GUIDELINES FOR TEACHING LEARNING MATERIALS
DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF TLMs:
1. cost effective
2. Different varieties
3. Use locally available materials as much as possible
4. Use collected materials such as- cartons, boxes, old picture books, calendars, match
boxes, cloth,
5. Use natural materials like sand, stone, clay, leaves, flowers etc
TLM POOL PLANNING
AND DEMAND 2011.docx
6.
7.
8.
9.
Planned for pool and use ( parallel teachers)
Reusable for a short term
Presentable
Child friendly- without rough, sharp edges, made of non-toxic materials ( avoid
thermocol, commercial plasticine etc which are highly toxic)
10.Can be easily stored and accessed.
PLANNING
GENERAL LIST OF TLMS ACCORDING TO COMPETENCIES:
SL.NO
SUBJECT AND
COMPETENCIES
I
A LISTENING
B SPEAKING
C READING
D WRITING
II
A OBSERVATION
AND REPORTING
SUITABLE TLMS ( GENERIC)
LANGUAGES
Activity sheets/response sheets based on the listening passage
1. Prompt cards/cue cards with pictures, clues to help students speak,
2. story boards,
3. “feely boxes” ( CLASSES I-III) ,
4. masks,
5. life-size cut outs of characters in the lessons with pant pocket like
slots placed suitably for students to place their hands into while
holding it against them to speak/ role play,
6. puppets of different kinds- finger, glove, stick, paper
Rebus story cards, picture reading, sentence strips
Writing prompts, templates, graphic organizers
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Picture cards Identical cards for pairing
 Graded cards- same object/place/ person with progression or minor
differences
 Associated pairs – opposites, sizes,
 Cause and effect cards
1. Newspaper clippings of themes mounted on cards,
2. realia, (real life objects)
3. samples,
4. cards of data in the form of surveys, charts,
5. Classes I & II- dominoes, bingo cards, activity sheets of
experiments,
B IDENTIFICATION
AND
CLASSIFICATION
C DISCOVERY OF
FACTS
III
1. Sequence cards,
2. cause and effect cards( picture or text- based depending on the
class),
3. cards of picture families for grouping
4. Activity cards with criteria for classification ( open –ended and
specific)/ instructions and formats with recording table for
surveys, experiments, observation chart etc
5. Quiz cards ( MCQs) with codes/ index,
6. mobiles
7. Outline Maps
8. Large cardboard cut outs of the states of India
9. Smell boxes
10. Touch cards
11. Relationship cards with Velcro /slots
 JIGSAW Puzzles,
 Activity cards for Puzzles, Problems , mapping,
 Completion cards
 Analogy cards
 Creative….. If cards…
MATHEMATICS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Board games
Dice and tiles
Paper folding
Activity cards, graph paper
Ropes, threads for measurement
Varieties of containers ( ex- medicine measuring cups, old mugs, cups, vessels, plastic jars
of different shapes, sizes, volumes
7. Gaskets
8. Custom made bean bags( for weights. Light heavy)
9. Shells, seeds, beads, buttons, bangles, matchsticks without the heads, cotton, wrappers of
chocolates, feathers
10. Number cards
11. Rubber balls
12. Three dimensionsal shapes made out of collected materials
II PREPARATION FOR AND MANAGEMENT OF TLMS
I MATERIALS
While colours, paints, strong adhesives can be bought, most of the TLMs can be generated out of
cartons of products, cardboard boxes, match boxes, the cover of notebooks and regIsters, discarded files,
discarded certificates, wedding cards
II. SIZE- Ensure visibility for picture cards
For whole class activity
30X20 cms For Classes I-III
20X 15 cms for classes IV & V
( age appropriate size according to the activity)
For individual /small group activity
10X 8 cms
III. STORAGE
Store in transparent plastic covers with index cards in cartons, plastic tubs, hanging ropes or box files
Paper bags for storing cards
Cartons with indexed separators
IV. DISPLAY







TEMPORARY WALL SPACES using sides of large cardboard boxes
STRINGS AND ROPES
HANGERS
BENCHES, TABLES
SHOW CORNERS- shallow open cartons with sand, mud etc to shoe collections, fixing, flags, notices,
creating scenes like aquarium etc
BINDING WIRES CAN BE used as pegs on cardboard for display. They are also easy, swift and handy for
a variety of display options.
Old mats can be hung with stick supports as temporary surfaces for show casing students’ activities on
a day to day basis. Posters, drawings, slogans, collages etc can be displayed using board pins or tooth
picks.
