KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN AS LANGUAGE LEARNERS - DISSERTATION BY K. URBANSKA

Introduction

            Teaching English in the kindergarten is becoming more and more popular nowadays. In every kindergarten there is a service of teaching English at least twice a week and in private kindergartens, the service is provided every day. Except English cases, some kindergartens offer other languages as well. In common opinion that might show parental to high ambition and will to overocupate their children, forgetting that childhood is the age of having fun, play and being free from any obligations. Some parents maintain that children should not learn anything until they start school, which means at age of 7 in Poland. This opinion is slowly failing among parents and teachers according to newest surveys and theories which show, that children’s most required fun is just learning. This discovery accounts for a breakthrough in language teaching. Teaching theory maintains that very small children can acquire music, math and  foreign language easily, without effort. This contradicts the current knowledge about learning and teaching, which both might require much effort and are not able to be fun, thus the objection among some parents. Learning can be fun, and must be fun with very small children, if it should be efficient. The only trouble is how to make the teaching and learning process fun? Is it possible? Can fun come together with a discipline? How to find balance between funny play and learning?

There are methods which approach all these questions. These methods are quite new, as the knowledge about humans brain is still developing and new inventions cover the old theories. In this work, I would like to present the methods of work with children in the kindergarten and the practical use of them. This dissertation is based on experience which I made during two years teaching in the kindergarten and about six years observations of different classes of English in the kindergarten. From all the experience one conclusion can be made, namely, that, teaching very small children requires much creativity from the teacher, thus not every English teacher, however, very good in the school, would appreciate work with small children. Creativity must be a part of teacher’s personality, in which the teacher resembles small children and can communicate with them and understand them. Knowledge about small children’s mental and physical development, proper methods according to children’s age, teaching plan, all these factors are very important in successful teaching of small children. Kindergarten children are very good language learners nad can achieve accuracy in pronunciation when starting learning very early. All presented methods show, how important it is to give small children inspiration and use their natural excitement about discovery of new things and rules in the world.

Kindergarten  children as language learners

Thesis: Lessons in kindergarten require more creativity to activate and encourage children to acquire language than lessons in primary school and high school

I. Theoretical part

1.The knowledge about teaching small children

1.1.Characteristics of the kindergarten children

Children at the age of three or four years, often called preschoolers, seem to present creativity at the highest degree,  and are willing to aquire much knowledge when the topic is displayed in an interesting way. Interresting, means here,  angaging  all senses, relying on TPR (Total Physical Respons), changing rytmically, methods suitable for childrens needs and interests . Small children learn enthusiastically, they even do not eat with the same pleasure  with which  they learn. Their desire to know much about the world is very high at this age, thus an overflow of questions directed to their parents and teachers.  Small children are also very sensitive to attention which  the teacher or an important person can owe them. With the same enthusiasm would they tell detailful stories about topics which seem to be interesting for them, thus , the teacher should use the topics in language - teaching. The most important topics in the age of three or  four are: “me myself”, “ my pet”,” my family”, “insects”, therefore their presence is held in every teaching book. Creative, small children with pleasure watch colourful pictures which present things, activities, landscapes, and this way small students are likely to aquire a new vocabulary in an accessable way.They are very clever in pointing differences between topics presented in thepictures, naming colors, remembering the details. Small children’s ability to animate sounds is very high as well, so they can aquire the expected native pronunciation if they start learning a foreign language sufficiently early. Children may  sing with pleasure , as they are usually good musicians and this seems to help them remember the new vocabulary. They listen to stories also with pleasure and excitement when the teacher shows pictures,  allowes them guess what the story would be about, they become yet more interested and inventive.

The characteristic feature of children is also the ability and will to be competitive. Considering this, the  teacher uses games with rewards, divides children into competitive groups ,teams, or pairs in order to develop children’s multiply intelligence , stimulate cooperation and competitivity. In this way children are likely to learn how to work in a group, how to be responsible for their particular tasks and for the whole team. Rewards are very important as the children may feel proud of their achievements and are sensitive to being noticed by the teacher. Therefore the teachers attention, recognishion of young learners skills can stimulate their desire to learn a foreign language. Contradictory, neglecting rewards is likely to discourage children from learning, as they are very sensitive to the teachers attention.

Small children tend to glamorize the teacher and associate him with the subject he or she teaches. So the learners at the age of three or four seem to think the teacher is never wrong, he or she is perfect, therefore the teacher should be very careful and  obliged to create his/ her image.  The teacher is supposed to show his acceptance to children, friendly attitude, outgoing, open way to communicate, because this may influence children’s will and eager to learn. Most of children are very sensitive to these factors and admit liking the foreign language on condition that they like the teacher.Kindergartenchildren take criticism, calling names and teasing very seriously, because they confuse reality and fantasy and believe that what has been said, exists in reality.. So the teacher should be patient as well and to response childrens questions even if they seem to be naïve. That may be crucial for children. Kindergarten teacher is expected to like children first of all to be competent  and efficient in his/her profession

 It is important to mention, that however children remember vocabulary quite quickly, or can animate sounds correctly, they forget it with the same speed, thus the need of constant repetition of vocabulary in several contexts, using TPR methods. Children’s shortlasting memory is natural and characteristic for small children, but requires more patience and attention from the teacher. Though there is much to achieve in this age as to children’s abilities which predominate. The children enthuse over new things and ideas but they ca easily be distructed by short attention span, thus the variety of activities is necessary.

 Children also , however very inventive and interested, are not able to concentrate for  a long time. Their patience to one sequence is no longer than three minutes. Teachers, teaching small children should understand this issue and adapt to the children to make the teaching process effective. The lesson cant in any case be boring, relying on a kind of teachers monologue, which is likely to discourage  the children from learning the subject.

Small children are very egocentric, so they want to play the first part, be important, be acknowledged and noticed. They want to be listened to rather than listen, they want to be part of the lesson and not only the audiences. Considering this, the teacher should construct the lesson -script so, that children are encouraged to participation and can influence the course of the lesson. The teacher is supposed to give the children access to create the story for instance, before listening to this, guess what the story will be about, which characters are involved . The children should also have the chance to express their opinion about the characters and the story itself. The same procedure can be applied to other issues which can be part of the lesson. So instead of giving the children a ready pattern, the teacher can allow them guess, the word, the sound, the name e.c.t.

Kindergartenchildren require much of physical activity, however they may vary in the way they move. Some children are fast and full of energy, some are more slow and shy. In general though, the time of stillness is more exhausting for every child. The more energetic children enjoy such activities as jumping, clapping to the music. The teacher is supposed to build the lesson program  Sensory development is uneven, the coordination of eyes and other senses is still developing, physical growth is slower, so the children develop motor control but such activities as cutting, writing may sometimes be frustrating and cause tention, because the coordination hand eye is not fulfilled.

In their intellectual development, the kindergartenchildren reflect their ability to listen to others, they love to talk and extend their vocabulary rapidly. Children also develop auditory and visual memory, they are keen in listening to new words, which they can imitate, but still need some help in distinguishing sounds. In the age of three and four, the children can aquire a foreign language easily, they like to play with the language, are inventive with it, love guessing games, riddles, asking unaswerable questions, they are inventive and investigating. Their logical thinking is not yet developed, so  they are not able to reverse operations.

However the children are without doubts egocentric, they also want to be trusted with responsibility.Preschoolers can show empathy for other people and animals when their own needs are respected and do not remain in conflict with the needs of others.  They are helpful and eager to be assigned tasks and cooperate with the peers and this way they may develop their  interpersonal intelligence. When helpful behavior is supported by the teacher it may be common in the classroom.

Although children may develop in different pace , they have similar needs. The first and  the most important need is to remain in a trustful, accepting, supportive environment which allows them to develop new skills, accept themselves, make their own mistakes without losing self confidence. So the teacher should create such atmosphere and environment to help the children feel accepted and affirmed.

Secondly, the children need to solve problems, know the cause, they need to experiment with materials, manipulate, observe. So the teacher should provide materials, allow the children choose between them and between activities they are to be  assigned.

The third need is to be creative. As already mentioned, the children in age of three or four are very creative. They like to gain experience and express their feelings by participating in dramatic play, sharing stories, listening to music, singing songs, playing with art materials. The need can be easily fulfilled in the language lesson, where games, songs, stories and dramas can be used in a large amount.

The children  need to share experience with other children and adults, usually they live up to adults expectations and want to gain adult approval. They need to socialize, like group activities, so the kindergarten gives them a good opportunity to fulfill this need. The children can experience the differences between adults and peers in perceiving things, describing feelings, observations. In a group, they can express themselves and fulfill the need to talk and listen. Therefore the teacher should organize the lesson this way to give the most opportunity to develop interpersonal intelligences by the children. He/she can use games, dialogues, stories, dramas and engage the hole group, so that everyone has to participate, cooperate and contend.

Furthermore, the children need to develop physical coordination, to gain control over their bodies, to experience space. They can achieve this by doing big exercises like running, throwing, jumping and by small physical activities like cutting from materials, drawing, making things from plasticine  and clay. The children are very active but tire easily, they develop large muscles before small. However the children are more interesting in doing than the end product. So the teacher is supposed to inflect in the lesson physical activities and coordinate them with new vocabulary.

Spiritually preschoolers start to develop when they grow in understanding that feeling are the part of the self which is not visible, when they become aware of the world existing but not to experience with senses. The children grow in en experience, that people may have different religious beliefs and practices and that they should be respected. In their preconventional stadium, the children learn that there are behaviors,  activities and actions which are considered as bad and children avoid doing them, because they are told to and because they want to avoid punishment. So their spiritual development shows that rules are have not been internalized yet in on the stage op preschoolers age. On that stage the children learn about the world in their surrounding, they celebrate such events as Halloween, Christmas, Easter, which is also a good occasion to introduce new vocabulary, learn songs conveying the mood of the celebrations.

1.2. Popular, already known methods of teaching English to children

Whatever the method the teacher choose and use in the kindergarten, the best idea is to communicate only in english. Small children take it naturally. When the teacher, by saying something gesticulates and mimes lively, showes a sense of humor, the lack of motherlanguage will not surprise the children at all. The english lessons in the kindergarten should not be anyway similar to those for adults. To have fun and to play is that what the children expect, what the teacher should consider and use.

The teacher can say ”hello” and ”bye, bye”, boast, rebuke, comment what is happening, but all the phrases should be simple and should be repeated often enough to cause appropriate associations in the childs mind. In every lesson the teacher should repeat such commands as : sit down, stand up, clap your hands, stamp your feet, snap your fingers, ect.However generally speaking, the teacher uses english in a funny and accessable way to communicate with the children, so he should look after appropriate method assigned for preschoolers from the wide rang of those already existing and add some new inventions.

