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

     Teacher’s narration about the author should include some information additional to that given in the textbook or the reader.

     In all cases, it must help pupils in comprehending the text by extending their knowledge of the subject.

     When pupils are invited to read a text silently, they are to follow a certain sequence in their work at the text. They should read the title and accordingly try to make a guess at its contents. Then they look through the text and read the first paragraph to make sure whether their anticipation is correct. The teacher may interfere in pupils’ reading by asking a few questions arid, in this way, show them whether they are right or wrong in their anticipation. The teacher directs his questions to slow, average, and bright pupils, in the order mentioned to encourage all pupils in their work at the text. After pupils’ anticipation is reinforced they read the text while the teacher wanders around giving some help to those who need it, or he writes communicative tasks (if there are no such tasks in the textbook or the reader) on the blackboard to start a discussion.

     If the teacher wants to individualize the classwork, he may use individual cards which he places in front of each pupil. In distributing the cards he, of course, proceeds from each pupil’s aptitude, intelligence and proficiency in reading and speaking so that everyone will be engaged in the discussion. Before the discussion, begins the teacher asks a few questions which cover the contents of the text to check his pupils’ comprehension, or he may use other techniques for the same purpose. Then the discussion follows. The teacher only directs the pupils’ participation.

     Homework may include a short summary of the text in-writing, a written annotation of the text, etc.

     Silent reading in the classroom is also used for developing pupils’ skills in reading a text which requires the use of a dictionary or a manual for comprehension. The teacher furnishes the class with dictionaries and manuals and instructs them how to utilize these while reading a difficult text. The teacher’s chief concern in this case is not his pupils’ understanding the text. His concern lies in imparting techniques to them which they should acquire to be able to overcome difficulties while reading a text containing unfamiliar words or phraseological units and grammar forms. For instance, pupils have learnt the Present and Past Indefinite Passive, the text contains the Future Indefinite Passive, they have to find the “generalized” table of the verb in the Passive Voice in the textbook or grammar and look up this form there to be able to understand the sentences with verbs in this tense form. In other words, pupils should be taught to work at a difficult text in the classroom under the teacher's supervision for them to be able to do similar work at home independently.

     There is another approach to differentiating lessons in the senior stage. For example, the authors of the book distinguish lessons of two types: (1) lessons at which pupils are taught how to use sentence patterns and vocabulary in various situations and contexts; the objective of such lessons is to enrich pupils’ knowledge in grammar and vocabulary, and to develop their habits and skills in using all these in various exercises; (2) lessons at which pupils develop their language skills in reading and speaking (both monologue and dialogue), and in writing. The objective of these lessons is close interrelation of all the language skills pupils should acquire.

     A few words should be said about pupils' independent work at the language both in class and at home. Thus,

     (a) in class pupils:

     - can learn a rule from the textbook if there is such (i. e., the teacher need not retell the rule as is so often done instead of asking his pupils to read it to perform exercises on a conscious ground);

     - can consult a dictionary, read lexical and other commentaries, if there are any in the textbook or the reader, perform lexical exercises;

     - listen to a text in English and give a short reproduction either in English or in Russian;

     - watch a film-strip or a film, and give a summary;

     - read a text   silently   and   write an annotation,   or a plan;

     - read a text and translate it using a dictionary; etc.

     (b) at home pupils:

     - learn words, phrases, sentence patterns, grammar items while performing oral and written exercises;

     - learn a song, a poem, a pattern dialogue by heart;

     - read a text (a part of it) out loud;

     - read a text silently and do all kinds of work with the text;

     - prepare a topic to speak on;

     - make up a dialogue; etc.

     Success in learning English will depend on how much the pupil learns for himself both during the lesson and at home, and that is the chief concern of the teacher while planning a lesson. 

Control questions: 

1. How many stages are in teaching a foreign language in schools?
2. What can you tell about junior stage?
3. What can you tell about intermediate stage?
4. What can you tell about senior stage?

 

Recommended literature: 

1. Колкер  Я.М., Устинова Е.С., Еналиева Г.М. Практическая методика обучения иностранному языку, М., 2000.
2. Пассов Е.И. Основы коммуникативной методики обучения иноязычному общению. – М., 1989.
3. Поляков О.Г. Профильно-ориентированное обучение английскому языку//ИЯШ. № 2 – 2004.стр.6

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Lecture 4 

THE NECESSITY FOR PLANNING AND

THE APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM. 

