Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies

4.4.The content of the lessons

4.4.1.Topics

The studied topics were: Introducing oneself, alphabet, shapes, favourites, seasons of the year, Halloween, animals, jobs and professions, days of the week, fairytales, Christmas, body, clothes, food, sports and activities, prepositions and basic etiquette.

4.4.2.Activities sorted according to implemented methods

4.4.2.1.Methods incorporating ears

Besides the fact that children learn throughout the whole lesson by listening to the teacher speaking English, methods using listening to songs were implemented (alphabet song, Old McDonald had a farm and so on), learning by listening to the more advanced students and repeating after them (counting, alphabet), identifying sounds (sound of a bike, someone swimming and so on when learning about sports and activities), listening to a story being told (during a lesson with the topic of fairytales) or guessing games (“I’m looking for something with four legs and big teeth.”, describing someone).

4.4.2.2.Methods incorporating eyes

This category refers mostly to the methods where children were presented with pictures. These were for example cards when learning alphabet or professions, small cards with pictures on them when learning about food or clothes, sheets of paper picturing professions, game of Finding Waldo (when learning about clothes), illustrations of fairytales to match with their English name, playing detectives – identifying the culprit on the picture according to the description (when learning about body), sorting the cards with pictures of clothes according to in which season people wear them or referring to a thematic poster. Other method incorporating eyes (and ears) is watching a children cartoon (e.g. SpongeBob Squarepants or Adventure Time) or describing a position of things when learning prepositions (“The apple is on the table.”, “The pencil is in the pencil case.”...)

4.4.2.3.Methods incorporating mouth

The most important method incorporating mouth was getting the children to speak about different topics, preferably in English. This was easier to implement with the more advanced children who were able to form a simple sentence when asked to speak in English, the less advanced were usually able to say a word in English they were already supposed to know when asked for it. This category also includes describing something or someone (e.g. their favourite toy, guessing who they speak about according to a description and so on). Besides speaking this category includes mostly singing, which usually incorporates also other body parts, but it can only require of the children to repeat what they hear (e.g. Christmas carols). The children were also taught to introduce themselves, to be able to greet someone in different times of day and different situations, to say please and thank you and to ask when they want to use a toilet.

4.4.2.4.Methods incorporating hands

This category refers to creative methods. Drawing: on a topic (e.g. Christmas), according to instructions (describing a person when learning about body and clothes), colouring: thematic pictures (e.g. autumn), according to instructions (colouring letters with different colours), cutting from paper, folding (e.g. easy origami bats on Halloween) or touching something and describing it (e.g. fruit).

4.4.2.5.Methods incorporating the whole body

This category includes various methods. It offers the biggest room for teacher’s imagination as it does not necessarily require any materials. Moving activities that fall into this category are best for children with lots of energy. An activity during which children follow short and easy commands can be used both without topic (“Jump.”, “Run.”, “Turn around.”) or with a topic (going under the table, running around it, or climbing on top of it when learning prepositions or playing horse races - running on a spot, “jumping over fences”, waving when “passing ladies’ stands” and so on when learning about sports and activities). Children can also follow instructions and step on differently coloured mats. They can mime teacher’s movements either when listening to a song (e.g. Head and shoulders) or a story the teacher tells and invites the children to experience it with them. Other activities include pantomime (e.g. for learning professions), inviting the children to search for some things (they can be also labelled with numbers and children are supposed to find them in the right order – used with pictures of black cats on Halloween), simple exercise (e.g. easy animal yoga to revise animals and to learn about body), role playing (e.g. creating a situation when the children meet someone so that they are able to greet them, ask them how they are, answer the question and to bid them farewell). It is also possible to play games such as Bulldogs, Duck, duck, goose or the ones that are rather outdoor games: hopscotch and jumping over the rope. The advantage of these activities is that they are games and therefore not primarily perceived as learning, however as children are supposed to say something or recite rhymes during these games it is also a way of learning.

4.4.3.Source of materials

The sources were basically five: materials found on the internet, materials shared by other teachers (either found on the internet or physically lent), materials the teacher makes on her own, materials available in the leisure times centre and things the children or the teacher brought into the lesson. All of the songs were found on YouTube, as well as the sound recordings. Cards with alphabet and professions, book of fairytales and posters were lent by dr. Tomková.

Inspiration for many of the games and activities came from other teachers sharing their ideas on internet (e.g. finding cats, folding bats, animal yoga) other were a direct product of the author’s imagination (e.g. mime game, horse racing). Similarly, some materials were found on the internet where other teachers shared them (e.g. template for colouring the letters, picture with professions) and some were created by the teacher (e.g. pictures of the suspects, Jack o’ lantern on Halloween). Pictures came from the internet and were printed or made into cards by the teacher. Some materials were brought into lessons by a teacher (various things for describing, hat for making introducing oneself more interesting), some by children (e.g. fruit, favourite toy) and some were provided by the leisure time centre (paper, pencils, scissors...).