TEACHING ELEMENTARY
STUDENTS
• KEY SKILL: TEACHING ELEMENTARY STUDENTS
• TESOL INSTRUCTOR: ADRIAN RODGERS
• STUDENT: TRAN QUANG MINH
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
1/Verbal and Physical Development
During the elementary years, children begin to have significant
physical, social, emotional and academic development. At this age, they have
much more “missions” as they officially become students.
_Physical development
The school-age years are a time of steady growth and development.
During elementary years, children are acquiring the essential skills to lead a
healthy life as an adult. Keeping them physically active during this
developmental phase will strengthen their skills such as agility, balance,
coordination and endurance. Furthermore, encouraging them to participate in a
sport or activity is important since this will also have a tremendous impact on
your child’s confidence and self-esteem, as well as providing them with an
ongoing sense of accomplishment and independence. As a result, combining
teaching English with some physical activities in class will help elementary
students to reach their full development.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
_Verbal development
There are some imperative points that teachers need to pay attention on in
developing young students’ language skills such as phonics, articulation, pre-reading
skills and decoding, reading comprehension, writing skills, social skills and some
executive functioning skills. Moreover, for elementary students’ fully verbal
development, all aspects of communication are important, not just the words and
grammar. In daily conversation, there are lots of information coming from the speaker’s
personality and intentions in the tone of voice. This aspect of language is often called
prosody or intonation. Also, teaching elementary students about sign language is also a
great way to improve their communication development. In sign languages, intonation
shows up as changes in facial expression and how the body moves. In a sense, the
speaker’s voice ends up on the interpreter’s face.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
2/Use of flash cards correctly in the class room
For elementary students, using flash cards is an amazing method to attract their
attention in learning English. The benefit of flashcards is making it easy to maximize the
benefits of repetition and improving children’s memorization skills. Flash cards must be
bright, clear and colorful so that they can make a real impact on visual learners, as a very
high proportion of young learners have this type of intelligence. Studying at elementary age
suggests the need for a more playful element since it is not yet accompanied by the intrinsic
motivations brought by schools, tests, and career prospects. Therefore, the great thing about
flashcards is that they can be introduced in fun ways, which over time might evolve into a
more involved yet natural form of learning.
Flash cards are recommended to be used in conjunction with word cards. Word
cards should be taught after the picture cards so as not to interfere with correct
pronunciation. There are many ways to use flash cards in the class room such as memory
test for vocabularies, drilling activities for pronunciation and TPR activities for physical
development. To have flash card work effectively, teachers must know how to engage
children in these fast-paced activities which can turn flashcards into a wonderful game. The
imperative thing is that teachers serve as the initial guide for flashcard activities, before
allowing young leaners to use flashcards on their own. By using and teaching elementary
students how to learn deliberately, flashcards can instill good learning habits that will last a
lifetime.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
3/Academic development
English teachers should not only focus on students’ language improvement, but also
on their academic performance. Students now are facing a lot of academic requirements so
teachers should design language courses and lessons in order to help students to complete their
academic aims.
Teachers need to help students to improve their written and spoken communication
skills, which are necessary for students’ future career. Moreover, teachers should enhance the
language skills which are mandatory for students in essay and report writing, giving
presentations and performing group work activities. Students should be supported to a level
where they can study effectively and successfully themselves. Besides these, teachers should
improve students’ confidence when using English both in and out of the classroom.
To achieve those aims, teachers have to increase students’ grammatical and idiomatic
use of the foreign language which they are studying. Teachers should create learning programs
which focus on tasks similar to those that the students will be asked to do in their academic
course. The learning programs should cover a wide range of academic topics, involve cultural
and general interest.
In order to help students’ academic development, academic language is also a
fundamental aspect of language teaching and learning. Teachers can begin to teach the academic
language for students with high-frequency, instruction words (such as paraphrase, summarize
and justify) which are not only important for students to complete language learning activities,
but also for their academic tasks. Along with those academic words, English teachers can give
students some general definition and knowledge background, which is essential for students in
their further academic life.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
4/Cognitive development skills
Cognitive development skills are
crucial for elementary children, especially for
those who learn English as the second
language. These skills include sequencing
(decide the logical order of events), predicting
(guessing what will happen in the future),
comparing (to examine the differences and
similarities of things), reasoning (creating
deductions based on knowledge), identifying
(establish what something is), interacting with
others (perception/ judgement) and evaluating
(drawing conclusions). For example, in order
to let the learners have the opportunities to
simultaneously learn English and enhance
their cognitive skills, the teachers can guide
them to find the green square amongst many
colorful shapes.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
Moreover, the teacher can show young leaners a picture of fish
life cycle, describe each part of this whole process for them and conclude
it with just one word, as following in picture 2. By using this method of
teaching, teachers not only provide young leaners new words but also help
to develop their cognitive skills.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
5/Activities to enhance learning
Activities encourage young leaners to be active members in class, to think on their
own and lead them to long-term memory retention. Not only the students' English will
improve significantly, but also their interest, freedom of expression and team spirit increase.