Plan: 

1. The necessity for planning.
2. The approach to the problem.
3. General outline of a daily lesson.

 

      An efficient working level of teaching is ensured by systematic and careful planning. The foreign language teacher plans all the kinds of work he is to do: he plans the essential course, the optional course (if any), and the extra-curricular work.

     The first step in planning is to determine where each of his classes is in respect to achievements. It is easy for the teacher to start planning when he receives beginners.

      Though the teacher does not know his pupils yet, his success will fully depend on his preparation for the lessons since pupils are usually eager to learn a foreign language in the 5^th form (or the 2^nd form in a specialized school). Planning is also relatively easy for the teacher who worked in these classes the previous year (or years) because he knows the achievements of his pupils in each class. He is aware of what language skills they have acquired. Planning is more difficult when the teacher receives a class (classes) from another teacher and he does not know the pupils, their proficiency in hearing, speaking, reading, and writing.

     The teacher begins his planning before school opens and during the first week. He should establish the achievement level of his classes. There is a variety of ways in which this may be done. The teacher asks the previous teacher to tell him about each of the pupils. He may also look through the pupils’ test-books and the register to find out what mark each of his pupils had the previous year. The teacher may administer pre-tests, either formally or informally, to see how pupils do with them. He may also conduct an informal quizzing, asking pupils’ questions in the foreign language to know if they can understand them and respond properly, or he has a conversation within the topics of the previous year. After the teacher has determined the achievement level of his classes, he sketches out an outline of the year’s work. In making up his yearly outline the teacher consults the syllabus, Teacher’s Book, Pupil’s Book, and other teaching materials and sets what seems to him to be realistic limits to the content to be covered during the course of the year. In sketching out an outline of the term’s work the teacher makes a careful study of Teacher’s Book, Pupil’s Book, teaching aids and teaching materials available for this particular form. Taking into consideration the achievements of his class, he compiles a calendar plan in accordance with the time-table of a given form. 
 
 
 

  The Essential Course in the-Secondary School. 

Oral approach. The Russian for the oral approach is устная основа обучения. This means that the learner receives his initial contact with the material through the ear. The oral approach centres attention fundamentally upon learning a language as a set of symbols to be spoken and understood when heard. The oral approach is a name primarily for an end to be attained in the first stage of language learning, i. e., the building up of a set of habits for the oral production of a language and for the receptive understanding of the language when it is spoken.

The oral approach allows the teacher:

     1- to centre attention on teaching the pupils how to pronounce correctly the language material they assimilate;

     2 -  to have plenty of time for hearing, repetition, and reproduction since all the work is done orally;

     3 - to train pupils in assimilating the material through the ear and, in this way, not to become eye-learners;

     4 - to arouse pupils’  interest  in learning as they deal with the language as a means of communication;

     5 - to  provide  the  natural  sequence   in   language assimilation: hearing, speaking, reading, writing.

     Pupils are taught a foreign language through hearing and speaking it. At every lesson they enrich their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar, and therefore they can understand and say more and more. Pupils develop their reading and writing skills first within the material assimilated orally.

     When the teacher is to use the oral approach the following procedure should be adopted. The objective is: to teach pupils to understand and use a grammar item in speech. The grammar item should pass through the following stages to be grasped and retained by pupils.

     1. Listening comprehension.

     2. Listening repetition in imitation of the teacher.

     3. Numerous repetitions of the sentence patterns; the words being changed.

     4. Transformations.

     5. The usage of the grammar item in various situations. 
For example, the grammar item is "The Future Indefinite".

     1. The teacher selects the situations suitable for presenting the grammar item.  He may use a real situation. Imagine the class decided to go on a hike.

     Teacher: Next Sunday {he points to the calendar) we shall go on a hike. We shall get up at 5 o'clock {he looks at his watch). We shall take everything we need for the hike. We shall leave at 7 o'clock. We shall have a good time, we are sure. We shall be back at 10.

     Pupils listen to the teacher trying to understand what he says. Now and then the teacher may repeat a sentence or ask one of the pupils (the slowest one) to translate what he has said. After he has finished, he says it again.

     2. Pupils repeat the sentences in imitation of the teacher. Attention is given to the intonation. Pupils may repeat the sentences both individually and in unison.

     3. The teacher arranges a talk.

Teacher: Tomorrow I shall go to the library, and what about you, Mike? 
Mike: Tomorrow I shall go to the cinema, and what about you, Lena? 
Lena: Tomorrow I shall go to school,   and what about you, Sasha?

