Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
1
PÁGINA LEGAL
Editorial Universitaria
Calle 23 No. 565 e/ F y G, Vedado, La Habana, Cuba.
E-mail: eduniv@mes.edu.cu
Web: http://eduniv.mes.edu.cu
Teléfono: (+537) 837 4538
e ISBN (PDF) 978-959-16-2915-9
ISBN (IaP) 978-959-16-2916-6
Editorial Review Board:
2
Yasna Yilorm Barrientos
Licenciada y Profesora de inglés de la Universidad Austral de Chile. Máster en
Ciencias de la Educación, con mención en la enseñanza del inglés a hablantes de otras
lenguas, de la Universidad de Shenandoah, EEUU. Actualmente, candidata a Doctor en
Ciencias Pedagógicas en la Universidad de Matanzas, Cuba. Su línea de investigación está
relacionada con la propuesta de estrategias didácticas desarrolladoras para el proceso de
enseñanza aprendizaje del inglés como lengua extranjera en escuelas públicas chilenas con
estudiantes socialmente vulnerables. Es Académico de la Universidad Austral de Chile en
Valdivia. Imparte asignaturas relacionadas con la Didáctica de la Especialidad y, a su vez,
coordina y supervisa las prácticas pedagógicas de la carrera de Pedagogía en Comunicación
en Lengua Inglesa.
Ha ejercido desde 1995 como profesora de inglés en diversos contextos educacionales.
Desde el año 2004 hasta el 2007 se desempeñó como educadora cultural y profesora de
español como lengua extranjera en diversas escuelas primarias públicas del Condado de
Loudoun en Virginia, EEUU. En el año 2005 fué nominada al premio “Cultural Educator
Year Award” del Programa de Intercambio Cultural VIF (Visiting International Faculty
Program). En el año 2009 se hace cargo de la asignatura “Teaching English to Children”, y
desde entonces ha sido invitada a diversas universidades y a jornadas de capacitación para
profesores de inglés, organizadas por el Ministerio de Educación Chileno.
En el año 2006, como estudiante de la Maestría en Ciencias de la Educación, la autora inicia
una investigación acción participativa, basada en el uso de los juegos en el aula, con
estudiantes latinoamericanos en Los Estados Unidos. Los resultados indicaron que a través
de estrategias lúdicas, los niños pueden mejorar notoriamente el dominio de la lengua
inglesa. Además, se comprobó que el afecto y el sentido del humor constituyen
componentes esenciales para dicho logro.
Después de que la autora acumulara una amplia experiencia en Bélgica, Cuba, Chile y
Estados Unidos, pudo comparar, como estudiante, profesora e investigadora, los diferentes
sistemas educacionales y los procesos de enseñanza aprendizaje del inglés como lengua
extranjera. La principal conclusión que se extrae ha sido que para lograr desarrollar la
competencia comunicativa de los niños, así como también su personalidad, se requiere de
cambios metodológicos profundos y urgentes en el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje de la
lengua inglesa en el sistema escolar chileno.
Acerca de la obra
Let’s Go for English in 100 Fun Ways contiene 100 actividades interactivas y lúdicas
diseñadas e implementadas bajo diversas prácticas pedagógicas comunicativas conducentes
a la adquisición de la lengua inglesa y al desarrollo de la personalidad de los escolares. El
libro contiene 5 secciones diferentes: I. Estrategias de convivencia escolar, II. Juegos y
actividades internacionales, III. Memorias de la infancia, IV. Proyectos educativos, y
finalmente, V. Nuevas propuestas.
Esta obra presenta los resultados de un trabajo de observación, de diseño e implementación
en establecimientos educacionales de varios años, tanto en Chile como en el extranjero,
proceso en el cual se trabajó con un promedio de 950 estudiantes. En él se comprueba que
los juegos, las canciones, las rimas, la magia, el suspenso, la sorpresa, las mímicas, las
experiencias culturales, las consignas, y el empleo material didáctico multisensorial son
estrategias viables y efectivas en el contexto escolar chileno, el cual requiere urgente trans-
formaciones. En palabras de José Marti, “[...] es urgente poner en la educación más
sentimientos” (1886).
El objetivo principal de este libro es proveer a los profesores que estén interesados y
dispuestos a innovar, una serie de actividades lúdicas que permitan que todos los miembros
del proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje sean comunicadores activos, con valores y gran
sentido del humor. A su vez, se espera que estas propuestas también incentiven a los
profesores a desarrollar sus niveles de motivación, creando sus propias actividades y/o
adaptando las que aquí se proponen. Las actividades sugeridas pueden también ser
utilizadas por los profesoras de otras asignaturas, por lo cual existe la intención de traducir
la obra al español.
Cada actividad va acompañada de sugerencias para los profesores, comentarios y dibujos
emitidos por los niños, los cuales contribuyen no solo a conocer lo que los escolares pien-
san acerca de las innovaciones, sino que además, ayudan a comprender las actividades y
la forma en que se pueden implementar.
El libro fue revisado y editado por un comité editorial compuesto por profesores de inglés
chilenos, norteamericanos y cubanos de vasta trayectoria y el prólogo fue escrito por el
creator del enfoque metodológico por competencias comunicativas FOCAL SKILLS, Dr.
Ahsley Hastings.
Cabe mencionar que estas 100 actividades fueron aplicadas durante la investigación acción
participativa de mi tesis doctoral, la cual propone una estrategia didactica desarrolladora
para el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje de la lengua inglesa en escuelas públicas con
estudiantes socialmente vulnerable, y con mucha satisfacción puedo afirmar que los
resultados obtenidos son significativos.
Como toda obra humana, ésta ha sido creada con la colaboración de muchas personas a las
cuales hoy agradezco con infinito amor: al Ministerio de Educación Superior de la
República de Cuba por valorar mi trabajo y publicarlo a través de su Editorial Universitaria,
al comité editorial que contribuyó a perfeccionar este trabajo, a los establecimientos
escolares valdivianos que me abrieron las puertas de sus aulas, a todos los niños que partici-
paron con tanto estusiamo y alegría, a mis estudiantes de la carrera de Pedagogía
en Comunicación en Lengua Inglesa por su permanente colaboración, y muy especialmente
a mi amada familia por su eterna compañía y fuente de inspiración.