These activities include “Pro and Con Grid”, where students are given an open-ended topic
to discuss the pros and cons in 25-30 minutes. By changing the position of students’ original
point of view and encouraging them to look at every facets of the topic from different angles,
the teachers not only improve the young leaners’ English speaking skills, but also create a
dynamic way of thinking and evaluating for them. The next one is student-generated test
question activity. After a lesson, the teacher can ask young learners to prepare from three to
five test questions themselves related to the lesson material, and the answers to those. After
5-10 minutes, dividing leaners into pairs and having them ask each other, using the questions
they have written. By repositioning students’ approach to a lesson from passive learning to
active asking, this method improves leaners’ understanding by putting them in a complex
process of inquiry and reflection. This also help teachers achieve further insight into what
young learners determine to be the most important or memorable content of the lesson.
Teachers can also have good students to help their classmates. This can help both participants
have a good understanding of each other’s views and reach their own consensus, develop
skills in organizing the learning activities. Most importantly, cross-age peer tutoring has been
proved to beneficial for both roles “tutors” and “tutees”. The tutors now have chance to
revise their own knowledge and the tutees have opportunities to gain necessary and selected
lesson.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
6/Team work and preparation in the classroom
Teamwork is a joint action of a group of people who work together towards
the one and only goal. It does mean that when all the team members involved
harmonize their contributions and cooperate to achieve a common goal, an effective
and efficient teamwork is formed.
Nowadays, employers are seeking for workers with good teamwork skills so it
is really important for students to develop these necessary skills. Therefore,
collaborative learning is a very important part that should be included in every lesson.
Teachers should also consider different tasks that involve social interaction.
Understanding how to teach effective teamwork is now a crucial task for the teachers.
Some characteristics of an effective teamwork can be analyzed and should be
remembered carefully. Firstly, the team must have a clear goal and a well-organized
structure which helps all the team members to reach their final goal. Secondly, the team
must have competent individuals, a unified commitment and a collaborative
atmosphere. Thirdly, the team must have high standards that are well understood by
team members and should receive external support and encouragement. Last but not
least, a principled leadership is the most important element that all the team must have.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
Because of all above characteristics, an effective team does not form easily and
immediately gets great achievements. The team must be given time to work through many
obstacles and become effective. Team growth can be divided into 4 stages. The first stage is
forming. This is time when team members search for their position within the group and check
the leader's guidance. The second stage is storming. This is probably the most difficult stage in
team growth. Members may argue about the actions team should do because they had to deal
with unfamiliar ideas and put them outside their comfort zones. Much of their energy is
consumed to pay attention to each other instead of achieving the common goal. The third stage
is norming. This is time when team members begin to reconcile differences and try to bridge the
gap between them. Emotional conflict is reduced as relationships become better. The team starts
to concentrate more on their goal and start to make significant progress. The final stage is
performing. By this stage the team members have learned about their role, discovered and
accepted each other's strengths and weaknesses. Many good ideas are proposed, evaluated and
executed in this stage. Team satisfaction and loyalty is really high.
Team exercises should be included in every English classroom. With well-planned
lesson, careful guidance, and close observation, the teachers can harmonize simultaneously
learning English and increasing teamwork for students.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
7/Understanding Professor Rassias methodology for children
The Rassias method was developed in 1964 by Dr. John Rassias from Dartmouth College. It is a
systematic method aimed at teaching conversational use of second languages. It is based on the concept that
you do not try to learn a language to speak it but you try to speak a language to learn it. Mechanical
techniques and teaching measures are important for the Rassias method, but the dynamic and emotional
involvement of the teachers is the heart of this method and the fundamental factor to apply it successfully.
The method, as a tool for teaching, created a philosophy supporting attitudinal aspects such as
body language, collaborative exercises, empathy, self-confidence and mutual respect in the classroom. There
are some elements of the Rassias method’s philosophy. The 1st element is “to know thyself”. This method
asks teachers and students to explore their own inhibitions, prejudices, and values. The aim of classes is to
eliminate natural self-consciousness and fear of making mistakes. The 2nd element is connection – “the
method increases awareness of others”. Students learn how to speak, live and immerse themselves into the
context of another culture. The 3rd element is “Special delivery”: Teachers create and maintain a dynamic
pace and atmosphere of lesson, try to capture and hold student attention. Students work on communication
skills, pronunciation and language patterns. The 4th element is “Stage presence”: Teachers aim at exploiting
the content of the moment and having the students perform as the “stars of the show.” Teachers create
unusually high student involvement in the use of the language (more than 65 times/hour of an average
student response rate). The last element is “Senses and Emotions”: Teachers and students should engage their
emotions and their senses to the fullest. For example, students should be asked not only to look but also to
see fully what is happening in the lesson? What is occurring between the actors in a dialogue? What are they
feeling? What are the cultural cues? How does the action affect their feelings?
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
There are interesting perceptions about the method applications in teaching
elementary students. First of all, the Rassias method is a dynamic one, the students
like to be in movement and it is good to teach by playing. It helps the teachers to use
their creativity and students to enjoy their learning process. The diversity of teaching
and learning activities has helped the teachers to develop flexible teaching abilities in
different educational contexts with different requirement. When teachers don’t have a
plan B or the class is not working properly, the Rassias techniques come as a rescuer.
They also can be modified and change in accordance with class’s requirements or
students’ needs. Human interaction is also an important factor. For instance, teachers
can hear students’ voices and evaluate their progress. This helps students to foster
their confidence and become more enthusiastic. This method encourages students to
speak in class and makes them excited about the lesson plan.
