Teaching English to Pre-School Children and Children in a Primary School

     In the intermediate stage reading becomes more important in language learning. The teacher develops pupils’ skills and habits in oral reading. Individual and reading in chorus following the pattern should be used. Among the special exercises designed to teach reading, structural-information and semantic-communicative exercises should prevail. Much attention should be given to the development of pupils’ skills in silent reading both during the class period and at home. Pupils should be taught to read texts containing various difficulties. The teacher instructs them how to work at the text, how to consult the vocabulary list at the end of the textbook and the dictionary, how to use explanatory notes to the text.

     Writing is used both as a means of learning vocabulary and grammar and as a means of testing pupils’ achievements in language learning. In this stage writing plays a great role in language learning; pupils perform many exercises in written form, including those which develop their skills in arranging and rearranging the material in their own way. Written exercises should be done mainly at home. Much attention should be given to pupils' independent work in the classroom and at home because pupils, who have only 2-3 periods a week, can achieve proficiency in the target language if they work hard during seatwork and homework when every pupil learns for himself, and if they take an active part in the work which is done in class under the guidance of the teacher.

     Homework is an important ingredient of pupils’ language learning. It may include drill exercises designed for retention of new vocabulary and grammar performed orally or in written form; practice and learning of a dialogue or a story; oral composition based on vocabulary and structures acquired; reading aloud a paragraph, a few paragraphs or a short text; silent reading for obtaining information through various assignments accompanying the text; reading a new text; consulting a dictionary and so on. The amount of time necessary for homework should not exceed twenty-five minutes each day.

     Proceeding from these considerations the teacher can succeed in achieving good results in pupils’ learning the language if he thoroughly plans their behaviour in the classroom, how he and his pupils interact. A class should be “pupil dominated”, that is, most of the time pupils speak and perform other language activities, thereby-getting the lion's share of the lesson time for practice in the target language.

     In compiling a unit and a daily plan the teacher follows the recommendations given in the Teacher’s Book and takes into account the concrete conditions he has in the classroom.

     Here is a general outline for a daily lesson (the 7—8^th forms):

     1. The beginning of the lesson 1—2 min.

     2. Pronunciation drill 3—5 min.

     3. Oral practice 15 min.

     4. Reading  12—18 min.

     5. Writing 4—10 min.

     6. Homework 1—2 min.

     At the beginning of the lesson the teacher sets the class to work. He has a short conversation with a pupil on duty, and announces the objectives of the lesson in the foreign language. (It is obvious that by this time pupils should understand the objectives said in the target language.)

     Since teaching pronunciation should take place at every stage, pronunciation drill is still one of the important points of the lesson. The material suggested for the purpose may be: words, mainly polysyllabic words, phrases, sentences, and songs. It is desirable that a tape-recorder or a record player should be utilized to provide pupils with some adequate model of speech. Through hearing authentic models and guided pronunciation work pupils improve their habits from lesson to lesson. Songs and poems are especially useful at this stage. In conducting pronunciation drill the teacher starts with words and proceeds to sentences in the following sequence: listening - comprehension - full choral repetition - individual repetition. Three to five minutes should be spent on pronunciation drill.

     Oral practice is one of the essential points of the lesson. It implies presentation of the linguistic material (the oral approach to teaching vocabulary and grammar structures) and its retention in pupils’ memory through performing various exercises; the development of pupils’ habits and skills in using the material presented alongside of that already covered in guided dialogues and monologues; the development of prepared and unprepared speech on situations simple, unexpected and amusing, to keep the class lively and entertained. The teacher determines the objective and calculates the amount of time necessary to achieve it bearing in mind that he cannot afford more than fifteen to twenty minutes during the lesson, since there are other language skills that should be developed under his supervision.

     Reading is another essential part of the lesson. The teacher should select the type of exercises in reading for each particular lesson, and decide whether he will give his pupils oral reading or silent reading for getting information from the text which can be achieved either through developing their skills in guessing the meaning of new words in the text or by using a dictionary (the 8^th form).

     Reading and speaking may be connected if the text pupils read is suitable for discussion or can serve as a subject for conversation.