The first very popular method of teaching English to very small children is Helen doron method, invented by her in 1985. This method became popular in last decade however it has been known longer and was initiated by a japanize musician, dr Shinichi Suzuki. Born in Nagoya, Japan in 1898, he was the son of Japan's first and largest violin manufacturer, he never learned music formally. During World War the Second, he was separated from his wife, and in poor life conditions he became seriously ill. Recovering took him two months, but during this difficult time he decided to improve the lifes of the children. He made some observations as well, namly, he observed how japanize children easily learned German, with which he himself had difficulties. He noticed also that small children learn effordlesly their motherlanguage, japanize, which is quite complex. He decided to use natural childrens ability to learn in music. Helen Doron, based on his observations and inventions and used the method in teaching Enlish even very small children. She supports the idea of starting teaching even the children at age of three months. Inspired by Suzuki method, she uses childrens natural ability to acquire their motherlanguage to teach English as well. Dr Suzuli called this method ” the motherlanguage approach”. Helen Doron used her own homemade cassets, recordings, flash cards, games, pleys, stories, workbooks to non English speaking babies, to reinforce spoken language, to multiply childrens intelligence and accelerate their development. The classes are based on linguistic and pedagogic expertise, but the most important they are fun and children cant wait for the next lesson. The program containes twelve years of education starting  from three month aged children, every child receives a learning set consisting of books and soundtracks which are used as background hearing at home. This soundtracks with stories, songs  and texts are also used in the classroom. Children are supposed to listen to the recordings twice a day doing their daily routine to get used to English and then to obtain reinforcement in small groups during classes. The children are taught by the dedicated teachers, who undergo trainings in teaching, are supported by guidance, seminars and conferrences. Every teacher is a very good professional with a proven competence and experience. The parents teachers cooperation accounts for an important factor in babies education and parents can participate in open classes and watch Helen Doron at work. Parents participate in every class with toddlers. The very small children enjoy lessons, some of them speak already with a very good, native like pronunciation. Helen Dorons schools Early English have centers in many countries ant their popularity and fame grows owing to visible effects and pleasure they give children. The children learn and have fun, they enjoy colorfull, nice classrooms with toys, mascots and carpets, they can feel comfortable and their needs are fullfilled.

This method is based as well on Glen Domans theory, which, in turn, refferrs to Suzuki.

Glen Doman, american physicoterapist created the method about teaching very joung children from zero to five using Suzuki method, telling that joung age and play, like approache, can give better effects than inborn skills.He observed and experimented with teaching reading very joung children. Children are easily inspired and excited, thus, the need to surround the child with creative, not necessarily expensive toys, objects, things.The Glen Doman method is an innovative and provocative method of learning. It suggests the age in which the baby must start, which can be as early as ten months of age. Doman highlights the importance of the parents attitudes in respect to the activity to be developed. It should be considered rather as play than a hard work. He explaines that the sessions must prior to the childs loss of interests. Doman also reminds that the material, despite being simple, must follow specifications, be various to wake up childs interest. He turns next to the description of how to develop seven steps which he considers essential in teaching reading:

-         visual differentiation

-         proper vocabulary

-         vocabulary of the family enviroment

-         vocabulary to build sentence's structure

-         structured frases and sentences

-         reading of a real book

-         the alphabet

Glen  Doman compairs learning to read with learning to speak. Children learn to speak because adults speak to them clearly and loudly, so they can develop hearing at first and then imitate the words. They learn by imitation but have to be given a clear convention.

According Glen Doman, there are some rules which have to be obeyed to be successfull with the teaching the child, these are:

1.      Begin as early as possible

2.      Teach only when you and the child are in a good humor

3.      Stop before your child is bored

4.      Show material quickly

5.      Introduce new materials often

6.      Do your program consistently

1.3. Philosophy of teaching children

            On the base of experiments which led to better understanding how to use childrens intelligence there grew a kind of philosophy. The philosphy of teaching small children has been created among others, by Roman Steiner also known as Waldorf Education. It is an international movement, which was found in 1919 and was based on Steiners philosophy of holistic learning which comprises all elements of humans cognition, scentific, spiritualistic, humanistic. So he joined realms in one class unit to angage body, mind and soul. At every stage of development he was about to give the child appropriate stimulus. Learning is seen as a journey, a discovery, where the imagination plays a huge role. Learning means here the cognition of the surrounding world and oneself.  He experimeneted in teaching writing to small children, in years 1 and 2. So writing was taught first. The children became familiar with the letters from alphabet from pictograms and writing came from it.The oral approach is predominant in children schooling. They learn through listening to stories, fairytales. The children in years 1 to 5 don use any textbooks, instead they complete their own books during schooling and fill them with what they have learned. Steiners education aims to be non-competitive, so any tests are introduced not earlier than 11. First the emphasis is put on learning artistic activities, because children seem to respond better to this medium. Also dance like activities engaging bodily movement, eurhytmy is central component in Steiners education. Unlikely to this, technology, like television, computer use, by young children is strongly discouraged as childrens imagination is believed to be critical at that age to healthy development of a child as individual. Early childhood, this means 0-7, is of vital importance to a child, and are said to be pre-condition the moral, bodily and mental life in the adults years. In this phase, the child masters many skills, like speaking, communication through imitation, through simple doing. Strong will, intuitive sense for goodness and reverence are predominant at this age, so the teacher should honor this. At the preoperations stage, children are very sensitive to pictures, sounds, objects, that is why teachers provide children with visual support, speak to them clearly, repeat often.

The third, very popular and known philosophy of teaching small children is Waldorfs and Montesoris .Montessori teaching method, conceived in Rome in 1907 by Maria Montessori, who grouped children, forming close community, where older children helped younger, teachers play less demonstrative roll, they rather are supposed to teach the children life lesson through experience. The children are given freedom in choosing activities instead to be instructed and assigned tasks. In both points of view, children’s need of creativity is highlighted. The toys, which surround the child should not be completed or finished. They should rather leave space for children’s imagination by imitating real life. For children there is no other time than now, no other person than me, and no other place than here. The children observe adults in their daily activities and imitate them, they learn by doing. So, being aware of this English should be spoken all the time, as if the teacher didn’t know their mother language. Simplicity is here for the highest importance, clear convention and repetition play a huge roll. In a Montessori class every child works individually, separately, and independently according to his/her skills, gifts and interests. So socializing and development of interpersonal intelligence is fortcomming in a natural pace as the children are at the first stage very individual and egocentric. Children work in years seasonal rhythm and themes, weaving artistic activities, songs and stories. Also, Montessori notices and highlights the fact that small children’s intellectual skills are very high, they absorb knowledge like sponges. Waldorf does not maintain that the earlier the child is supplied with  more and more challenging tasks, he/she will be well educated, no, he rather represents the opinion, that the child’s imagination should be stimulated to develop intellectual skills. Creative thinking powers are first to be developed on that stage.

      Very interesting is the idea about the critical age of 6, after which the children change

their learning abilities. This theory has been established on base of experiments concerning accent. Children up to 6 are able to achieve a native ”accent” in a foreign language when they are exposed to. After this ideal ”window” of time it is impossible for them to achieve this level and language learning is much more difficult and effortfull. The hypothesis about critical age accounts for the theme to debate which goes on among linguists, but evidence which could support it are not certain, and limited. According this hypothesis, the child posesses a special ability to acquire a foreign language, exactly the same way as he/she acquires the mother language. The ideal ”window” is not believed to be completely closed as 5 % of people in their mature age acquire a foreign language quite perfectly. The hypothesis rather inclines to suggest the best period of age for the child to learn language but it has not to be considered as the only period and by 100 % of population.

      Another very interresting approach to teaching english is the theory about multiply intelligences, proposed by Howard Dardner in 1983. This young theory divides between 9 kinds of intelligences:

1.      Logical-matematical

2.      Spatial

3.      Linguistic

4.      Bodily-kinestetical

5.      Musical

6.      Interpersonal

7.      Intrapersonal

8.      Naturalistic

9.      Existential

In every person one of those types of intelligences is dominant, which gives her predispositions to a particular kind of job. It is very well to recognize it early and to adjust the method to the person and to put stress in her education on her special kind of intelligence which is predominant. ” seven kinds of intelligence would allow seven ways to teach, rather than one. And powerfull constraints that exist in the mind can be mobilized to introduce a particular concept (or whole system of thinking) i a way taht children are more likely to learn it.” Frames of mind” H. Gardner 1983.

So learners with predominant logical- matematical intelligence, work well with numbers, are well organized and systematic. They also like to ask questions, figure things out, make connections between informations items. So in  learning English they might like grammar, connecting sentences, understand logical rules in the language construction.Those who represent spatial type of intelligence would like to visualize things, they like to watch pictures, shapes, films, they like to draw, paint, build. These people tend to think in pictures. In learning English these people remember written words, spelling, new vocabulary, they will chose tasks activating their eye, thus they might spot differences between pictures, remember mindmaps, make collages. People with bodily kinestetical type of intelligence can easily controll body movement. They might love dancing, doing gymnastics, they would love crafts, movements games, acting, miming. So in their learning English they might appreciate TPR activities (Total Physical Respons), including singing songs connected with dancing, body movement. Learners with predominant musical rhytmic intelligence will appreciate all kind of musical tasks, so they will remember the new vocabulary, sentences and whole texts by singing songs, reading text rhytmically, listening to jingels. Learners with developed interpersonal intelligence would posess ability to understand other people, they like to work in groups, join other people, they are great organizers, leaders and mediators. So in teaching they would apreciate groupwork, projects, questionnaires.

In intrapersonal intelligence, people are able to self-reflect, speak about their inner feelings. They prefer individual tasks, rather avoid groupwork. They would appreciate diary, essay writing.

People inclined to naturalistic intelligence posess knowledge about natural world, enviroment, they are familiar with changes in the nature and learn the best on trips, field walks.They collect rocks, fossils, shells. The best topic conveying new vocabulary is observation of nature.

People with existentional type of intelligence have a philosophical, religious and spiritualistic sense. They posess ability to contemplate phenomena beyond sensory data. So in learning language they are skilled in speaking, conversating, so do people with linguistic intelligence. They are skilled with the word, written and spoken. They can easily express their opinions, are versed with grammar rules and any other aspect of language.

