Primary Communication Box - English Center UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid,...

Caroline Nixon and Michael Tomlinson

PRIMARY COMMUNICATION

BOXSpeaking and listening activities and games

for younger learners

© Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press0521549884 - Primary Communication Box: Speaking and Listening Activities and Games for younger learnersCaroline Nixon and Michael TomlinsonFrontmatterMore information

http://www.cambridge.org/0521549884

http://www.cambridge.org


CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo

Cambridge University PressThe Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK

Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521549882

© Cambridge University Press 2005

It is normally necessary for written permission for copyingto be obtained in advance from a publisher. The worksheetsin this book are designed to be copied and distributed in class. The normal requirements are waived here and it is not necessary to write to Cambridge University Press for permission for an individual teacher to make copies for use within his or her own classroom. Only those pages which carry the wording ‘© Cambridge University Press’ may be copied.

First published 2005

Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge

www.cambridge.org

A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library

Reprinted 2005

ISBN-10 0-521-54988-4ISBN-13 978-0-521-54988-2






3

ContentsBOX

PRIMARY COMMUNICATIONMap of the book 4

Thanks and acknowledgements 7

Introduction 9

Class posters 13

1LEVEL Starting off

1.1 Tommy Thumb 16 1.10 Find the animals 341.2 Happy colour families 18 1.11 Sonia’s house 371.3 Listen and colour 20 1.12 Animal questions 401.4 Have you got ...? 22 1.13 Ask and match 421.5 Alphadots 24 1.14 Here is the ostrich 441.6 Feely box 26 1.15 Look what we’ve got! 461.7 Picture dictation 28 1.16 You can ask me! 481.8 The donkey’s tail 30 1.17 Good sports 501.9 Listening dots 32 1.18 Little monsters 52

2LEVEL Moving on

2.1 The troll file 55 2.10 Lost in the toyshop 762.2 Shopping lists 58 2.11 Snakes and ladders questions 792.3 Can cards 60 2.12 Do you have to ...? 822.4 I’m going shopping 62 2.13 Team whispers 842.5 In your classroom who ...? (1) 64 2.14 Simon’s week 862.6 Beach scene 66 2.15 What’s on? 882.7 In the bedroom 68 2.16 Which witch? 902.8 I draw, you draw 71 2.17 There was a princess 922.9 Listen and correct 74

3LEVEL Flying high

3LEVEL Flying high

3.1 What’s my job? 96 3.10 Give me a clue 1163.2 Eating out 98 3.11 Stella’s studies 1183.3 Definitions 100 3.12 Gulls 1203.4 Shop till you drop 102 3.13 If ... 1223.5 Was there or wasn’t there? 104 3.14 Famous names 1243.6 A Star day 106 3.15 In your classroom who ...? (2) 1263.7 Detectives 109 3.16 Where are you sitting? 1283.8 Chat about 112 3.17 The universal truth 1303.9 Yesterday 114

Half crosswords

1 In the classroom 1342 Your number’s up! 1363 Just the opposite 1384 A question of time 1405 About the house 142

Graph template 144






4

BOXPRIMARY COMMUNICATION Map of the book

Act

ivity title

Language focu

sAct

ivity type

Tim

eLo

gis

tics

Level 1: Sta

rtin

g o

ff(a

ge a

ppro

xim

ate

ly 7

—8)

1.1

Tom

my

Thum

bTr

aditi

onal

rhym

e, W

here

/ H

ow a

re y

ou?

TPR,

role

pla

y50

Who

le c

lass

/ in

divi

dual

1.2

Hap

py c

olou

r fam

ilies

Num

bers

1 –

10, c

olou

rsTP

R, c

olou

ring

dict

atio

n, c

ard

gam

e50

Who

le c

lass

/ s

mal

l gro

up

1.3

Liste

n an

d co

lour

Col

ours

, adj

ectiv

es, a

nim

als

TPR,

pic

ture

dic

tatio

n30

Who

le c

lass

/ p

airs

1.4

Hav

e yo

u go

t ...?