     Writing in the classroom at this stage may be used for fixing the vocabulary and grammar in the form available for their further usage by the pupils; for testing the pupil's mastery of the material covered; as a servant in the pupil's work at a text (the pupil finds topic sentences and copies them out; compiles a plan of the story, shortens the text by excluding details and thus achieves better comprehension); to help the pupil with a conversation topic (the pupil puts down the words, phrases and sentences he needs to speak on the topic, or composes an outline of his speech).  The teacher selects the type of writing proceeding from the objectives of the particular class-period. Eight to ten minutes of the class-period may be devoted to writing under the teacher’s direction. But the use of classroom time for writing must be justified; pupils should not copy from the textbook or do exercises which can easily be done at home.

     Homework, as a rule, should include the assignments which promote further development of habits and skills pupils have acquired during the lesson.

     Here is one of the possible ways to represent a daily plan in the intermediate stage proceeding from the outline given above.

     Level: 8^th form.          Date:

     Objectives:   1. ...

     2 ...

     3 ...

     1. The beginning of the lesson. (1—2 min.)

         Greeting.

        A pupil’s on duty report.

2. Pronunciation drill.  (3—5 min.) 
   Words ...

        Word combinations ...

        Sentences ...

        Song “...”

     3. Oral practice. 
 

Version A

     Objective: To teach pupils the grammar item ... so that they can use it in hearing and speaking in short dialogues.

     Present ... in the following sentences ....

     Use real situations for conveying the meaning and the usage of ... and pattern dialogue from the record (tape).

     Activities. Pupils

     1 - listen to the sentences with the new grammar item and relate them to the situations in which they are utilized;

     2 - repeat the sentences following the model pronunciation (full choral repetition and individual repetition);

     3 - listen to the pattern dialogue;

     4 - reproduce the pattern dialogue in imitation of the speaker;

     5 - dramatize the dialogue (work in pairs);

     6 - substitute   ...   words   in   the   pattern   dialogue;

     7 - make up dialogues of their own (work in pairs) 
(call on two or three pairs to enact the dialogues).

Version В

     Objective: To    teach pupils to speak on the topic ....

     Activities. Pupils

     1 - listen to the text looking at the plan (the map);

     2 - answer the questions on the text heard;

     3 - speak about ... using the plan (the map);

     4 - have a conversation about ....

Use the plan (the map) of ... , the record player (the tape-recorder).

V e r s i о n С

Objective:   To  develop pupils' speaking skills on text “...” (home reading). Activities. Pupils

     1 - speak about the main characters of the story;

     2 - give a summary of the story;

     3 - express their own opinion about different problems touched upon in the story.

Use cards with assignments for individuals.

     4. Reading. (12—18 min.)

Version A

     Objective: To teach pupils oral reading on text “...” (2 paragraphs).

     Activities. Pupils

     1 - read the words from the blackboard;

     2 - read the sentences, ex. ... p. ... ;

     3 - read the text first silently and answer the questions on the contents of the paragraphs and then read it aloud.

Use the blackboard, the textbook p. ... and the tape-recorder (the record player).

VersionB

Objective: To teach pupils to consult the dictionary while reading text “...”. Activities. Pupils

     1 - review the alphabet;

     2 - read the title and anticipate the contents of the text;

     3 - read silently one or two   paragraphs to be sure whether the anticipation is right or wrong;

     4 - read the whole text silently;

     5 - read sentence by sentence looking up unfamiliar words in the dictionary;

     6 - give adequate translation of the text. 
Use dictionaries.

V e r s i о n С

     Objective: To teach pupils to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words in text “...”.

     Activities. Pupils

     1 - listen to the teacher's explanations how to attack the meaning of unfamiliar words through (a) the context, (b) word-building elements, (c) mother tongue equivalents 
(international words);

     2 - read the sentences (paragraphs) in the text “...” 
(the teacher points out) searching for the examples;

     3 - read the text silently marking the words whose meaning they guessed;

     4 - answer the questions on the text.

     5 - Writing. (4 - 10 min.)

Version A

     Activity. Pupils write the words and expressions on the topic ....

Version В

     Activity. Pupils do ex. ... , p. … (make various transformations to fit new situations).

Version С

     Activity. Pupils compose a plan on the story heard (read).

     Version D

     Activity.   Pupils write an  annotation on the text.

Version E

Activity. Pupils write a test. 

     6. Homework (1—2 min.)

       Read ...

     Write ... 

     Be ready to speak on ... 
 
 
 

  The Essential Course in the-Secondary School. 