Gardners theory about the multiply intelligence accounts for a breakthrough and contradict traditional approach to the concept of intelligence. According the traditional approache, only logical-matematical and linguistic intelligence could account for intelligence at all. Gardner changes completely this way of thinking about the idea, creating the theory about multiply intelligence.Teachers should consider it in their teaching plan and adjust tasks according to childrens intelligences to make the teaching process more efficient. It is also an usefull knowledge and tool to facilitate the way to reach several students.

There are many theories about intelligence, which try to give definition, classify the type, level e.c.t. The most important and known scientist who worked on the topic, are: Howard Gardner, David Perkins and Robert Sternberg spred the knowlednge about the meaning of ”intelligence” a nd applied it to education. IQ is a complex concept and researchers argue about it for about 100 years and invent always new theories. To sumarise the theories of three presented authors, intelligence is the ability to learn in wide meaning of the word, including reading, understanding, experience, conclusions, application of already learned material to the real life. It means also the ability to solving problems, so the  complex operation from recognition of the problem and defining it in more clear convention and finding solution. This definition seems to be the optimistic one, because it says that everyone can improve intelligence by learning, studying which is only partially truth. In fact the score on an IQ test can not adequately represent the complex of humans capability. So the idea of multiply intelligences has been growing during years. Robert Sternbergs researches identify three main components of intelligence: practical intelligence- adapting to circumstances, experiential intelligence – the ability to deal with a novel situation, and componential intelligence- the ability to process information effectively. Sternberg provides examples of people who are tallented in one component aforesaid, but completely ignorant in other two, but he strongly believes that intelligence can be increased by learning process.

David Parkins analizes a number of educational theories, supports the idea of project based education and is supportive to Gardners hypothesis.

”My research is motivated primarily by a theory of successful intelligence, which attempts to account for the intellectual sources of individual differences that enable people to achieve success in their lives, given the sociocultural context in which they live. Successfully intelligent people discern their strengths and weaknesses, and then figure out how to capitalize on their strengths, and to compensate for or remediate their weaknesses. Successfully intelligent individuals succeed in part because they achieve a functional balance among a "triarchy" of abilities: analytical abilities, which are used to analyze, evaluate, judge, compare and contrast; creative abilities, which are used to create, invent, discover, imagine; practical abilities, which are used to apply, utilize, implement, and activate. Successfully intelligent people are not necessarily high in all three of these abilities, but find a way effectively to exploit whatever pattern of abilities they may have. Moreover, all of these abilities can be further developed. A fundamental idea underlying this research is that conventional notions of intelligence and tests of intelligence miss important kinds of intellectual talent, and overweigh what are sometimes less important kinds of intellectual talent.”

The article (Sternberg, Summer 1997

II. Practical part

1.Methods used during lessons

In the kindergarten English teachers usually use several kinds of activities adjusting the speed to childrens needs and requires. They instinctively chose flexible tasks when the children are bored with one activity and expect something different. Knowing children very well, the teacher uses their abilities to competite, their need of physical activities and their sensitivity to the music and this way makes the teaching process more accessable and pleassurable by the children. During lesson units which aim to excercise two language skills, namly listening and speaking, games, songs,rhymes, and stories are widely used.

1.1.Game based teaching

Games are very attractive to children, they like playing them for many reasons. First of all, everybody participates and developes several kinds of intelligences giving priority to the interpersonal, because this is a social activity. Children like also repetitive character of games, they dont mind playing the same game for several times, rather otherwise, they can excercise vocabulary and master the game. Children can also cooperate with the group and at the same time competite. Games account for the natural way children play, they forget that they are learning. It is also a good opportunity to change pace, topic, to activate all pupils, to improve the attention span, to provide specific language patterns. Games give also good opportunity to excercise listening and speaking skills and due to participation of all even the shy pupils can be encouraged and confidence can be given to them. Pupil-pupil communication is stimulated, and through this fluency can be improved, the domination of the teacher can be reduced.

In introducing the new game, simplicity of explanation is required. At the beginning the teacher is supposed to demonstrate the first play for pupils and give clear instructions, ensure that all the children are involved, provide them with interactive language (like: freeze! Have a go!, Go forward two squares! Put the card face down! Shuffle the cards!It is a draw!), enforce everybody in rules. The teacher should repeat the games regularly, keep at hand favourite games, stop the game before children are bored, familiarize the children with the names of the games.

Top ten games, which are comonly known and liked by children:

Simon says, is a game for 3 or more players where 1 player, which is usually a teacher takes the role of 'Simon' and gives commands, usual physical actions like ‘ jump, lay down, turn around…’ to the other players, which should only be followed if prefaced with the phrase 'Simple Simon says'. Players are eliminated from the game when they follow instructions not by the trigger phrase or by failing to follow an instruction which includes the preface. This game improves the ability to distinguish between valid and invalid commands. The game can be played in a faster speed when the children will have mastered it in normal or slow speed.

Pelmanim, also known as memory or simply matching pairs. Players start the game when all cards are laid face down, the object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching cards. It is challenging game especially for very young children. It exercises memory, concentration, and help remember new words corresponding with the images in the pictures players with good memory will be able to remember where they have already seen its pair.

Bingo, is known as a game of chance. The players need a matrices of numbers, which than are matched with randomly drawn numbers. The matrices can be printed or written on paper.The winner is supposed to call out the word “Bingo!”. This, no resources, game is very exciting for the children, everyone participates willingly and is involved in checking and matching the numbers. Bingo helps reinforce the names of numbers, which are repeated in this game quickly. It stimulates competition spirit, concentration, quick reaction to numbers and naming them in English.

                                  

Chineze whispers, is a game which is commonly known all around the world. In this game, players whisper one another a message, which goes through all the players to be announced at the in the end by the last player. The message is altered and differs usually from the original one, which is fun and amusing. The game exercises memory, listening and speaking skills, as the participants have to understand the message conveyed by the previous person and to convey it further correctly.

Kims game is a game or exercise played by children with pleasure all around the world. One child hides an object and  another one investigates it. The group can help the seeker and encourage him/her to seek further^[1] The game develops a person's ability to observe and remember details. Everybody participates during observation but one seeking person is more active than the others. After the object would have been found, somebody else goes out and another object is hidden. The game also wakes excitement, fun, amusement.

Twister is a game produced by Hasbro Games. The players stand on a mat spread on the floor. On the mat there are four rows with circles in different colors, in each row there is the same color.There is also a spinner which is divided into four labelled sections: right foot, left foot, right hand and left hand. Each of these sections is divided into four colors. After spinning a combination of for instance red –left hand is called and the players have to put the left hand on the red circle. This game requires from players physical activity, as they have to take curious positions sometimes. The children like the game enormously, because it is fun

and children forget that they are in fact learning colors and parts of the body

Hangman - a guessing game where one player thinks out a word and the others guess it by giving suggested letters. The suggested word is represented by a row of dushes and every right letter replaces the dash. If the suggested letter does not occure in the worg, the other element of hangman is added as a tally mark. If the hungman is completed, the team has lost the game. If the word is completed, the team wins

Market Game is a typical no resorses – game, where pupils have to name the products they buy on the market. The first player namest the first product, the second names the second and the next player names the next product and so on. For instance; !.Jim wnet to the market and bought a cucumber. 2 Gim went to the market and bought a cucumber and a tomato. 3 Gim went to the market and bought a cucumber, a tomato and some apples. So children have in this game a good opportunity to learn some new vocabulary and exercise memory. Market game often accounts for a filler and provides the children with a relaxing entertainment. It engages children and improves the concentration span and discipline.

Dominoes (or dominos) is a game where players join two congruent squares edge to edge. Each end is marked by spots, what for elder children can be adjustable challenge, as they can count in English. For smaller children, the dominoes can consist of pictures ordered the same way enabling to join congruent edges as well and learn some new vocabulary by naming the objects in the pictures

Hopscotch is a game which can be played alone or in a group , it is classified as a playground game, in which the children draw the pattern of a rectangle  with numbered spaces on the ground and than toss a small object on it(it can be a little stone). Then the children hop or jump on the pattern of spaces to retrive the object.

This game can be played in a sunny weather, when the children don’t want to sit in a classroom, they crave to go out and…just play. So, this popular game might account for not only the exercise for their muscles but also for their brains, because the game can be played in English as adaptation of English lesson to playground conditions. The children exercise the numbers, develop the kinestetical intelligence.

Ludo (from latin ludo means I play) is a very popular and quite old game, which origins are traced back to 1907, when it was invented by Joseph Friedrich Schmidt  in Germany on base of an indian game pachisi. The earliest pictograms of the game have been found in caves of Ajanta in India. This game is foreseen for two or four players, who need a board and dice according to which they race their four tokens. Every player needs four pawns in the same color. The pawns move as many squares as indicated by the dice. The player winns who walked around the whole board with all four pawns, and whose pawns landed in ”the house”

                   

                                          

Ludo can be used as a filler as well, however it takes quite a long time to finish it. So, when the teacher wants to make ludo game only a part of a short exercise during the lesson, he/she can finish it at the point, when the first player would have finished going around the squares. It is entertaining, competitive game where specific vocabulary can be reinforced.

Noughts and Crosses,  also called tic tac toe  is a game for which the players use a sheet of paper and a pencil. To win the player needs to have three or in a row, horisontaly, verticaly or diagonaly. This game is foreseen rather for older children, however the rules are quite simple. It can be used as a filler or free activity with the aim of stimulating competition in pairs.

Battleships, known as well as See Battle, is a  guessing, pencil and paper game for two players, who need four grids. The grids are usually squares 10 x 10, which are identified by letters and numbers. Players cover their papers, on which they sign the ships, which usually take a number of squares and are situated horisontaly and verticaly. The oponent has to guess where the ships are by giving a number and a letter for its location.

This game must be modified when applying for kindergarten children, it has to be simplyfied, so that children, who do not know the letters and numbers can play it. Instead of letters and numbers the teacher can use some pictograms, and the number of squares might be limited to five rather than to ten. This game exercises imagination, logical thinking, problem solutions strategy. It is also competitive game and can not be to difficult, however the children might appreciate some challenge. It can be used as a filler, or account for the topic of one class unit.

Hunt the Thimble also known as Hide the Thimble is called also a party game. It can be played by a group. One player leaves the room, whereas the other hides an object somewhere in the room. The player who was outside the room, can now come back and try to find the hidden object. Everybody in the classroom can sing Hunt the Thimble or Hot or Cold. This game encourages team spirit, is entertaining, engages whole group, develops concentration. It can be used as a filler to regain the attention span, after a more challenging task.

