Teaching Young Beginning Learners

7/27/2019 Teaching Young Beginning Learners

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Table of Contents

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 2

Managing Young Students .................................................................................................. 3Ideas for Teaching Beginners ............................................................................................. 6

Lesson Plans........................................................................................................................ 8

The First Day ................................................................................................................... 8Alphabet......................................................................................................................... 10

The Seasons ................................................................................................................... 11

The Calendar .............................................................................................................. 11

The Fall ...................................................................................................................... 12The Winter.................................................................................................................. 14

The Spring .................................................................................................................. 16

The Summer ............................................................................................................... 17

Animals .......................................................................................................................... 19Food ............................................................................................................................... 24

Family ............................................................................................................................ 26

Holidays ............................................................................................................................ 27Halloween ...................................................................................................................... 27

Thanksgiving Ideas ........................................................................................................ 29

Christmas Ideas.............................................................................................................. 31New Years .................................................................................................................... 32

Valentines Day Ideas.................................................................................................... 33

St. Patricks Day ............................................................................................................ 34

Activities ........................................................................................................................... 3620 Questions .................................................................................................................. 36

Around the world ........................................................................................................... 37

Go Fish .......................................................................................................................... 38Listening Bingo ............................................................................................................. 39

Memory ......................................................................................................................... 40

My Grandmother Went to the Market ........................................................................... 41

Picture Bingo ................................................................................................................. 42Sorting Vocabulary ........................................................................................................ 43

The Name Game ............................................................................................................ 44

Two Truths and a False ................................................................................................. 45Appendices

A: The Rule

B: Mother Goose

C: Songs and Chants

D: WorksheetsE: Websites


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Introduction

This booklet is a compilation of poems, units and activities (and some advice) that I havefound useful for young beginning learners. It is not two years worth of lesson plans.

Instead, it is a collection of ideas for you to develop depending on your own style and

resources. While I have tried all these ideas and found them effective, they are not all myideas. Over my two years of working with 4th

to 7th

graders (and even one class of 1st

graders) I have had tons of help from other volunteers. Also, many of these ideas are not

especially original, but I have included them because sometimes those games and songs

we played and sang when we were kids are surprisingly easy to forget. I hope that as youuse this booklet you will remember more things from your childhood and get more ideas

to pass on to the next group of volunteers.

Kate Jacobs


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Managing Young Students

CONSISTENCEYIf there is one thing I have learned about managing young students it is that consistency

counts. Generally, little kids dont have the apathy that older kids can develop. They

really want to learn and are excited about English class and school in general. However,their enthusiasm can be incredibly overwhelming. Combined with a shorter attentionspan, a 4

thgrade class can easily become complete chaos. The good news is that they are

receptive to routine and a well managed class. It takes some strength on your part, but set

up your classroom rules and stick to them. They will learn. One example of this is thatmy kids used to always come and crowd around my door antsy to get in. I started telling

them that they could only come in if they formed a line against the wall in the hall. The

first week or two or even three this took forever. They pushed and shoved and shouted.

But eventually, they showed up and immediately got in line and waited for me to let themin. I have done the same thing with insisting that they raise their hands or even insisting

that they not talk during tests (this may take awhile!). Also, be consistent with giving

grades and docking points for certain things. They will catch on and they will work withyou.

The Rule

I tell my student that there is only one rule in my class: Respect. I made a poster for thefront of the classroom that says, Respect your teacher, your classmates, your classroom

andyourself! On one of the first days of class we talked about what this means. (See

Appendix A: The Rule.) It might seem like this is going right over their heads, but eventhe little kids understand what it means to respect their teacher and they appreciate when

you respect them. When I am having an especially bad day, I remind them that the one

thing I ask of them is that they show me respect. Related to this, I dont let my students

call me by my first name alone. They should always use Miss. Demand their respectfrom the beginning and dont let class become playtime with the babysitter. With young

children, perhaps more than with older kids, you can still be loved by them while staying

in a position of authority.

Grades

Even though your students are as young as third or fourth grade, I have still found thatgrades can be used as leverage for classroom management. I give my students a grade

everyday and they understand that this will be averaged into a final grade for the

catalogue. The idea is that every student starts with a 10 and depending on their behavior

can have points taken away. This is a pretty subjective system. Sometimes I make marksin my catalogue so I remember when I had to wait for a certain student to be quiet. Other

times, when a student is doing something I dont like, I say, minus one and they know

what that means. I also require that the students have their English notebook in class and

if they forget it I minus one point from their grade-for-the-day. They seem to understandthis and see it as a reasonable consequence. After class I take thirty seconds to quickly

run down the class list and give each student a grade. Even if I havent made a mark or

verbally told them I was taking away points, I still give them a lower grade if I feel it isnecessary. Because the grades are averaged, it is good to be hard on them. Otherwise, all


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your kids will end up with 10s when you feel they dont deserve it. A 2 one day means

nothing if every other day they have 9s and 10s. If a student is really upset with the

grade, remind them that in the next class they start with a 10 again and they have a newchance for a good gradeit depends on them.

NOTE: 1st

to 4th

graders dont get numbers in the catalogue but they generally still know

very well what they mean. Remember that if you give a student a 9, that is still a FB,foarte bine. 7s and 8s areB, bine, 5s and 6s are S, suficient, and 4 and lower are I,insuficient. I usually still tell my 4

thgraders what they have on the number scale but in

the end, I put a letter in the official catalogue.

Notebooks

I require all my kids to get a medium sized notebook. I tell them that this will be their

special English book. All their vocabulary, songs and poems go in their notebook. Plus,

we frequently color them and draw pictures in them to make them look nice. Sometimesthey even get stickers! They should always bring their notebooks to class (yes, they will

still forget!) and keep them nice. If they forget their notebook, I encourage them to write

on a piece of paper and then copy it into their notebook at home. Some kids really willdo this! A lot of my students make really nice notebooks and treasure themthey enjoy

flipping through it and remembering what they have learned. If a class isnt taking their

notebooks seriously, Ill collect everyones and give them a notebook grade depending on

how much of the material they have written down.

Homework

I see my students twice a week and I usually try to give them homework once a week. Itis usually something very simple that I can check in class. Write three sentences with

the new vocabulary we learned. Or Draw a picture of the poem we learned. Or

Think of five words that start with G. It depends on what you have learned in class that

day. I spend 5 to 10 minutes in the next class checking the homework and giving them ahomework grade. I dont give numbers, only letters. Even 5th, 6th and 7th grade students

who get numbers in the catalogue will know what FB, B, Sand Imean. Everyone who

has done their homework, no matter how badly, gets a small sticker which thrills themand makes them excited about homework.

Test or ProjectsMost of my lessons are done in units. This is easier for me to think of what to do next

and it provides consistency for the students. At the end, I like to give a final test or

project. The nice thing about having beginning learners is that these are never that

difficult to grade (as opposed to people teaching high school and giving essays andpapers). My tests are simple and exactly what we have practiced in class. No surprises.

My projects encourage creativity and imagination while using the learned vocabulary and

sentence structures. Make the instructions for the projects very clear and grade

consistently. These can be displayed in the classroom.

Final Grade

In the end, all these grades go together to make a final grade for the official catalogue. Iusually let them know what their breakdown is: their averaged behavior (grade-for-the-


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day), homework and test grades. Then these three are averaged for their final grade. You

can have whatever categories work for you. This perhaps sounds like a lot of work, but

get your system down and it goes surprisingly quick. I think that the kids, even if theyare only 4

thgraders, appreciate understanding their grades and take English-class-with-

the-American more seriously. Show them that they have the direct ability to make their

grades better or worse depending how they conduct themselves in class. To reallyenforce their grades, I put all their grades with the final average on a slip of paper andthen paste it in their notebook.