“Nuestros niños están motivados. Estas innovaciones metodológicas son
claves para lograr un mejor sistema educacional y un mejor país.”
3
Acknowledgements
4
I also would like to show my gratitude to all of my students from the
English program at Universidad Austral de Chile, who helped me apply
some of the suggested activities in their classrooms, especially to María-
Consuelo Valencia, María-Paz Díaz, Daniela Bennett, Catherine Vergara,
Katherine Zuber, Javier Zuñiga, Sebastián Avilés, Constanza Ramos, Juan
Ramón Illanes and Antonio Ojeda for their affect and immense support
with comment transcription, glossary and reference list. I also sincerely
thank my colleague Savanna Larsen and my student María-Consuelo
Valencia for their valuable assistance in this book editing.
Yasna.
5
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction
2. It is your choice 22
3. Let’s go home 24
5. My surprise box 30
6. English suitcase 33
7. Silent cheering 37
8. Today’s menu 39
9. Golden rules 41
12. Gathering 49
1. Yarn web 55
2. Hot potato 58
3. 7-UP 60
4. Magic finger 63
5. Fly swatting 66
6
6. Telephone 68
7. Bingo 71
8. Go for a seat 73
9. Let’s go fishing 75
16. Survival 91
7
31. Act it out 128
4. Payaya 164
5. Azucarcandia 167
7. TIC-TAC-TOE 173
8
14. Rock, paper, scissors 191
IV. Projects
2. Announcements 210
4. DEAR 216
V. New Proposals
9
6. Lights, camera and action! 251
5.2 Games
5. Tapping 265
Glossary 278
References 286
10
Foreword
11
In my opinion, this book has the potential to inspire excellent
English language teaching, not only in Chile, but indeed wherever English
is taught to children.
Ashley Hastings
December 7, 2014
12
Introduction
Hopefully, this book will provide you with 100 interactive and playful
activities under innovative communicative methods and approaches meant
to motivate students and gradually lead them to L2 (second language)
acquisition. They have also been designed to facilitate EFL educators’ job
and encourage them to strengthen their skills as natural teachers. After
observing, designing, applying, and adapting, all of the activities suggested
in this book were implemented in different educational settings from
Valdivia and Futrono: 13 public schools, 9 subsidized schools, 3 private
schools, 2 universities, 2 summer schools and 2 FOCAL SKILLS groups for
children and adults. In total, 950 students participated, at least, in one
1 All the underlined concepts are defined in the glossary at the end of the book.
13
activity and provided their feedback through comments and drawings. The
majority of the participants were students from elementary schools.
However, high school students, university students and adults’
perceptions were also included so as to let the readers know that these
activities can be perfectly adapted to all students’ ages, English levels and
contents, as long as we consider their needs and interests.
2 “Personalmente, creo que el uso de juegos para aprender inglés es muy útil. Atrae a los
estudiantes que no están interesados en las clases de inglés. Crea un ambiente más
lúdico, relajado y libre que no causa fatiga ni tampoco requiere de conocimiento previo.”
[Translation made by Yasna Yilorm].
14
these activities. “Classroom management activities helped us pay
attention. Therefore, our lesson was more organized and effective” (6th
grader, personal communication, 2013)3. Contrary to what we expect,
children understand, value and appreciate rules and limits. “I love lessons
when we all behave” (7th graders, personal communication, 2013)4.
Students enjoy being part of classroom decisions and once they are
familiar with rules, they respect them and even force others to do so as
well.
3 “Las actividades de manejo de curso nos ayudaron a prestar atención. Por lo tanto,
15
cooperation facilitate learning” (adult student, personal communication,
2012)5.
In section IV, you can find several projects to be applied inside and
outside the school. Students highly value events in which they can get in
contact with other children, teachers and members of different educational
communities. “We had the chance to visit many countries. Studying
English through music, customs, and food allows us a better
understanding of school contents” (1st grade university student, personal
communication, 2009)6. Projects are fantastic opportunities for learners to
become more curious, open-minded, flexible and more creative. Apart from
enjoying costumes, music, dances and arts and crafts, parents also greatly
appreciate when people visit the school and bring in innovations. “All these
activities have created an eagerness to learn the Spanish language and
respect for other cultures and traditions” (parent, personal
communication, 2006). Projects can definitely strengthen school values
and principles, develop students’ multiple intelligences, social skills,
cultural awareness and self-confidence, as well as unify the school.
community.
aprendizaje.”
música, las costumbres y la comida nos da una mejor comprensión de los contenidos.”
7 “Si tenemos amigos en otros países, podremos comunicarnos con ellos en inglés.”
16
acquisition can absolutely occur in a country where English is taught and
studied as a foreign language, as long as teachers provide a Natural
Approach.
General Suggestions
1. Whenever you see a concept that is underlined, look for its meaning in
the glossary at the end of the book if necessary.
4. Always ask for volunteers first, try not to force speaking in order to
respect your students’ silent periods. If you need to do so, use strategies to
make them feel comfortable and at ease. However, since children love
playing, it is very probable that they will all ask for a turn at the same time.
Organize turns appropriately and take profit of students’ high levels of
motivation and interest to strengthen your classroom management plan.
Give turns to students who show good character first.
5. Teams can be divided in different ways: boys and girls, flags, soccer
teams, bands and/or school contents (colors, numbers, days of the week,
etc…). Choose a team captain to help organize teamwork and have captains
rotate.
17
10. When playing games in which luck is involved, praise students once
they have called out the answer in English.
11. Use or make multisensory teaching materials that can reinforce your
own contents, but also school and/or cross curricular ones. When
possible, laminate your pictures to protect them from being destroyed.
Most importantly, teach your students they have to take care of teaching
materials.
12. Use foreigner talk as soon as possible. Flashcards are very effective.
Students love them mainly because they provide comprehensible input.
However, it is also necessary to review the same words through strategies
that match different learning styles.
15. Be firm and apply your classroom management plan to the dot.
However, let your students know that there is always a chance to improve
wrong behavior. Stickers, stamps, coupons and diplomas are great.