Hav

e yo

u go

t …?,

a/a

nM

atch

ing

activ

ity (m

ingl

e)20

Who

le c

lass

1.5

Alp

hado

tsLe

tters

of t

he a

lpha

bet

‘Join

the

dots’

dic

tatio

n 40

Pairs

1.6

Feel

y bo

xSi

mpl

e no

uns

Info

rmat

ion

trans

fer t

eam

gam

e40

Smal

l gro

up

1.7

Pict

ure

dict

atio

nH

as g

ot, t

oys

Pict

ure

dict

atio

n, in

form

atio

n tra

nsfe

r15

Who

le c

lass

/ p

airs

1.8

The

donk

ey’s

tail

Instr

uctio

ns, p

repo

sitio

nsTP

R, ‘m

ake

and

do’,

liste

ning

gam

e40

Pairs

1.9

Liste

ning

dot

sSi

mpl

e no

uns

‘Join

the

dots’

dic

tatio

n15

Pairs

1.1

0Fi

nd th

e an

imal

sIs

ther

e ...

?, a

nim

als

TPR,

pic

ture

puz

zle

30W

hole

cla

ss /

pai

rs

1.1

1So

nia’

s ho

use

How

man

y …

?, T

here

are

...,

num

bers

1 –

7Pi

ctur

e di

ctat

ion,

info

rmat

ion

trans

fer

30W

hole

cla

ss /

pai

rs

1.1

2M

yste

ry a

nim

als

Be, c

an, h

as g

ot, a

nim

als

TPR,

sm

all g

roup

car

d ga

me

30W

hole

cla

ss /

sm

all g

roup

1.1

3A

sk a

nd m

atch

Requ

ests,

a/a

nC

ard

gam

e20

Smal

l gro

up

1.1

4H

ere

is th

e os

trich

Trad

ition

al rh

yme

TPR,

pic

ture

seq

uenc

ing

30W

hole

cla

ss /

indi

vidu

al

1.1

5Lo

ok w

hat w

e’ve

got

!H

ave/

has

got,

toys

Surv

ey

40Sm

all g

roup

/ w

hole

cla

ss

1.1

6Yo

u ca

n as

k m

e!C

an/c

an’t

Info

rmat

ion

gap,

cla

ss s

urve

y30

Pairs

/ in

divi

dual

/

who

le c

lass

1.1

7G

ood

spor

tsPr

esen

t con

tinuo

us, s

ports

Pi

ctur

e di

ctat

ion,

info

rmat

ion

trans

fer

15Pa

irs

1.1

8Lit

tle m

onste

rsIt’

s go

t ...,

par

ts of

the

body

Info

rmat

ion

trans

fer

20Pa

irs

Ages

, lev

els

and

tim

e Fo

r eac

h ac

tivity

, we

sugg

est t

he a

ge ra

nge

for w

hich

it is

sui

tabl

e. H

owev

er, t

hese

age

s ar

e in

tend

ed o

nly

as a

gui

de, a

s ch

ildre

n’s

capa

city

to d

o an

y pa

rticu

lar a

ctiv

ity w

illde

pend

larg

ely

on th

eir f

irst l

angu

age,

cul

tura

l bac

kgro

und

and

the

leng

th o

f tim

e th

ey h

ave

been

lear

ning

Eng

lish.

In a

ll ca

ses,

teac

hers

are

the

best

judg

es o

f the

ir pu

pils’

abili

ty to

car

ry o

ut a

n ac

tivity

suc

cess

fully

, irre

spec

tive

of th

eir a

ge. T

he ti

me

it ta

kes

to d

o an

act

ivity

will

also

var

y w

ith th

e ag

e an

d ab

ility

of t

he p

upils

. The

am

ount

of t

ime

we

reco

mm

end

for e

ach

activ

ity s

houl

d be

take

n to

be

the

mos

t tha

t a c

lass

at t

he y

oung

er a

ge ra

nge

wou

ld n

eed.