There are also aspects of the method that teachers who work with
elementary students considered as disadvantages. The lack of collaboration appeared
as the main disadvantage when students are not motivated to participate. Some
teachers considered it difficult to apply the techniques in small class, including the
lack of space as an aspect that complicates the correct application. Some classrooms
have a really reduced space so it complicates the things sometimes.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
8/Activity based methodology activities for all skills
Teachers have to spend an enormous amount of time in class working on reading,
writing, listening and speaking with their young leaners. These skills are crucial to create an
effective way of communication and are the aspects tested in many popular English
language examinations.
We can work on a number of these skills in one single lesson, however, students
are often taught to do them in isolation. If teachers wish their young leaners to become
successful and confident communicators, they should make the situations as real and
authentic as possible inside the class. In order to achieve this goal, integrated approach to
language learning with activity based methodology activities for all skills should be used.
This is when students are asked to use a combination (or all four) of these fundamental
skills within a single activity (or series of activities) to create a situation which is
significantly similar to one they could come across in the future in real world. Integrating
skills can also help students to transfer and enrich skills. For example, to do a phone call
and to make a note simultaneously will improve their speaking, listening and writing.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
9/Teaching Pronunciation skill
Although naturally speaking can be tougher with some students than with
others, it is actually one of the biggest challenges that students go through in
general. Young leaners are usually very aware that English just sounds different to
their mother tongue at a very early age. When young leaners are at of age 8-9, they
become very aware of how different things sound. This significant change makes
this time a great age for them to really start working on pronunciation. Incorrect
pronunciation can lead to speaking issue, problems in listening comprehension, and
later affect reading and writing abilities in a negative way.
To avoid these problems, pronunciation should be taught carefully.
Teachers need to:
_Guarantee that most of pronunciation exercises in the course book need to be
done. Teachers should also include pronunciation practice in every lesson plans
because they are imperative.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
_Pronunciation should be integrated carefully into a normal lesson. It has to
become a part of the common lesson plan, like learning new vocabulary, or
learning new grammars. Teachers need to make sure to insist on good sentence
stress and rhythm.
_Young leaners need to be accurate but not perfect. Insisting perfection can make
students feel frustrated and lose their interest. Teachers can simply show them that
good pronunciation is important and beneficial in the future. Intelligibility is one of
the main aims for young leaners and it can be achieved successfully even with a
non-native accent.
_Last but not least, teachers should not make it harder than it needs to be. Teachers
should work on pronunciation with their ESL young leaners and try best to help
them enjoy practicing it. As always, when working on one of the most challenging
areas of learning English, creativity of the teachers is really crucial and teachers
need to flexibly find the best way possible to motivate their young leaners. They
will remember it in their heart if they are having fun.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
10/ Teaching listening skill
A listening lesson can be divided into three main steps. The first step is pre-listening
which is students are prepared to listen. The second step is that while listening, students try to
concentrate on the text and figure the ways to understand it. The third step is post-listening. In
this final step, teachers help their young learners to combine and integrate what they have
learnt from the text and transfer it into their knowledge.
There are certain requirements that teachers should fulfil before getting students to
listen to any text. These are motivation, understanding of the context, and preparation.
Teachers are advised to select a text that will get their students' attention and curiosity. Next,
teachers should introduce the context and give their students some hints. Finally, it is vital that
teachers should give young leaners specific vocabulary or expressions, which will appear in
the listening lesson.
Students should practice listening several times to actually develop listening skill.
The listening tasks which are designed for young leaners should guide them through the
development of the text. The first listening task should not be too difficult and can help them
to get a general understanding. The second one should require learners to have a better
understanding. The third task can support the two tasks above, or can be about reading
comprehension.
Post-listening tasks are also very important and can take two common forms. The
first form is aimed at leaners’ reactions to the content of the text, and the second is analysis of
the linguistic features, which were used to express the main idea in the text.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
11/Teaching speaking skill
There are certain ways to design a speaking lesson plan. Importantly, teachers
should not just ask young leaners to speak without a specific reason. If teacher hide
some candies in a colorful box and ask what it is in the bag, this would become a fun
game and learners are motivated to answer using different ways and a wider range of
language. Also, the learners can sing a simple song together. This is an opportunity for
them to listen and repeat the sounds, rhythm and intonation. Students can gradually sing
a part to the whole of the song.
Another great speaking exercise for young leaners is the tongue twister. Young
learners should work in pair in order to develop their speaking skills. Teachers should
move around and carefully check learners’ pronunciation. Board game activities can
also take place in small group of leaners. Some language game should be practiced
within the whole class beforehand. If some specific language points are important, they
should be written on the board and teachers get the young leaners to repeat it several
times.
It is essential that children know what they have to do. Activities should be
demonstrated carefully, sometimes with volunteers. Teachers can let students answer
and say in their mother tongue if needed to check their understanding. English should
be used as much as possible in the classroom, in any circumstances from the first day to
create for young leaners a full English environment.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
12/Teaching reading skill
To begin with, teachers should assess level of young leaners before getting to prepare a lesson
plan. Knowing the leaners’ level of instruction is fundamental for choosing materials. Reading text should not
be too hard since leaners will not benefit from it. If the majority of the words in the text are all new for
students, the text is too difficult for them. On the other hand, if young leaners can easily understand
everything in the reading, it is useless using this text because there would be no challenge.
By giving young leaners short reading passages of varying degrees of difficulty, their level can be
exactly assessed and this will help teachers to design a better plan. Although this might take up the first week
or more, it would be beneficial eventually. At first, teachers can try to assess students’ approximate level by
having them do a small test on a short reading passage. The reading passage can be adjusted many times and
this procedure is repeated until the students’ optimal level is reached. Choosing the correct and interesting
materials for different age levels is crucial. It is inappropriate to give adult or adolescent students books at
children’s level. Before starting any reading lesson, teachers need to build good background knowledge and
interest for leaners.