V. DURABILITY
The products can be covered over with a thin polythene cover stretched over it and sealed over lightly by
candle flame instead of laminating it.
VI. ARCHIVING AND SHARING
 A suitable system of archiving can be evolved at each Vidyalaya depending on the infrastructural
facilities available.
 Each parallel section can be the storehouse for one/two subjects of that particular class and maybe
shared by the parallel teachers.
 Each class may also arrange for a TLM corner to showcase the best TLMs ( pride of place)
 CMP guidelines and Academic Inspection requires a catalog of teacher- wise and student made list of
TLMs
 The Activity cards can be one time use or in the form of Instruction cards for multiple use. The same is
for bingo cards and game boards.
DESCRIPTION OF TLMs
Sl.
No
Name of the
TLM
DESCRIPTION
DETAILS/DIAGRAMS
BOARDS/ BAGS/BOXES
1.
SMELL
BOXES
Small containers with a hole
on top to smell.
Aromatic/odorous materials
can be placed inside out of
view of the child. The
containers may have
changeable codes or have
coloured lids for
interchanging
Used for EVS ( Spices, Super
Senses), School Readiness,
Sample Activity -Mysterious Scents
Materials:
8 Small boxes with precut holes
Lemon
Orange peel
Perfume soaked cotton
Labels
Banana
Chocolate
Coffee
Vanilla
Onion
Directions:
1. Draw a number 1-8.
2. Go to the scent box that matches your number.
3. Place hands behind back.
4. Place nose at the tip of the hole in the box.
5. Breathe in and out a couple times to gather the
scent
from the box.
6. Write down what you believe the scent is on
the
chart below.
Mysterious Scent Box Chart
What is the smell?
Box 1
Box 2
Box 3
Box 4
Box 5
Box 6
Box 7
When activity is over, create a classroom chart and graph the responses of each child. Then reveal what was in
each box so children can check answers. Adapt to your classroom
2.
GAME
BOARD
Sample
enclosed
Game boards
can be made
and stored and
used for a
variety of
learninglanguages,
EVS, Maths
Useful links:
http://theteach
ingpalette.co
m/2010/11/02
/art-gameboards/
http://donnayo
ung.org/home
schooling/ga
mes/gameboards.htm
( English )
http://boggles
worldesl.com/
esl_games.ht
m
(MathematicsGood One )
http://www.th
eschoolbell.co
m/Links/math
/number_fami
lies/main/gam
eboard.html
3.
DOMINOES
Series of cards with
pictures/texts designed
according to subject themes
and competencies. Sample
enclosed
If you would like to make your dominos more durable you may
want to:
 print them on heavier weight paper
 print on regular paper and glue it to light cardboard
before your cut the cards out
 laminate them
Instructions for the game:
The dominos game on the site is smaller than a traditional
dominos game (it's intended for young children). Anyone used to
playing "regular" dominos (with 28 dominos) will find this game
a lot easier/faster (which is intentional for the shorter attention
span of young children).
Directions:
1. Shuffle/mix up dominos and place them all face down on
the table.
2. For a two player game, each player should draw 4
dominos at random, for a game with more players, each
player should draw 3 dominos. Don't let the other
players see your dominos.
3. The youngest player should go first by laying any domino on the table. In the typical game you'd lay a
double (one with the same image in both squares, but this is optional in the easy version -- I find it a
tough rule to explain to the little ones and usually results in my having to look at their cards)
4. player two tries to lay a domino on the table with an image that matches what's already there. If you
cannot go, pick a domino from the pile and miss your turn.
5. continue taking turns laying dominos or picking from the pile until someone wins:
to win:
- get rid of all the dominos in your hand
OR
- if no one can go, then the person with the least dominos in their hand is the winner
4.
BEAN BAG
Read
more: How to
Make Cheap
Bean Bags |
eHow.com http
://www.ehow.c
om/how_77303
34_makecheap-beanbags.html#ixzz
2PTZkcywP
Bean bags are toys for kids of
any age to play tossing
games. Younger children
such as babies and young
toddlers simply like the tactile
experience of them. These
simple toys can entertain
children for a surprisingly long
period of time. They're simple
to make and usually pretty
affordable, too.
Instructions
1. Find fabric to make the bean bags worn-out clothes you don't wear anymore. Use jeans, old skirts or
shirts or even T-shirts.. You can buy pillowcases or sheets to use as fabric as well.