Nonetheless, a round of applause and verbal compliments are as valuable
as other tools.
16. Develop and use strategies for classroom arrangement. Students will
get used to routines more easily and will save time to get organized.
18
Classroom Management Strategies
19
What about going to the movies?
“To be motivated to learn, students need both ample opportunities to learn and steady
encouragement and support of their learning efforts” (Thanasoulas, 2002, p.3).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. To create suspense in the classroom, turn the flashcard slowly and ask
students: Would you like to go the movies? (A positive reaction is
expected).
3. Place popcorn seeds, your fishbowl and the scoop on the table.
1. Whenever you do a good job, you will earn three scoops of popcorn and I
will start filling up the bowl; if I have to warn you, you will receive only two
scoops, and if you have more than one warning, I will give you only one
scoop.
2. When the fishbowl is totally filled up with popcorn seeds, we will be able
to enjoy a movie in English.
Suggestions
1. Depending on your goals and interests as a teacher, the prize can also
be an English party, a field trip and/or a lesson outdoors, among other
possibilities.
2. You can also work, for example, with marbles, small yarn balls, or foam
shapes. All of them should be small and visible.
4. If students do not behave well, you can also take scoops away from the
bowl. This strategy is helpful for students to understand that individual
behavior can impact the group in positive or negative ways.
20
5. This classroom management strategy should be used as an on-going
activity so that the fishbowl is completely filled up. However, make sure
progress is visible. If students don’t see the amount increase, they may
wonder if the goal will ever be reached and have high levels of frustration.
Depending on how fast you want to reach your goal, you can have different
sized fishbowls.
6. If you do not have a fishbowl, you may use any container. It should be
transparent so that children can see their progress.
7. The container should not be made of glass. It could break and cause
accidents.
Source: Loudoun County Public School Elementary Teachers, Virginia, USA (2004-2007).
Students’ Perceptions
Laura
Brandon
Leonardo
6to básico
Escuela Adventista
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
21
It’s your choice!
“. . . effective teachers can prevent all discipline problems by keeping students interested in
learning through the use of exciting classroom materials and activities” (Long and Frye,
1989, p.3).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Prepare a set of flashcards with letters that will spell the word you are
aiming to teach; in this case, the chosen word is BINGO.
3. Have them guess. As they say the right letters, place them on the board
in the correct order to form your word.
1. To play BINGO, we need to have all of the letters on the board. Every
time classroom rules are not respected, a letter will be removed.
2. If your behavior improves, one, two and even all the letters can be
earned back, and then we can play the game.
Suggestions
2. Of course, if you do not have flashcards, you can write the word with a
piece of chalk or a marker and delete letters with an eraser.
3. I suggest Bingo because it is very popular among students, but you can
certainly write the name of any other fun activity your students really
enjoy.
4. You can also ask students which game they would like to play at the
end of the class. Write that activity on the board accordingly.
22
6. Do not forget to give students a chance to improve their behavior. If you
make it too difficult to gain a letter back, and the students are not being
allowed to play the game, it will be really frustrating.
7. Be consistent and do not feel bad if students have not completed all the
letters. You can continue trying next class.
Source: Loudoun County Public School Elementary School Teachers, Virginia, USA (2004-
2007)
Students’ Perceptions
“Yo opino que la actividad estuvo bien porque así cada compañero
medía su comportamiento.”
Millaray
Mauricio
8vo básico
Escuela Angachilla
Valdivia, Chile, 2014
23
Let’s go home!
“Teachers and parents negotiate the boundaries of their respective responsibilities,
sometimes through overt and explicit means, sometimes with subtle nuances of language
and interpersonal behavior” (Miller, 2003, p.3).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Cut a piece of paper and write a brief biography of your toy (name,
country of origin, age and hobbies). Cut the piece of paper into a strip and
wrap it around one of the toy’s fists like a bracelet.
2. Tell students you will introduce them to a new toy friend. Give the new
toy friend a name and ask students to call out the name and persuade
them to come out of the bag.
3. Take your toy out of the bag and introduce it to the class.
1. Every Friday, a well-behaved student will be able to take the toy home
and introduce it to their family. The toy is expected to be back on Monday.
Suggestions
1. You will need to organize turns so that every student in the class can
take the toy home during the school year. If you run out of time and
everyone does not get the chance to take it home, some students could feel
really sad. This could have a negative effect on children’s EFL acquisition
process since their affective filter could increase.
3. Avoid first choosing those students who consistently receive the bulk of
the praise by all the teachers. Keep in mind that the other students could
24
feel that teachers are biased and do not appreciate what other students
have to offer.
4. When telling the class which student is taking the toy home, please
justify your choice. Compliments are very constructive for students’ self-
esteem and could have a very positive effect on other students’ behaviors
and attitudes as well.
5. Always make sure your students feel connected with the toy. A gender
neutral one is preferred so that all students can feel motivated to take it
home. If required, you could have two options, one for girls and one for
boys.
6. You can also ask your students to suggest potential toys in order to
address their personal interests.
7. You can use any toy from any country and/or culture. However,
choosing toys from your own or the students’ culture (if different) is highly
recommended. In this way, students will feel that their language, culture
and identity are respected by their teacher. This strategy can especially
help students from rural areas perceive English as friendly and welcoming.
8. It may happen that children destroy, not return or lose the toy. Always
teach students to love and respect their toy. Praise students who bring it
back safe and on time with extra credits.
Source: FLES Teachers, Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA (2004-2007).
25
Students’ Perceptions
Eduardo
“Me gustó haber llevado a Minnie a mi casa. Entendí casi todo lo que
decía en el papelito. La presenté a mis muñecas y después Minnie
estaba cansada y la dejé durmiendo. Me hubiera gustado que se
quedara de nuevo!”
Andrea
3ro básico
Escuela Angachilla
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
Sebastián
8vo básico
Escuela Abgachilla
Valdivia, Chile, 2014
26
Student of the week
“… high self-esteem usually leads to greater self-confidence” (Richard-Amato, 2003, p.111).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Every Friday, I will choose the student of the week based on different
character traits such as determination, discipline, generosity, honesty and
respect, among others.
2. As a tribute, your picture will be placed in the paper frame on the wall
for one week.