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Ideas for Teaching Beginners

from Gertrude Kaster, group 12

Use Pictures

Drawings

Flashcardsmake them yourself or have the students make them!Real objectsTeach Nouns

Verbs

AdjectivesAlphabet (flashcards)

List nouns that start with that letter

Numbers

Vocabulary in SentencesI have a ___

I want to go to ___

I ride a ___Do you like to eat ___?

Please give me ___

Activities:Vocabulary building activities

Go around the room naming things (ex. Desk, etc.)

Go around, point and call out a wrong name, then students correctSongs

Poems

Puzzles

DrawingsWord Search

Make new words from one long word (ex. Gingerbreadring, red, in)

Talk about themselvesMy name is

I have (family)

I study (math)I am (a student). I am not (a teacher).

Vocabulary

Relatives Clothing

Shapes VegetablesAnimals Weather

Days of the week Months

Body parts Colors

Fruits DirectionsFurniture

Method for teaching vocabulary

Hold up item/flashcardSay the word


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Students repeat

Say and repeat two times

Show item/flashcard, say a word, if the word is correct students raise their hand, ifthe word is incorrect students touch their nose

Use new word in a sentence

Ex. I have a ___I see a ___I ate ___ for breakfast

Copy into notebookskeep some record of what they are learning

Personal statementsI would like to visit the country of ___ because ___

Over the weekend I went to ___

A person I admire is ___ because ___

Picture StoriesMake up stories for pictures

List names, verbs, adjectives

Using two unrelated pictures, create storyRole playCharades

Conductor & traveler

Two people on a vacation

Youre in America and want to fly homePlayback (for a small group and over several days)

Record students conversation or reading

InterviewOne student actor, athlete as interviewee, class questions

Cooperative learning

Word web

Venn DiagramPair groupings

Write pairs on slips of paper (ex. Cat-Dog, Day-Night), students ask questions to

find their partnersGrouping with playing cards

Fillers:Actions songs (ex. If youre happy and you know it)

Simon says

Pick a letter and students list words beginning with that letter

Give category and students list items belonging to that categoryStory tellingput nouns and verbs on the board. One student begins the story and the

next students continues

Chants (make them up yourself!)

Chalkboard chainstudent writes a word at the top of the chalkboard, the next studentwrites a word that starts with the last letter of the first word. (ex. Dog, Good,

Day)

Hot potato questionsthrow a ball to a student and ask a question. The student answersand throws ball to another student asking a question.


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Lesson Plans

The First Day

Level: Beginner

Time: 3 class periodsNumber of Students: about 15Aim/Goal: to introduce the teacher and students

Objectives: students will be able to

Call the teacher by nameAsk and answer basic questions about identity

Materials: paper for nametags

DAY 1

Warm-up: roll call. Take roll and have the students say here or present in English.Presentation: make name tags. Give each student a piece of standard sized blank paper

and have them fold it the long way so it will stand up in a tent shape. Have

students write their name really big on the nametag. Then each student shouldthink of an English word that begins with the same letter as their name and draw a

picture of that word on their nametag.

Practice: questionnaire. In their notebooks, have students fill out this form about

themselves.Name:

Age:

Parents Names:Siblings:

Hobbies:

DAY 2

Warm-up: circle memory game. Have class stand in a circle. One student starts the gameby saying their name and their English word that they drew on their nametag (ex.

Maria Monkey). The next student repeats the name and word and adds their own

to the list. They will probably already know each others names but they mustremember the English word. Also, it is good practice for the teacher to learn the

students names.

Presentation: prepare for interviews. Talk about how to ask questions to learn theinformation that is on their questionnaires from last class.

Practice: interviews. Put students in pairs and have them interview each other for basic

identity information. They can think of new questions if they want.

Application: introductions. Students present their partner and information about theirpartner to the class.

DAY 3

Warm-up: play the circle memory name game again. Review identity questions and

information.Presentation: [if you want, explain the classroom rules that you want to enforce for the

year.] Teach basic commands for the classroom. Mime the command and then

have the kids repeat. Write it on the board.Stand up Sit down


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Be quiet Raise your hand

Open your book Close your book

Listen SleepWrite Draw

Walk Run

Eat DrinkJumpPractice and Application: play Simon says with basic commands. Let kids take turns

being Simon.


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Alphabet

Level: 4th

gradeTime: 2 class periods

Aim/Goal: to learn to pronounce the alphabet in English

Objectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able toSay and sing the alphabet in EnglishList words that begin with each letter of the alphabet

Materials: alphabet flashcards

DAY 1

Warm-uplearn Twinkle-Twinkle, Little Star (It has the same tune as ABC which

you will want to teach them later)

Presentationuse alphabet flashcards to teach pronunciation of English alphabet. Makeflashcards with the letter and a picture of something that starts with that letter.

Show the letter and have the students repeat the pronunciation. Stick the

flashcard on the board and write the word next to it. Have the kids write thevocabulary in their notebooks. Work on the phrase (letter) is for (word). OR, if

you dont want to make flashcards, have the kids brainstorm words they know

beginning with each letter.

Practiceteach the alphabet song. I works better if the students can look at the letters asthey sing them. Stick the letter flashcards up in order around the room or write

the letters on the board.

Applicationgive each student a letter and have them draw a word that begins with thatletter. Later these can be used as flashcards or you can hang them up around the

room to create a visual alphabet. Have students present their picture to the class

saying (letter) is for (word).

DAY 2More PracticeActivity 1go around the room and have students each say a letter of the alphabet in

order. Or, put them in a circle and have them toss a ball around. The person who

catches the ball must say the next letter of the alphabet and toss the ball on.Activity 2play Around the World with alphabet flashcards. (see activities for how to

play Around the World)

Activity 3play Hangman with the kids asking for letters in English. If you play as awhole class, it works well to have all the kids names in an envelope. Pick a name

and that student gets to ask for a letter. This way they all get a turn and they

arent all screaming for a letter at the same time.


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The Seasons

Introduction: This is a year long unit. I did these lessons with my fourth grade studentsboth my first and my second year of teaching in Romania but, depending on the level and

interests of your kids, it can be adapted for other ages. It uses poems, songs and coloring

to discuss the changing seasons throughout the year. Students should be encouraged tomake their notebooks as colorful and pretty as possible and all the vocabulary, poems,songs and drawings should be written in the notebook. Start segments one and two soon

after school starts in the fall, segment three after Christmas break in January, segment

four after spring break in April and segment five in the first week of June before schoolgets out. Many of the resources and ideas are from the web sitewww.everythingesl.net.

If you dont have access to a copy machine, the worksheets can be copied onto large

pieces of paper (like butcher paper or flip chart paper) and displayed so that the kids can

see them. They can then copy it into their notebooks with their own decorations.

In Appendix: Broken Words worksheet

Let it Snow worksheetSnow worksheet

Spring Flowers worksheet

Spring Puzzle worksheet

SEGMENT 1:

The Calendar

Materials: Broken Words worksheet

Large copy of Months poem

Soft ball (for extra activity)

DAY 1Activity 1tell the students we will now be learning about the calendar. Write month

on the board. Have students think of months and write them on the board in order.Work on pronunciation and have them copy into their notebooks. Write week on

the board. Have students think of days of the week starting with Sunday as we do in

America. Work on pronunciation and have them copy into their notebooks. Practice

saying the months and days of the week in order by going around the room andhaving each student say a month.