2. Buy the cheapest dried beans you can find. Beans are usually inexpensive, though. Dried split peas or
rice work as alternatives.
Small stitched cloth bags
filled with seeds, twigs, coth
etc used for balancing
activities ( SRP for class I),
for sounds, touch and weights
5.
FEELY BOX
A carton of appropriate size
with two holes for dropping
items in it. Students put their
hands into it and feel the
items. Identify, describe,
speak about it
6.
FLANNEL
BOARDS
Pinning the flannel dust
cloth to a thick cardboard
\
MAKE A FLANNEL BOARD
You will need:
 A sturdy piece of plywood, cardboard or posterboard
 A piece of flannel large enough to cover the board
 Packing tape
 Felt squares to make shapes and other cut-outs
What to do:
 Wrap the piece of flannel around the board you have chosen.
 Secure all edges around the back side with the duct tape, staples or tacks.
Tips:
 The flannel board doesn't have to be large to be effective. A 1 x 1 foot square is adequate and you can



make a larger board for use as a whole class teaching.
You can find scrap pieces of felt or fabric squares, which are very
inexpensive
Try starting out with "easier" concepts like shapes and colors, and then
move on to numbers, letters and animals.
You can also color images from coloring books or use pictures from
magazines. Just mount these on sturdy paper and fix some small
squares of sandpaper to the back so that it will stick to the flannel
board.
TYPES OF CARDS
7.
8.
SEQUENCE
CARDS
Picture cards in series like a
story board ( languages),
deforestation ( EVS)
patterns, progressions ( stages
of life etc)
Number progressions
CAUSE AND
EFFECT
CARDS
Picture or text based (
according to class level) or
having both in sets of one to
one or one to many. Exearthquake- damage,
destruction, loss
Children gain an understanding of patterns and relationships with
sequencing. Color, cut and pasting pictures together in the correct
order.
A fishbone diagram, also known as
the Ishikawa diagram, is a problemsolving technique that involves a
chart that closely resembles a fish
skeleton. Fishbone diagrams analyze
cause and effect and are often used
in groups to solve a process-related
problem.
Read more: How to Draw a
Fishbone Diagram | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5201452_draw-fishbonediagram.html#ixzz2PSwAX88C
9.
ASSOCIATE
D PAIRS
CARDS
10. GRADED
CARDS
11
IDENTICAL
PAIRED
CARDS
Ex- needle and thread, bird
and egg, animal and young
etc
One object with different
properties- ball in different
sizes, shades of colours,
For visual discrimination,
Students develop skill to
identify and discriminate
letters, numbers, objects,
scenes, personalities etc.
Teacher can show one and
students can pick out from the
assorted pile/ students can
match it with the one they
have/ students and find pairs
in a game such as memory
card,
12
CARD
FAMILIES
Uses of water,
parts of a
plant,
materials for a
kuchcha
house etc
13
TOUCH
CARDS
Demo:
http://www.y
outube.com/
watch?v=_XA
wsgbhi4w
SKILLS DEVELOPED
Visual Discrimination,
classification
SAMPLE ACTIVITY
Food Ladder Activity
Using food pictures or
samples, children place
common local foods on a
“good food ladder”, and give
reasons. The teacher then
helps children adjust these
visible “food values”,
explaining that all foods are
good foods, but some are
particularly good. Pupils pick
out all dark green leaves and
red/orange fruits and
vegetables and move them
two steps up the ladder. Older
children can use the tables in
Nutrition Factsheet 3 to find
what particular foods are
good for. Children follow up
by drawing up take-home
“food messages” based on
lessons so far, or by making a
“good food flag” with
pictures of appropriate foods
on green and orange stripes.
A large cardboard with
different textures pasted on
them for students to touch
and speak about or
identify/relate
Straw, varieties of cloth,
types of soil, various
materials such as plastic,
metal
The Family Meal Guide
The picture cards are cut and mixed up with junk
food and other related food themes and distributed in
groups.
The cards can then be grouped into various families
across groups involving the whole class
Food Ladder
Activity
pieces of felt, velcro circles, aluminum foil ,-cotton fabric
-sandpaper, cotton balls, bubble wrap, soft yarn
-artificial flowers, wax paper,-ribbon, circle mirrors
-dry leaves,-feathers, plastic letters, magnets
-metal wool, heads of brushes
-
14
RELATIONSHIP CARDS
Cut out for matching by
fixing one to the other with
strips of Velcro or slots
FOOD CHAIN/ web of life cardboard rings with a slit for
slipping through each other
15
FOLDABLE
CARDS
Three folded
cards for
showing
stages, steps,
sequences,
folded as a
triangle,
classification,
categorization
etc
They may
also be multipurpose work
cards with
options for
sorting in the
form of paper
shelves,
sticking ( sand
paper topped)
and peg
board with
pins on it like
a Geo Board.