It is also a good idea for young leaners to work in groups each session. Students can help each
other to improve the necessary skills. Interactions between classmates also help to increase motivation.
Moreover, it is imperative to make good connections between reading material and every facets of students’
life. Teachers can hold field trips on the topic, which can connect the text to the outside world. Teachers
should also revise the old reading texts. Related activities in vocabulary, grammar, comprehension questions
in the old material can boost student learning and increase their knowledge’s background.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
13/Teaching writing skill
The young learners can respond to the works of others, and, on the other
hand, receive the feedback from their peers to develop writing skills. As a result, the
classroom environment makes a significant influence on the development of young
learners’ writing.
There are some suggestions for teachers to prepare writing lesson plans.
Teachers can encourage students to write short diaries or journals to develop fluency
in writing. This will also give them a means of self-expression. Teachers also need to
teach young leaners necessary vocabulary and grammar rules to help children
become comfortable while drafting, sharing, and revising their pieces. The content of
the text should be focused and assessed rather than to the form. Teachers can connect
reading and writing parts by providing young learners a wide variety of literary forms
and give them chances to construct their own works and then share with others.
Moreover, all writing activities should follow themes or specific contents to help
pupils to widen their background knowledge. Teachers should provide a number of
opportunities for students to engage in writing for reasons that are real and important.
Last but not least, time for writing should be provided on a regular basis.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
14/Teaching grammar skill
One of the most challenging missions of a teacher is teaching grammar for
young leaners. It is not easy to motivate students to learn grammars. Since there are
various characteristics of young leaners, so just simply explaining the grammar rules
is not effective enough. In an English class, young leaners are surrounded by
language. Gradually, they begin to feel familiar and express everything they heard and
learnt themselves. However, adults often try to learn vocabulary and grammar rules.
Only after this they make an effort to apply those rules. This difference make teachers
need to think carefully before preparing a grammar lesson.
First, everything that teachers give young leaners need to be clear. Children
cannot understand abstract concepts and grammar rules really well. Clear contexts,
which help them to connect and get familiar with the language, should be created. One
of the most popular way that teachers can consider is theme based grammar teaching.
An ideal environment for constructing meaning is fundamental in early language
learning of young learners. In theme based teaching, the curriculum is considered and
designed around a theme. All the language grammars, concepts are then connected and
presented as a whole with a thematic structure.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
Second, grammar lessons should be interesting and motivating. There
should be some challenges as well. If they are too difficult, young leaners will feel
disheartened. If they are too easy, they will lose their interest and there is no
meaning in learning. Teachers can use games to teach grammars for students. It is
an effective way for children because they will try their best to communicate with
their classmates and discuss about the games. Games, role-plays and group
activities can enhance learning by motivating children to work together.
Third, young leaners tend to spend only a little time studying grammar
rules. As a result, the vocabulary needs to be simple and familiar. This will help
young leaners to focus on the grammar points. The language should be natural and
simple.
Finally, young leaners need lots of time to review and revise the
language. Teachers should use various group activities and games to let children
review the grammar points, as this part might be boring for them. Reviewing and
revising the language will make them confident and remember everything they
learnt effectively.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
15/Lesson planning
Young learners have a very short attention span. This will give teachers lots of
difficulties in designing lesson plans for the classes. These plans should be designed to capture
all the capabilities of young learners. Each learner has specific characteristics and multiple
intelligences so teachers should be able to apply different teaching methods. These intelligences
are linguistic,
logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal and intrapersonal.
Different games and class activities which help to make use of these intelligences should be
included in a good lesson plan. Lesson plans for young learners should strongly focus on
building vocabulary and teachers should have a good combination of new learning material and
repetition.
There are some good points that teachers can consider while designing a lesson plan.
Teachers can start class with a cute greeting song and it will give the signal to young learners
that the class is beginning. This will help pupils to be in a right mindset. Teachers can use a CD
or even sing themselves and these songs should be simple and short. This activity will invoke
musical, linguistic and interpersonal intelligence of young leaners. Teachers can also begin with
a brief conversation. This will help young learners to practice their speaking and listening
skills. In this short conversation, teachers can include some simple questions and answers, such
as, “How are you today?”. These questions and answers should be repeated for a few days.
Gradually, young leaners will begin to react and answer quickly. This can help students to
improve their linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and logical intelligence.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
As vocabulary is a fundamental part of English class for young leaners,
teachers should work on it with a strong focus. At basic level, teachers can introduce
and review one topic each day including the things such as colors, shapes, numbers,
ABC and so on. At an advanced level, teachers can broaden young leaners’
vocabulary by introducing slightly more difficult words such as animals, vehicles,
food, furniture and other everyday objects.
Young leaners cannot just sit and study abstract concepts like the way adults
do. Teachers need to make their lesson interesting and entertaining as the class can be
finished with a song or a short game. Although the basic structure of lesson plan
should be remained, teachers should always change the content to avoid boredom in
the young learners and try to introduce information in new ways.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
16/Philosophy of Teaching
My philosophy of education is that students should have a learning
environment which is well designed to meet their learning needs. Students should not
be in an environment where teachers give students what they personally think is
necessary for students. The old traditional teaching style, where teachers are at the
center of the classroom, just asks students to memorize and repeat the given
information. The important critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making
skills of them are not developed in a right way. In order to solve this, it is my desire to
establish a student-centered learning environment, in which 80% of talking time in
English lessons belongs to students. I will also use and develop the usage of activitybased teaching and learning method. Instead of just sitting and learning, students can
use their creativity to complete the learning tasks while teachers act as a trustworthy
guide. An activity based method applied in a student-centered environment is my ideal
classroom in order to help students to develop their critical thinking, problem solving
and decision-making skills.