5

Map of the bookBOX


Act

ivity title

Language focu

sAct

ivity type

Tim

eLo

gis

tics

Level 2: M

ovin

g o

n(a

ge a

ppro

xim

ate

ly 9

—10)

2.1

The

troll

file

Que

stion

form

s, p

erso

nal i

nfor

mat

ion

Info

rmat

ion

gap

20Pa

irs

2.2

Shop

ping

lists

Hav

e go

t,fru

it an

d ve

geta

bles

Info

rmat

ion

gap

20Pa

irs

2.3

Can

car

dsC

an/c

an’t,

act

iviti

esM

atch

ing

activ

ity (m

ingl

e)20

Who

le c

lass

2.4

I’m g

oing

sho

ppin

ga/

an, s

ome,

goi

ng to

futu

re, c

ount

able

/C

ard

gam

e30

Smal

l gro

upun

coun

tabl

e no

uns

2.5

In y

our c

lass

room

who

…?

(1)

Pres

ent s

impl

e qu

estio

ns, g

oing

tofu

ture

Info

rmat

ion

gap,

sur

vey

30W

hole

cla

ss

2.6

Beac

h sc

ene

Pres

ent c

ontin

uous

‘Spo

t the

diff

eren

ce’,

info

rmat

ion

gap

30Pa

irs

2.7

In th

e be

droo

mW

here

shal

l I p

ut …

?pr

epos

ition

s, b

edro

om fu

rnitu

re‘M

ake

and

do’,

info

rmat

ion

trans

fer

50In

divi

dual

/ p

airs

2.8

I dra

w, y

ou d

raw

Ther

e is/

are

..., p

repo

sitio

nal p

hras

esPi

ctur

e di

ctat

ion

30Pa

irs

2.9

Liste

n an

d co

rrect

To b

e, to

hav

e, p

rese

nt s

impl

eEr

ror c

orre

ctio

n, d

icta

tion

30Pa

irs

2.1

0Lo

st in

the

toys

hop

Ask

ing

for /

giv

ing

dire

ctio

nsTP

R, in

form

atio

n tra

nsfe

r30

Pairs

2.1

1Sn

akes

and

ladd

ers

ques

tions

Que

stion

form

sBo

ard

gam

e40

Smal

l gro

up

2.1

2D

o yo

u ha

ve to

...?

Hav

e/ha

s to

(obl

igat

ion)

que

stion

sIn

form

atio

n ga

p, c

lass

sur

vey

30Pa

irs /

indi

vidu

al /

w

hole

cla

ss

2.1

3Te

am w

hisp

ers

Pres

ent t

ense

sen

tenc

esIn

form

atio

n tra

nsfe

r gam

e30

Smal

l gro

up

2.1

4Si

mon

’s w

eek

Pres

ent s

impl

e, d

ays

of th

e w

eek

Info

rmat

ion

gap

15Pa

irs

2.1

5W

hat’s

on?

Tim

e, T

V pr

ogra

mm

esIn

form

atio

n ga

p20

Pairs

2.1

6W

hich

witc

h?po

sses

sive

’s, c

ompa

rativ

e ad

ject

ives

In

form

atio

n tra

nsfe

r30

Pairs

/ s

mal

l gro

up

2.1

7Th

ere

was

a p

rince

ssTr

aditi

onal

rhym

e, s

impl

e pa

st na

rrativ

ePi

ctur

e se

quen

cing

, TPR

, rol

e pl

ay50

Who

le c

lass






6

BOXPRIMARY COMMUNICATION Map of the book

Act

ivity title

Language focu

sAct

ivity type

Tim

eLo

gis

tics

Level 3: Fl

yin

g h

igh

(age a

ppro

xim

ate

ly 1

1—

12)

3.1

Wha

t’s m

y jo

b?Q

uesti

ons

and

shor

t ans

wer

s, jo

bsTe

am g

ame

30Sm

all g

roup

3.2

Eatin

g ou

tRe

staur

ant c

onve

rsat

ions

, C

an I

have

...?

Role

pla

y20

Smal

l gro

up

3.3

Def

initi

ons

Rela

tive

pron

ouns

som

ethi

ng, s

omeb

ody,

In

form

atio

n tra

nsfe

r 30

Pairs

som

ewhe

re

3.4

Shop

till

you

drop

Shop

con

vers

atio

ns

Role

pla

y30

Smal

l gro

up

3.5

Was

ther

e or

was

n’t t

here

?W

as/W

ere

ther

e ...