16
CUE CARDS
For speaking
EX-
17
PROMPT
CARDSVisual/ Text
based
For speaking
and writing
EX-
Describe a friend that you often spend time with: You should say: How often you see this friend
- Where you usually go together - What things you do together And say
why you like spending time with this person
How do you express yourself?
How do you express yourself . . .
. . . when you are angry with your teacher?
When I am angry with my teacher, I
___________________.
. . when you are angry with your parents?
. . . when you are angry with your friends?
. . . when you are angry with a stranger?
. . . when you are sad?
. . . when you are excited?
. . . when you are happy?
. . . when you are disappointed?
. . . when you are bored?
. .when you are nervous?
http://bogglesworldesl.com
18. SLIDER
CARDS
Identify missing letters,
numbers, words, part of a
figure, syllables etc
Sample Activity
Slider cards give the students practice with missing numbers.
The paper slides are made out of construction paper. Wrap
them around the fact card and tape on the back. Make sure you
plan to size the sliders correctly for the size of your print. The
slides should just cover 1 number. They can even cover the + or
- sign. Students figure out the number that is covered by the
slide. They check themselves by moving the slide.
19
BINGO
CARDS
Enclosed
detailed
guidelines
Instructions
o
1Decide on the educational theme for the Bingo game. Nearly any educational topic works. You can focus on letter, number
and word recognition for younger kids. For older kids, use Bingo to practice vocabulary words, history events or math facts.
o
Read
more: How to
Create Free
Educational
Bingo Games o
|
eHow.com http
://www.ehow.c
om/how_57584
37_create- o
educationalbingogames.html#ixz
o
z2PTSmWYBF
o
2Decide how many squares you want in your grid. For younger kids, a grid that is three squares wide by three squares tall is
more manageable. For older kids, a five square by five square grid gives you more options. The five by five format is also the
traditional Bingo card layout.
3Create a master grid on the computer so you have a copy for future Bingo games. Make a blank chart in a word processing
program with the number of columns and rows that you want.
4Develop your list of words or numbers that will go in the squares. You'll want the same set for each Bingo game board. Print
a copy of the list and cut the words apart. This set of words is used during the game play.
5Plug the words or numbers into the grid on each Bingo card. You can either type the words into the grid on the computer
and print each one off or make copies of blank grids and write them in by hand. Make sure none of the Bingo playing cards
are identical or you might end up with two Bingo winners at the same time.
6Laminate the Bingo boards if you plan to use them several times. This makes them more durable, particularly with younger
kids. Printing the grids on card stock is another option to make them more sturdy.
o
7Pass out the homemade Bingo game cards to the players. Draw one word at a time. The students cover the words as they are
announced.
Computerised
Bingo Cards
Using MSExcel
Instructions
1. Open the Excel software package. Click "File" then "New" to start a new spreadsheet.
2. Click on cell A1 and use your mouse to highlight all cells in a square to cell E5.
3. Click on "Format" at the top of your page and choose "Borders" from the drop-down menu.
4. Choose the option for a thick outer border and thin center lines (shown as an image) by clicking on it.
5. Click on "Format" again and choose "Row Height" from the drop-down menu.
6. Type the number "90" into the row height field that appears.
7. Click on "Format" again at the top of the page, then choose "Column Width" from the drop-down menu that appears.
8. Type the number "15" in the column width field. Your cells should now be the proportions of a bingo card.
9. Type letters for any five-letter word into the top row of cells, with one letter in each cell. Adjust the font point size until the letters
are large enough to fill each cell.
10. Type numbers or words that appear under each letter. Make a handwritten (or typed on a separate worksheet) list of all the
possibilities for each column so that you can randomize the numbers or words for each card.
11. Type the word "free" in the center square. The center square is the third cell in the third column, which in Bingo is your free
space.
12. Print the card, and then switch out a word or two to from each column to create a new card. Each time you print a card, switch
out some words to avoid two people having the same card.