In conclusion, I believe teachers should never stop learning. We all have a
duty to our students, our profession and to ourselves and this require us to continue
exploring, applying and assessing new teaching methods. Continuous learning is not
only important for students, but also for teachers, as it helps teachers to reach the final
goal which is giving all students an equal opportunity to learn in a decent
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
environment.
17/Music and song used appropriately in the classroom
Music has been a part of human history since the beginning of the time, and there’s no
doubt that songs can help us to learn much easier. Because of its significant impact, music is
really an essential instrument for ESL teachers. There are four popular effective ways to
incorporate music into English lessons for young learners.
First, teachers can use music as a warm-up activity. This can be really useful when
young learners just get out from a very boring or stressful period. In warm-up situations, the
teachers need to keep in mind the mood that they want to set up for their lesson and choose the
music accordingly. While considering a song, teachers should focus on the lyrics. Teachers can
use group singing as a good way to implement music as a warm-up.
Second, when young learners have a general idea of lesson’s target language or the
structure, the perfect way to work on natural speed and flow of English speaking is to use music.
While using music to teach these important points, teachers should keep young learners’ body
movements to a minimum.
Third, using music is an effective way to review previously learned vocabulary and
grammar rules. Teachers can ask students to sing the songs in which there are some familiar
English words and grammar points. Teachers should consider the temperament of the class and
young leaners to pick the appropriate songs.
Last but not least, teaching language is not only about itself, but also about culture.
Through lyrics and message of the songs, foreign cultures come closer to young learners. This
application is more suitable with older and advanced students but young learners can also get
into it with a good translation and guidance of the teachers.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
18/Drama used appropriately in the classroom
Everything that we know about drama is that it is about dialogue of us, about
language we use, and interacting with other people in a specific scene with
appropriate language. These are all activities that teachers want to get their young
learners to engage in. Drama can be an effective and valuable teaching instrument. It
helps teachers to get students up and moving around the classroom while interacting
with each other. It is often used for kinesthetic learners but can be extremely useful
for all kind of leaners. It creates a real and three-dimensional world of what was on
the printed page, contextualizes the language. The speaking and listening skills of
young leaners in performing scenes can be significantly improved. It is the same for
their writing skills through such activities as dialogue writing. “Pragmatic aspect” of
the language, how we use our language appropriately to have something done, like
make a request, can also be performed and taught by using drama. Finally, drama
develops class bonding: in drama classes, there is often a great deal of partnership and
friendship.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
There are some methods for implement dramas in English class. First of all,
it is to act out of the dialogue. Teachers can have young leaners to act out the
dialogue from their textbooks by simply pairing them up, having them select their
own roles. Then they will work together to act out of the dialogue, find out for
themselves the stage movements. This is effective when teachers start to implement
dramas in the classroom.
Another good starting activity is to do “Theater of reader”. Teachers
perform this activity by handing out copies of a short play. Then they have their
young learners choose their roles, read the play without acting it out. From their
seats, young learners are encouraged to read dramatically, sometimes model if it is
necessary.
Young learners can also write the dialogue for a scene themselves. Teachers
can get them to watch a short clip or a part of a movie without the sound. Then
leaners are encouraged to write the dialogues for it and then act it out.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
19/Work sheets in the elementary classroom
For a long time, worksheets have been used by teachers to develop problemsolving, logical, lingual and analytical intelligences of young leaners. There are a lot
of benefits that teachers can consider when using worksheets for young leaners.
Innovative worksheets can be used to teach English to make the foundational
concepts and definitions easier and more intriguing in an enjoyable format. Moreover,
on the completion of worksheets, stickers can be given to young leaners as rewards to
keep their confidence and boost their motivation. Young learners can also learn new
words about color while coloring the worksheets and simultaneously increase their
creativity as well as cognitive skills. Worksheets can help young learners to reinforce
their knowledge’s application.
These worksheets can also suit all age groups, as they can be flexibly
changed and easily upgraded for different capabilities and application of each child. It
is really important as this gives teachers opportunities to teach fundamental concepts
of various subjects.
Young learners nowadays tend to use digital devices too much and this can
do harm to them. Using worksheet let them disconnect and enjoy the beauty of
stimulating activities, engage them in learning valuable things. These worksheets are
an essential way to transform young learners’ learning experience.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
20/Approaches and Methods in the Elementary
There are some approaches and methods that teachers can use in the
elementary classroom in order to enhance learning capability of young learners. First,
teachers can design lesson plans which include mainly physical activities. Young
learners are asked to use English to make things, draw pictures, complete puzzles and
fulfil other activities that involve using hands, eyes and ears. Since young learners
have limited attention ability, learning activities should be short and interesting. These
activities should be from five to ten minutes length.
Second, teachers can build lessons around tasks. This task should be a
meaning-focused activity that demands learners’ effort to use their linguistic resource
to complete.