     Senior stage. This stage involves the 9^th and 10^th forms. Pupil’s are at the age of fifteen to seventeen. They can realize the importance of foreign language-proficiency in the contemporary world. However their attitude to foreign language learning depends firstly on the achievements they have attained during the previous four years of studying this subject (if they meet the syllabus requirements, pupils preserve their interest in the foreign language and go on working hard at it); secondly, on the pupil’s needs in the target language in his long-term goals for the future after finishing school, whether his needs require a command of the foreign language or they do not. If they require it, he works hard.

     In this stage the emphasis in foreign language teaching changes from equal treatment of oral and written language to noticeable preference to reading. The time allotted to foreign language learning should be distributed between oral language and written language including both class and homework in the ratio of 1 : 3, i. e., most of the time is devoted to reading, and mainly silent reading with various assignments which make pupils read with a purpose in mind. As to oral language, it undergoes further development through performing various drill and speech exercises in hearing and speaking, most of which are based upon reading material.

     Writing retains its helping function; the pupil turns to writing whenever he feels a need for fixing the material in his memory, for composing questions or plans, for writing a short composition on the topic covered, etc.

     Ideally, the classroom time should be devoted to imparting the techniques pupils need for seatwork or any kind of solitary learning, for creative exercises where the teacher's supervision and direction are indispensable and, occasionally, for checking and evaluating pupils' achievements in language learning.

     In this stage pupils have two periods a week in each form and they may have two additional periods as an optional subject.

     Taking into consideration pupils’ age, the stage of instruction, the conditions of foreign language learning, and the material pupils deal with, it is desirable that lessons should be at least of two types - speaking lessons and reading lessons - so that the learners may concentrate their attention on one language activity and work at it thoroughly. Proceeding from this the following general outlines may be suggested.

The general outline of a speaking lesson may look like this:

     1. The beginning of the lesson 1-2 min.

     2. Pronunciation drill 4 - 5 min.

     3. Oral practice 37 - 39 min.

     a) drill exercises (10 - 15 min.)

          b) speech exercises (24 - 27 min.)

     4. Homework 1 - 2 min.

     The teacher announces the objectives of the lesson and sets the class to work seriously to achieve them. The material for pronunciation drill is closely bound up with the objectives of the lesson; pupils are taught to pronounce correctly the words, phrases, sentence patterns they will need for performing drill and speech exercises on the topic or subject for auding and speaking during the lesson. The work is conducted in chorus and individually. The teacher gives due attention to every pupil and correct errors when they occur.

     Oral practice, in the first part (drill exercises), implies revision and presentation of the new material (words, phrases, idioms) pupils need to aud and speak on the topic. They may write something in their exercise-books if necessary. Pupils perform various exercises aimed at developing their hearing and speaking habits and skills. Drills are performed at a normal speed. They are quite indispensable.

     In the second part (speech exercises) pupils either listen to a story and then use it as a subject for conversation, or see a filmstrip or a film with subsequent discussion.

     The teacher uses those teaching aids and teaching materials which allow him to involve each pupil and make him an active participant of the lesson. The success of speaking lessons fully depends on the teacher’s preparation for the lesson because the pupil needs to be guided cautiously through the difficulties he usually encounters when hearing and speaking the target language. To achieve the desired learning on the part of the pupils the teacher should foresee these difficulties and select carefully the material for revision, the techniques more suitable for the case, the “props” in hearing and speaking and, finally, the stimuli, first, for guided conversation when pupils use “props”, and then free conversation.

     Homework may include:

     - writing  a  short reproduction of the text they heard and discussed during the class period;

     - making up a dialogue;

     - making up a story on a picture, a topic either in writing or orally, etc.

     The general outline of reading lessons may look like this:

     1. The beginning of the lesson 1 - 2 min.

     2. Pronunciation drill 3 - 5 min.

     3. Teacher’s narration, for instance, about the author who wrote the text or the book from which the text was extracted 3 - 5 min.

     4. Pupils’ silent reading 15 - 20 min.

     5. A discussion on the text read 11 - 22 min.

     6. Homework 1 - 2 min.

     After the teacher sets the class to work he draws their attention to the words, phrases and sentences of the text which may present some difficulties in pronunciation, namely, stress in some words, stressed words in some phrases and word combinations, proper names, geographical names, terminology, international words, correct division into thought units, and intonation in some sentences which may influence the pupils' comprehension. Word cards, phrase and sentence cards are helpful because pupils should not only hear but see all these.