Choice English

Resource book

Language activities for young learners

About this document The activities in this booklet are suggestions only. You can use as many or as little as you feel like using. You are encouraged to change or adapt them to suit the class you are teaching. The activities are not simply 'fun fillers', and should be used to teach specific language points to the students. They have been written with beginner level young learners in mind. At the time of writing, all resources mentioned in this booklet are available at the Choice centre. lease take care of the resources and return them to where they belong when you are finished. Tips on using these activities !ive introductions in "nglish only. This gives the students the chance to practice listening. Then demonstrate the activity using strong students to help you. #nvolve the students in setting up activities. This means there's less downtime, and gives the students have something to do rather than having them sitting idle. #nvolve all students in the activities. $on't allow students to hide from playing a role in them, as this prevents them from practicing the language. %imilarly, don't allow strong students to dominate. "veryone should play an e&ual role with tasks shared evenly in the activities. #n team games, arrange students into teams of similar ability. $on't allow a team to be too weak or too strong. 'any of these activities involve a lot of movement from the students. $on't have two activities in a row where the students move a lot, otherwise the students will be too eccentric. (ave a peaceful activity between each active one. )eep activities short. Young children have short attention spans and so lose interest easily. 'ake the activities competitive where possible by keeping scores. This creates student interest in the activities. (ave a strict classroom management system in place which penalises teams or the whole class when students disrupt activities.

C(*#C" Cambodia + Language activities for young learners

Swat (Time: 10 mins -irst teach students some new words .or revise old ones/. 0se blu+tack to put the picture of each word on the board. The teacher says one of the words. %tudents, in teams, race to hit the circle below each picture with their swatter. The students must also say the word as they hit it. The teacher keeps the score. To make it more challenging, add numbers to each of the pictures. %ay the number of the picture. %tudents race to hit the circle again and say the word .not the number/. !ine race (Time: 10"1# mins -irst teach students some new words .or revise old ones/. ut the pictures on the ground in a line. %plit the class into two teams. !ive each person a number. (ave them stand behind their number. %ay the word. 1ait a few seconds for the students to all think. Then say the number. The students hop to the picture and say the word. 2epeat so that everyone gets tested at least twice. -or e3ample4 Teacher4 56lue.7 .,8 second wait/ 59umber :.7 Two students4 .(op to the picture/ 56lue;7

To make the activity more challenging, add an alphabet card to each of the pictures. 9ow say the letter and then say the students' number.

C(*#C" Cambodia + Language activities for young learners

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-or e3ample4 Teacher4 5$.7 .,8 second wait/ 59umber ,.7 Two students4 .(op to the picture/ 5!reen;7

$onk (10"1# mins This activity is good for revision. Choose pictures that the students have learned already. %it the students on their stools, in a big circle, all facing the centre. Choose one student to be your helper. !ive the other students one picture each. Tell them to hold their pictures so everyone can see them. !ive your helper a stick .one that's not very hard/. Choose another student to say a word from one of the pictures. The student with the sticks races to hit the shoulder of the student with that picture. The student with that picture has to say the word of another picture before being hit. #f not, that student has to stand up and take the stick. 9ote that for a class of ,=, you'll need ,: pictures that the students know already to do this activity. Sumo (10"1# mins Choose some pictures that have been studied recently. Clear plenty of space in the middle of the classroom. %tand two students facing each other. ut a picture behind the back of the two students. $on't let either one see the other's picture. The students bow and then try to see the picture behind the other student's back. The first student to call out their opponent's picture is the winner. The winner stays and plays against the ne3t student.
C(*#C" Cambodia + Language activities for young learners >

%ice (&0"'# mins This activity is useful for revision. 6efore class, prepare at least ,: &uestions for the students based on what they have learned before. $ivide the class into four teams. Let each group choose their team name. !ive each team some scrap paper to write on. Ask the students the first &uestion. (ave each group write the answer on their paper. !o around and check their answers. The correct teams get to role the dice. Award points based on their dice numbers rolled. -or e3ample4 ,4 ?, <4 ?< >4 +> @4 back to Aero :4 swap scores with another team =4 ?= Continue by asking the other &uestions. 'ake sure that students share the responsibility of writing within their groups. (ord card game (10 mins This helps the students with the written form of the new words. ut the pictures of the new words on the floor at one end of the classroom. ut three sets of word cards in separate piles at the other end. $ivide the class into three teams. *ne student from each team stands in front of the pictures, facing the faraway word cards. %ay a word. The students run, grab the word, and put it under the correct picture. 2epeat so that all students get to play at least twice. Spelling game (10"&0 mins This helps the students with spelling new words. ut the alphabet cards on the ground at the end of the room. $ivide the class into three or four teams. Line them up in their team at the other end of the room. %ay a word. The students race to spell the word with alphabet cards. "ach student takes Bust one letter. Then the ne3t student in line takes the ne3t, and so on, until the word is spelled. 1ait until all teams have finished before moving to the ne3t word. !ive points to all correct teams, and e3tra points to the fastest ones. 9ormally, the teacher will have the words on the whiteboard from the beginning, to help the students. True)*alse buckets (10"1# mins This is a good revision activity. %it the students on their stools in a semi+circle. $ivide the students into si3 teams, with each team having a different coloured ball. ut two buckets three metres from the students, a 'true' bucket and a 'false' bucket. "3ample activity4 %how a picture of a doll to the students. %ay 5#t's a doll.7 Choose the first team to throw their ball. Then the ne3t team. And so on. The teams who get their ball into the 'true' bucket get points. 'ake sure the throwing of the ball is shared evenly in the team. 2epeat with other pictures and words. #nclude false statements, e.g. show a kite and say 5#t's a plane.7 for the students to aim at the false bucket. +ump the line (1&"1# mins This is good for testing students on a language point where there is a choice of two answers. -or e3ample4 'a' or 'an', singular or plural, or, true or false.

C(*#C" Cambodia + Language activities for young learners

"3ample activity4 After teaching the students the language point 'a' or 'an', line them up in one line, with the tallest at the back and the shortest to the front. 1hen you say a word that take 'a' the students Bump to their left. 1hen you say a word that takes 'an', the students Bump to the right. To make the activity competitive, students who Bump the wrong way, or Bump the slowest have to sit the down. The winner is the last remaining student. 2epeat one or two more times. (hisper race (10 mins This activities tests students on their ability to write and spell words. Line the students up in three rows, all facing the whiteboard. Leave a marker and board eraser at the front of each line. %it far from the students. #nvite the student at the back of each line to come to you. 1hisper a word to them. These each run to their team's line and whisper the word to the student at the back of their line. This student, in turn, whispers the same word to the ne3t student. And so on, until it gets to the student at the front. The student at the front goes to the board and writes the word. Cambodian learners tend to find the alphabet difficult so the words may need to be on the board to help weaker students. "ven if they have to copy them, it's still practice. ,ronunciation)checking understanding (#"10 mins The students only repeat the word when it matches the picture you show. -or e3ample, show a picture of cat and say 'cat'. The students repeat the word. 9e3t, show a picture of an elephant and say 'monkey'. The students should stay silent because they don't match. Continue with other words and pictures. ,ronunciation drilling variations The students repeat the words very loudly andCor very softly. The students repeat phrases &uickly .native speakers often use so it's good practice/.

C(*#C" Cambodia + Language activities for young learners