Third, teachers can build lessons around themes, such as friends, school,
family, animal and food. These theme-based lessons can bridge the gap between
learning English and the young learners’ lives. Teachers should remember to choose
content that children are familiar with, especially something from their culture’s
background.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
Finally, young learners really enjoy socializing with others so teachers
should use learning activities that involve collaboration, in which children are put in
pairs or groups rather than remaining in their seats and study English. Teachers
should carefully take these activities into consideration and provide necessary
words and expressions that children need to carry out an activity.
There are also some other approaches and methods that teachers can use,
such as creating a supportive learning community for young learners, using
enjoyable and interesting activities that children can finish without frustration,
giving rich language support. Teachers should give clear goals and after-task
feedback and try to use English for all classroom management measures.
Furthermore, teachers can sometimes let young learners use the mother tongue
when it is necessary and bring English speakers to class.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
21/Behavior management in the classroom
Nowadays, more and more children are encouraged to study English,
especially children in big cities. This is because their parents want to give them a
competitive educational advantage with the ability to use a dominant language for
international communication. However, teaching English as a second language for
children has its own specific characteristics and it is quite different from teaching
young students, as well as adults. The reason is that young learners have low selfcontrol ability and short attention spans. Consequently, effective classroom
management, especially behavior management, plays a fundamental role in lessons for
young learners. This factor will decide the success of teaching and learning.
Even though a primary measure of teachers’ success is learners’ academic
achievement, successful academic teaching skills are not as important as classroom
management skills, especially behavior classroom management skills. If teachers
cannot get a young learner’s attention and motivation in learning during the lesson,
there will be no teaching and learning although the lesson plans were carefully
prepared. In fact, if a teacher pays too much attention on eliminating inappropriate
behaviors, this will eventually lead to a decrease in instructional time and reduce the
learning opportunities of all other students.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
In addition, the behaviors of young learners exert significant influence on
classroom atmosphere and the extent to which all young learners actively follow
the instructions. Active and cooperative interactions between teachers and young
learners lead to a positive and harmonious classroom atmosphere. It is this
positive atmosphere that creates a successful classroom and helps young learners
to reach their academic achievements. Thus, the improvement of students’
learning is created by using effective behavior management methods and wellbehaved students are raised by using effective instructional methods
Classroom management is the skills that teachers use to manage learning
time and resources of the classroom, as well as manage learners’ roles and
behaviors. This management is aimed at providing a positive encouraging learning
climate. The teachers need to be always in control of the environment of the
classroom.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
22/Understanding students learning needs
As the number of English learners has significantly increased in recent years, it is
imperative for English teachers to examine their practices and find new methods to meet the needs of
these learners.
The first need is visual needs. Visuals give teachers another opportunity to explain concepts
to young learners in a more creative way. This can help them to understand the abstract concepts
easier.
Repetition is another essential need of young learners to be able to acquire new vocabulary
and grammar rules. It is difficult for young learners, who have really short attention spans, to get to
know, process and retain new information which is introduced only one time.
One of the major obstacles of young leaners when they try to complete a task is the quality
of their teachers’ directions. Teachers should provide both oral and written directions for young
learners. This will help the pupils to understand better these directions. Moreover, teachers should use
familiar vocabulary when giving directions and avoid giving a long list of directions all at once. It
would be very useful for young learners if teachers can provide them with a model of the task.
Finally, a harmonious and cooperative relationship between teachers and young learners is
a crucial factor impacting their academic achievements. When young leaners feel that teachers care
about them, they will learn better and actively engage in classroom’s activities. One factor which is
really important in the building of this relationship is cultural sensitivity. Teachers need to put the
effort to learn about young learners’ cultures and family background and be respectful of their
diversity. Teachers should know about these differences and be patient with young leaners who are
adjusting to a new environment.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
5 relevant activities
1/ Throw the ball
To play the game, the teacher must have all the students form a circle. Then,
the teacher will choose a category or theme, such as color, food, professions and so on.
The teacher begin the game by throwing the ball at a student and that student will have
to shout a word related to the theme and throw the ball to another student. As each
person catches the ball, they need to come up with different word that fits the theme. If
they repeat a word that has already been said or cannot think of a new one within a few
seconds, they are out and must sit on the sidelines. The topic can be changed after a
couple of rounds to increase interest among the class. This activity is a great way to
improve students’ vocabulary, pronunciation and listening skills.
2/ Last Man Standing
This game is similar to “Throw the ball” game. However, instead of the
teacher is the only one who set a theme; each student can give the next student another
theme. For instance, the teacher might start off with “something red”. The first student
who catches the ball could say “strawberry” and then chooses another topic and throw
the ball to the next student. This makes the game much more difficult, since students
cannot think of a word until they know what their theme is. The last student standing
will become the winner.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
3/ Vocabulary acting
The class can be divided into 2 to 3 teams. Then, each student will think of anything
from an animal to an aircraft and write it down on a piece of paper and fold it in half. Then, all
students place it into a bowl, and each team of students takes turns choosing a paper and acting
out what is on it. The team with the most points wins.
4/ Board race
The class can be divided into 2 teams and each team will be given a colored marker.
Then, the teacher draws a line down at the middle of the board and writes a topic at the top.
Then, the students must write as many words related to the topic in a relay. The first person will
write the first word and pass the colored marker to the next one in line. Each correct word can
bring 1 point for the team and from that, we can have the winner at the end. Unreadable or
misspelled words are not counted.