Activity 2hand out Broken Words handout (or copy it onto large paper and hang it in

the front of the room). Demonstrate how the activity is done with an example or two.Tell the students to finish the exercises on their own (copying it into their notebook if

you dont have copies for every student). Circulate to make sure everyone

understands. My students had a bit of a struggle getting this but then they liked the

puzzle of it. It took longer than this class period so we finished it next time.DAY 2

Activity 1verbally go over the months and the days of the week. Do it as a class, have

individuals do it, and go around the room saying them in order.Activity 2sing this song together to the tune of Clementine
http://www.everythingesl.net/http://www.everythingesl.net/http://www.everythingesl.net/http://www.everythingesl.net/


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Sunday, Monday,

Tuesday, Wednesday

Thursday, Friday, Saturday(Repeat above)

There are seven days in a week

There are seven days in a weekSunday, Monday,Tuesday, Wednesday,

Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Activity 3print this poem on the board or on large paper. Read it to the class. Havethem read it with you. This poem not only uses the months but it points to the

seasons that will be talked about later. It is quite long so I did not have them copy it

in their notebooks. Also, at this point, I didnt make sure that they understood what it

meant. It was more of a reading and pronunciation exercise.

The Months

January brings the snow, Makes our feet and fingers glow.

February brings the rains, Thaws the frozen lake again.March brings breezes sharp and chill, Shakes the dancing daffodil.

April brings the primrose sweet, Scatters daisies at our feet.

May brings flocks of pretty lambs, Sporting round their fleecy dams.

June brings tulips, lilies, rose, Fills the childrens hands with posies.Hot July brings thunder-showers, Apricots, and gilly-flowers.

August brings the sheaves of corn; Then the harvest home is borne.

Warm September brings the fruit; Sportsmen then begin to shoot.Brown October brings the pheasant, Then to gather nuts is pleasant.

Dull November brings the blast-- Hark! the leaves are whirling fast.

Cold December brings the sleet, Blazing fire, and Christmas treat.

Activity 3if necessary, finish the Broken Words worksheet and then go over it as aclass, making sure everyone has the correct answer.

Activity 4teach the way to write dates in English. Ask the question, when is your

birthday? My birthday is April 20, 1980. Write question and answer on the board.Do other questions: When is Christmas? When is Halloween?

Supplementary Activityanother game that I did to review this vocab was I brought a

small ball or stuffed animal to class and had the kid stand in a circle. Then we tossed(and I emphasize TOSSED here) the ball randomly around the circle and when you

caught the ball you have to say the next month or day of the week. This is a good

game if the class is well behaved but it can get wild. I was very strict with kids who

decided to hurl the stuffed bear as hard as they could at their classmates.

SEGMENT 2:

The Fall

Materials: the months poem

A bag of clothesFlashcards of fall weather (you can make them)

Pictures of people in the fall (if possible)


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DAY 1

Activity 1begin by reviewing the vocabulary. Say all the months with the kids

repeating, then go around the room and have them say the months in order. Do thesame with the days of the week. Get out the poem. Read it for them again. Read it

as a class.

Activity 2go over just September, October, November of the months poem. Read andrepeat. Help them understand generally what it means. Have individuals take turnsreading a line. Write it in their notebooks.

Warm September brings the fruit; Sportsmen then begin to shoot.

Brown October brings the pheasant, Then to gather nuts is pleasant.Dull November brings the blast-- Hark! the leaves are whirling fast.

Activity 3Write Fall or Autumn on the board.

1. What do we wear in the fall?Pants, long sleeve shirts, sweaters, shoes, jacketsHave a bag with clothes. Have students pull them out one by one. Do we wear this

in the fall? Yes or no. Make a list of fall clothing for their notebooks.

2.

What do we eat in the fall?Apples, pumpkins, grapes,

Write market on the board. Have students come up and draw pictures of food that

we eat in the fall. Make a list of fall food for their notebooks.

3. What is the weather like in the fall?Rainy, windy, warm, cool, sunny, foggy

Look outside. What is the weather like today? Show flashcard of fall weather. Make

a list of fall weather for their notebooks.DAY 2

Activity 1go over fall section of the poem again. Review fall vocabulary by showing

clothing articles and pictures.

Activity 2ask the question, what do we do in the fall? Brainstorm answers. Write theverbs on the board. Make sure students understand the meaning in Romanian. Ex.

Go to school, play in the leaves, celebrate Halloween, prepare for winter, celebrate

ThanksgivingActivity 3Bring pictures of people doing things in the fall. I had photographs of

friends and family in traditional Northern Midwestern fall settings. If you do not

have this and cannot find such pictures in magazines, this activity could easily beskipped. Ask students, what are they wearing?, what is the weather like?, what are

they eating? What is life like in the fall?

Activity 4Give students this writing frame:

In the fall, the weather is _________, _______________, and _____________. Iwear ______________, ______________, and _________________. I like to eat

________________ and ______________. In the fall, I can _____________,

______________, and _________________.

Have students make sentences using this as help. Illustrate the sentences they wrotein their notebooks. Possibly share the sentences and pictures with the class or grade

them (or you could make this part a homework assignment).

SEGMENT 3:


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The Winter


Winter weather gear

The poem First SnowPopped popcorn

Let it Snow worksheetSnow worksheet(Scissors and paper for making snowflakes)

DAY 1

Activity 1go over just December, January, and February of the months poem. Readand repeat. Help them understand generally what it means. Have individuals take

turns reading a line. Write it in their notebooks.

Cold December brings the sleet, Blazing fire, and Christmas treat.

January brings the snow, Makes our feet and fingers glow.

February brings the rains, Thaws the frozen lake again.

Activity 2Write winter on the board. What do we wear in the winter? Use the Shirley

Neitzel poem, The Jacket I Wear in the Snow. This poem builds on itself like thefamiliar The House that Jack Built. Recite one line of the poem and put on thatarticle of clothing. Write the word for that article on the board and have the kids

write it in their notebooks. Continue adding more lines to the poem and repeating the

previous lines, reinforcing the vocabulary. As you recite, have the kids say theclothing article with you as you touch it. By the end, you should be wearing all the

things in the poem and reciting the whole thing while the kids help you fill in the

words. (You could also have the kids copy the poem in their notebooks and illustrateit. OR Make a classroom book; each additional line is a new page and different

children illustrate the child in the poem with that clothing article. Then you can use

the ending where the mother helps the child who has hurt himself.)

"The Jacket I Wear in the Snow," by Shirley Neitzel.This is thejacket I wear in the snow.

This is the zipper that's stuck on the jacket I wear in the snow.

This is the scarf, woolly and red, that's caught in the zipper, that's stuck on the...This is the hat for my head, that matches the scarf, woolly and red,...

These are the mittens that hang from each arm, that I wear with the hat...

This is the sweater all itchy and warm, that meets the mittens that hang...

These are thejeans, stiff in the knee, that go under the sweater all itchy andwarm...

These are the boots, too big for me, that cover the jeans, stiff in the knee...

This is long underwear, bunchy and hot, that is stuffed in the boots too big for

me...These are the socks, wrinkled a lot, that are pulled over long underwear, bunchy...

*Optional ending:

These are the tears that fell from my eyes, that dripped on the socks wrinkled alot...