Using games a s a method has many advantages. Firstly, this is children‘s natural way of learning, secondly, the teacher can use them as fillers or material to reinforce the learned expressions, thirdly, they account for a very helpful tool to regain discipline and attention span as they are exciting for children. Usually children play the game in their every day life with their fellows, so this is their natural way to socialize. The teacher can use the games to make the children more familiar with one another and the teacher as well.

The teacher can use every educative game to adapt it to English and to make the lesson more attractive. The more diversity in methods and resources the more exciting the English lessons which are liked by the children. According Suzuki and Helen Doron theory the children appreciate various materials, changing quite quickly, because children get bored and lose their interest. That is why the teacher is supposed to have many optons by hand and use them at a particular moment to achieve aims necessary.

In this dissertation I am going to present the games which are available on the polish market and which I  use during my lessons in the kindergarten.

The first presented game English Words is a card game designed by adamigo company for children who already know English alphabet, but it can be easily adapted for the smaller children who can match the picture with a suitable word, knowing only It’s pronunciation.

 

The children are supposed to guess the name of the object presented in the picture. This game includes numbers as well, which smaller children can recognize by the Arabic digit, and for older children the task is supposed to be more challenging and demanding giving the right spelling.

In the game, the names of numbers and shapes and colors can be exercised. Small children like it as a guessing game and elder children appreciate more challenging task.

           

Even very small children appreciate counting. They seem to like numbers and operations on them. For very small children are foreseen operations on concretes like counting object, add them and taking away. Using simple sticks and, for older children, the images of digits and mathematical operations “English mats”. can be introduced. Children usually enjoy it very much, especially when they are rewarded for good answers. Apart of undoubtfull pleasure the children have playing mats

               

Concrete operations on stics and their digital images help children               

In the work with preschoolers there are many kinds of memory games which can be used in English lessons and which introduce some other knowledge. Here is the example of memory game with road signs:

This game make the children familiar with road signs and their names in English. Small children exercise where is the right and left hand and what means to turn left and right. Very small children have problems with the left and right side and confuse their left and right hand and leg. Exercise with this above showed game is a part of a main topic concerning road traffic. It is completed with songs accompanied by actions and additionally pictures displayig crossroads, traffic, cars and their movement, pedestrians and their behavior on the road. The children learn that the car drivers have to obey some rules and that driving a car demands concentration and knowledge confirmed by driving license. Then, singing the song and doing actions, the children exercise and imitate behavior on the road. After these activities they can learn how to play memory game about road signs. The pictures copied from New Bingo plus by Anna Wieczorek demonstrate the images of the traffic and display the text of  the song about Teddybear who does the actions using right and left hand.

                     

All kinds of dominos game are appreciated by the children as fillers and pure entertainment, as this game is not very challenging and can be simplified yet more for children who do not have any basic idea about the numbers. A domino game like this is a good example of this:

              

1.2.  Song based teaching

The children like singing very much, so it is natural that the English teacher uses song as predominant resource in his/her teaching. Songs develop the ear , teach the right pronunciation and intonation, word structure in a natural way. The children are very musical, so they appreciate songs which are fun. Rhymes, chants and songs help the children learn word structures, due to children’s musical ear and their ability to learn the words not seeing them. Singing song and doing actions is the best way to learn holistically using TPR method which is the most efficient method with preschoolers.

In every students book there are songs suggested according to topics, inflated in other suggested tasks like stories, poems, games ect., but there are also songs in isolation which can be used during lessons presented on the webside:

http://www.supersimplelearning.com/songs/original-series/one/

There can be found the most popular and commonly known songs, like Head and Shoulders, Hokey, Pokey, If you are lucky…with their lyrics and visual support, like pictures, videos.

If you're happy happy happy [Smile and put your index fingers on your cheeks.]
clap your hands. [Clap your hands.]
If you're happy happy happy
clap your hands.
If you're happy happy happy
clap your hands, clap your hands.
If you're happy happy happy
clap your hands.

If you're angry angry angry [Make an angry face and cross your arms over your chest.]
stomp your feet. [Stomp your feet.]
If you're angry angry angry
stomp your feet.
If you're angry angry angry
stomp your feet, stomp your feet.
If you're angry angry angry
stomp your feet.

If you're scared scared scared [Make a scared face and place your hands on your cheeks.]
say, "Oh no!" [Say, "Oh no!"]
If you're scared scared scared
say, "Oh no!"
If you're scared scared scared
say, "Oh no!" Say, "Oh no!"
If you're scared scared scared
say, "Oh no!"

If you're sleepy sleepy sleepy [Make a sleepy face.]
take a nap. [Rest your head on your hands and pretend to sleep.]
If you're sleepy sleepy sleepy
take a nap.
If you're sleepy sleepy sleepy
take a nap, take a nap.
If you're sleepy sleepy sleepy
take a nap.

If you're happy happy happy [Smile and put your index fingers on your cheeks.]
clap your hands. [Clap your hands.]
If you're happy happy happy
clap your hands.
, exercisesIf you're happy happy happy
clap your hands, clap your hands.
If you're happy happy happy
clap your hands. ♫

   

This web side is very helpful for the teachers, provides didactic support, suggests other activities which can be done during lessons, suggests some special approach, plays. Super Simple Songs can account for additional material, like holiday resources, flashcards, lessonplans, activity sheets, part ideas – how the teacher can celebrate Christmas in the classroom, picture cards.

Here is the example of the lesson plan, concerning Christmas:

“Stickers and stamps - We like to start our lessons by greeting each student with a stamp or sticker. Our students all have "Passports." At the beginning of class we collect the passports and let each student choose a sticker. This is a great time to call each student by name and practice/review very simple language like "Hello!" "How are you?" and "What color?" (when choosing a sticker). If possible, use a Christmas themed sticker.

Hello Song - We love singing "Hello, Reindeer" throughout the 4 or 5 weeks leading up to Christmas. When introducing a new song, use the picture cards to teach children the words and practice the gestures together. Don't worry if they don't sing it the first time, they will pick it up soon.

For learners four years old and younger, you'll want to use the same hello song each week to reassure them at the start of class. For older students, try changing up the song a bit. Use "Hello, Reindeer" for a couple of weeks, then split the class in two and have one half of the class sing the first part, while the other half of the class responds. Or use the sing along version.

Fun Song - If your class already knows "B-I-N-G-O," it will be a breeze to teach them "S-A-N-T-A." Print the picture cards from the Super Simple Songs - Christmas CD to review the letters, or simply write them on the board, and start. Instead of clapping, pat your tummy. You can also pat your legs, jump or do other gestures.

Make a Circle - Make a circle with everyone in the class. Make a big circle! Make a small circle. Go up! Go down. Walk around in a circle. Next, sing "Make a Circle" from Super Simple Songs 1. The students will love it and at the end of the song everyone will be seated in a circle, ready for the next activity.

Picture Cards - Print out the picture cards for "Santa's On His Way" from the Super Simple Songs - Christmas CD; ball, yo-yo, bike, jump rope and Santa. Before class, place them in a large envelope and decorate it with a Christmas tree. Look inside the envelope at the picture cards without letting the students see. Try to build excitement and anticipation for seeing the cards. Call on one student to come up and ask them "What do you want for Christmas?" Pull out one card and have them identify the toy. Pretend to use the toy together; ride the bike, play yo-yo, jump rope, or bounce a ball. Pass the card around so that each student can see it. Have another student come to the front and select a card.

Write a Letter to Santa - Print out worksheet 4-10 from the Super Simple Songs - Christmas CD or give each student a plain sheet of paper. For students that are too young to write, have them draw a picture of a toy that they would like. Be sure to write each student's name on their letter or picture and hang them up around the room. A great follow up activity is to have each student tell the class what they would like for Christmas.

Clean Up - Sing your favorite clean up song ("Clean Up!" from Super Simple Songs 1 is a good one) and put away all of the writing and drawing materials. Always remember...clean up time is an activity and a great opportunity to use real, practical language. Don't rush it!

What's missing? - Place all of the toy picture cards on the whiteboard or somewhere in front of the class. Quickly point to each card and elicit the names from the students. For each card, review the appropriate gesture. After going through all of the cards, tell the students, "Close your eyes!" While the students' eyes are closed, take away one of the cards. Tell the students, "Open your eyes," and then ask, "What's missing?" Try to elicit the name of the missing card from the students. Repeat several times. If it is easy for your students, try removing more than one card at a time!

"Santa's On His Way" - Sing "Santa's On His Way." Before each verse, point to the picture card of the next toy so students will be ready. If your students are already familiar with "What Do You Want For Christmas?" from Super Simple Songs 1, this new version will give them additional toy vocabulary. If this song is brand new to them, the repetition makes it easy to learn. Later, you can use the sing-along version to add in more toys.

Storytime - Play some gentle music to indicate it is story time. "Please Sit Down (And Storytime Music)" from Super Simple Songs 1 works well. After students become familiar with this song, they will know that when they hear it, it is time to sit down quietly and prepare for story time. Be sure to sing along and gesture to the first part. This helps reinforce the actions of sitting down, being quiet and listening. Read one of your favorite Christmas time picture books.

Stickers/Stamps - Give each student a sticker or stamp to reward them for a job well done.

Goodbye Song - Sing "Goodbye, Snowman" from Super Simple Songs - Christmas”

               

When singing songs with children, the teacher needs visual support, like flashcards, pictures, which can be printed or drawn. Here is the example of a song from “Primary Kids Box II” to which, the visual support has been drawn.

            

In this song the children are not supposed to do the actions, they are only watching the picture where different wehicles and shoes are presented according to songs content, listen and sing. As it can be recognized in the picture, in this song, there is present continuous tense which is exercised. In the same book the present continuous tense is exercised in another song which is supported by the picture

Where is grandpa? In the dining room

What’s he doing? He’s eating fish.

Where is Simon? In the living room,

What’s he doing? He’s watching TV.

Where is Susi? In the bath room,

What’s she doing? She’s having a bath.

Where is Stella? In the bed room,

What’s she doing? She’s reading a book.

Where is grandma? In the hall.

What’s she doing? She’s opening the door.

So, from this song, which is really attractive and catching the ear, the children can learn that activities done just now are expressed in – some “ing” form. Additionally, this perfect visual support helps the children learn the text. They discover that the song in fact has been painted and they do not need to learn the text, it is sufficient that they have the picture by hand. The teacher can use this song to another exercise in speaking. Holding the picture in front of children’s eyes, he/she can ask: ‘Where is grandpa? What’s he doing? “ and wait for the answer by showing appropriate picture. If the children don’t remember, the teacher can remind them by singing the answer. Rhytm and rime, melody, picture respond to the children’s holistic sense of learning.

