Primary Teaching and Learning Materials

The EIA Primary Teaching and Learning

Programme (PTLP) aims at engaging students and
teachers in the language skills development process
through the use of innovative classroom resources.
All these primary materials form an integrated
package with each material fully linked to the other,
including an interactive audio instruction package to enhance the English language
proficiency of both students and teachers and to change the classroom practices at the
primary level.

The package of EIA primary materials includes:

 Primary Teachers’ Guide

 Activity Guides (class 1-5) [See sample English Bangla]
 Audio resources for teachers’ professional development [Play sample: Classroom
language]
 Audiovisual resources for teachers’ professional development [Play sample: Song using
action]
 Audio scripts (class 1-5)
 Series of Interactive audio lessons (class 1-5) [See sample]
 Sets of flashcards
 Sets of posters [See sample]
 Sets of Figurines
 Primary Teacher Facilitators’ Guide

The materials include attractive audio stories and other materials that are all linked to the
 existing curriculum and textbooks. The audio is delivered through media players (iPods),
which are played in the classroom with a set of speakers. The language is supported through
the use of visual aids, including a series of posters, flash cards and figurines. The Teachers’
Guide, audio scripts and videos for teachers’ professional development provide more general
pedagogical support to teachers, while the Activity Guide Provides specific guidance to
teachers’ on how and when to play the audio, use the posters and flash cards, and organize
other activities which aim to develop language skills in a progressive manner.

Primary Teachers’ Guide

The ‘Primary Teachers’ Guide’ is a general pedagogical guide for

teachers, supporting them to find new ways of teaching English, which
includes:

 Communicative language teaching techniques.

 Techniques to develop the 4 skills of language learning.
 Techniques to do interactive classroom activities.
 Use of audio-visual materials.
 Techniques of different form of handwriting.
 Use of media player (iPod Nano).
 Practice of Classroom language.
 The EIA approach of teaching-learning.

Activity Guide

The Activity Guide is a practical guide for teachers helping them to

conduct their classroom activities using specific lessons of the
textbook and EIA’s supplementary materials which are linked to
these lessons. The Activity Guide contains many practical activities
which help teachers organize their lessons effectively and teach the
topics of the textbook by using the EIA materials including the
 audio from the media players, the visual materials (posters, flashcards and figurines) and
different types of activities, including games. Each lesson starts with a good morning/hello
song and ends with the good bye song. In between a range of different activities are
facilitated by the teacher, which are all linked to each other.

[See sample English Bangla]

Audiovisual/Video materials

The audio and video resources for teacher’s professional development are uploaded on the media
players and provide model classroom activities, helping teachers to conduct such activities in
their own classroom.

[See Sample Video ] [Sample Audio]

Audio Scripts

Audio scripts are printed versions of audio files that are on the media
players. They function as a reference book for the teachers in using the
audio. They help teachers to understand the meaning of the audio and
assist with correct pronunciation.

Audio Materials

The Primary Audio materials are developed for Class 1 to 5. Each lesson of each class has a
series of audio files to be played in the classroom via media players and speakers. The audio
fragments are full of drama and lively stories. These include:

 Dialogues
 Songs
 Rhymes
 Games
  Other activities

Each lesson has a story based on the existing EFT textbook content, which helps students
achieve the learning objectives of the targeted lessons, and often additional language skills.
Songs and textbook rhymes with nice local music help students to learn in a more enjoyable and
interactive way, which supports understanding. The audio stimulates communication in various
ways. Students in the ‘real’ classroom interact with the audio and the two 'communicators'
Suman Bhaia and Shapla Apu provide a bridge between the students and the audio. In the audio
there is a pause signal option by which the teacher can help students to speak, write or conduct
other activities according to the instruction of the audio. The advantages of using audios in the
classroom are:

1. Bringing authentic English into the classroom

2. Bringing the ‘outside world’ into the classroom
3. Bringing more interactive ways of learning into the classroom

Each EFT textbook lesson has a series of audio files (2- 4 days) to be played in the classroom
and the average duration of each audio file is 6-10 minutes, including the interaction with the
audio by the students.

[See sample]

Print based visual materials (Posters, Flashcards, and Figurines)

Posters, flashcards and figurines are supplementary materials for audio and textbook based
teaching, used to promote communicative practices by serving as prompts to develop speaking
and analytical skills. If used in a integrated manner, they create an ideal context for reinforcing
learning, while catering for different learning styles and various abilities of learners.
 Posters are based on the audio stories and are often used to
introduce the story to the students before playing the audio. It also
helps to introduce and elicit the vocabulary of a specific lesson.
Moreover, it enhances students’ speaking skills as they discuss
about ‘what is going on’ on the poster. The posters are designed
for use in more than one lesson. The sets of posters also include
two different types of alphabet charts.

Flash Cards are used to ensure language practice through

games and fun that impart words, numbers, spelling and
pronunciation through pictures. The cards can be used in
different ways in different lessons, encouraging teachers to be
creative.

Figurines: Figurines are a visual display of the audio and other

characters to help students to visualize the audio story. Figurines
are also used in role play or dialogue practice in the classroom.
Primary Teacher Facilitator handbook

EIA primary Teacher Facilitators (TFs) are a group of qualified and

experienced primary English teachers responsible for providing peer
support to the teachers. They have a crucial role to play as ‘change-
agents’ in the transformation process of classroom teaching and
learning.

The Teacher Facilitator Handbook is provided as a guide for the TFs to

support their own capacity building in this process:

 The role of Teacher Facilitators

 The relationship with The Teachers
 Conducting classroom support visits
 Facilitating Cluster Meetings