This is my mother, who heard my cries, and wiped the tears that fell from my

eyes, and loosened the scarf, woolly and red,and slipped off the hat from my head,


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and unpinned the mittens that hung from each arm,

and unbuttoned the sweater all itchy and warm,

and unzipped the boots, too big for me,and straightened the jeans, stiff in the knee,

and smoothed the long underwear, bunchy and hot,

and pulled up the socks that were wrinkled a lot,when she unstuck the zipper of the jacket I wear in the snow.*Note: my second year of teaching, I managed to get someone from home to send me

a copy of this book. I taught the vocabulary and copied it in the notebook first, and

then I read them the book and showed them the pictures. I also made flashcards bytracing the pictures in the book and used them to review the vocabulary.

DAY 2

Activity 1go over winter section of the poem again. Review vocabulary by going over

The Jacket I Wear in the Snow again. Get kids involved by having them put ontheir winter gear with you as you recite the poem. Or have volunteers come stand in

the front of the room, each holding an article of clothingwhen it is their turn, they

must fill in the vocabulary word for the item they have.Activity 2snow. Now that we are dressed to go outside, its time to talk about snow.

Hand out First Snow by Marie Louise Allen, or write it on the board or a poster.

First Snow by Marie Louise Allen

Snow makes whiteness where it falls.The bushes look like popcorn-balls.

The places where I always play,

Look like somewhere else today.Explain what the poem means. Explain the concept of similesshow the students

some popcorn. Is it snow? No. But it looks like snow. Have students brainstorm

other things that snow is like and write it on the board. (This is kind of difficult but

they were surprisingly good at it.) Favorite answers: cotton, clouds, ice cream,whipped cream, pillowsit helps if you know some of this vocab in Romanian.

Activity 3Now have them use their words to complete the sentences: The bushes look

like____________. And the comparison sentence: Snow is as whiteas______________. Put their answers together to make a class poem of their own.

Perhaps poem can be copied onto large paper and hung in the classroom.

DAY 3Activity 1review vocab.

Activity 2Do a snow worksheet. Let it Snow! for younger students and Snow for a

little more advanced students. Make sure they understand the new vocabulary.

Activity 3finish applying winter vocabulary and themes by drawing winter scenes intheir notebooks. They should label all the elements of the picture with the vocabulary

they learned. Help them label items that they do not know. They should also write

sentences describing what is happening in their picture using this form In the winter,

I ______.Optional Activity 4as a final fun thing they can make snow flakes by folding and

cutting paper and hang the snow flakes around the room and around the poem they

wrote which is hanging on the wall.


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*Note: my second year I got a copy of The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. I read

the kids the story and used it as a place to start talking about what we do in the snow.

We brainstormed snow vocabulary like: snowball, snowball fight, snowman, snowangels, snow mountain, sled, ski, etc.

SEGMENT 4:

The Spring

Materials: the months poemSentence strips about how a flower grows

Tommy poem

Spring flowers worksheet

Spring puzzle worksheetMary, Mary Quite Contrary poem

DAY 1

Activity 1go over just March, April, May of the months poem. Read and repeat. Help

them understand generally what it means. Have individuals take turns reading a line.Write it in their notebooks.

March brings breezes sharp and chill, Shakes the dancing daffodil.

April brings the primrose sweet, Scatters daisies at our feet.

May brings flocks of pretty lambs, Sporting round their fleecy dams.

Activity 2write spring on the board. Make a Venn Diagram with Spring and Winter.

Encourage students to think about what you wear in these seasons. What you eat.What the weather is. Have students first make the chart in their notebooks and fill it

in with the person sitting next to them. Then have volunteers come to the board and

fill it in. Try to review Winter and Fall words. Talk about spring things, especially

the weather.

Activity 3teach spring vocab by drawing it on the board and labeling it. Have studentsalso draw pictures and label them in their notebooks.

Vocab: plant, flower, seeds, soil, leaf, stem, roots, ground, sun, petal, bud, water,(watering can), grass, bird, robin, nest, eggs, tree, worm, tulip, butterfly, rain

Activity 3Do Spring Flowers worksheet to use vocabulary.

DAY 2

Activity 1go over spring section of the poem again. Review spring vocabulary.Activity 2handout Tommy by Gwendolyn Brooks, or write it on the board. Read the

poem for the students. Have them practice reading it with you. Finally, have them

stand up and read the poem while doing motions (pretend to put a seed into theground, and water itthrow hands up into the air for popped!).

Tommy by Gwendolyn Brooks

I put a seed into the ground

And said, Ill watch it grow.I watered it and cared for it

As well as I could know.

One day I walked in my back yard,And oh, what did I see!

My seed had popped itself right out,


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Without consulting me.

Activity 3put students in groups and give them sentence strips about how a flower

grows to put in order.Put a seed in the soil.

Water the ground.

The seed grows roots.The seed grows a stem through the ground.From the stem grow leaves.

The plant grows a bud.

The bud opens its petals and makes a flower.The flower grows in the sun.

DAY 3

Activity 1review Tommy poem with motions.

Activity 2present Mother Goose rhyme Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary and have themcopy it in their notebooks. Practice reading it as a class and individually. Illustrate

the poem in their notebooks.

Activity 3make Tommys and Marys garden for the room. Hang up copies ofeach poem and have students make flowers and other spring things to hang on the

wall around them.

Optional ActivitySpring Puzzle Signs of Spring worksheet.

*Note: Mother Goose Poems are great for memorization. Give students the option ofmemorizing the poem and reciting it in front of class for a prize.

SEGMENT 5:

The Summer


DAY 1Activity 1go over just June, July, August of the months poem. Read and repeat. Help

them understand generally what it means. Have individuals take turns reading a line.Write it in their notebooks.

Junebrings tulips, lilies, rose, Fills the childrens hands with posies.

Hot July brings thunder-showers, Apricots, and gilly-flowers.

August brings the sheaves of corn; Then the harvest home is borne.Activity 2write summer on the board.

1. What do we wear in the summer?shorts, short sleeve shirts, tank tops, sandals, bathing suitsHave a bag with clothes. Have students pull them out one by one. Do we wear this

in the summer? Yes or no. Make a list of summer clothing for their notebooks.

2. What do we eat in the summer?Tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, raspberries, corn, etc.Write market on the board. Have students come up and draw pictures of food that

we eat in the summer. Make a list of summer food for their notebooks.

3. What is the weather like in the summer?Sunny, hot, thunderstorms (thunder, lightening, rain)

Talk about summer weather and write the vocab in the notebooks.


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4. What do we do in the summer?Go to the beach (sea), go swimming, go on a picnic, go camping, play

football/volleyballTalk about summer activities.

DAY 2

Activity 1go over summer section of the poem again. Review what we wear, eat anddo in the summer and what the weather is like.Activity 2plan a vacation. Have each student think about what they want to do this

summer. Where do they want to go? Have them fill in this form.

Where:What the weather is like:

What to pack:

What to eat:

What to do:Draw a picture to illustrate the plan.

*Optional: give the students your address so they can write you letters or postcards

about what they did in the summer.