Another song from this book, also needs  children’s attention, their watching, listening and singing. The melody is loved by the children and they wish it is played often.

Here the stress is set on the new vocabulary rather than some grammar points. The children learn sport activities and other activities connected with the word “play” or “ride”. The teacher can demonstrate the activities as well while singing the song.

 “Horus: Do the Maskman song, do the Maskman song, let’s all do the Maskman song 2x

Ride a bike, play tennis, play basketball, play, play, play…

Do the Maskman song, do the Maskman song, let’s all do the Maskman song 2x

Let’s swim, play football, play the guitar , play, play, play…

the Maskman song, do the Maskman song, let’s all do the Maskman song 2x”

According to the advice and method, that the best idea and the most effective teaching is achieved by presenting the same topic from several points of view and many perspectives, there is another lesson from “New Bingo Plus II” where sport’s activities are also introduced.

“ I like playing, I like playing, I like playing, what? Tennis,

Tennis is my favorite sport, I like playing tennis…..

I like doing, I like doing, I like doing, what? Gymnastics

Gymnastics is my favorite sport, I like doing gymnastics……

I like… I like…. I like….what? Swimming

Swimming is my favorite sport, I like I like swimming”

By the way of learning sport activities, the children learn as well that some sport are always connected with the word “play”, some other with the word “ do”, and some with no word at all. By singing the song repeatedly, the children learn the rule without effort. And again, the teacher can check if the children are familiar with the material and ask: “ What is your favorite sport? What do you like doing?” If the children forget, or the material has not been reinforced, the teacher can sing the right answer pointing to the picture with expected activity.

All above mentioned books are destined for children already attending the school, some of them, like “New Bingo Plus II” is destined for the children in the second primary class, but the teacher can use all books, and pick up from them material suitable for the preschooler. Such books contain not only listening materials but also some reading and even writing, which are not supposed to be presented to preschoolers. The teacher should show the topic in different contexts, that is why he/she is supposed to use different material which not necessarily is the case in the school. Teaching small children has many advantages, especially for creative teachers, who do not mind flexibility and invention.

There is a book designed for preschoolers, namely, “ Jezyk angielski dla przedszkolaków, metoda nauczania języka angielskiego w wieku przedszkolnym z zastosowaniem rytmiki jako środka ws”, written by a polish author, Hanna Górny. The material here is divided according to seasons of the year, like in Walgorf’s and Montessori’s method of teaching. In this book the teacher can find much support from the author, who explains which techniques should be used in the teaching of preschoolers. Songs presented in the book go for simplicity. Material contains two recordings of songs and additionally one recording of sounds which can be met in the nature, for instance the animals. Simplified is the version of a commonly known song “Old Macdonald”, because here there are only cows which are mentioned.

This book is a kind of instruction for the teacher, does not contain colorful pictures, but includes notes for playing the piano or guitar. Before this song had been introduced, there is a unit about the farm and animals living there. The teacher can use small animals figures to demonstrate them or cards or any kind of pictures showing animals on the farm. From the third recording with sounds the teacher can use audio support recalling the saunds, animal do. In the “New Bingo I”, there is extended version of the song, which includes more animals the farmer had. The most interesting version can be met in “Super Simple Songs”, where not only animals are introduced with their names, but also sounds he English imitate reffering to a particular animal. For the children, this might be astonishing discovery that the animals in English sounds differently that in Polish. For instance for a dog’ “hau, hau” in Polish there is an English equivalent “wov,  wov”. To have by hand a visual support, the teacher can use some pictures from the book, or draw it, like this:

 

In this picture, the animals are presented in the same order in which they can be found in the song, so the children can remember it better.

The above presented songs can be categorized as listen- and watch, sing -and watch activities but there are plenty of songs, very loved by the preschoolers, which can be categorized as listen- and do, sing -and do activities, this are action songs. To this category belong such commonly liked hits like: “ Head and shoulders”, “Hokey pokey”, “Pinokio”. Teaching these songs, the teacher does not need an extra visual support, he/she has to demonstrate the actions and the children should imitate it. The same concerns the song about rising right and left hand, turning left, right. With these songs, quite simple and fun, there can appear a problem, namely, the children do the actions automatically, can the text, but the actions in separation can be difficult for them. So the teacher should add an extra exercise to reinforce the vocabulary in several context and in isolation. For instance, when the teacher sings with the children the song “Head and shoulders”, the teacher should give command:”point to your head!, Point to your knees”, in a different order that in the song. When the children imitate the action: jump, turn around, clap your hands”, the teacher should give command: “ turn around”, without demonstrating it.

To the same category as songs belong also chants and rhymes. Their natural intonation, speed and sometimes actions are very helpful in remembering and reinforcing the new material. Here ,for instance, is the chant, from “Primary Kids Box I” exercising body parts.

The monster in the picture is pointing to the head, than shoulders, knees ect., the children repeat looking at him, and then the monster omits some body parts and the children have to continue though. This chant can be an additional exercise of body parts, except songs. “Primary Kids Box I” prepared another, extra song to body parts, presenting example of an very ugly monster who has six dirty ears and other eccentric parts of body. Except body parts, the children are learning numerals and adjectives:

“ I’ve got pink hair and my eyes are red,

I’ve got a blue nous and a purple head,

I’ve got a green mouth and my teeth are blue,

Now, it’s time, who are you?”

Another example of a chant is a “can chant” from the “Primary Kids Box II”

This chant practices  the verb “can” plus infinitive with a contast to the negation of it “can’t” plus infinitive.

Songs, in general, are very good method of teaching English and the teachers sometimes use it predominantly to other methods also due to the fact that the children appreciate singing songs, and it is the least complex way to gain discipline. The teacher however must be careful because of, already mentioned, mechanically remembered phrases without complete understanding. Thus the matter of choosing a method of checking understanding and using vocabulary in the right context. Diversity of songs, reflecting the same topic and vocabulary in several contexts, can partly solve this problem, but the best method of all, is the diversity of methods used with the preschoolers.

1.3.   Story based teaching

The children like stories, first of all, because listening to them is a shared social activity. Everybody from a group participates to this listening activity. Stories are fun , exercise imagination, develop listening and concentration skills. Children enjoy listening to the same story many times. They provide authentic rhythm and intonation, train the ear, help the children learn to predict, anticipate, judge. Before using a story, the teacher should:

1.Provide the context of the story/ introduce the characters. For example by asking children who can be the main character, what will he/she do next? Who are the other persons?... ect

2.Provide visual support. For example mascots, puppets, cards, pictures, photographs.

3. Explain the context, main idea, key words

4. Decide how long the story will be used

5. Decide which other activities can follow the story and be based on it.

6. Identify the linguistic objectives, it means, which vocabulary and sentences the students have to learn

There is an example of a story from the “Super world I”, which has a visual support in a form of pictures:

Here, the children can recognize the firs figure, the dragon as it is the main character of the book and of the story. The teacher points to the figures in the picture and asks the children, what they can see, if they recognize the insects. Than the teacher, names the insects and exercises the names of them with the children. In the next stage, the teacher asks the children what the story can be about, what will happen, what is the main idea. The children guess, predict, anticipate. Yet after this kind of preparation, the children are supposed to listen to the story. Usually, the teacher uses all 20 minutes lesson to the introduction to the story. After the first listening, the action can be repeated many times, but as the children are familiar with the characters and main idea, the teacher usually uses 5 to 7 minutes to the story.

In the next story, there is another hero, namely, a frog. And again, the same action of anticipation of the story, introduction of characters is provided.

              

In every story the children can be provided with a message. In the first story, there is a problem of making friends, and how important it is for anybody to have them, and how happy becomes the main character (the dragon), to have made friends with a ladybird, butterflies and a beetle and no matter what they do, it is important that they do it together.

In the second story, the main character, the frog, is not satisfied with his appearance. He changes colors twice. First after he had met a butterfly, he wants to look like it. So he goes to the witch, at the end of the rainbow, who changes his colors, but he is still not satisfied. After meeting with the parrot, he wants to look like it, and again, he repeats the same action. Looking like a parrot, he is not satisfied and starts to miss his own green color which he has detested at the beginning. Finally when he has changed the color again, he is very happy, because he is HIMSELF again. So the message of the story is clear, every desire to be someone else and not oneself is here denied and one worthy thing is to be one self. The story is also addressing the fashionable attitude to change the appearance which the children also receive.

The children love stories like this, which include and expose such a message, they can identify their attitudes with the characters, contemplate some values, ask questions. The teacher can invent many activities on the base of these stories, including dramas. Children who act are supposed to repeat expected phrases and owing to this, to reinforce vocabulary and whole expressions. Older children can also draw their favorite hero and tell why they have chosen just this character. All the activities, including story aim to show the topic in different contexts and make the children skilled with the learned expressions.

Here another example of a story about “ a scary skeleton” (1) from the same book, which is fun, contains repeatable expressions and “scary” sounds which the children laugh at, in fact. The message of this story seems to show how funny can be something connected with fear, like ghosts. The children like this story very much and even ask the teacher to repeat it often.

And, another example of a story which deals with the topic of ghosts (2), from the “New Bingo II), as well with a background sound. This story has a character of a chant because every sentence starts with the same phrase ;” In a dark, dark town, there is a dark, dark road, and in the dark, dark, road, there is a dark, dark house….The story has a rhythm, like a chant, a visual support in a form of a picture with numbered objects presented in the story.  This story is also liked by the children, because of the rhythm, music, even scream. Linguistic objectives here are the grammatical constructions of sentences expressing spatial relations. (1)                   (2)

Stories are not only helpful in learning the new language, but also provide a wide context, cultural aspects, and approach to solve problems. They help develop creativity and imagination, they exercise ear and are shared social experience. Stories can inspire the teacher to build different tasks on base of a beloved story and provide students with a wide range of skills.

1.4.  Total Physical Response TPR in teaching small children

Preschoolers react and learn holistically so the teacher aware of this fact should engage as many senses as possible in the teaching approach.TPR is an English method of teaching approaches, developed by Dr James J Asher  and it attempts to center learners to listen and respond to spoken commands of the teacher. TPR engages children physically and exercise their attention and perceptive skills, as it is built around coordination between speech and action. This methods aim is to teach a language through physical activity. Dr Asher builds his theory upon the way children learn their mother tongue. First, they develop listening  and comprehension skills through listening to their parents, responding to their commands without the ability of speaking, which, coming later is based upon the earlier listening comprehension. Small children response physically, they show that they hear the command and than react to it.