BLACK OUT BINGO
All images must be marked to get a BINGO
This is the most common way to play BINGO
This is how we usually play 3x3 grids
LINES BINGO
Must make a horizontal, diagonal OR vertical line to get
a BINGO
This is how we usually play 4x4 or 5x5 grids
T's BINGO
Fill the card in the shape of a right-side up, upside down or
sideways capital T. For example... fill the center column plus
the top row.
.
U's BINGO
Fill the card in the shape of a right-side up, upside down or sideways U.
For example... fill the left and right most columns and the top row.
SQUARES BINGO
Fill the card in the shape of a square (top, left, right and bottom).
or
20
21
PUPPETS
Glove puppet, finger puppet,
paper puppet- cut out
68 waysto
identical outlines of any
make huge
animal/ object, paste the sides
puppets
stuff shreds of waste paper
and draw the details. Display
http://www.gi by hanging. Stick masks for
s.net/~puppet young children- masks with a
stick attached to it for
co/
children to hold over their
( for making
faces rather than tying it to
puppets)
http://www.t their faces
hepuppetstud Box puppets- a carton with a
face drawn on it. Cut a slit
io.com/What.
near the mouth to move it
html
while simulating speaking
SLOT
Like chocolate boxes/sweet
FRAMES
boxes with compartments- for
scrabble/ crossword/ playing
number games
Grids can be made and
preserved with thin bamboo
with slots or sand paper/ felt.
Cut out of letters insand paper
or felt for word building
Can be made with foldable
cards too
21
MOBILES
Hangers with cards displayed
by hanging. Vocabularypicture clue, synonyms,
antonyms, verb forms,
rhyming words etc for any
given word. / character sketch
of a character in the lesson/
The display can be
rearranged also for exjumbled spellings, sentences
etc.
SAMPLE Hanging Stars Mobile
Supplies:

Drinking straws ,Paper clips ,Construction paper,
Scissors
To make the basic unit of the mobile, slip a paper clip on the
middle of a straw. Slip a paper clip on the straw near each end.
Solar system
Make a few of the units in the last step, and put them together
using paper clip chains. To make the mobile balance, you can
slide the paper clips over.
Origami Animals mobile
Forest mobile
Cut out some colorful shapes,
animals or letters from
construction paper.
Clip the paper shapes to your
mobile. Then hang the entire
mobile from the ceiling!
22. TEMPLATES
Can be cut out from
hardboard/ cardboard or very
thin plywood of sizes for use
For printables on the blackboard or by
in
children
Mathematics- Collect basic shapes, figures
graph,
for quick, uniform accurate
protractor,
reproduction
ruler
A hole can be punched for
Grids
display/storage by hanging
Dotted grids
http://www.k
hake.com/pag
e96.html
23. STENCILS
Templates with punched
holes for chalk dust to fall or
pencil points for young
children to draw dot to dot
activities or tracing the dots
24. QUIZ
CARDS
http://www.bb
c.co.uk/world
service/learni
ngenglish/flas
h/wordmaster/
Sets of cards with
alternatives, text/picture
based for use in all subjects
Quiz card sets can be
arranged in three levels- easy,
average and difficult
Generate quizzes online :
http://quizlet.com/19378241/recreate-set/ and print out
25. ACTIVITY
CARDS
26. JIGSAW
PUZZLE
Cards with , instruction,
recording/ observation
formats , tables for problems ,
tasks outline, investigations
etc. ideally activity cards
should accompany all
formative assessment
activities , especially for
listening passages.
Samples:
Reading Practice Cards and activities for struggling readers:
Dolch Word List - Grade 3 Sight Words
(check out KidZone.ws Dolch word printables)
________________________________________
Dolch Word List - Grade 2 Sight Words
(check out KidZone.ws Dolch word printables)
Dolch Word List - Grade 1 Sight Words
(check out KidZone.ws Dolch word printables)
Dolch Word List - Kindergarten Sight Words
(check out KidZone.ws Dolch word printables)
Dolch Word List - Preschool Sight Words
(check out KidZone.ws Dolch word printables)
Two identical pictures are
chosen. One is kept as
reference. The other is cut up
after pasting it over on thick
paper/ cardboard. The student
may place pieces over the
reference picture and
complete the puzzle or refer
to it. Students may also
complete the puzzle without
reference if they can.
Locality maps in classes IV &
V and story scene in lower
classes are good themes for
Jigsaw.
Calendars. Picture ads from
magazines and newspapers/
old discarded picture charts
etc are good for jigsaw
puzzles.
TL-foldables!!!
[1].pdf
lowcostnocost.pdf