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Animals

Level: 4th

gradeTime: 8 class periods (one month)

Aim/Goal: to name and describe animals

Objectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able toIdentify animal vocabularyUse adjectives to describe animals

Make comparisons between different animals

Materials:Farm animal flashcards

Animal Go Fish cards

Slips of paper with animal description (see DAY 2, practice)

Animal Memory GamePages of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

DAY 1 Farm AnimalsWarm Up & Presentation: Old MacDonald Had a Farm

CowMoo

CatMeow

SheepBaaChickenCluck

PigOink

HorseKneighMouseSqueak

GooseHonk

DuckQuack

DogWoofSing song. Stop between every verse to write the animal name on the board and

have the kids copy it in their notebooks. Helps to also have flashcards to

reinforce meaning. Hold up flashcard as you sing verse.Practice & Application: Play Go Fish (see activities section)

DAY 2 Farm Animals continued

Warm Up: sing Old MacDonald againPresentation: review/teach little and big. Review/teach numbers 110. Review/teach

colors. (Verbally review or copy new material in notebooks based on the level of

your students.)

Practice: give each student a slip of paper with something to color in their notebook. (forexample: two big dogs. OR three little mice. OR five orange cats and two black

cats.)

Application: have students present their pictures to the class. If they need help, prompt

them with questions like What do you have? Or ask the classmates, Whatdoes she have?

DAY 3 Zoo or Jungle Animals

Warm Up: Mother Goose Poems.Little Boy Blue


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Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn,

The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn.

Where is the boy who looks after the sheep?He's under a haycock, fast asleep.

Little Bo Peep

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheepAnd can't tell where to find them.Leave them alone,

And they'll come home,

Wagging their tails behind them.Have students choose one poem to copy into their notebooks and memorize and

recite for the next class to win a prize.

Presentation: learn animal vocabulary. With the students help make a long list of animals

on the board. Let each student choose one animal to add to the list. Teacherwrites the English word and the student can write the translation on the board.

This keeps them moving around a bit. Make sure that all the animals that are in

your animal memory games are on the list. Heres my list: (plus the farmanimals)

Turtle Camel

Fox Zebra

Beaver KangarooFrog Hippopotamus

Butterfly Whale

Skunk Crocodile or alligatorRabbit Tiger

Bear Snake

Bird Elephant

Penguin PeacockJaguar Toucan

Lion Monkey

Opossum OctopusOstrich Raccoon

Lizard Parrot

DAY 4Warm Up: have volunteers recite Mother Goose poem for a prize

Presentation: None

Practice: have students make their own Animal Bingo cards. (see Picture Bingo in

activities)Application: play Bingo

DAY 5: REVIEW

Divide the class into groups and give each group a station. The different activities can be

Go Fish, Bingo or Memory (a new game, see Memory in activities). Set a timer andafter 10 or 15 minutes, have the groups rotate stations so all kids get a chance to play the

games.

DAY 6Warm Up: learn and sing Baa Baa Black Sheep


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Baa, baa, black sheep,

Have you any wool?

Yes, sir, yes, sir,Three bags full.

One for my master,

One for my dame,And one for the little boyWho lives in the lane.

Baa, baa, black sheep,

Have you any wool?Yes, sir, yes, sir,

Three bags full.

Presentation: quickly review colors

Practice & Application: make a classroom copy of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What DoYou See? Write the words of the book on different pages. Give each student or

group of students a page and have them illustrate the animal featured on the page.

On the last page that says, I see some children looking at me! have each childdraw their own face. Put all the pages together and read the book to the class. It

is very repetitive and catchy so have the kids read with you.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Pg 1: Brown bear, brown bear what do you see?Pg 2: I see a red bird looking at me.

Red bird, red bird, what do you see?

Pg 3: I see a yellow duck looking at me.Yellow duck, yellow duck, what do you see?

Pg 4: I see a blue horse looking at me.

Blue Horse, blue horse what do you see?

Pg 5: I see a green frog looking at me.Green frog, green frog what do you see?

Pg 6: I see a purple cat looking at me.

Purple cat, purple cat what do you see?Pg 7: I see a gray dog looking at me.

Gray dog, gray dog what do you see?

Pg 8: I see a black sheep looking at me.Black sheep, black sheep what do you see?

Pg 9: I see an orange fish looking at me.

Orange fish, orange fish what do you see?

Pg 10: I see a pink pig looking at me.Pink pig, pink pig what do you see?

Pg 11: I see a teacher looking at me.

Teacher, teacher what do you see?

Pg 12: I see some children looking at me!DAY 7

Warm Up: read Brown Bear, sing Baa Baa Black Sheep

Presentation: adjectives. Tell students An elephant is very big and stretch your armsout. But a mouse is very little, and put your fingers close together. Use this as


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a way to introduce vocabulary. Let the kids suggest adjectives that they want to

know. Write English words on the board and let students come up and write the

Romanian translation. Some helpful adjectives:Big Small Little

Tall Long Short

Soft HardPretty UglyFat Skinny

Hairy Scaly

Furry SlimyExplain how to make comparisons in English usinger. (The elephant is bigger

than the mouse.)

Practice: have two students each pick an animal name. Have another student make a

comparison. Encourage them to be silly and to use different adjectives.Application: have each student write two animal names and one adjective in their

notebook. Then switch notebooks with a partner and make the words into a

comparison sentence. They can write the sentence in their partners notebook.DAY 8

Warm Up: Quick draw. Say animal comparison sentences and have students quickly

sketch the scenario in their notebooks. When they are finished they can hold their

picture above their head for all to see. OR you can say several sentences in a rowand then give stickers to kids who finish and got the drawings correct.

Presentation: Have one student come up to the board and quickly draw a bear. Say, A

Bear is Big. Write Big above the bear pictures. Have another student come tothe board and draw an elephant. Encourage the student to make it just bigger than

the bear. Say, But an Elephant is Bigger. Write Bigger on the board. Have

another student come to the board and draw a whale. Encourage this student to

make it outrageously big. Say, But a Whale is Biggest! Write Biggest on theboard. Explain how we use these endings in English. Do other examples with

other adjectives.

Practice: have each student write down three animals and an adjective in their notebooks.Switch notebooks with a partner and have the partner put the animals in order.

Application: have each student do their own set of drawings in their notebook. Below the

drawing they should write a description. (for example: a fat chicken, a fatter pig,the fattest hippo)

ZOO PROJECT

Intro: learn the song Going to the Zoo (if you know it)

Verse 1Mamas taking us to the zoo tomorrow

Zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow

Mamas taking us to the zoo tomorrow

And we can stay all dayChorus

Were going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

How about you, you, youYou can come too, too, too


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Were going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

Verse 2

Look at all the monkeys swinging in the treesSwinging in the trees, swinging in the trees

Look at all the monkeys swinging in the trees

And we can stay all dayVerse 3Look at all the crocodiles swimming in the water

Swimming in the water, swimming in the water

Look at all the crocodiles swimming in the waterAnd we can stay all day

Assignment: Design a zoo. This can be done individually or in groups. Encourage

creativity. Descriptions should accompany the zoo animals. This is the biggest

bear. Or This is the longest snake. Or The peacock is prettier than the bird.Display zoos around the classroom if you can.


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Food

Level: 5th

gradersTime: 2 class periods

Aim/Goal: to learn to use food vocabulary

Objectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able toIdentify food vocabularyUse food vocabulary in a shop setting

Materials: food vocabulary flashcards

Printout or poster of food poem

DAY 1

Warm-up: poem

Food, food wonderful food.Food, food delicious food.

Food, food makes me feel good.

Food wonderful food.

Hamburgers, pizzas,

French fries and hotdogs,

All taste very nice.Corn and potatoes,

Fried chicken, tomatoes,

And black beans and rice,Spaghetti and meatballs,

And bacon and eggs,

All smell so divine.

I want to eat all the time.

Food, food wonderful food.

Food, food delicious food.Food, food makes me feel good.