Using TPR has many advantages:

1.      It can be fun, create mood, children enjoy it very much

2.      It helps children remember phrases

3.      Is a good exercise, develops kinesthetic intelligence

4.      It involves as well right and left – brained learning

5.      It is a funny way of changing pace and dynamics of a lesson

6.      Good language learners achieve fluency faster

However it seems to have many positive sides, TPR can also have some disadvantages like:

1.      Some students, who are not used to, might feel embarrassed

2.      It is only useful at lower levels

Applying TPR to the class the teacher is required to provide a model. This model does not demand the students to speak in a foreign language.TPR can be applied for only short periods during a lesson, because children get tired of doing it.

The linguistic objective of using TPR is to learn imperatives, and using of movement as a memory enhancer. The teacher is not supposed to speak mother tongue in this method, because there the stress is put on comprehension. In TPR the teacher is obliged to:

1.      Give instruction to the pupils

2.      Use clear pronunciation

3.      Do the actions to help the children understand

4.      Do not expect oral participation

The pupils should:

1.      Listen to instructions

2.      Do the actions

3.      Understand and not speak

Typical TPR activities are:

1.      Follow the leader

2.      An action routine ( clap your hands, stamp your feet ect.)

3.      A pointing rhyme (point to the ceiling, point to the floor, point to the window…)

4.      Physical break chant (you are the tree,  you are a very bouncy ball, you are a lady in the rain, you are the bird, you are the lion…)

5.      Right or wrong (the teacher says sentences which can be true or not. The children should react and decide)

6.      Simon says (The children should follow commands which are preceded by “Simon says”. The children should listen carefully and not follow the action without this introduction)

Here are sample materials used in TPR:

Sample Materials 1:

Context : Teaching Vocabulary 1

New words : blue, yellow, green, orange, brown, grey, purple, black,

white, card, to pick up

Preparation : A number of small coloured cards, one of more cards on

every pupil's desk, a set of cards on a central desk

Procedures :

1. The teacher picks up cards one by one and says what colour they are.

A blue card.

An orange card.

A yellow card.

A red card.

A brown card.

A grey card.

A purple card.

A black card.

A white card.

A green card.

Red.

Blue.

Purple.

2 The teacher gives commands to the class.

Who's got a red card? Show it to me.

2 The teacher gives commands to the class.

Who's got a red card? Show it to me.

Who's got a blue card? Show it to me.

Who's got a yellow card? Show it to me.

3 The teacher invites individual pupils to come out to the central desk.

Devi, pick up a purple card and show it to the class.

Show the class a black card.

Show the class a green card.

Show the class a grey card.

                                   

A very good idea would be applying TPR into storytelling as it is recommended by experienced teachers. So, before listening to the story, the children should be prepared with the new vocabulary, which can be reinforced and internalized by TPR. The teacher can prepare flashcards, pictures with the vocabulary which will be presented in the story. There are web sides with a helpful material, which promote TPR and give good advice. For instance this: http://www.tpr-world.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=4000-01

The first set contains vocabulary connected with home, the second with kitchen. There are many topic sets like this which can be useful in general but can also be used like an idea to copy for lesson with a particular target.

TPR is a method which already has many supporters, who succeeded by applying it to the kindergarten, school and which occurred to be suitable also for groups of older children and adults when adapted to. This method has a future, because it is adapted to education with many variants and tools. The teachers realize that the method facilitates the teaching process, makes it accessible and enjoyable for students. It also helps internalize a language and achieve fluency.

1.5.  Puppets in the classroom

In the kindergarten puppets have a special place and are helpful in teaching English. They help create atmosphere where the children can “switch on” to English automatically as they know the puppet doe s not speak another language. The children understand quickly that if they want to communicate with the puppet, they have to do it in English. A puppet has a “special heart” for children. It loves children and can express its mood, show emptions, so the children know what it means to be happy:

To be sad:

Or to be ok:

Puppets create the natural atmosphere of repetition of a language, deliver visual support, develop imagination. Children feel more confident when they talk to the puppet, they can create picture stories/ photo books with the puppet, choosing topics, like “ the puppets birthday, the first day in the kindergarten, shopping” ect. The children can create storyline about the puppet, ordering photographs, concerning a particular topic which helps reinforce vocabulary. The children can glue the photos and create their own story about it and repeat it many times. In sensitive hands the puppet has a character, the teacher gives it heart, makes it live and be the childrens best English friend.

2.Teachers personality – crucial factor in succeeding with small children

As showed in the analysis above, teaching preschoolers requires much creativity from the teacher and his/her readiness to play. The children are very sensitive to the teachers person and admire her/him, thinking that the teachers knows everything. So the teacher should try to be good model for children, concerned with the scale of values, share the concentration on all pupils. The children in kindergarten associate the teacher with the subject he/she teaches  and when the teacher uses a puppet and appears always with it, the children associate the puppet with the teacher and all together with English. Puppet accounts for a very good idea in familiarizing a foreign language, and children love the puppet as it has “the heart” of the teacher they like. An example of this could be the event when a teacher once forgot about taking the puppet back and left it in the kindergarten. The next day, it appeared to be all the time with the children and the children said, they were happy because the puppet was still with them. Of course, a person who wants to teach in the kindergarten must like the children in general, because only then, the children may feel comfortable with the teacher and be receptive to his/her ideas. The teacher should also be aware of children’s characteristics and processes in their development. He/she is obliged to study the best approaches which can be applied to the teaching process according to children’s abilities. Small children are egocentric and very sensitive to any kind of missed attention, or unfairness. The teacher should be a good observer and notice children’s talents and praise them. The children are not aware of their abilities and talents and are sometimes astonished how these can be discovered by the teacher. The observation should be said and underlined, even to the group teacher. When the child’s talent is discovered, openly praised and underlined, the child gains much of his/her self confidence . everybody has a talent according to the theory about multiply intelligences, so one child can be good at counting, second at singing, third can have a brilliant memory. The teachers roll is to notice it and name.

The kindergarten English teacher should be creative and receptive to new ideas. Diversity of methods and materials is essential to gain the children’s attention and make them open to the language. So the teacher should be a constant inventor, enthusiastic and full of energy, warm and fair. Every teacher can feel if she/he is popular by the children, but the survey can show concrete attitudes which are acceptable and which are not. Here is the example of survey, conducted among parents of kindergarten children where English is taught every day for 20 minutes.

The survey has been prepared with an aim to recognize the expectations and apply changes if necessary. It is also targeted at the assessment of the effects of teaching and to pick up the factors  which influence the effects positively. The survey is anonymous and helps achieve better teacher parent cooperation.

1.      The persons age and sex

2.      Does your child like English lessons in the kindergarten?

Yes                             no                               sometimes

3.      Why does she/he like/ not like?

a/ the child likes/ does not like the teacher

b/ the child is linguistically gifted/ is not linguistically gifted

c/ the child likes learning/ does not like learning

d/ the teache uses interesting material/ does not use any interesting materials

e/other reasons

4.      The teacher uses many drawings/ pictures/ flashcards

Yes                                         no                               sometimes

5.      The teacher sings often and with pleasure

Yes                                         no                               sometimes

6.      Does your child tell with pleasure what she/he has learned on a particular day?

Yes                                         no                               sometimes

7.      Does your child remember much from the lesson in your opinion?

Yes                                         no                               sometimes

8.      Do you feel involved in the teaching process?

Yes                                         no                               sometimes

9.      Does your child like listening to the stories from the recording

Yes                                         no                               sometimes

10.  Does your child complain, that she/he does not understand the teachers commands?

Yes                                         no                               sometimes

11.  Does your child feel appreciated and noticed by the teacher?

Yes                                         no                               sometimes

12.  Does your child say that the teacher favors other children?           

Yes                                         no                               sometimes

13.  Does the teacher praise right answers and good behavior ?

Yes                                         no                               sometimes

14.  If you underlined yes/sometimes, name which rewards does your child mean?

The survey has been conducted among 50 parents of children in kindergarten where English is taught every day. Only 25 parents participated in this survey, from which 5 were solved wrongly. Here is the result

20 persons, parents it is 100%	Does your child like English lessons in the kindergarten
	yes		no		sometimes		together
	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Male parents 9/45%	9	45%	-	-	-	-	9	45%
Female  parents 11/55%	11	55%	--	-	-	-	11	55%
together	20	100%		-	-	-	20	100%

This table shows that 100% of examined admitted that their children like English lessons

20 persons, parents it is 100%	1.      The teacher uses many drawings/ pictures/ flashcards
	yes		no		sometimes		together
	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Male parents 9/45%	6	30%	-	-	3	15 %	9	45%
Female  parents 11/55%	9	45%	--	-	2	10 %	11	55%
together	15	75%		-	5	25%	20	100%

The second chart shows that 75 % surveyed parents admitted that the teacher uses flashcards and drawings during lessons. Only 25 % admitted that the teacher uses the material only sometimes.

20 persons, parents it is 100%	1.      Does your child remember much from the lesson in your opinion
	yes		no		sometimes		together
	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Male parents 9/45%	4	20%	-	-	5	25 %	9	45%
Female  parents 11/55%	7	35%	--	-	4	20 %	11	55%
together	11	55%		-	9	45%	20	100%

In the third chart opinions seem to be shared, because on the question if the child remembers much after English lessons, 55% answered –yes, 45 % answered – sometimes, however nobody answered –no.

20 persons, parents it is 100%	1.      Do you feel involved in the teaching process
	yes		no		sometimes		together
	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Male parents 9/45%	3	15%	1	5%	5	25 %	9	45%
Female  parents 11/55%	1	5%	4	20%	6	30 %	11	55%
together	4	20%	5	-25%	9	55%	20	100%

The fourth chart shows that 55% surveyed parents only sometimes feel involved in the teaching process, 25 % does not feel involved in the teaching process at all, only 20% of surveyed admit to be satisfied with the teacher parents cooperation.

20 persons, parents it is 100%	Does your child like listening to the stories from the recording
	yes		no		sometimes		together
	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Male parents 9/45%	3	15%	-	-	6	30 %	9	45%
Female  parents 11/55%	7	35%	-	-	4	20 %	11	55%
together	10	50%	-	-	10	50%	20	100%

The fifth survey shows that opinions are shared when asking about listening comprehension. 50%  surveyed admitted that children like listening to stories whereas as well 50% admitted that they do only sometimes, however nobody answered no.