S a s h a: I shall read a book, and you, Pete? 
Pete: I shall not read a book. I shall watch TV and what about you, Ann? 
Ann: I shall not watch TV. I shall do my lessons, and you Andrew?

Andrew: I shall listen to music, etc.

     4. Then the teacher suggests that the pupils should change the person in the sentences following the model.

     Teacher: We shall go on a hike. (He points to the children playing in the yard.)

     Pupil 1: They will stay in town. (The teacher points to Pete.)

     Pupil 2: I shall play chess. (He points to Mike.)

     Pupil 3: He will watch TV, etc.

The pupil asks for confirmation.

     Teacher: Dan will help us.

     Pupil 1: Will he help us?

     Teacher: Ann will be on duty tomorrow.

     P u p i 1 2: Will Ann be on duty tomorrow? etc.

     5. The teacher gives a pattern dialogue.  He may use a. tape-recording and a picture:

     - Will you help me, John?

     - What shall I do, father?

     - Will you polish the floor?

     - With pleasure.

Or:

     - What will you do tonight?

- I think I shall do my lessons first, then I shall go to see my friend or I shall       watch TV.

     The work results in assimilating the Future Indefinite, and more than that, in reviewing a great number of words and phrases.

If the objective is to teach pupils to understand and use in speech 6 - 8 words a similar procedure should be adopted:

     1. Listening and comprehension.

     2. Listening and repeating the word over and over.

     3. Listening and repeating the word in different word 
combinations.

     4. Using the word in various sentence patterns.

     5. Using the word in the act. of communication. 

     1. The teacher selects situations for presenting the new words. He selects a method for conveying the meaning of each word. For example, the word is dance. It is not difficult to find pictures with dancing people in it. So the direct method may be applied. The teacher says a number of sentences with the word dance in the situations selected for the purpose.

Pupils pronounce the word in different forms (dance, dances, is dancing, are dancing, danced) in imitation of the teacher. Pupils are taught to pronounce it correctly as "a 
whole" (a unit).

They pronounce word combinations: dance well, dance badly, dance at the party, dance in the hall, dance with somebody.

Pupils use the word in different sentence patterns: The girl (in the picture) can dance well. The people are dancing in the hall. We shall dance at the party, etc.

The teacher arranges a talk (Teacher - Pupil, Pupil - Pupil).

     - Can you dance?

     - Do you like to dance?

     - Who can dance well in our class?

     - Who will dance at the party? etc.

     The oral approach in teaching the language material forces the teacher to plan his work carefully. It provides a systematic revision of vocabulary and grammar. Indeed, pupils assimilate a grammar item through the revision of words and phrases they need to use this particular grammar item. Pupils assimilate new words in different sentence patterns, therefore, they review grammar while learning the words.

Various exercises may be suggested which pupils are to perform to retain grammar and vocabulary, among them:

     - Make statements following the model.

- Answer the questions. (Various types of questions are asked - general, alternative, and special.) The teacher asks a question, e. g., What will you do after classes? Many pupils answer this question.

     - Ask questions.

     Teacher: I shall read a book. Ask me questions to get more information.

     Pupil 1: Will you read a Russian book?

     Pupil 2: Will you read an English book?

     Pupil 3: Will you read it at home or in the library?

     Pupil 4: When will you read the book? etc.

     - Make up a dialogue.

     - Speak about a picture, a situation, a topic suggested. 

     Various audio-visual aids should be used. After pupils perform various oral exercises and use the material in speech for 1 - 2 lessons they read the text in which the grammar item or the words they have assimilated orally occur. They also perform various written exercises.

     The relationship of oral language and written language in the junior stage must be approximately 3:1, that is, oral language receives the greatest time and emphasis in pupils’ activity.

     Reading is developed on the basis of the material assimilated orally. However, the teacher should bear in mind that oral-aural competence does not automatically create reading ability. It only helps pupils to acquire this skill. Among the exercises designed for developing reading, graphemic-phonemic and structural-information exercises should prevail. Pupils are encouraged to read a text for thorough comprehension and not for translation since the aim is to acquire proficiency in reading and not in translating.

     Writing is developed on the material pupils can use in speaking and reading. In this stage writing is a means of teaching since it helps pupils in fixing words, phrases or sentence patterns in their memory. The leading type of written work at this stage is copying, though dictations and elementary compositions are available.