?In

form

atio

n ga

p15

Pairs

3.6

A S

tar d

ay

Pres

ent s

impl

e qu

estio

ns

Info

rmat

ion

trans

fer

30Pa

irs

3.7

Det

ectiv

esPa

st sim

ple

Info

rmat

ion

trans

fer,

corre

ctio

n30

Pairs

3.8

Cha

t abo

utPe

rson

al in

form

atio

nFr

ee s

peec

h bo

ard

gam

e30

Smal

l gro

up

3.9

Yeste

rday

Past

simpl

e qu

estio

nsIn

form

atio

n ga

p, in

divi

dual

writ

ing,

30

Pairs

/ in

divi

dual

/cl

ass

surv

eyw

hole

cla

ss

3.1

0G

ive

me

a cl

ueD

efin

ition

s, d

escr

iptio

nsTe

am g

ame

30Sm

all g

roup

3.1

1St

ella

’s stu

dies

Past

simpl

e qu

estio

ns, s

choo

l sub

ject

s, ti

mes

Info

rmat

ion

gap

15Pa

irs

3.1

2G

ulls

Chi

ldre

n’s

poem

, pas

t sim

ple

Dic

tatio

n30

Pairs

3.1

3If

…Fi

rst c

ondi

tiona

lM

atch

ing

activ

ity (m

ingl

e)15

Smal

l gro

up

3.1

4Fa

mou

s na

mes

Ask

ing

for p

erso

nal i

nfor

mat

ion

Info

rmat

ion

trans

fer (

min

gle)

20W

hole

cla

ss

3.1

5In

you

r cla

ssro

om w

ho …

?(2

)Pa

st sim

ple,

pre

sent

per

fect

Info

rmat

ion

gap,

sur

vey

30W

hole

cla

ss

3.1

6W

here

are

you

sitt

ing?

Pers

onal

info

rmat

ion,

pre

posit

iona

l phr

ases

Cog

nitiv

e pu

zzle

, inf

orm

atio

n tra

nsfe

r30

Smal

l gro

up

3.1

7Th

e un

iver

sal t

ruth

Com

para

tives

and

sup

erla

tives

, pla

nets

Qui

z30

Pairs

Half c

ross

word

s

1In

the

clas

sroo

mC

lass

voc

abul

ary

20Pa

irs2

Your

num

ber’s

up!

Num

bers

1–9

020

Pairs

3Ju

st th

e op

posit

eA

djec

tives

20

Pairs

4A

que

stion

of t

ime

Uni

ts of

tim

e 20

Pairs

5A

bout

the

hous

eH

ouse

obj

ects,

def

initi

ons

20Pa

irs






7

BOXPRIMARY COMMUNICATIONThanks and Acknowledgements

We would like to give special thanks to the following people:

To Nóirín Burke and Alyson Maskell for their sound judgement and excellent guidance.

To Jim Kelly and Susan Harmer for their help and suggestions.

To our pupils at Star English, Murcia, Spain for enthusiastically trying out the material at allstages of its development.

To Ricardo and Paloma for their unflagging support.

Illustrations: Beccy Blake (pp. 27, 38, 39, 41, 53, 54, 67, 94, 107,108); Lorna Kent (pp. 13, 14, 15, 17, 25, 31, 33 ,59, 63, 69, 70, 77, 78, 80, 101,113, 129);Nick Schon (pp. 21, 29, 35, 36, 45, 49, 51, 75, 91,99, 110, 111, 121, 131, 132, 134,135, 138, 139, 142, 143); Melanie Sharp (pp. 56, 57); Lisa Williams (pp. 23, 43, 47, 61,72, 73, 83, 97, 105, 115, 136, 137, 140, 141); Kamae Design DTP (p. 19)

Text design: Dave Seabourne

Page make up: Kamae Design, Oxford

Cover illustration: Barbara Vagnozzi

Dedication

For Elaine and Teresa with love. We are family. – CN

For Isabel, Adolfo and their family for all their love and support. – MT

Part of the proceeds from this book are being given to Médecins Sans Frontières

The authors and publishers are grateful to Jean Kenward for permission to use her poem Gulls,from Early Years Poems and Rhymes, Scholastic Collections 1993, published by Scholastic Ltd.






