Unit 3: Contextualized Language Teaching

Contextualization is putting language items into a meaningful and real context. This suggests that
teaching English to young learners should be carried out with the use of contextualized language
instruction. Contextualizing instruction is critically important to make language learning
meaningful for young learners and to motivate them to learn and use English. It is important to
link language with actions such as pictures, gestures, role plays, games, or finger plays.
Contextualizing instruction in classroom can be applied by: bright and lively posters or pictures
related to the theme of lesson; displays of childrens drawings, stories, or other work; storytelling
corner - where children can sit and listening while the teacher tells or reads a story
Well-chosen themes are the basic of effective contextualization where the focus is on something
of interest, rather than the language itself. Teacher should encourage learners to use the language,
to use the knowledge and bring into a classroom what they already know. Also, teacher should
provide a context for creative thinking, purpose for learning and communicating, and provide
real reasons for children to use English. Thematic unites can be any topic connected with
childrens learning and experiences. Over time, teacher get sense what themes are most
interesting to young children.
Thematic unites which are interesting for young learners are topics about weather, holidays,
culture, etc. The themes should be relevant to childrens lives as student, family members and
community members. Units should provide opportunities for children to apply what they have
learned, to provide a practice and thinking skills. In developing thematic units, it is possible to
choose a theme and then develop the unit or to choose a text and indentify the thematic forms.
Teacher can present topics or units to young learners through games, projects, songs, stories
Young learners in Serbia are not very different from the other young people all over the world.
They have similar interests: animals, cartoons, weather, holidays, culture, storytelling It is very
important to choose the topic relevant to their lives, so they can adopt it personally.
Storytelling is a fun and authentic approach. Children will learn new language as well as having
enjoyable listening practice. The main purpose of storytelling is to develop critical thinking
skills, ability to analyze facts, generate and organize ideas. Storytelling also helps children to
learn and practice defending opinions, making comparisons, evaluating arguments, and solving
problems.
Storytelling is most beneficial for young learners of English for those reasons:
It is a authentic from communication;
It introduces new cultures to children;
It teaches young learners in an entertaining way;
It helps develop critical thinking skill.
Stories can help develop positive attitudes to language learning because they are motivating,
challenging and fun. They, also encourage creativity through identification with the characters
and interpretation of the narrative. Stories develop imagination and promote social and emotional
development through storytelling as a social experience. Stories expose children to rich language
and offer opportunities for introducing and revising vocabulary, structures and functions. It links
English to cross-curricular themes.
Storytelling is not limited only to the book. Teacher can tell the story without the book,
using other visuals, costumes and drama in order to make the story come alive for the children.
Moreover, of course, teachers should prepare themselves for the good reading or telling the
stories. Teacher needs to plan and make some activities for children. Those activities are to keep
children active, engaged in class at every stage of the storytelling and encourage learners to
practice using the new language. There are activities for use before, during and after the
storytelling.
References:

Shin, J. K. & Crandall, J. (2014). Teaching Young Learners English: From Theory to Practice.
Boston: Heinle ETL, Cengage Learning