
standing alone. But if you put them in front of a noun or a pronoun they create a preposition phrase.
This is a very useful structure to know as it opens up a whole new chapter of communication;
describing where, when and how things are. (Svartvik, 2010, p.223)
I have chosen to focus on basic prepositions of place, because I believe it is an easy, concrete and
useful structure for them. It will be introduced in the third grade, with three activities on different
days that together will take forty minutes. Since interactive communication is proven to be much
more effective than one-way communication, I have picked activities that acknowledge that. My
goal with these activities is for the children to acquire basic preposition knowledge and get
comfortable using them. (Sandstrm, 2011, p.23)
The first activity will be a short introduction in the whole class. The teacher starts with reviewing
basic vocabulary that will be used (pen, desk, etc.). This is done by holding up or pointing at the
object and asking for the right word. The prepositions will then be presented with a natural
approach (Sundh, seminar). The teacher will illustrate the prepositions one at a time and let the
children guess what it means in Swedish. He or she will give several examples and move
accordingly, also using the children as reference. I am next to Sally. Now I am next to the
window. After several examples and a correct answer from the class, the preposition is written on
the board. (Arntsen, 2015)
The second activity is a game called Where is the mascot?. The children are asked to close their
eyes so they don't peek, and the teacher then hides the mascot (a toy or a stuffed animal for
example) somewhere in the classroom. Then the children get to ask where it is. To simplify, the
teacher has written the sentence structure is it... and then the different prepositions on the board.
You could also let one or two pupils go out and then the whole class hide the mascot, and the ones
who went out get to ask. (Sundh, seminar)
In my final activity, I have chosen the classic game Simon says. The teacher says a statement, and
if it begins with Simon says everyone should do it. Though, if the teacher doesn't begin with
Simon says, it should not be obeyed. (Bertrand, 2015)

When doing oral activities in a full class it is easy for the shyer, more quiet pupils to disappear
behind their more confident and loud classmates. This is not something that can be fixed right away,
but takes a long time and should always be in the teacher's mind. As Sandstrm (2011, p.45) says, it
is important for the teacher to create a safe learning environment that encourages everyone to speak,
even if they might make mistakes. One way to make more pupils talk is to simply let everyone have
their turn, and to clarify that it is okay to pass the question if they feel insecure.
Another problem could be that the knowledge difference between pupils could be very big. Some
children might be bored if the Simon says-statements are too simple, while others struggle. This
could easily be taken care of by dividing the class into groups. If this is done, it is important that the
children think the groups are randomly made.
Some structures are easier to learn through games than worksheets, and I believe prepositions are
one of those. Hopefully the children will enjoy these activities and have a positive experience with
prepositions of place.
References
Arntsen, Tara (taken on 2015-10-22) http://busyteacher.org/3630-how-to-teach-prepositions-ofplace.html
Bertrand, Jo, (taken on 2015-10-22) http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/where-are-youprepositions-place
Sandstrom, Karyn (2011) Kidworthy Works. Studentlitteratur, Lund.
Svartvik, J. & Sager, O. (2010) Modern engelsk grammatik. Liber, Stockholm.
Sundh, Stellan (2015-09-10) Young learners: listening and understanding. Seminar.