20 persons, parents it is 100%	Does your child complain, that she/he does not understand the teachers commands
	yes		no		sometimes		together
	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Male parents 9/45%	1	5%	7	35%	1	5 %	9	45%
Female  parents 11/55%	-		8	40%	3	15 %	11	55%
together	1	5%	15	75%	4	20%	20	100%

The sixth chart shows that 75% of surveyed parents admitted that their children understand what the teacher wanted to convey in English. So, comprehension and communication seems not to be a problem.

20 persons, parents it is 100%	Does your child feel appreciated and noticed by the teacher
	yes		no		sometimes		together
	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Male parents 9/45%	8	40%	1	5%	-	-	9	45%
Female  parents 11/55%	11	55%	-	-	-	-	11	55%
together	19	95%	1	5%	4	20%	20	100%

The seventh chart shows that there is a very good cooperation and relation teacher – children, because 95 % children feel appreciated and notices.

20 persons, parents it is 100%	Does the teacher praise right answers and good behavior
	yes		no		sometimes		together
	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Male parents 9/45%	8	40%	-	-	1	5%	9	45%
Female  parents 11/55%	10	50%	-	-	1	5%	11	55%
together	19	99%	1	5%	2	10%	20	100%

The eighth chart shows that the teacher praises children according to that what they deserved as 90% of surveyed stated this fact.

Final conclusion from the survey, which could be a good tool to assess the teacher, is that the teacher fulfills the task positively with stress put on her kind personality and sensitivity to children’s needs . She seems to be sympathetic and full of empathy. One fact that does not match to the picture of an ideal teacher seems to be not sufficient teacher – parents cooperation. An  interview with the teacher , because showed that this is really something what needs improvement, because the only kind of cooperation is  monthly lesson planning stick to the wall, which not everybody reads, and an performance at the end of the year where children present samples of several lessons, among others, English. Parents are not aware of children’s abilities in that age and often are astonished why the 3 years old child does not speak fluently having English unit every day. Omitting this fact, parent accept the teacher as she is loved by the children, but they would appreciate more attention directed on them. English learning is believed to be a very important factor in children’s education even from a very early stage, and parents are lively interested in successful, effective teaching. That is why the problem of teacher parents cooperation needs discussing.

To sum up, a teacher of the kindergarten children should

1.      First of all love kids and understand their developmental process

2.      Be extremely patient and understanding

3.       have a disposition that commands respect but not be too rigid

4.       help the children in their emotional development

5.      Have good communication skills, communicate clearly with the children

6.      Have organization skills, elicit creativity

To be a teacher in the kindergarten means a huge responsibility, as children’ attitude and opinions my be shaped in that age.

As to educational skills, some kindergartens do not require bachelor or master degree in English philology, but there are more and more kindergartens which require high qualified staff. In my opinion, however the level of English is quite basic with small children, teachers knowledge is demanding. Good pronunciation, fluency, right grammar patterns which has been internalized are very important due to the fact that teaching of small children is based on listening and speaking skills and as firs experience with the English language its rang is of crucial importance. It is very well when the teacher has some experience with native English, visits countries where English is spoken as a mother language, communicates with the English, listens to the language in its native pronunciation, watches TV in English, reads newspapers ect.

Of course, personality factors are very important, but proficiency in English should not be omitted.

3.Teacher – parents cooperation in kindergarten

The aspect of teacher – Parents cooperation in the kindergarten is very important as the kindergarten is the first place where children remain the greates part of the day without parents. So parent have a slight insight in how children are doing in that place and what they learn. Nowadays it is obvious, that kindergartens offer a service in form of English lessons, especially those private ones. It is a big difference between a service with English lessons twice a week for 30 minutes and every day service for 20 minutes. The more frequent contact with the language the better the effects. Parents expect sometimes unreal effects and want to treat their children like adults, thus the roll of an English teacher to explain the mechanism of teaching small children during periodical meetings. Sometimes parents insist on every day lesson planning and require that the child knows already all material from the day by heart. They also want to exercise language at home and support the learning process. From experiences stored from 5 kindergartens some conclusions might be taken, namely, once the parents are eager to teach the child intensively at home as they believe, lessons twice a week are not sufficient,  twice, they have doubts if the teacher is competent. This conclusions are usually taken by observing the children by parents. However it is not necessary to present daily lesson planning in the kindergartens where English is taught every day, so in these kindergartens where English lessons appear only twice a week it might have justification. Usually parents in the kindergartens with more frequent English lessons do not require detailed reports from the teaching process, as they can see the results by their children. They also observe and listen to their children when they refer to English lessons. Of course, the person of the teacher is very important and when the children express their liking for him/her, parents with some time become more confident and omit even monthly lesson planning, which is exposed for their insight. Some parents don’t want to be bothered with too much information going deep into details, especially written in a specific, professional jargon comprehensive for psychologists or educators, but they do not mind some interesting news about their own children and children in general Thus a need of constant contact with parents and a need to convey once a term the evaluation sheet concerning their children. Once a year, the best at the beginning of the school year the English teacher should appear at the parental meeting and present for parents his/her plan for the year, discuss the main problems, share his/her experiences with the children. The teacher should as well consider some suggestions from parents, because there are in all groups some parents who want to be involved in teaching process and influence it, so their needs should be fulfilled. So the teacher is supposed to be receptive to parents ideas but also explain parents that their expectation must be specified according to abilities of their children. This is teacher who creates program and it is his/her responsibility to be efficient and encourage the children to learn language.

As already mentioned, parents have a full right to be informed about children’s achievements. In the kindergarten there are no marks, but the teacher assesses children through his/her observations during lessons. Conclusions can be presented in an accessible form , the best, descriptive, here is the example.

Activities in English	Points from 0  to 10
Listening to the dialog
Listening to the song
Listen to the story
Listen and point
Listen and show to the flashcard
Listen and draw
Listen and repeat
Listen and answer
Listen and color
Listen and mime the actions
Listen and sing along
Listen and order the pictures
Listen and match
Listen and play the bingo
total

The topics which have been discussed

Topics	Points from 0  to 10
Seasons of the year
The family
Numbers
Animals
Parts of the body
Food and drink
The house
Likes and dislikes
Clothes
Expressing feelings
Total

The teacher can also convey parents All skills, grammar and vocabulary once In a term in a convenient form of a tabel.

Communication skills Selfpresentation Politenes expression Description of a shape, colour, size of an object Comprehension Questions like: have you Got? How many…? Do you like? Can you? What do you eat for breakfast? What is your favourite drink/ sport? Expressing feelings/ moods, like: I am happy/sad Describing clothes, I am wearing…

Grammar structures and vocabulary colours Plural form of substantives Numerals Names of parts of the body, animals, clothes, toys, food Questions, like: What? Where? Who? How many? Have you got..? Is it...? Vocabulary connected with Christmas, Easter, Halloween

An now another tabel describing criteria, the teacher considered with assessing children

Listening – the ability to comprehend the teacher and coleagues, recordings, recognizing intentions, feelings of the speaking person	Distinguishing sounds by transforming information, recognizing true-false contrast.
Speaking: exchanging information, pronunciation, rhythm, intonation, accent	Compleeting of the sentences, recognition of the same sounds, describing people, places ( for instance: How is the weather?), answering questions

These are only some sample- examples of information about children and the teaching process which can be given to the parents. Whereas the tables with “the marks” should be given to every parent personally, the general knowledge about used techniques can be fastened to the board in the hall, where parents usually are presented with information. It is also a good idea to fasten to the board some other news about challenging children, about some newest discoveries in educational approaches. The teacher can communicate with parents in many other ways which seem to be convenient for both sides, and one suggestion can be surveys, conducted however not more often than twice a school year, the best, at the beginning of the year, to recognize expectations and some disinformation among parents, and the second in the middle of the year. Parents can talk with the teacher when they take they bring the child to the kindergarten, before lesson. Exchanging information about the child, teachers observations, brief assessment, praising the child, or differently informing about child’s bad behavior, can also be very useful and natural way to communicate, besides class reports and general meetings with parents. The teacher regulates the teacher- parents cooperation and it is depending on him if and how often he/she might contact parents and in which form. It is though advisable to involve parents in the teaching process to gain better understanding and cooperation and simply to make friends with parents. Activity in this area helps prevent problems before they happen and this is the most important reason to stay in contact with parents. Mutual understanding with parents helps teachers carry out problems successfully.

4.      Lesson planning - examples of lessons – scripts

Lesson planning helps the teacher to be more confident, provides smooth, efficient teaching, to prepare for the lesson, to be well organized, it helps also to identify the linguistic objectives.

In this chapter I am going to present 2 lesson scripts, one in a group of 3 years old beginners and second in a group of 4 and 5 years old children, who already had English lessons for a year. All the children in this kindergarten have English lessons every day for 20 minutes.

Date;  7 september 2011

The amount of pupils – 25

Pupils age – 3 years

Level- starter

Topic: mushroom play

Didactic materials: book: “Jezyk angielski dla przedszkolaków” Hanna Górny, CD, flashcards, pictures presenting forest, mushrooms , basket. Realia: basket, mushroom toys.

The targets of the lesson:

General target : pupil can the words: forest, mushroom, wood, can sing the song “Mushroom, mush

Specific targets

-          Pupil can associate picture with the object presented in it (mushroom, wood, basket)

-          Pupil can react on the word by pointing at the flash card

-          Pupil can sing the song and understand general meaning of it

Stages of the lesson	activities	time	interactions
Warm up	Greeting, saying hello and singing the song  “ Hello, hello” from Super Simple Songs CD. The teacher uses puppet	2 min	T-Ps
presentation	1.The teacher shows a picture presenting forest, mushrooms, and the children with a basket picking mushrooms. She points to basket and says the word “basket” and translates into polish, than she repeats the same activity with other objects in the picture. 2. The teacher ask in Polish, what the children can see in the picture and translates once again the word, basket, mushroom, wood. She asks the children if they like going to the forest and picking mushrooms. Then she asks if the children know, that only some kinds of mushrooms are eadible and that one must be careful picking them and has the knowledge about mushrooms 3. The teacher asks “ Mushroom , mushroom, where are you?...”and looks around and wants to find a mushroom, she stands with a basket and translates the sentence into Polish. Than she says “ I would like to find you soon” and she picks up a mushroom toy from the floor, she translates the sentence into Polish	3 Min 3 min 4 min	T T – Ps T
practice	1.The teacher shows the picture and points to objects :wood, mushroom, basket. The children repeat what they see 2. The teacher switches on the CD with the song” Mushroom, mushroom”, twice, firt time in normal speed, the second time in slow speed. The children can hear the before presented sentences now in song. They try to sing with the teacher. The teacher puts the song once again in the normal tempo.	1. min 4.min	T-Ps T- Ps
production	1.The teacher points to the objects in the pictures and children say what they see. Than the teacher puts the CD in the slow speed but she does not sing but mime the lyrics. The children try to sing. . 2.The teacher says :good bye, she uses the puppet and the children say: good bye as well	2,5min 0,5min	T-Ps T-Ps

The second lesson script illustrates a sample in which the children, aged 4 and 5 learn the word “can”, it’s meaning and usage. These children are already familiar with some English expressions, but presented lesson takes place at the beginning of the school year, so it is not so advanced as the following lessons when the children know much more and the level of skills is higher.

