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I just got an offer to lead a workshop for children aged 4 to 7 and 7 to 10 for 2 weeks in the holidays 8x2 hours in which the children should learn English but with the emphasis on playing games and fun activities. The option they gave me was that if the kids like it, the school would like to continue English courses throughout the year on a regular basis which would be a great opportunity. Now I am wondering what I should do in this workshop. Should I just do like I would in normal starters lessons (like numbers, colours etc) or maybe have a special topic, project ... Im also a bit stuck with ideas on how to start the first lesson to get to know each other in a fun way. I barely slept the night trying to come up with original ideas, but somehow Im blocked. I would be more than thankful if you could help me out with some advice :)
Hugs
Sara
Great! if you begin the lesson with songs and have them move during the songs, they will love it from the very beginning! Children are delighted if they can jump or run at the lesson, or make faces, or hold something in their hands, or pass an object, or hide it somewhere etc. Praise them for good participating and they will be yours! Good luck!
one game that I adapted from a traditional children �s game is Package You must Wander.
I did it for German learners instead of English learners, but you could adapt the idea for ELLs. http://genevieve-cory.150m.com/music/paeckchen.html is the original post. I have altered it (translated parts) for English learners below.
Game--P�ckchen wandern
From Mary Ziller to the AATG list in 1996:
Liebe ListlerInnen: Dear Members of teh Listserv:
My favorite game for beginners is :Package package you must wander. It is sung to the tune of Taler, Taler du muss wandern which is a traditional German song. (The melody is here http://ingeb.org/Lieder/talertal.mid)
Package, Package You must wander From one person to the other. Oh how nice! Oh how nice! The package stops at Mary (the child �s name).
The teacher prepares a package by wrapping a piece of candy. Then adding another piece of candy and wrapping them together. Then adding another candy to that small package and wrapping them together. Keep adding a piece of candy to create a larger and larger package with as many layers as you have students. When the children pass the package, the one it stops at opens one layer and takes a candy. Then children sing the song as they pass the package. They continue to pass it until everyone has opened a layer and taken a piece of candy.
Variation: Instead of candy in each layer, hide a command such as "count to ten in English" or "jump three times" which the student acts out.
Another game I have used with great success is Hatschipatschi.
Hatchipatschi:
Children are seated in a circle on chairs.
One child leaves the room. The teacher takes the vacant chair, so that there are no empty chairs. A person is chosen to be
"it". Everyone calls in the person who was sent outside,
"1,2,3..Come in!"
The returning student asks everyone a question (the first time
around usually "What is your nameor �How old are you?�).
Each student responds with the correct answer, except the person
who is "it". He responds, "Hatschipatschi!"
Hatschipatschi is the signal for everybody to get up and move to
another chair. Like in musical chairs, one person will be left over, without a
seat, (since the person who was sent outside will also be scrambling for a
seat).
This game is a lot of fun. and can be used a reward after the
students are introduced to it. They oe it, but can tend to get very excited and
overdo it , if they are not adequately controlled. Works well outside.
Duck, duck, goose is a great filler activity that uses almost no words. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrwIAYQ7KE0 is a vidoe clip that demonstrates how to play. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9WJiNAiios&NR=1 if that videoclip dows not play.
http://www.holidaycook.com/party-games/duck-duck-goose.shtml has beautifully written directions. Here is my try to describe how to play the game.
The children are seated in a circle, cross-legged, on the ground facing the center so that they can see each other �s faces and their backs face the outside of the circle.
1. The teacher chooses One child to be "It."
2. The child who is "it" walks around the outside of the circle, tapping each player lightly on the head as he goes. He says "duck" to each child as he touches their head, as if naming the child a duck.
3. Then he chooses one player to be a goose. He says "goose"as he taps that child on the head.
4. That is the signal for the "goose" to get up and run after the child who is It". The child who is "It" tries to outrun the "goose"and reach the spot where the "goose"had been sitting.
If the child who is "It"reaches the vacant spot first, then the "goose" become "It"and takes a turn walking around the circle, tapping people on the head and calling out, "duck, duck,...goose! And the chase is on again.
If the "goose" manages to return to his vacated spot before the child who is "It," then the child who was "It must sit in the center of the circle until another person is caught.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaA8dwXPWg8 is a mini video clip that I made for you teaching because I could not find one with the melody of the song that I use for "good morning."
Here are the lyrics. Only do the first erse during the first class. Then in subsequent meetings, you can add one new verse per day (or when you perceive that the students are ready for it.
Good Morning--Active Song with gestures
Students stand in a semi circle, facing the teacher
Good morning, Good morning (waving to everyone) Good morning to you. Good morning, Good morning First me and then you! (teacher points to self and students)
Good morning, Good morning (waving to everyone)
I �m waving to you.
Good morning, Good morning First me and then you! (teacher points to self and students)
Good morning, Good morning (waving to everyone)
I �m waving to you.
Good morning, Good morning
And how do you do? (Teacher points to a student and asks student to say fine or ok or good or so so).
Good morning, Good morning (waving to everyone)
I`m smiling at you. (makes a big smile and gestures with hands.
Good morning, Good morning First me and then you! (teacher points to self and students)
Good morning, Good morning (waving to everyone)
I`m clapping for you.
Good morning, Good morning
First me and then you! (teacher points to self and students)
Good morning, Good morning (waving to everyone)
I`m jumping with you.
Good morning, Good morning
First me and then you! (teacher points to self and students)
Good morning, Good morning (waving to everyone)
I`m running with you.
Good morning, Good morning
First me and then you! (teacher points to self and students)
Good morning, Good morning (waving to everyone)
I`m stretching with you.
Good morning, Good morning First me and then you! (teacher points to self and students)
Good morning, Good morning (waving to everyone)
I`m guessing with you.
Good morning, Good morning
How old are you? (Teacher points to a student. Student tells her his age).
Let the children color pictures of farm animals and paste them onto stiff cardboard. Attach to sticks or rulers or something that will serve as a handle to a sign that the children can carry.
Then use these signs to act out old Mcdonald and The Farmer in the Dell songs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Farmer_in_the_Dell has the lyrics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ITUZb0bZVc&feature=fvsr The Farmer In The Dell. (warning: the introduction is loud at the beginning, but the actual song that follows is cute).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mibD5lR4Kco A video of children performing the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me12v4pSDRQ&feature=fvsr A teacher singing Old McDonald Had A Farm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_mol6B9z00 Old McDonald Had A Farm (has pictures of the farm animals).
The lyrics did not post well here. The formatting was lost and the words all ran together (instead of being in verses), but hopefully you can follow the links for the lyrics.
Let the children color pictures of farm animals and paste them onto stiff cardboard. Attach to sticks or rulers or something that will serve as a handle to a sign that the children can carry.
Then use these signs to act out old Mcdonald and The Farmer in the Dell songs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Farmer_in_the_Dell has the lyrics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ITUZb0bZVc&feature=fvsr The Farmer In The Dell. (warning: the introduction is loud at the beginning, but the actual song that follows is cute).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mibD5lR4Kco A video of children performing the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me12v4pSDRQ&feature=fvsr A teacher singing Old McDonald Had A Farm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_mol6B9z00 Old McDonald Had A Farm (has pictures of the farm animals).
The lyrics did not post well here. The formatting was lost and the words all ran together (instead of being in verses), but hopefully you can follow the links for the lyrics.