Suggestions
1. It is a good idea to pick only one character trait per week and inform the
students ahead of time of the chosen trait. For example, determination is
what the teacher will be looking for during the week. Expecting too much
from them in only one week could be disappointing for you and for the
students. Remember, character traits need some time to be developed.
3. You may also ask the school community to support your initiative by
looking for character traits during classtime, recess, lunch time or after
school activities.
27
4. Also, inform parents/guardians, through a written note, that their child
is the student of the week. At the end of every term, you could even ask
the principal to hand out all of the diplomas in one of the school
gatherings or in a special ceremony.
5. Try to extend the opportunity to every single student in the class. All
children have positive traits that can be highlighted; therefore, they could
all be praised at a certain moment. It is very probable that this activity will
positively increase students’ affective issues.
7. Taking the pictures yourself is another option but bear in mind you
have parental consent. If pictures are going to be taken during class time,
incorporate it into another activity as to not waste class time.
Source: Adapted from Meadowland Elementary School Student of the Week, Loudoun
County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
28
Students’ Perceptions
Gabriela
Pía
Belkys
4to básico
Escuela El Laurel
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
29
My surprise box
“When students make the connection between their performance and feeling good about
themselves, intrinsic motivation is enhanced and positive behaviors continue” (Allred, 2008,
para 7).
Teaching Materials
Several little green, yellow and red cards, a medium-sized box, little
assorted presents (toothbrushes, stickers, candies, pencils, erasers, note
pads, bookmarks, etc …), ziploc-like little bags
Getting Ready
1. Cut out many little green, yellow and red cards. On every green card,
write “Great Job”. On the yellow cards, write “You can make it!” and on the
red ones, write “Ooops, try again!” Place them in three different ziploc-like
bags.
2. Look for presents and a big enough box for keeping them safe.
1. (Displaying the cards) At the end of each English class, I will give you a
green, a yellow or a red card that will tell you how well you worked during
each lesson.
2. The green card means you did a great job, the yellow card stands for
warning; which suggests you need improvement, and the red card tells you
that definitely have to improve your behavior next time.
3. Once you have 10 green cards, you can trade them in for a surprise.
Suggestions
1. Cards need to be handed out after every class, which implies that at the
beginning of the term, you need to make many cards, especially green
ones. (You will see behavior will notoriously improve after a few lessons.
When students get a yellow or a red card, they usually try hard to get a
green card next time and catch up with the other students who are doing a
good job.)
30
2. Add a picture to every card. It is fundamental that students understand
what cards mean. The final objective of this activity is to help students
assess their own behavior and make changes accordingly. After a few
lessons and depending on your students’ characters and ages, they could
even give input as to what they think they deserve.
3. Instead of writing a note and/or drawing pictures, you can stamp cards
or use stickers to save time.
4. Avoid writing too negative and generalized messages on yellow and red
cards such as “Bad Day!” Students could feel that all of their behavior has
been wrong and could internalize that message.
6. You are very welcome to buy your own surprises. However, it is also a
good idea to ask parents, stores and/or dentists, for example, to help you
gather presents. Try to incorporate cross-curricular objectives in your
activity, such as the importance of toothbrushing. You could also ask your
principal or head of your department to financially support this activity.
7. Place the box in a strategic spot in the classroom so every student can
see it and remind they have to behave. You can also leave it in another
room of the school. This way it will be easier for you to deliver surprises in
a quiet and organized way.
8. Keep in mind students will need to learn how to make a line to pick
their present from the box.
Source: Adapted from Meadowland Elementary School Student of the Week, Loudoun
County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
31
Students’ Perceptions
“Sí, me gustó porque cuando uno gana algo se esfuerza más para
lograrlo y estudia.”
Escarlett
Bastián
Escuela Juan Bosch
Niebla, Chile, 2011
32
English suitcase
“Compelling input appears to eliminate the need for motivation, a conscious desire to
improve. When you get compelling input, you acquire whether you are interested in
improving or not” (Krashen, 2012, para 3).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
5. On the first page of the copybook, write a message for students and
parents stating the following information:
c) The amount of time the family will be given in order to enjoy the
suitcase at home.
33
6. Introduce the English suitcase to your students by having them guess
what they might find inside.
7. Show and give a very brief description of every item contained in the
English suitcase.
1. Every Friday, one student will be able to take the English suitcase home
depending on how well he has been working on his/her own character.
2. You and your family will have a whole weekend to check the reading
materials found in the English Suitcase.
4. This English Suitcase is for you and your family to have a good time
through experiencing and enjoying English. It is not an assignment that
will be formally assessed, and it is not compulsory to check every single
item.
Suggestions
1. Turn organization is absolutely required. You are strongly encouraged to
keep an anecdotal record chart to ensure that every week the selection of
students is fair and appropriate.
2. Check the school calendar and do not forget to consider long weekends.
It may happen that some families will travel and will not have enough time
to go over the English Suitcase with adequate dedication.
3. Some students can lose interest while waiting for their turn to take the
English Suitcase home. Keep in mind that if you have forty students in
your classroom, there will be students who will have to wait till the end of
the school year. If you wish, you will probably need more than one
suitcase.
34
5. Include different kinds of items and different topics so that all members
of the family can meet their interests. You can, therefore, include cartoons,
animal documentaries, knitting and/or sport magazines, among other
possibilities.
6. Make sure you scrutinize every single item in the English suitcase to
avoid including inappropriate contents and/or vocabulary.
7. Choose teaching materials that have a basic level of English since most
parents do not probably speak the language. Also, pick items that have
great amounts of comprehensible input so that their content is more likely
understandable to the whole family.
8. The English Suitcase must be special for you, for students and their
families. Using a suitcase/bag that belongs to you, that was made by you
and/or that comes from another place of the world, as possible examples,
can generate positive reactions from students. The effort to make this item
personal may, in turn, help students understand that they need to take
care of it.
35
Students and Parents’ Perceptions
Antonia
“I liked the books because I think that they are creative and funny
(for example, the Missing Mitten Mystery). The movie is good because
I liked the main character and her features.”