9

BOXPRIMARY COMMUNICATIONIntroduction

Why develop communication skills inyounger learners?In their formative years learners are much more receptive toparticipating in communication activities which includespeaking and role play. The younger learner is usually lessself-conscious and thus enjoys practising a second languageorally and finds it highly motivating. Teaching experiencealso tells us that it is much easier to develop these skills at anearly stage in the learner’s development than it is to initiatespeaking tasks with adolescent pupils.

Apart from being more motivated, younger learners alsohave an innate ability to imitate sounds and rhythm. Thismeans that the sooner children start learning to pronouncewords in a second language the more likely they are todevelop accurate speaking skills. Through reproducing realsituations in the classroom pupils can better appreciate theusefulness of speaking a second language.

What is Primary Communication Box? Primary Communication Box is a resource book ofsupplementary activities for practising communication withyounger learners (age 7 –12 years approximately), containingphotocopiable worksheets. By communication we mean that weare principally interested in the sharing or exchange of opinionor information. For younger learners this means creating a morecontrolled framework for speaking and listening through task-based activities such as information gap, role play and extendedtasks, working either in pairs, small groups or as a whole class.

The book is appropriate for beginner and pre-intermediatelevel pupils and is based around the vocabulary andgrammatical content found in courses of these levels and theCambridge ESOL Young Learners Tests. Through gentlypaced communication activities, puzzles and games,younger learners will develop listening and speaking skillswithin a controlled context to give them confidence.

The book includes 52 photocopiable activities complete withteacher’s notes and extension tasks for further languagepractice. It is divided into four sections: three sections ofactivities grouped according to pupils’ levels and ages anda section of ‘half crosswords’. The activities are of differentlengths, ranging from fifteen-minute activities through to‘make and do’ activities that may occupy the greater part ofthe lesson.

The intention is to provide enjoyable task-based activities thatwill make both teaching and learning fun, while exploitingyounger children’s innate capacity to assimilate newinformation. To this end, the book adopts a non-technicalapproach and aims to be accessible to native and non-nativeteachers of English. There is a selection of activitiesappropriate to different teaching and learning styles (visual,audio and bodily-kinaesthetic) which have been designed toencourage learners to develop communication skillsconfidently. Some activities for lower levels involve a degreeof TPR* on the part of both pupils and teachers. Throughworking in pairs and in teams, the children learn autonomy,co-operation and social skills that are so important for theirdevelopment.

Who is Primary Communication Boxfor?Age range and level

The book has been divided into three levels within the 7–12year age range. Within each level we have tried to bear inmind the specific needs of each age group. The needs ofthose seven-year-olds who cannot yet read or write confidentlycontrast sharply with those of eleven- to twelve-year-olds whoneed a more challenging type of activity. The three levels usedin Primary Communication Box are intended as a guide to thelanguage abilities pupils will need in order to do the activities.

* We have used the term TPR (Total Physical Response to refer to those activities which are based upon physical involvement ofthe pupils. This can include actions to accompany a rhyme or drill and games which involve body movement.






10

BOXPRIMARY COMMUNICATION Introduction

When to use Primary CommunicationBoxThe activities can be used as extra material to back up acoursebook. We suggest they should be used for revision andreinforcement, rather than as an introductory presentation ofnew language. The activities are ideal for teachers who workwithout a coursebook. They can be used as a special treat oras a reward in the classroom, either for working well or onthe day before a holiday, when it is not always a good ideato start a new topic. They are useful for teachers who have tostand in when the class teacher is absent.

Using Primary Communication Box –tips for teachers The following suggestions are based on our own experience inthe classroom. They are by no means definitive and aim simplyto give a few teaching ideas to less experienced teachers.

Preparation

• The most important thing with any kind of task is to makesure that the pupils have been well prepared beforehand,that they know all the words they will need and that theyunderstand the object of the exercise. Equipping yourpupils properly with the necessary linguistic tools toenable them to carry out a task successfully will ensurethat it is a challenging and enjoyable one for all. Withoutthe necessary preparation, learners may have a negativelearning experience, which will cause them to loseconfidence and become frustrated with an activity that,quite simply, they have not got the capacity to do.