The date: 27.09.2011

Age of pupils: 4,5 years

Level: after one year schooling

Topic: I can dance…

Materials: two books: „Jezyk angielski dla przedszkolaków” Hanna Górny, „Primary Kids Box 2”Caroline Nixon, Michael Tomlinson, Picture, CD recordings

Lessons targets:

General target: pupils know the word “can”

Specific targets:

-          Pupil understand the meaning of the word “Can”

-          Pupil understands the word “can” in different contexts

-          Pupil knows how to use the word “can” correctly

-          Pupil can answer the question with the word “can” affirmatively and negatively

Stages of the lesson	Activities	Time	Interactions
Warm up	Greeting, saying hello and singing the song  “ Hello, hello” from Super Simple Songs CD. The teacher uses puppet	2 min	T-Ps
Presentation	1.The teacher reads the text of a song “Ican dance…”and mimes activities expressed in the text. The childrens guess the meaning 2. The teacher explains the meaning of the word “can ”in Polish  and it’s usage. 3. The teacher asks children what they “can” and what they “can’t” do in Polish. The children answer. The teacher translates some of questions and answers into English	3 min. 2 min 1,5 min	T-Ps T T-Ps
Practice	1.The children listen to the song “ I can dance” once and for the second time, they try to sing in slower speed. Then the children try to sing once again in a normal tempo. 2. The teacher presents the “can chant” from the “Primary Kids box2”showing pictures with activities. The children listen to the chant twice and for the third time they try to say it	3 min 3 min	T-Ps T-Ps
Production	1.The teacher asks “can you dance?, can you sing?...” and the children try to answer. The teacher praises right answers and participation with the stickers. She underlines that the topic is very difficult and everyone who participates, gains one sticker. For brilliant answers there is foreseen a special, big sticker. 2. The teacher and the children sing “Good bye song” from the “Super Simple Songs”	3 min 1,5	T-Ps T-Ps

In the second sample, the level and the expectations concerning the children are quite high. In fact, the “Can Chant” from “ Primary Kids Box 2” is very difficult when spoken fast. The children can learn how to use the word “can” in affirmation, negation and question in this chant. Of course, the teacher does not expect the children to sing the song and say the chant quickly and without mistakes and to know the words by hart. This lesson needs repetition. The new material needs reinforcing for a long time, during following lessons, as a filler or just repetition. The most difficult skill will be understanding questions like “ Can you dance?” and answering them correctly. Suggested activity is here individual work with every pupil by asking questions everybody and correcting the answers. The same material may appear all the time during the school year with addition of other new material. Accepting joung learners shortlasting memory, the teacher should blend new, exciting material with repetition and reinforcing of the old one. Of course never forgetting about praising children.

Lesson planning and short term planning help create a sample of the wide knowledge and the general target the teacher wants the children to achieve. The long term planning is necessary to see the targets from longer perspective, to build lessons according to time available for new material and repetition. The material should be various but not overwhelming children with too much knowledge, which would be impossible to reinforce. The child should be satisfied with his/her achievements and build self esteem and simply like the English language, so the targets might be possible to achieve by the children.

5.      Discipline

Discipline accounts for a very important factor in creating a proper atmosphere for a smooth teaching and learning. Small children are impatient and distracted, lively and disconcentrated, that is why it is so crucial to use professional methods to achieve discipline in a classroom with 20 or more children.

In general, expecting very small children to sit quite for 20 minutes would be unreal thus the lesson planning, including variety of activities, changing movement and concentration.

There is a huge difference between 3 years old children who have not learned how to work together and 4/5 years old who find it very funny to be disrupting, however this difference not necessary must occur in every group. The smaller the group, the less effort it demands to keep discipline. Children aged 4/5, who already know some words in English, like lessons and got used to regular meetings and their routine, who obtain satisfaction of their achievements are able and willing to adapt to discipline. The more interested the children the less problems with discipline is also a true statement, however very small children have to be regularly taught proper behavior. The teacher should know how to keep discipline without making children cry, thus punishments do not have to be too strong. It is suggested that the lack of award is already sufficient punishment. The teacher who praises children’s answers and behavior regularly at the end of every lesson, has an occasion to sum up general behavior, to underline what which behavior is expected and as such praised. To create discipline is not a miracle, casting a spell over the group, rather otherwise, it is regular, hard work and consequence .

Very disruptive children can be punished by sitting on a special separated chair, called “thinking place”. It isolates them from the rest of the group and away from indicators of misbehavior. It does not eliminates the possibility of being praised at the end of the lesson when behavior and participation improves while sitting in the thinking place.

When the group is too laud, uninterested and the teacher can not smoothly teach, he/she should stop the activity he/she is doing, for instance showing flashcards or teaching a song, and wait looking annoyed, until the group is quite. He/she should eliminate the most disruptive pupils when necessary and sat them on the chairs- “ places of thinking”.

All the procedures are more difficult at the beginning of a school year, with a new group, when the teacher does not know pupils by their names. Calling out someone’s name wakes attention and helps to recall the right behavior. If necessary, the teacher can ask the other teacher about the names of troublemakers and remember them  for the next class.

It is also efficient to speak to a troublemaker personally and aside, for instance by placing the child at the front of the class and calm but disapproving talk to him/her with the right expression.

Another problem may be a lack of space. Sometimes, especially in private kindergartens, the rooms are adapted from a flat or house conversion and that is why they are too small for the group of 20 or more children. In such conditions the teacher should chose stand still songs and activities rather than those needing more space. There is also important to organize the space however the large or tight it is. The teacher should have some space in front of the class, where he could demonstrate movements, flashcards, pictures, switch on and of the CD player. Children should not have free access to the teachers materials, like books, flashcards, CDs, scripts of the lessons. Also the children should know where is the best place to sit or stand, to see the picture and gestures  the best. The teacher should also place children so that they do not have the opportunity to make troubles, so the best friends can sit next to each other on condition that this does not disturb their attention, the same way, children who do not like each other, who fight with each other should not be placed next to each other. When the teacher plans activity including dancing, movement, he/she should place the children in a small separation to enlarge the space between them and eliminate the turbulence.

The children are usually noisy and like to be laud, so this problem can be solved by alternating  laud activities  with quite, sit down ones, high energy and low energy variations. So the song  “ laud and quite” from “Super Simple songs” is a very good example of such an activity. The children have to be careful and one time they can scream and another time whisper.

Usually parents prefer small classes, and they are right in the assumption, that in this case the teacher has some better opportunity to keep discipline and to approach everybody individually. In some kindergartens there are big groups and no possibility to divide them. In such cases the teacher can organize work with children differently to achieve linguistic objectives by dividing them into teams for some kinds of games and organize quizzes between teams or pairs, or groups of three.

Individual contact with every child is required to achieve linguistic targets, know the children better and work out approach in aim to keep order and discipline.

The teacher who has respect, has also discipline, to gain respect means to respect the children, like them and demand from them according to their needs and abilities.

6.      Conclusion

To sum up, English lessons in  kindergarten have a specific character. They are not to compare with the lessons in a school. In the kindergarten, the children exercise two language skills: listening and speaking, however speaking skill comes later. Due to predominance of listening with very small children, the teacher is a kind of performer, who has to keep children’s attention like in a theatre and than to encourage them to participate in the performance. Sometimes the children self call English lessons “cinema” and expect something exciting, funny and interesting. They are not aware that they are learning, even if praised for good skills and behavior. The teachers roll is to use children’s natural excitement and curiosity of the world and stimulate their mental development. His/her roll is also to make the children like English lessons, this is the most important factor in efficient teaching. When the children like English lessons, they wait for the teacher impatiently, get used to daily routine which includes English lessons, learn good behavior and achieve linguistic objectives.

Usually the children are taught some basic knowledge about the world and people in the kindergarten and have daily plan which includes some exercises, craft, painting, music, dance and other class which enables them to express their observations, feelings, which teach them how to recognize and  name changes in the weather, seasons of the year ect. English lessons which last 20 min every day or 30 min twice a week, should be less monotonous than any other activities, just as exciting as “cinema”, with changing  colored pictures, pretty music and some fun. As the children like competition and some challenge, the teacher  should enable them to participate in activities that use this feature, like guessing games, questionaries , counting games, songs and praise everybody’s individual skills and talents.

In the school, the children know, that they are obliged to sit quite and their bunches, to listen and not to speak unnecessarily (but often do), they learn to write and read in their mother language and in English parallel and often are concentrated at these skills. They do not any longer appreciate games, plays and songs at the same degree as they did as very small children. Their challenge  changed with a time. They are no any longer observer of the world, not so easily excited about what they discover. The teacher should demand more in the school, gives marks, assesses progress, but he does not have to change topics quickly. He/she usually has one schoolbook at his/her disposal which has to be exercised to master. The teacher does not have to change materials so often, he/she has another means to keep children’s attention. The target here is to prepare the pupils for the general test and provide them with required skills. The target in the kindergarten is make children like English and the lessons to be interesting and fun. The loose atmosphere from the kindergarten has to be changed in a school and older children appreciate the more mature approach, so in the kindergarten there is a time for teaching good pronunciation, listening and speaking which then can be completed by writing and reading in a school. Small children’s creativity should be used at this particular short time of kindergarten as it is the only time where everybody is open for new experiences and has so much of imitative skills. Because of this ability small children can become bilingual as exposed to two languages. The teacher, being aware of this can formulate the strategy and long term planned teaching in the kindergarten to make the children achieve a language knowledge based on these two skills and open their minds to further learning. Taking everything into account , wide knowledge about small children and their abilities is required while teaching English in kindergarten. This accounts for starting point to build an efficient strategy, using children’s potential in effective teaching. So an English teacher in a kindergarten is expected to have a particular knowledge and skills at his/her disposal, and lessons should be exciting and various. So the class in the kindergarten require more creativity than in the school.