María-José
7mo básico
Verónica
Parent and Teacher
San Luis del Alba
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
36
Silent cheering
“ … in order to develop the highest possible degree of mental functioning it is very important
that the playful imagination of the right hemisphere of the brain is developed in balance
with the logic, tasks and skills of the left hemisphere of the brain. Both hemispheres need
stimulus and expression throughout our lives” (Jennings, 2004, p.11).
Teaching Materials
None
Getting Ready
2. Perform an action that you are good at, for example, play the hula hoop,
jump rope, or play the “trompo”, and encourage students to applaud and
celebrate through “silent cheering”.
Suggestions
37
3. Silent cheering is not meant to be an activity by itself. It is rather a
classroom management strategy to be used while carrying out other
activities such as bingo, for example, that is usually very noisy, especially
when students are doing well.
Source: Adapted from Meadowland Elementary School Student of the Week, Loudoun
County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Bárbara
4to Básico
Monserrat
5to Básico
Inglés Entretenido, Escuela de Verano, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
38
Today’s menu
“Surely the most important questions about creativity are: can it be learned?
… And as we learn more about everyday creativity in our own lives. We can
learn how to nurture the creativity of our children as well ” (Ferguson, 1990, p.
186).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Carry out a survey to get to know your children’s favorite healthy foods.
Suggestions
1. When dealing with food issues, give your students something special to
eat to prevent them from getting too hungry, especially if you work with
students who cannot afford having a good breakfast and/or lunch. You
can give out candies or chocolate bars but healthy food is highly
recommended.
2. If you cannot afford buying students’ snacks, always keep in mind that
your school and parents can also assist you.
4. You can also write the menu on a special restaurant card that you can
distribute to your students. They can glue the menus in their copybooks
and verify their answers during the lesson.
39
5. To have your students’ attention from the very beginning, you can place
your lesson menu on the board before students arrive.
Source: Created out of Teacher Ruth Miranda’s strategy to introduce classroom goals. She
introduced them under the word Menu. Teaching Practicum, English Language Program,
Universidad Austral de Chile (2011).
Students’ Perceptions
Isidora
“Me encantó, muy creativo y muy bueno porque aprendemos más con
el menu de las actividades.”
Escarlett
“Me parece muy bien porque así uno puede entender más la clase.”
Matías
5to básico
Escuela Juan Bosch
Niebla, Chile, 2011
40
Golden rules
“Most experienced educators say the key to creating classroom rules is to keep those rules
few and simple -- and to establish up front the consequences if the rules are broken”
(EducationWorld, 2011, para. 3).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Find out what rules your students think are necessary to have a nice
classroom environment. Surveys and/or ball tossing can help you find out
which rules are important for your students.
1. You could also decide what your rules are going to be ahead of time.
However, sharing your power and involving students in decision-making
can help you foster positive attitudes and behavior. This way, students will
feel more ownership for the classroom rules.
41
2. Students and teachers can sign the poster, place their fingerprint on it,
glue a small picture of their face, or write comments such as ‘I agree’, ‘Let’s
respect the rules’, or ‘I made the rules’. These activities will help students
feel more ownership for the rules and thus will be more willing to respect
them.
3. If a rule is not being respected, you can simply point to the poster. Avoid
summarizing and explaining the rules again. Speeches can become tedious
and, therefore, lose meaning for students.
4. The most important rule for the teacher who maintains a classroom rule
poster is to respect the content. If one of the students does not follow one
of the rules, there should be immediate consequences. If you are not firm
from the very beginning, students will regard the poster as mere classroom
decoration.
5. Five rules sound perfect! Not being too ambiguous will help you
accomplish your goals and will prevent students from feeling overwhelmed
with too many duties.
7. You can change your poster when necessary. Always consider your
students’ needs and interests.
8. Make sure your students can see and understand the poster from
different places in the classroom. Always inspect written messages to
ensure that language, size, font and colors are easy to read.
11. Using Spanish when introducing rules is a very good idea. Your
students will feel free to express their feelings and points of view.
Source: Adapted from Meadowland Elementary School Student of the Week, Loudoun
County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
42
Students’ Perceptions
Alvaro
“Es super entrete tener classroom rules. Nos hacen estar más
concentrados”.
Michelle
6to básico
Escuela Adventista
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
43
1, 2, 3, eyes on me
“[. . .] teachers' actions in their classrooms have twice the impact on student achievement as
do school policies regarding curriculum, assessment, staff collegiality, and community
involvement (Marzano & Marzano, 2003, as cited in Marzano, 2003, para 1).
Teaching Materials
Flashcards or none
Getting Ready
2. Tell students you are going to play a teacher versus student game. This
is something that usually motivates students. The challenge to “beating
the teacher” seems to be inspiring for them.
3. Challenge them that you can rhyme better than they can as a class!
4. Keep on trying and see who is doing the better job: The teacher or the
students?
Suggestions
2. This is just one way to call your students’ attention and keep them
quiet. You can use other strategies such as:
44
d) Gestures a child of their age does or gestures that a famous and
popular person uses; for example, a soccer player’s hand wave.
What really matters is that students understand they need to keep quiet
after they hear the rhyme or see the gesture and, respond accordingly.
45
Students’ Perceptions
Alonso
“Esto es bacán!”
Martín
3ro básico
Escuela Gandhi
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
Constanza
6to básico
Escuela Adventista
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
46
Whose turn is it?
“[. . .] If a teacher has a good relationship with students, then students more readily accept
the rules and procedures and the disciplinary actions that follow their violations” (Marzano,
2003, p.41).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Look for a set of ice-cream sticks (color sticks are more attractive).
2. Let’s choose a green stick. (Reading) It is Juanito’s turn! How are you
today? (Keep on encouraging students’ participation).
Suggestions
1. If you do not have resources, ask children to help you recycle after they
eat ice-cream. They can even color them at home.
2. This strategy can be used not only for promoting participation but also
for facilitating other activities such as calling the roll or for helping you to
learn students’ names in a short period of time.
4. If you do not have ice-cream sticks, you can also use pieces of paper
with the names of the students. Papers can be placed in a fishbowl and
can be taken out as in a raffle. A sense of humor can be useful by carrying
out a raffle the way it is played in Chile, that is to say, eliminating the two
first papers and praising the third one.
