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Ask for help > 2 new students
2 new students

peiolei
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2 new students
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Hi everyone, I �m having 2 new students (the boy is 6 and his sister 7) and I don �t know what and how to teach them, since I have never had students of that age, I usually teach older ones. The boy is learning to write (in Spanish), so I don �t know how to do it. But he also learns English at school, so I guess that it �s not an impossible task for me... Can you suggest me something to do with them? Despite she �s older than him, they are going to come at the same time, so I �m going to do the same things with both. I really need help... Thanks in advance, Paola
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13 Oct 2010
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htunde
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Hi Paola,
Mostly I teach older students too, but I have some little ones recently. I think the best thing is not to confuse them with writing at the begining. Songs, poems and pictionaries are the best and of course interrogatives to act out. Children of this age pick up languages rather easily and the way they do their mother tongue. So use easy English and no mother tongue with them. Hope it helps, good luck,
T�nde |
13 Oct 2010
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cli1
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Why don�t you start with some basic expressions: What�s your name? How old are you? etc. so they can build up little dialogues and do roleplays. Do numbers with them: you can play with dice, do dictations, bingos etc. Don�t forget the alphabet: You might want to teach them the alphabet song and then you could do spelling dictations, bingo etc. Also a good idea are instructions, the kind they find in the classroom: write, listen, open your books etc, you or they can mime them and the other guesses or you do an action dictation. At the same time you also teach things in the classroom: book, table, chair etc. This way, they learn vocabulary they can use right away, which gives them some sense of accomplishment. They�re also easy to connect: How many chairs are there in our classroom? What colour are they.... All of these activities don�t require too much writing so they�ll be good for the boy. At this age also flashcards work very well and there are many many things you can do with them (I once downloaded a tutorial on that from this page, but I don�t find it anymore, but if you want, I could send it to you). After you continue with basic vocabulary: parts of the body, food, drink, family, clothes. If you want to use books, I can recommend Happy House 1 or 2 by Oxford Press, which contain no or very little writing, or if you want to go a little faster Happy Street 1 also by Oxford Press. These books also contain many ideas for games and activities. If you want a more "grammatical" approach there�s the Friends series by Pearson Longman, but I don�t find it very appropriate for children under 8. I�ll also send you a pm.
Well, hope it helps and good luck, Jana |
13 Oct 2010
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olga1977
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Hi! As for me, my students are much younger than 6 and 7. We usually play with them. but when they become 6 or 7 they are starting to learn how to read and write. and we also do it with the help of fairy tales and different exercises. I think your sudents can study together as theiir difference isn �t big. and what is more, for some students, it �s so boring to study along. Good luck! |
13 Oct 2010
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peiolei
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Thanks a lot to the 3 of you! Very useful tips. I will see how they work from next Wednesday on... Hopefully they will learn at the same time as they have fun. Hugs, Paola
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13 Oct 2010
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