5/ Hangman
Hangman is a popular game among teachers which can be used at the start of the class
to warm up the students and get them active. This is especially good for young students. First,
teachers think of a word and write the number of letters on the board using dashes to show how
many letters there are. Then, the teachers will ask students to suggest a letter. If it appears in the
word, write it in all of the correct spaces. However, if the letter does not appear in the word,
write it off to the side and begin drawing the image of a hanging man. Teachers need to
continue this until the students guess the word correctly so that they can win. Otherwise, if the
teacher complete the diagram, the teacher will win.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
Lesson plan – 45 minute
_Topic: Clothes
_Level: Upper beginner
_Age: Young learners
_Length: 45 minutes
_TESOL Methodology: Communicative Approach, Taskbased Approach, Lexical Approach, TPR
Lesson Objectives: Students are able to remember new
vocabulary related to the topic “Clothes” and use the
grammar structure of “What are you wearing?” correctly.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
Stage
Details
1/ Warm - Throw the ball
up
_To play the game, the teacher must have
all the students form a circle. _The teacher
will choose the “Color” category.
_The teacher begin the game by throwing
the ball at a student and that student will
have to shout a color and throw the ball to
another student.
_As each person catches the ball, they
need to come up with different color. If
they repeat a word that has already been
said or cannot think of a new one within a
few seconds, they are out and must sit on
the sidelines.
_The next 3 are “food”, “animals” and
“drinks”. Each topic will take around 1
minute.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
Materials
Time
x
5 minutes
2/ Pre task
3/Teaching
1
Guessing the topic
_Teacher points at the clothe items of the teacher and ask: “What is
this?”
_Teacher gives the answer: “It is a shirt.”
_Teacher points at the clothe items of a students and ask: “What is
this?”
_Teacher gives the answer again: “It is a skirt.”
_Teacher keeps asking for 5 times and then write the topic
“Clothes” on the board.
_Teacher explains the topic that those item that the teachers asked
before are clothes.
Vocabularies
_Teacher shows 1 flash card with spelling at the back and read the
word out loud 5 times.
_Teacher shows the spelling at the back of the flash cards and asks
students to repeat the words after the teachers 5 times to remember
the word and pronunciation.
_Teacher goes around the class and asks students to say the word
out loud in group or individual randomly.
_Teacher says the word out lout again and stick the flash card on
the board.
_Teachers takes turn to finish all 5 of the flash cards. At the end of
each round, teachers review the new words and the words that were
taught at the previous rounds to make sure that students will not
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
forget all the words.
2-3
minutes
x
5 flash
cards of
the
clothes
items:
_Shirt
_Pant
_Skirt
_Dress
_Shorts
10
minutes
4/ Task 1
Slap the board game.
_Students are divided into 2 team.
_Teacher randomly say out loud the new words that they have
just learned in class.
_Each member of every team takes turn to run to the board to
write the word and then slap the board.
_The first team to write correctly all 5 words on the board is the
winner.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
x
5
minutes
5/Teaching Grammar “What am I wearing- I am wearing…”
2
_Teacher stands on one side, imagines like he/she has a partner
standing on the opposite side, points at the clothe item of
imaginary partner and asks: “What are you wearing?”
_Teacher goes to the opposite side, plays the role of imaginary
partner and gives the answer: “I am wearing...”
_Teacher repeat this sample activity two times and changes the
clothe items.
_Teacher asks one student to give the question and one student
to give the answer like above (repeat after teacher).
_Teacher asks two more pairs to repeat this activity.
_Teacher write the questions and answers, which are practiced,
on the board. Teacher add structure: “He/She is wearing…”
_The whole class repeats after the teacher these above sentences
three times, remember to change the clothe items and add colors
for these items (pink dress).
_Teacher asks one student to give the question and one student
to give the answer like above by themselves.
_Teachers asks four more pairs to repeat this activity and to add
color to the clothe items (white shirt).
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
5
x
10
minutes
6/Task 2
Who is that?
_Teacher divides the class into 2 groups, then
describes a random student using structure
“He/She is wearing…”. Group earns point if they
can guess who he/she is.
_Teacher asks students to go to the board and
repeat this activity themselves 6 times, 3 times for
each group.
_Teacher counts the point and declares the
winner.
5 minutes
x
7/Follow- Can you find Shizuka?
Small pieces of
up
_Teacher gives all the students small pieces of
paper of
paper of Doraemon manga randomly, one for each
Japanese
of them. _Students look at these paper to know
manga
who they are and keep this secret.
characters:
_Students then go around and ask each other what _Nobita Nobi
he/she is wearing.
_Shizuka
_1/5 of the class will be Shizuka Minamoto.
Minamoto
Shizuka Minamoto wears a pink shirt and a blue _Takeshi Goda
skirt. When time is over, the student who finds the
_Suneo
most Shizuka will be the winner.
Honekawa
_Hidetoshi
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
Dekisugi
5 minutes
8/Homework
9/ Back up
plan
Fill in the blank.
_Teacher gives the students paper sheets and asks
them to fill in the blanks the appropriate clothes items
or half sentences.
Outline.
In case of under timing, students will be asked to do
the outline for their homework in class and the
teacher will go around to help students with ideas if
needed.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
x
2
minutes
x
5
minutes
Material details of young learners (Upper beginner)
3/Teaching 1
Shirt
Pant
Shorts
Skirt
Dress
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
7/Follow-up
Nobita Nobi
Shizuka Minamoto
Suneo Honekawa
Hidetoshi Dekisugi
Takeshi Goda
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
8/Homework
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
She is wearing a d _ _ _ s.