47
6. The container is very important. It can be decorated and made by the
students themselves. This contribution will lend more influence to the ice
cream sticks, and therefore, increase classroom participation.
7. Depending on your needs and those of your students, you can either
place ice-cream sticks back in the container or leave them aside when you
do not want a student to be called on twice. Just keep in mind, this
decision could increase the student’s level of anxiety.
Source: Adapted from Meadowland Elementary School Student of the Week, Loudoun
County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Fernanda
Camila
Macarena
5to básico
Escuela Mexico
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
48
Gathering
“This is the period in which discipline becomes established: a form of active peace, of
obedience and love, when work is perfected and multiplied, just as when the flowers in
Spring get their colors and prepare a distant harvest of sweet and nourishing fruit”
(Montessori, 1979, p.275).
Teaching Materials
None
Getting Ready
1. Arrange chairs and desks so as to leave an open space for your students
to work there.
2. Think about your students and think about their personal information.
Make a list and include, for example, some traits they could share such as
wearing glasses.
(Based on what the information you heard) If your favorite color is green,
please stand up and go back to your seat.
Suggestions
1. If you have your own classroom, always leave an open space for
storytelling or any other activity that requires students to get together and
sit on the floor. This will help you organize students faster and strengthen
class routines.
2. Take some time to decorate your reading or gathering corner and make
it special for your students. Include a carpet or cushions for your students
to sit on and feel comfortable.
49
4. Use body language and/or pictures to support your statements. If you
are going to call your students according to some physical traits such as
long hair, show students what you mean by long.
7. Also check to see that it is fine that your students be identified as boys
and girls.
9. When students are sharing during your activity, be very alert and try to
remember important information. You can listen and take notes as well.
Students will feel very happy if you can remember what they have told you
and shared in class.
50
Students’ Perceptions
Sebastián
Alex
4th grade
English Major
Universidad Austral de Chile, 2011
“Me gustó porque había que tener las cosas que se iban diciendo.”
Máximo
Kinder
Hampton College
Valdivia, Chile, 2014
51
Welcome back
“[. . .] it is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes
the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of
torture or an instrument of inspiration; I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all
situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and
a person is humanized or de-humanized” (Ginott, 1993, in Eqi, n.d).
Teaching Materials
Cards, envelopes
Getting Ready
Suggestions
3. Try to use your own handwriting. The personalized card will be even
more special for your kids.
4. If you are going to send the cards through the mail, double check all
names and addresses very carefully to ensure all students will receive a
card. Do not forget some letters can get lost or be sent back to you for
different reasons. This fact could upset students if they do not receive a
letter. If this happens, make sure you have extra copies that you can
deliver at school.
5. If you cannot afford sending all the cards through the mail, you can ask
the school for some help. You can also ask parents to leave the cards in
their mail box (please keep in mind some parents may not do it for
52
different reasons). One way to avoid all kinds of potential problems would
be to have your own mailbox in your classroom that students can check
every morning.
6. You can send a card at different special moments of the school year.
Back-to-school cards are just an example. You may consider special
national or international celebrations, birthdays, Students’ Day, the end of
the school year, motivation cards, among other occasions.
Source: Observed in Meadowland Elementary School, Loudoun County Public Schools,
Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Valentina
“When I received the letter, I felt very surprised and it gave me a lot
of confidence because if the teacher thought I could do a good job, I
really felt that I would do it!”
Camila
“One day, I went back home from school, opened my home’s door and
noticed that there was an envelope for me on the table. I opened it
and when I read it, I felt very happy. I think it was so nice from the
teacher. The letter motivated me a lot and gave me the strength to
continue working hard and doing my best. I really hope that my
classmates felt the same as me. Thank you very much!”
María-José
4th grade
English Major, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, 2013
53
International
Games and Activities
54
Yarn web
“It is like a cooperative activity that encourages [children] to give [their] best and work as a
class instead of as individual beings” (Vera, personal communication, 2012).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Prepare a basket with different colored balls of yarn. Put the basket on
your desk to illicit students’ interest.
2. As a group, decide on one color. Hold up that colored ball while you are
giving instructions.
3. Arrange your classroom so that you form a circle on the floor and ask
students to sit crisscross apple sauce.
1. (Say to one student) Hold this ball of yarn with one hand and put the
loose end of the yarn in the other hand.
2. Introduce yourself. Say your name, age and where you are from.
3. When you are done, throw the yarn ball to another student without
letting your loose end go.
4. Keep on sharing until the whole class has made a web of yarn.
Suggestions
2. Using different colored balls of yarn can help you reinforce content area
vocabulary related to colors, fruits and plants.
3. Once your students have formed their web, you can also review other
content area lexicon. For example, students will quickly find triangles,
squares and diamonds, among other shapes.
55
4. While wrapping the yarn around your fingers at the end of the activity,
you can say sequential word lists out loud; for example, the alphabet,
numbers, days of the week or months of the year. Try to do it fast!
7. Try to remember your students’ personal information. This way, you can
use it at the end of the activity for asking students to go back to their seats
as a classroom management strategy.
Source: Recommended by Elementary School teachers from Instituto Tecnológico del Sur,
Valdivia, Chile.
56
Students’ Perceptions
Muriel
Jacqueline
7mo básico
Escuela N° 39 Las Animas
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
57
Hot potato
“Suspense and surprise are acting skills that can contribute directly to improved classroom
management” (Tauber & Mester, 2007, p.157).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Enter the class with your “magic bag” containing a ball inside. Pretend
verbal and non-verbally that you feel uncomfortable with it.
2. Have your students guess what you have inside. Encourage them to say
as many words as possible. You can give them some clues. E.g., It is small,
round, soft, etc…
3. Once students have guessed that the object is a ball, tell them that it is
really hot and that you can get burned if you don’t pass it around quickly.
1. Stand up.
3. Remember that since the ball is hot, you can burn your hands. That is
why you must pass or throw the ball quickly at another classmate while
the music is playing.
4. If you have the ball when the music stops, try to answer the teacher’s
question.
Suggestions
4. If you do not have a ball, you can play with a teddy bear, a ball of yarn,
crumpled paper, as well as other teaching materials.