Food wonderful food.

Chocolate and ice cream,

And strawberries and cream,

Taste good and sweet.

Mangos and apples,Papayas and pineapples-

Oh, I love to eat.

Cherries and grapes,Bananas and dates,

All taste so divine.

I want to eat all the time.


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Presentation: teach vocabulary. Use flashcard that you can make. Choose from this

extensive list.

HamburgerPepper

Eggplant

CabbageGarlicCucumber

Peas

OlivesOrange

Apricot

Watermelon

Honey melonMilk

Water

WineOil

Vinegar

Peach

CoffeeSalt

PepperSugar

Meat

BreadSoupCheese

Jam

EggPizza

French Fry

Hotdog

CornPotato

Chicken

TomatoesBlack beans

Green beans

Rice

SpaghettiMeatballs

BaconChocolate

Ice cream

StrawberryMangoApple

Papaya

PineappleCherry

Grapes

Banana

DateNuts

Lemon

OnionCarrots

Pear

Cake

Practice: have students take turns putting flashcards in envelopesfruits, vegetables,

meats, grains, dairy, desserts.DAY 1

Warm-up & practice: make a word web around the words fruit, vegetables, meats,

deserts. Play My grandmother went to the market and brought me a with the

food flashcards.Application: have half the class be shopkeepers and half the class be shoppers.

Individually make out inventories or shopping lists. Then match sellers with

shoppers and have the students practice a dialogue of buying and selling.


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Family

Level: 5th

gradersTime: 2 class periods

Aim/Goal: to learn how to describe family relationships

Objectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able to Identify different members of the familyDescribe their relationships

Materials: pictures of family members

A family treeFamily relationships worksheet

DAY 1

Warm-up: show pictures of your family and your family tree.Presentation: teach family vocabulary and have kids write it with Romanian translation in

their notebooks.

Practice: show my family tree and ask possession/vocab questions.Ex. Who is Johns wife?

Ex. Who is Jerrys daughter?

Ex. Who are Jennys cousins?

Application: students create their own family tree in their notebook and they drawpictures of their family members. They must present family trees to class,

describing their relationships people have to each otherpractice accurate

possession.DAY 2

Warm-up: total physical response. Arrange in a family tree and talk about their

relationship to each other. One child will be the father, one the mother, another

the sister and another the grandfather. Ask kids, who is your cousin? A problemmight be that kids will get upset when they are another classmates wife or

husband. If you can get them to accept it as fun, its a good, silly exercise.

Practice: possession/vocabulary worksheetMatch the phrases in the first column with a phrase in the second.

My mothers father is my brother.

My fathers sister are my grandparents.My fathers son is my aunt.

My fathers brother is my sister.

My mothers parents is my grandpa.

My fathers daughter is my uncle.Answers:

My mothers father is my grandpa.

My fathers sister is my aunt.

My fathers son is my is my brother.My fathers brother is my uncle.

My mothers parents are my grandparents.

My fathers daughter is my sister.Application: students describe their own family with comparison sentences like these.


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Holidays

Halloween

Level: 4th

grade

Time: one class periodAim/Goal: to introduce students to the holiday, HalloweenObjectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able to

Use Halloween vocabulary

Say what one does to celebrate HalloweenDescribe what they would do for Halloween

Materials: Halloween vocabulary flashcards

Large Halloween poem

Halloween sentence strips

Warm-up: read poem for the classbe sure to shout BOO! at the end. Then have the

class read the poem together (and they can write it in their notebooks). They willenjoy shouting BOO at the end too.

October brings us Halloween

A spooky time its true

When Jack-o-lanterns flaming eyesSeem like theyre watching you

The black cats howling at the moonA witch goes flying by

And in the distance you can hear a goblins mournful cry

October brings us HalloweenA spooky time its true

When Jack-o-lanterns flaming eyes

Seem like theyre watching you

Be careful or before you know

A ghost will scare youBOO!!Presentation: show the students picture/flashcards of Halloween vocabulary. Write the

word on the board and stick the picture next to it. Have students copy the words

in their notebooks. Go over the poem and see how the vocabulary is used in the

poem.Cat, moon, witch, goblin, ghost, jack-o-lantern, spooky, eyes, candy, mask

Practice: read this passage to the class, October 31 is Halloween. Children like

Halloween. Children wear costumes and masks. They go to their neighbors

houses. They knock on the door. They say, Trick or Treat! Their neighborsgive them candy. The children say, Thank you. Then divide the class into

small groups and pass out strips of paper with the sentences of the story. Each

slip should have one sentence. Students should put the sentences in order. Makesure they understand what children do on Halloween.


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Application: draw pictures of what children do on Halloween. Encourage children to be

creative and spooky. Have them write sentences describing their pictures.


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Thanksgiving Ideas

Activity 1: Have students see how many words they can make with the letters inThanksgiving

Activity 2: Thanksgiving Turkeys.

Practice shapes by having the students draw a large circle for the body of a turkey.Draw a small circle for the head and a triangle for the beak. Draw two narrow,long rectangles for the legs and small, narrow triangles for the toes and long,

narrow ovals for tail feathers. Have students finish writing this sentence on each

of the turkeys tail feathers, I am thankful forActivity 3: Musical Turkey

Practice colors by singing, Have You Ever Seen A Turkey to the tune of The

More We Get Together

Have you ever seen a turkey, a turkey, a turkey?Have you ever seen a turkey with feathers so bright?

There's red ones and brown ones, and yellow ones and orange ones

Have you ever seen a turkey with feathers so bright?Have the students trace their hand, with thumb and fingers extended wide, to

make a profile view of a turkey. The thumb is the head and each finger is a

feather. Add legs and a beak. Students should color their turkey as the song

indicates.Activity 4: Funny Bird

A turkey is a funny bird,

Its head goes wobble, wobble,All it knows is just one word,

"Gobble, gobble, gobble."

Activity 5: Over the River and Through the Woodssing a couple verses of the

traditional Thanksgiving song.

Over the river and through the wood

To Grandfather's house we go.

The horse knows the wayTo carry the sleigh

Through white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood,

Trot fast, my dapple gray!

Spring over the ground

Like a hunting hound,For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river and through the wood --

Oh, how the wind does blow!It stings the toes

And bites the nose,

As over the ground we go.


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Over the river and through the wood,

And straight through the barnyard gate.

We seem to goExtremely slow --

It is so hard to wait!

Over the river and through the woodTo have a first-rate play.

Hear the bells ring,

Ting-a-ling-ling!Hurrah forThanksgiving Day!

Over the river and through the wood --

Now Grandmother's cap I spy!Hurrah for fun!

Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!


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Christmas Ideas

Activity 1: Twelve Days of ChristmasLearn the song. Have each student (or pairs of students) take one part of the song.

They should make a picture of their gift. Then sing the song again, each student

should sing his/her part, stand up and hold up the illustration.On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to meA partridge in a pear tree.

On the second day of Christmas

Two turtle dovesOn the third day of Christmas

Three French hens

On the fourth day of Christmas

Four calling birdsOn the fifth day of Christmas

Five golden rings

On the sixth day of ChristmasSix geese a laying

On the seventh day of Christmas

Seven swans a swimming

On the eighth day of ChristmasEight maids a milking

On the ninth day of Christmas

Nine ladies dancingOn the tenth day of Christmas

Ten drummers drumming

On the eleventh day of Christmas

Eleven pipers pipingOn the twelfth day of Christmas

Twelve lords a leaping

Activity 2: read The Twelve Days of Christmas and talk about the description of Santa.Draw pictures of him with rosy cheeks and a fat belly.