• Before starting any activity, demonstrate it first. Forpairwork activities choose an individual pupil to help you.Do the first question of the pairwork task with the pupil forthe class to get the idea.

• When you divide the class into pairs or groups, point toeach pupil and say, A–B, A–B, A–B, so they are in nodoubt as to what their role is. Try to give simple clearinstructions in English. Say, for example, As ask thequestions and Bs answer the questions: A–B, A–B, A–B.Then Bs ask the questions and As answer the questions:B–A, B–A, B–A.

• Where the pairwork activity is to be carried out in secretyou can ask pupils to sit back to back so that they cannotcopy from their partner’s worksheet.

• Always bring a few extra photocopies of the worksheet toavoid tears if any children do it wrong and want to startagain.

Rhymes, poems and chants

• For the activities based on rhymes and poems it is notimportant for the learner to understand every word outsidethe key words to be practised. In these exercises we aremore interested in pupils understanding the gist, and weare using the rhyme as a means with which to developcommunication skills. The pictures which accompany eachrhyme, and the actions included in some, should providethe learner with sufficient information to be able tounderstand the overall concept. It is important then, at thisstage, not to spend precious time on lengthy andcomplicated explanations of specific words.

• Get children to stand up when saying the rhymes andpoems as a class. It can make a tremendous difference totheir performance and enjoyment.

• All of the rhymes and poems included here can bepresented and practised in a variety of ways to make themmore interesting and challenging. These techniques areespecially useful if you want to go back to previouslypractised material for revision or further exploitation andyou want to avoid your pupils’ reaction of, ‘We’vealready done this!’

Level Section Approximate age Skills Language focus

1 Starting off 7–8 Very controlled communication be, have, can, there is/are, imperative,Limited reading and writing present continuous, determiners,

pronouns, time

2 Moving on 9–10 Controlled communication present simple, like, want, daily routine,Some reading and writing time prepositions, possessive pronouns,Emerging cognitive skills for purpose clauses, simple past (be, have),language learning parts of speech

3 Flying high 11–12 Controlled to free communication past simple (irregular verbs), past More competent reading and continuous, going to future,writing comparative and superlative adjectives,Developing cognitive skills for adverbs of frequency, auxiliaries,language learning parts of speech and discourse






11

IntroductionBOX


– Whisper the rhyme or phrase while clicking yourfingers. Repeat the rhyme, getting gradually loudereach time, then reverse the process.

– Say the rhyme whilst clapping your hands and tappingyour foot in time to the rhythm.

– Divide the class into groups and ask them to repeat therhyme in rounds. To do this, the first group starts to saythe rhyme and then at a suitable point, usually one ortwo lines into it, the second group starts to say therhyme from the beginning.

– Ask your class if anybody wants to do a solo or a duet.The very fact that they are giving a public performanceinduces most pupils to surpass themselves. It also adds abit of spice to the proceedings as it gets their adrenalineflowing. If children are reluctant to participate in this,however, they should not be forced to do so.

– With your class tape recorder, record the class sayingthe rhyme collectively and/or individually. Let yourpupils listen to themselves. If they feel that they couldimprove on the second attempt, record them again.When pupils have sung or said their rhymes into thetape recorder be sure to give them a round of applauseand encourage the rest of the class to do the same.

– If you have access to a video camera and the rhymeyou are doing has actions, record your pupils carryingout the activity. As a reward or a treat for their hardwork, they can watch themselves.

Recycling

• Certain activity types have been repeated throughout thedifferent sections of the book. As teachers we have foundit especially useful to repeat the same activity at a differentlevel at a later date. This is because the more familiarpupils are with the mechanism of an activity, the freer theyare to concentrate on language practice.

Classroom dynamics

• Try to move around the classroom while explaining or doingthe activities, circulating among your pupils. In this way youproject an air of confidence, of being in command and ofbeing more accessible to pupils. Moving around theclassroom also enables you more effectively to superviseand monitor pupils who may need more attention at times.Movement in the classroom tends to hold pupils’ attentionbetter and makes the class more lively and dynamic.