58
5. Make sure that many different students have a turn so that you can
assess as many as possible.
6. If your students would like to compete, you can gently ask students who
cannot answer the questions correctly to sit.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Susana
Catalina
Anibal
2ndo básico
Inmaculada Concepción
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
59
7-up
"[. . .] to be motivated means to be moved to do so something" (Ryan & Deci, 2000, p. 54).
Teaching Materials
Flashcards
Getting Ready
1. Ask seven students to stand in front of the class and give them a
flashcard.
3. Tell the class that they will each select one classmate by putting his or
her thumb down, and then come back to the front of the class without
telling or showing others which student they have chosen.
1. Put your head down; close your eyes and put one thumb up.
3. (Talking to the 7 students chosen) Move around and put one of your
classmates’ thumbs down and come back to the front as soon as you are
ready.
4. (Talking to the class) If someone put your thumb down, stand up.
5. Now take turns to guess who picked you, by saying the word on the
flashcard that the student is holding, not the name of the student.
6. If your guess is correct, you trade places. If your guess is incorrect, you
sit down.
Suggestions
1. In the case of a too noisy class, this game is perfect for calming your
students down. You can even turn the lights off to give the classroom a
quiet atmosphere.
60
2. Teach your students not to fold or wrinkle flashcards when they stand
in front of the class. Students usually tend to do so when they feel excited
or nervous.
3. Make sure that different people have a turn. Advise your students to
pick different classmates or encourage them to be good friends and share
flashcards with those who haven’t had a turn.
5. The instructions of this game are not easy to understand at first. Bear
in mind you use lots of body language, especially the first time you
introduce the activity.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
61
Students’ Perceptions
Mariana
5th grade
Escuela Alemania
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
“I liked the activity because I think it’s very good to learn more
vocabulary.”
Valentina
2nd grade
Meadowland Elementary School.
Sterling, VA, USA, 2007
62
The Magic finger
“[. . .]…when students are taught using techniques consistent with their learning styles,
they learn more easily, faster, and can retain and apply concepts more readily to future
learning. Most students, with a disability or not, enjoy the engaging variety that
multisensory techniques can offer” (Logsdon, 2007, para. 4).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. Pretend you are a magician and give power to your students through an
abracadabra magical spell that goes this way: Abracadabra, please look at
me, you can be powerful, yippee, yippee!!
5. Ask the class to pick one of the flashcards and keep it as a secret, while
you and the apprentice are outside.
6. Leave the room and share the magic trick with the apprentice:
If the finger is pointing to the top of the flashcard, the apprentice is
supposed to say: “Yes, it is”. If the finger is pointing to the bottom of the
flashcard, the apprentice should reply: “No, it isn’t”.
Also, tell the apprentice student to keep the magic trick a secret.
7. Now, return to your classroom and quietly ask the students to tell you
what flashcard they have chosen.
63
Suggestions
4. Stop the game when most of the students have figured out the magic
trick. Avoid having just a few people puzzled and surprised to avoid
frustration. In the case of frustration, it is much better to share the trick.
5. Remind students who know the magic to keep it secret so that you can
continue playing the game with the same or a different class.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
64
Students’ Perceptions
Laura
Consuelo
David
6th grade
Inmaculada Concepción, Valdivia, Chile
65
Fly swatting
“Everywhere on earth in all languages throughout history, there is no instance of infants
acquiring speaking before comprehension” (Segal, 2006, p. 7).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Show 2 flyswatters to your students. The first time you introduce them
to your students, they will be very curious and will pay attention to you
until they get to know what they are for.
1. After hearing a word, swat the appropriate flashcard and say the word
out loud.
2. If you are the first one to correctly identify the flashcard, you can
continue playing with another classmate.
Suggestions
1. You can place small laminated paper flies on the pictures to make the
activity more real and more entertaining. However, if this causes violent
reactions among your students, avoid placing them on the flashcards. In
this case, do not use flyswatters. You can find other options such as hand
pointers. You can also look for flyswatters of different shapes.
4. You can also form two groups and have your students compete against
each other.
66
5. This is an excellent listening activity! However, you can encourage your
students to produce words when they swat the pictures. Other students
can also help say the words.
6. Depending on the level of English, you can also play with dialogue
exchanges or definitions.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudon County Public Schools, Valdivia, Chile.
Students’ Perceptions
Austin
4th Grader
Meadowland Elementary School
Sterling, VA, USA, 2007
Catalina
6th grade
Inmaculada Concepción
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
67
Telephone
“The higher the level of interest, the higher the intake, the higher the attention, the higher
the retention, and thus; the higher the acquisition” (Hastings, 2003).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
4. Ask students to form two groups, to stand up and organize their chairs
in two rows.
5. Place two sets of small paper cards at the end of the rows and tell
students that only the last person of each row is authorized to look at the
cards. Numbers should be placed face up.
1. (Talking to the last person of each row) Look for number “8”. Once you
have read the information in silence, whisper it ONLY in your classmate´s
ear. You are not allowed to stand up and share the information with
others.
3. The first student of each row, the last one to listen to the word, must
stand up, say the word and point to the correct flashcard. If he/she says
the correct answer, he/she will score a point for their team.
4. When the round is over, everybody stands up and moves one spot
forward. The people in front of each row will have to move to the back.
68
Suggestions
1. Always tell your class that the information must be given only to the
student who is just in front of him/her. Normally, it takes a long time for
students to understand this instruction.
3. Play this game with flashcards and/or mimicry to make messages more
comprehensible, to help students feel more confident and thus, ensure
high levels of motivation.
4. If you realize your academic expectations have been too high, quickly
change and/or reduce the information on the cards. For example, I am
swimming can become swimming.
5. Avoid students who know the language better to put pressure on the
students who need more time to think and act! It occasionally happens
that students get really excited about winning and start forcing others to
perform faster.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
69
Students’ Perceptions
Sebastián
Abigail
6to básico.
Escuela Mexico
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
Valentina
8vo básico
Windsor School
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
70
Bingo
“Communicative language teaching makes use of real-life situations that necessitate
communication. The teacher sets a situation that students are likely to encounter in real life”
(Galloway,1993, p. 1).