And, of course, sing carols and make Christmas cards!


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New Years

Level: Middle SchoolTime: one class period

Aim/Goal: to think about resolutions for the New Year

Objectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able toSing the traditional New Years song Auld Lang SyneUnderstand the concept of a resolution and articulate their own

Materials: print out or poster of lyrics to Auld Lang Syne

Pictures or descriptions of people to make resolutions for

Warm Up: talk about Christmas vacation and what they did for the holidays and sing

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne?For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne,

We'll tak a cup o'kindness yet

For auld lang syne!Presentation: explain the concept of making resolutions.

Practice: consider what will happen this year in your personal life. What decisions have

you made for the coming year? Look at pictures of people or describe people andhave the class decide what their New Years Resolution might be. (for example:

this is Lisa. She got a D in biology last semester. resolution: do homework. OR

this is Brian. He is always tired and falling asleep in class. resolution: go to bed

earlier.)Application: have students make resolutions. Have them think about different areas of

their lives like school, parents, TV, friends, money, travel, love sports, English,

etc. They can finish these sentences:I will

I am going to

I would like toI hope to

I am thinking about

I will not

I am not going toI intend to

I promise I will

I will definitely


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Valentines Day Ideas

Activity 1: listen to Beatles songs. Give the students the lyrics with words missing andhave them listen and try to fill them in. When they have the complete lyrics you

can sing the song as a class.

Activity 2: practice rhyming words. Make rhyming love poetry. Experiment with thestandard, Roses are red, violets are blue, chocolate is sweet, and so are you.Try to think of different endings for the poem.

Activity 3: rhyming words continued. Give students sets of four words, three of the

words should rhyme and one shouldnt. Have students find which word doesntbelong.

Activity 4: idioms. Give each student a heart idiom to illustrate literally. Print the

idiomatic phrase at the bottom of the illustration. Then have other students match

the definition of the idiom to the picture. OR talk about idioms and their meaningand then play pictionary, drawing the idiom literally and the class must guess

which idiom it is.

to have a heart of gold - to care about other peopleto have a big heart - to be giving, caring

to be cold-hearted -lacking in sympathy

to wear your heart on your sleeve- to let everyone know how you feel about

someoneto cross your heart and hope to die -to promise

to cry your heart out - to cry a lot and feel really badly about something

to eat your heart out - to be jealous of someonefrom the bottom of your heart - to really mean something

to have a change of heart -to change your mind

to have a heart - to be compassionate, to care about other people

to have your heart in your mouth- to be scared or nervousto have your heart set on something - to really want something

to set your heart at rest - stop worrying about something

to be soft hearted - to be sympatheticto take something to heart- to have your feelings hurt by something someone

else says or does

And make Valentines!


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St. Patricks Day

Level: 4th

gradeTime: 2 class periods

Aim/Goal: to learn about the holiday, St. Patricks Day

Objectives: by the end of the lesson, students will be able toIdentify St. Patricks Day vocabularyAnswer questions about the origins of St. Patricks Day

Materials: St. Patricks Day vocabulary flashcards

copies of reading

Warm-up: read poem to class. Practice reading it all together. Let individuals read it.

Have kids copy it in their notebooks.

St. Patrick's DayLeprechauns peeking,

Around a willow tree,

Pussy willows waking,Longing to be free.

Colleens and shamrocks

And castles old and gray,

Put them all togetherTo make St. Patrick's Day.

Presentation: St. Patricks Day vocabulary. Use flashcards to teach vocab and have kids

copy words into their notebooks.Leprechaun

Rainbow

Pot of gold

ParadeChurch

Snake

Shamrock, four leaf cloverCastle

Practice: St. Patricks Day reading and questions. Have kids read in pairs and complete

questions. (photocopiable format in appendix)St. Patrick is the saint of Ireland. He lived in ancient times. He heard God tell

him to go to Ireland and teach people about God. He made many churches.

He did many miracles. One legend is that he made all snakes leave Ireland.

Now the Irish celebrate St. Patricks Day every year on March 17. It is aholiday for Ireland and for spring. People wear green, have parades and tell

stories about leprechauns. A leprechaun is a very little man who has a pot of

gold at the end of a rainbow. If you can catch him, the gold is yours! People

also wear shamrocks. Most shamrocks have three leaves. If you find onewith four, you have good luck!

What country is St. Patrick for?

Why did he go to Ireland?What animal did he make leave Ireland?


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What color is for St. Patricks day?

What is the name of the little man with a pot of gold?

How many leaves are on a lucky shamrock?Application: another poem. Make shamrocks to wear. Draw St. Patricks Day pictures.

St. Patrick's Day

Oh, my mother isn't IrishAnd my father isn't too,But today I feel as Irish

As the really Irish do.

For today I wear a shamrockThat is green in every way

And though I am Romanian,

I am Irish -- for today!

For intermediate students: green idioms. Illustrate the idioms and match the illustration

with the idiom. Then match the definition to the idiom and picture.

give someone the green light- give permission to go ahead with a projectto have a green thumb - a have a talent for making things grow

green with envy -very jealous, full of envy

wearing of the green - to wear green clothing on St. Patricks Day

to be green around the gills -to look very sickgreen-eyed monster - - to feel jealous

to be green - to be inexperienced at something

grass is always greener on the other side - a place that is different seems betterthan where we are now

folding green- paper money


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Activities

20 Questions

Level: Beginner-Intermediate

Time: 10-20 minutesNumber of Students: anywhere from 5-15Aim/Goal: to practice asking identity questions

Objectives: students will be able to

Ask yes/no questionsDiscover descriptive information to identify a personality

Materials: none

Procedure: One student (or the teacher) thinks of a person that everyone knows. This will

most likely be a celebrity but it could also be someone more common like theschool director, another teacher, or the PCV. The rest of the class takes turns

asking yes or no questions about the personality in order to discover who it is.

Ex. Is it a man? Is he/she famous? Is he/she a singer/actor/politician? Is he/shealive? Is he/she old? Is he/she blond? The student who finally guesses the

correct identity gets to think of the next person.


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Around the world

Level: beginnerTime: 15 minutes

Number of Students: whole class

Aim/Goal: to practice vocabularyObjectives: students will be able toQuickly identify vocabulary

Materials: flashcards

Procedure: have two students sitting next to each other in one corner of the room standup. Show them a flashcard. The student who correctly identifies the card first

moves to stand next to the next student who should stand up. The other student

who lost sits down. Show another card to the students who are standing and the

one who answers first moves on. This should move very, very quickly. If there isa tie, the class can help decide who should move on or if another flashcard should

be shown. Otherwise, the class should be really quiet till it is their turn. If a

student moves several desks away from their original seat and then they loose amatch they should not return to their seat but sit where they are, replacing the

student who moves on. Continue till all the students have had a turn or you run

out of flashcards.

Variation: If you dont have flashcards you can say a word to the students in Romanian(or in English) and they have to translate it. This only works if you know the

translations yourself.

Another Variation: The format of this game can be used with any English leveldepending on what you are learning. For content courses, you can ask geography

or history questions. Or for intermediate learners, say a word and they must say

the opposite. Anything works.