• In the same way that it is a good idea for teachers to movearound, it is also advisable to move the pupils aroundoccasionally. By periodically changing seatingarrangements, you can help group dynamics and break uppotentially disruptive groups. For example, weaker pupilscould be put next to stronger ones, and more hard-workingpupils next to disruptive ones. Pupils might benefit fromworking with children they may not usually associate with.

• When forming pairs or groups, we suggest that, wheneverpossible, pupils just move their chairs. For groupwork,they can bring their chairs around one or two tables,allowing them an easy environment for discussion andwritten production. For pairwork, they can position theirtwo chairs to face each other. This allows a more realisticeye-to-eye communication situation. This change of seatingprepares them for the oral work they are about to begin.

• When pairs need to work in secret, they can use their booksor notebooks as a barrier. They can either put their booksupright on the desk between them when they work side byside, or use them as a support for their worksheets when theysit facing each other. Alternatively, they can sit back to back.

Classroom posters

• A set of classroom posters is included on the followingpages. These can be enlarged and put up around theclassroom to remind pupils of standard formulae tocomplete communication tasks. We suggest you drawyour pupils’ attention to these and pre-teach or practise thenecessary language before carrying out an activity.

Noise

• When children are excited they tend to be very noisy.Although it can be difficult to get used to at first, noise inthe classroom is tolerable if it is related directly to theactivity and is an expression of interest or enthusiasm forthe task in hand. If children are sufficiently stimulated byan activity to want to talk about it, then this can only beinterpreted as a positive response. You must ensure,however, that only English is used for the completion ofspecific communication tasks.

Teaching and learning

• Encourage pupils to use their own resources to try to solve atask. Try to guide pupils towards finding the right answers,rather than supplying them yourself, even if this meansallowing them to make mistakes. Making mistakes is a vitalpart of the learning process, so when pupils are asked toinvent their own sentences, stories, etc. we should not expectthese to be perfect. Sometimes accuracy must be forfeited forthe sake of creativity and enthusiastic participation.

• Many of the extension activities include ideas for fastfinishers. These can be given to those pupils who need anextra task to keep them occupied while the rest of the classfinish the main activity. In activities where it is necessary toprepare material, these pupils can be kept busy helpingthe teacher with cutting out, collecting in and cleaning up.

• Try to avoid the immediate repetition of an activity simplybecause it has worked well in class and your pupils haveenjoyed it. If you do this, the novelty will quickly wear offand children will become bored. Save it for a later occasionand they will come back to it with fresh enthusiasm.






12

BOXPRIMARY COMMUNICATION Introduction

Competition

• An element of competition can make many children tryharder. However, while a competition can be a goodincentive for an otherwise lazy pupil, it can sometimes bedemotivating for a less able but ordinarily hard-workingone. Before playing a competitive game, it may be useful toexplain to children that this is only a means of learning.Although they may not win the game, all pupils are winnersif they know more English at the end than they knew at thebeginning. Help pupils to see that when they play a gamethey can practise and learn more English, so they each wina prize, and that prize is knowledge. Nonetheless, it isalways a good idea to balance competitions with otheractivities to be able to reward or praise individualsaccording to their needs and performances.

• Competitions can also lead to a lot of noise and over-enthusiasm in the classroom. Any discipline problems can,however, be curbed by keeping a running total of pointson the board and deducting points for shouting out theanswer or rowdiness.

Display

• Pupils find it extremely motivating to have their workdisplayed and will generally strive to produce work to thebest of their ability if they know it is going to be seen byothers. So try to display pupils’ work around theclassroom or school whenever possible.

Portfolios

• As parents and carers are taking a growing interest intheir children’s learning, making personal folders is theperfect way for pupils to take their work home so they canshow off what they have learnt in their English lessons. Thecompleted worksheets in Primary Communication Box areideal for including in such a personalised portfolio, as arethose from its sister titles Primary Activity Box, PrimaryGrammar Box, Primary Pronunciation Box, PrimaryReading Box and Primary Vocabulary Box.

Storage of material

• To make flashcards more attractive and appealing toyounger learners it is a good idea to enlarge them, colourthem in and laminate them with protective adhesiveplastic. In this way you will always have them ready forfuture use.