His mother gives him a _ h _ _ t.
He is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ shorts.
I am wearing a p_ _k a s _ i _ t.
My father is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ p_ _ _ _.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
Lesson plan – 60 minute
_Topic: Transportation
_Level: Intermediate
_Age: Young learners
_Length: 60 minutes
_TESOL Methodology: Communicative Approach, Taskbased Approach, Lexical Approach, TPR
Lesson Objectives: Students are able to remember new
vocabulary related to the topic “Transportation” and use the
grammar structure of “How do you go to school?”
correctly.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
Stage
Details
1/ Warm up
Head knee ears - Review body parts
_“Do as I say, not as I do”. Teacher has the
students stand in a circle & demonstrate that
when calling out “Please touch your [body
part]” the students must do so as quickly as
possible.
_Teacher now tells them to do what teacher
SAYS, not as teacher does, and repeats
playing the game - only this time, when
teacher says “touch your knees” etc. yet
touches his/her ears instead, or any other part
of his/her body. This is a good way to see who
is listening correctly and who is just copying
the movements.
_Any students that make a mistake sit down.
The game will be continued until only one
student remains or until times up.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
Materials Time
X
5
minutes
2/ Pre - task
3/Teaching 1
Guessing the topic- Transportation
_Teacher asks students to watch the video and guess the topic
of today lesson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv22CKVJSas
A short video.
Vocabularies
8 flash cards of
_Teacher shows 1 flash card with spelling at the back and read
the
the word out loud 5 times.
transportation
_Teacher shows the spelling at the back of the flash cards and
_motorcycle
asks students to repeat the words after the teachers 5 times to
_bicycle
remember the word and pronunciation.
_train
_Teacher goes around the class and asks students to say the
_subway
word out loud in group or individual randomly.
_yatch
_Teacher says the word out lout again and stick the flash card
_boat
on the board.
_airplane
_Teachers takes turn to finish all 8 of the flash cards. At the
_bus
end of each round, teachers review the new words and the
words that were taught at the previous rounds to make sure
that students will not forget all the words.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
2 minutes
15
minutes
4/Task 1
Vocabulary acting/ drawing
_Teacher divides class into 2 groups.
_Teacher asks a student to come to the board and
describe the transportation using only actions
(without any words).
_The group which guesses the transportation
correctly that the student has described will earn the
point.
_Teacher asks 4 more students to do the same
activity.
_Then, teacher asks 5 students to describe the
transportation by drawing on the board (without
any words).
_The group which guesses the transportation
correctly that the student has described will earn the
point.
_Teachers then declare the winner group of the
game.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
x
7
minutes
5/
Grammar
x
Teaching “"How do you go to school?- I go to school by bus"
2
_Teacher stands on one side, imagines like he/she has a partner
standing on the opposite side and asks: “How do you go to school?”
_Teacher goes to the opposite side, plays the role of imaginary partner
and gives the answer: “I go to school by ...”
_Teacher repeat this sample activity two times and changes the
transportation.
_Teacher asks one student to give the question and one student to give
the answer like above (repeat after teacher).
_Teacher asks two more pairs to repeat this activity.
_Teacher write the questions and answers, which are practiced, on the
board. Teacher add structure: “He/She goes to school by…”
_The whole class repeats after the teacher these above sentences three
times, remember to change the transportation.
_Teacher asks one student to give the question and one student to give
the answer like above themselves.
_Teachers asks four more pairs to repeat this activity.
_Teacher repeats this activity adding information about past tense (
how DID you go to the school? ) and other means of transportation (I
go to … ON FOOT.). Teacher asks students to repeat this new
language point.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
15
minutes
6/Task 2
7/Follow-up
Finding your match
“How do you go to school?”
“How did you go home yesterday?”
“How did you go back to your hometown last year?”
“How do you travel to Hanoi?”
“How do you go out with your family?”
_Teacher asks students these 5 questions.
_Students write the answers on a piece of paper.
_Students go around the class and use these questions to ask
other classmate. If he/she has the same answers, write their
name on the paper.
_In the end, the student who finds the most similar answers will
be the winner.
Spelling review game
_Teacher has all the students to form a circle.
_Then, the teacher will pass the ball and go through the spelling
words one letter at a time. For example, the teacher says “How
did you go home yesterday? then passes the ball.
_The student receiving the ball answers “I went to school by
bus” then passes the ball. The next student says “B“, the next
student says “U" and so on. If one says the wrong letter or
cannot think of a correct one within a few seconds, they are out
and must sit on the sidelines.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
x
7 minutes
x
7 minutes
8/Homework
9/ Back up
plan
Interview exercise
_Students are asked to interview 5 people at
home (their father, mother, friends,…) with
following questions:
“How do you go to school?”
“How did you go home yesterday?”
“How did you go back to your hometown last
year?”
“How do you travel to Hanoi?”
“How do you go out with your family?”
_Students must write down the result of the
interview and submit at the next class.
x
Outline
x
In case of under timing, students will be asked to do
the outline for their homework in class and the
teacher will go around to help students with ideas if
needed.
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
2
minutes
5
minutes
Material details of young learners (Intermediate)
2/Pre-task: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv22CKVJSas
3/Teaching 1
motorcycle
train
bicycle
subway
boat
airplane
yacht
Australian International TESOL - December, 2022
bus