Teaching English to Young Learners Ages 6-10 years

Teaching English to early elementary students is about play and having fun.

Early Elementary Students

Use games, chants and rhymes, and songs and dance to introduce, practice or reinforce learning in the classroom

Children need to be actively involved with a hands-on approach

Early Elementary Students

Remember that younger children have a short attention span so change the activity before they get bored and off track– In other words, keep things moving

Young Learners

Students learn when they can relate new information to their own previous experiences

Students create their own meaning of the material

This creates a better way to remember what they are learning

Activities

Engaging and fun activities include: Playing games Drawing and arts and crafts Story telling and acting Reciting poems Rhythms and rhymes Drawing and writing, for example hangman and

crosswords to practice different parts of speech

Pattern Practice/Context

Children learn language through pattern practice, review and reinforcement and not through grammar that is presented in a logical way

In addition to pattern practice, language should also be presented in a context

Activities

Topics for classroom activities include: At School; days, months, directions, asking

permission, etc. Clothes and Colors Time and Place Describing People Food and Drink

Activities Continued

Families and Homes Occupations and Nationalities Asking questions such as When and Where

Children are familiar with these topics in their first language and therefore they will be more easily integrated into second language acquisition

Middle School/ Young Adolescent ages 11-16 years

From the ages of 11 – 16, students practice written as well as oral communication

At this stage of their development there will be more emphasis on reading and writing

Students have the capacity to practice grammar in a logical way and to develop writing skills

Middle School/Young Adolescent

They are capable of learning to communicate about themselves and their families, about feelings and special interests

At this point students are ready to broaden their vocabulary and to learn to listen critically

This will enable them to express their own point of view during class discussions

Middle School/Young Adolescent

Students enjoy authentic material in its original form, not simplified or abridged

Reading newspapers, comic strips, novels and poetry will give practice in comprehension skills which include:– The ability to determine the meaning of words and

phrases

Comprehension Skills

The ability to determine the meaning of words and phrases

Reading to find answers to questions Identifying the elements of a story Summarizing a written text Comparing and contrasting 2 or more texts Developing the ability to infer and predict

Reading

Reading helps promote the ability to write and the two skills go hand in hand

As students at this age are already grounded in their first language, they are more capable of acquiring skills in written as well as oral English

Skills for writing include:

Correct use of vocabulary and spelling Creation of sentences and phrases that flow Arrangement of sentences in proper

sequence Use of effective dialogue Written report or a descriptive piece

Conclusion

For the young learning comes naturally. Normally children are energetic and eager to learn

Children are generally more accepting of differences in a second language

Pronunciation seems to come easily in most cases Teaching English no matter what the age of the

students includes the same challenges and rewards encountered by teachers everywhere