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Go Fish

Level: BeginnerTime: 10-15 minutes

Number of Students: 3-6

Aim/Goal: to practice vocabulary and questions in EnglishObjectives: students will be able toIdentify vocabulary

Ask and answer Do you have? questions

Materials: GO FISH cardscan be made with pictures of any vocabulary on playingcards. It works best with about 24 pairs. Pairs of pictures need not be identical as

long as they are of the same object (for example, the pair can be two cars but they

dont have to be the same make or color). Also, works well with colors.

Procedure: Deal five cards to each player in a small group and scatter the rest face down,like fish in a pond, on the table. Players put any pairs they have face up in front

of them. The first player chooses another player to ask, Do you have a

[clown]? He must ask for a match of a card he has in his hand. If the player hasthe card asked for she says, Yes, I have a [clown] and gives the first player the

card. The first player puts the pair in front of him and can ask another player for a

card. If the player does not have the card asked for, she says: No, I dont have a

[clown]. Go Fish! The first player then picks a card from the fish pond. Histurn is now over and the next player can ask a question. Play continues until all

the cards are matched. If a player runs out of cards in his hand, he picks another

card from the fish pond and continues playing. The player with the most pairswins.


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Listening Bingo

Level: BeginnerTime: 5 minutes for one round

Number of Students: Whole class

Aim/Goal: to actively listen to English sentencesObjectives: students will be able toListen to English sentences and distinguish certain words

Materials: some kind of markers or playing piecesbeans work well

Procedure: Have the students make a grid of four squares by four squares or five by fiveon a piece of paper or in their notebooks. Then write vocabulary words on the

board. Choose several more than are needed to fill each box of the grid with one

word. Tell the students to choose words they like from the board and write one

word in each box of their grid. They will have left over words and thats OK. Allthe students grids should be different; there is no right order for the words.

(This is tricky for beginners the first time you play.) Give each child some kind

of markers or playing pieces. Small beans work well although many willinevitably end up on the floor of the room. Begin play by making up sentences

with the words on the board. Use one or two words per sentence. Depending on

the level of the students, repeat the sentences as necessary. Try to remember what

words you have used. Students should listen and when they hear a word theyhave on their board they should mark it with a bean. They continue listening until

they have a full row (four or five depending on the size of their grid) of beans.

Then they yell BINGO! The teacher checks the students board to declare himor her the winner. Then all students should clear their board and the game can

start again. Play should move quickly with frequent BINGOs.


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40

Memory


Number of Students: 2-6

Aim/Goal: to learn vocabularyObjectives: students will be able toCorrectly identify pictures of vocabulary

Match vocabulary pictures with the written word in English

Materials: small pairs of cards, one half of the pair being a picture of a vocabulary word,the other half being the word written in English. This can be done with any

vocabularyanimal vocabulary works especially well. In total, there should be

about 18 pairs.

Procedure: A small group of students should mix up pairs of cards face down and arrangethem in rows, still face down. The first player then turns over two cards. If they

are a match (a picture and its word), the player takes the cards and turns two more

cards over. If they are not a match, all the players should get a chance to see whatand where the cards are and then they are turned face down again. The next

player then turns over two cards and play continues until all cards are matched.

Students should be encouraged to keep the cards in neat rowseven when cards

are removed making holes in the rows all the cards should be left in their originalposition. This will make it easier to remember cards that have been revealed.

The student with the most pairs is the winner.


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41

My Grandmother Went to the Market


Number of students: small groups, around 5

Aim/Goal: to learn vocabularyObjectives: students will be able toIdentify vocabulary

Materials: pictures/flashcards of vocabulary

Procedure: The first student in a small group picks a card with a vocabulary picture on itand says this sentence inserting the English word for their picture at the end: My

grandmother went to the market and bought me a [boat]. This is supposed to

be a silly sentence (whose grandma really gets them these things?!). The student

then puts the picture face up on the table. The next student picks a card and saysthe sentence with both words at the end: My grandmothera [boat] and a

[kite]. He/she then puts the picture face up next to the other picture. The game

advances with the list of purchases getting longer and more ridiculous. End thegame when you want or the vocabulary cards run out.

Variation: To make it harder, stack the used pictures on top of each other. Students must

remember what order the vocabulary has been said in. If a student makes a

mistake he is out. The game continues until only one player is left.


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Picture Bingo

Level: beginnerTime: five minutes or less for one round (initial class preparation: 20-50 minutes)


Aim/Goal: to identify vocabularyObjectives: students will be able toIdentify pictures of vocabulary words

Materials: paper and markers or crayons

Some kind of markers or playing pieces (beans work well)Procedure:

Game Preparation: on a piece of paper, have students make a grid of four squares by four

squares or five by five. Write vocabulary words on the board, more than is

needed to fill every square in the grid with a word. Vocabulary should be easy todraw (animals work well). Write each vocabulary word on a slip of paper and

save them in an envelope. Students should choose vocabulary words to illustrate

on their grid. Each square should have one picture. The picture should clearly bea single vocabulary word (no sea creatures that could be a fish or a whale) and

they cannot write any English words on the grid.

Playing the Game: the teacher picks one slip with a vocabulary word on it from her

envelope and says the word to the class. Students look for a picture of the wordon their boards. If they have the picture they should mark it with a bean. Play

continues until one student has a full row of beans and shouts BINGO! The

student should then tell the teacher the vocabulary they have in a row and theteacher can double check to make sure all the words were called before declaring

the student the winner. The class then clears their boards and they can play a new

game.


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Sorting Vocabulary

Level: beginnerTime: 10 minutes

Number of students: small groups, around 5

Aim/Goal: to learn specific vocabularyObjectives: students will be able toUnderstand vocabulary

Organize vocabulary into categories

Materials: household furniture vocabulary written on slips of paperenvelopes with rooms of the house written on them

Procedure: Students mix up the vocabulary slips. One student chooses a slip. If he/she

knows which room the furniture goes in, he puts it in the envelope saying, The

bed goes in the bedroom. If he doesnt know, he can ask his classmates for help,Where does the bed go? Students take turns until all slips have been sorted.

Variation: This activity can be done with almost any vocabulary. Food sorted into

different groups (fruit, vegetables, grains, sweets, milk, meats) works especiallywell.


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44

The Name Game

Level: intermediateTime: 30 minutes


Aim/Goal: to practice describing peopleObjectives: students will be able toDescribe people so that they are identifiable

Speak and think quickly

Materials: blank slips of paperProcedure: Give the class several minutes to write the names of people they all know on

individual slips of paper. Obviously, many of the names will be celebrities but

they can also be people in the school or local community or people from history

and current events. Put all the slips in a bag and divide the class into two teams.The first student from the first team has 60 seconds to pick a slip of paper from

the bag and describe the person. When the team guesses, they should pick

another slip so that the team guesses as many as possible within the time limit.Each identity correctly guessed is a point for that team. Then the second team

gets a turn. Play continues until all students have had a turn to describe people in

the bag. The team with the most points wins.


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Two Truths and a False

Level: IntermediateTime: 15-20 minutes

Number of Students: groups or as a whole class

Aim/Goal: to practice writing sentences about oneselfObjectives: students will be able toDifferentiate between a true and a false statement

Write true and false statements about themselves

Recognize a false statement about someone elseMaterials: none

Procedures: Individually, each student should write three sentences about his/herself.

The sentences can be about anything or they can have a theme (Christmas, things

you did over summer vacation, food). Two of the sentences should be true andone should be false. They can be in any order but dont let the other classmates

know which one is false. The false statement should not be too obvious

students want to trick their classmates into thinking that the false sentence is true.Students then take turns reading their sentences while the rest of the group or

class tries to guess which one is false.

Teaching Young Beginning Learners

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