• In the same way, it is a good idea to photocopy differentsets of the same game onto different coloured card andlaminate them with adhesive plastic. These can then bestored for easy retrieval at short notice at a later date.

Caroline Nixon and Michael Tomlinson, Murcia 2005






13

Class postersBOX


✂

What does

mean?

Can you

spell please?






14

BOXPRIMARY COMMUNICATION Class posters

✂

Whose

turn is it?It’s m

yturn.

Can you

repeat thatplease?






15

Class postersBOX


✂

I don’tunderstand.

Pardon?







STARTING OFF

24

Before classMake a copy of the Alphadots worksheet for each pair of pupils and an extra copy fordemonstration. Cut each copy into two parts: A and B.

In class1 Revise or pre-teach the letters of the alphabet and their pronunciation:

● Write the letters on the board, in groups, according to their pronunciation: /a, h, j, k/,/b, c, d, e, g, p, t, v/, /f, l, m, n, s, x/, /i, y/, /q, u, w/, /o/, /r/, /z/. Drawpupils’ attention to the common sound in each group of letters. Say Listen and repeat, forpupils to repeat the letters in each group after you.

● Pupils listen and repeat the letters from a to z after you. Ask a pupil to say the letter a,the pupil next to him or her says the letter b. Continue by going round the class askingthem to say all the letters of the alphabet in turn.

● Take a section of the alphabet and say the letters in sequence, missing one out, e.g. b, c,d, e, f, h, i, j, k, l. Pupils must identify the missing letter (g) to score a point.

● Play an alphabet quiz. Say a word, e.g. kite, and pupils must say the first letter, k, to geta point.

● Ask pupils, in pairs or in teams, to spell simple words. They score one point for eachcorrect word.

2 Demonstrate the game with a pupil. Select a pupil and sit facing him or her. Give the pupilpart A of the worksheet and you keep part B. Explain that pupils listen to their partnersdictate the letters and they draw lines to join the dots. They start at the letter with the pictureof a pencil. Put your pencil on the right letter (r) and ask your partner to read the letters atthe top of his or her sheet. Draw the lines from one letter to the other for the class to see.

3 Arrange the class in pairs: A and B. Give pupils their worksheet, A or B, and ask them toface their partners. Explain that the information on their photocopy is ‘secret’ and pupils canonly look at their own piece of paper.

4 Pupil As dictate for Pupil Bs to draw and complete their pictures, then they change roles.When they have finished, they compare pictures.

5 Circulate to monitor and correct.

6 Pupils then write the word under the picture.It’s an ice cream / a pineapple.

BOXAlphadots

ACTIVITY TYPE pairwork alphabet ‘join thedots’ dictation

LANGUAGE FOCUSletters of the alphabet

instructions: look, listen, draw

LANGUAGE LEVEL1

AGE RANGE7–8

TIME40 minutes

MATERIALS a copy of the Alphadotsworksheet per pair of pupils,an extra copy fordemonstration

1.51.5


Cambridge University Press0521549884 - Primary Communication Box: Speaking and Listening Activities and Games for younger learnersCaroline Nixon and Michael TomlinsonExcerptMore information




From Primary Communication Box by C. Nixon and M. Tomlinson © Cambridge University Press 2005 PHOTOCOPIABLE 25

AlphadotsBOX

PRIMARY COMMUNICATION 1.5

Dictate:

r-h-x-i-f-e-c-o-t-y-s-d-w-a-b-m-j-g-l-z-p-u-k-n-v-r

Listen and draw.A

BIt’s

Dictate:

p-f-g-l-m-j-o-b-n-w-h-y-c-t-v-d-a-u-r-e-k-i-s-x-z-p

Listen and draw.

✂

It’s

p

f

glm j

ob n w h y c

t v

d

a ur

e

s

k

xz

i

r

h

x

i

e

c ot

y

s

d

w

a

b

m

j

g l

zp

k

n

v

uf


Cambridge University Press0521549884 - Primary Communication Box: Speaking and Listening Activities and Games for younger learnersCaroline Nixon and Michael TomlinsonExcerptMore information




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