Teaching Materials
Boards, chips
Getting Ready
3. Give choices to your students. Ask them what kind of game they would
like to play in their first, second and third round: black-out, top row,
bottom row and/or four corners, among other possibilities.
2. (As an example) Listen to the letters I say and look for them on your
boards. If you happen to have the letter, place a chip on the square.
3. When the board has been completed, say BINGO and share the
information with the teacher so as to prove your answers are right.
Suggestions
1. Distributing chips in big classes can take a long time and can, therefore,
impede the teacher in keeping complete control of the whole group. A good
alternative is to ask your students to make their own chips at home, bring
them in a small plastic bag and keep them under the desk. Plenty of time
will be saved!
3. As a way to keep your students alert and focused, you can allow them to
exchange cards before a new game starts. Students highly enjoy this kind
of social interaction. Moreover, this adds a touch of suspense, and
increases their level of interest.
71
4. Pretend you are all participating in a real school Bingo event by asking
the students, for example, how many extra letters, numbers, months, etc…
they need in order to win.
5. Since the bingo game is related to being lucky, take a look at the boards
while playing. If a student feels frustrated because their information has
not been called, the teacher can discretely help this student by calling
their needed letter or number. From a pedagogical point of view, this would
be fair since you are avoiding frustration.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Gabriela
“Si, es muy bueno y muy entretenido; uno aprende las palabras muy
rápido con juegos así.”
Sergio
“Si, porque a los chicos les gusta jugar y así uno se entusiasma más
teniendo más aprendizaje.”
Franco
8vo básico
Colegio Balmaceda
Futrono, Chile, 2011
72
Go for a seat!
"[Humor is considered] as positive, psychologically and physically healthy, and socially
desirable" (Martin, 2007, p.29).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
4. Be ready to participate and sit when you first call out the word, phrase
or sentence so that there is always one student left standing.
1. When I name the word or picture in your flashcard, please stand up and
change seats.
Suggestions
1. When starting to play, do not tell students that you will also sit. Just
perform the action and let them realize what will happen. The effect of the
surprise will help you start the activity in a quiet way.
2. In order for students to know which seats are available to sit on and
ensure that there will always be a student standing up, you can ask them
to place their schoolbag on the back of their chair.
3. If you do not want to change your classroom arrangement, you can ask
children to place the back of their chairs facing the desks. However, the
circle is a better option since it creates a reduced empty space in which
you can control every single action.
4. You can also prepare sets of realia such as fruit or school objects
instead of distributing flashcards. Thus, this activity will develop different
learning styles.
73
5. You can ask several students to stand up and change seats by calling
more than one word. Depending on your class’ behavior, you can also call
all of the words. This option is an excellent way to end the activity, but you
would have to stay up and allow all students to find a seat.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Mauricio
Natalia
Michelle
3ro básico
Escuela Angachilla
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
74
Let’s go fishing!
“The miracle of lifelong learning will only happen when learning systems are brought closer
to daily life” (Pastor, 2010, p.27).8
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. Form your circle and have students sit crisscross apple sauce.
4. Divide the class into two teams and invite two representatives from each
group to join you. Give each one a fishing rod.
(Talking to the representatives) Listen to the number I will say and look for
it. The first one to fish the right number becomes the winner of the round
and gets a point for their team.
Suggestions
1. You can sit students differently but remember all students need to see
what is happening. If they can’t see well, I can assure you they will try to
see better by standing up, walking towards the board and/or pushing
others. Fishing is definitely a very funny activity that every student will
want to be part of.
2. You can have different pictures on the cardboard fish depending on your
lesson goals. Using numbers is just one option.
3. Depending on your students’ age, level and interest, you can also review
other content areas such as addition facts.
8
“El milagro de la formación a lo largo de la vida sólo será posible cuando los sistemas de
aprendizaje se aproximen a la vida” (Pastor, 2010, p. 27). [Translation into English by
Yasna Yilorm]
75
4. You can bring a small plastic or paper pool to place fish inside and
make the activity seem even more real.
5. Discourage students from moving the fishing rod too much because the
cord could keep on moving for a long time, making catching a fish very
difficult.
6. Always remind students that fishing rods are not meant for hitting
others.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Laura
Nicole
Catalina
Kinder
Escuela El Laurel
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
76
Four corners
“Teaching no longer means imposing information from the outside but getting inside the
experience of the learner” (Ferguson, 1990, p. 115).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Look for a big light-colored plastic bag and cut it into 4 equal pieces.
2. Place each piece of plastic in the four corners of your classroom. You
won’t need any kind of glue. The plastic bag should remain stuck on the
wall due to electrostatic electricity; which will automatically help students
to keep focused, interested and quiet.
3. With a marker, write a different word on each plastic piece. Then, place
flashcards with pictures next to the piece of plastic with the written word
on it to provide students with comprehensible input.
1. (Talking to the volunteer) Turn around to face the board, close your eyes
and count to 20.
2. (Talking to the rest of the students and pointing to the volunteer) While
your classmate is counting, choose a corner and stay there. Walk quietly
so that you are not heard.
3. (Talking to the volunteer) Do not open your eyes. Choose a corner and
say it out loud.
4. (Talking to the rest of the students) If you are standing in the corner
your classmate has just named, please sit down.
77
Suggestions
1. Before children enter the classroom, try to place the pieces of plastic bag
on the wall to make sure “the magic” will work. It may happen that walls
do not have enough static. In that case, I recommend that you play with
flashcards only and/or bring the written words ready.
2. You can introduce vocabulary in many different ways. However, the use
of magic is highly recommended because children usually respond
positively to incredible experiences.
3. Many students will raise their hands to count after the first round. I
would, therefore, suggest that you pick one of the students who has lost
and is sitting down. This decision will help you to keep all students active
and happy.
4. Tell students that they can change their mind while choosing their
corner. However, it is necessary they understand that when the volunteer
has finished counting, everybody should be in one of the corners. If your
class is too noisy, you can tell your students that if they do not have a
definite corner when the volunteer is ready, they will be out of the game.
5. Instead of counting, the volunteer can also say any sequential content
such as the days of the week, the months of the year, or the ABCs. The
student should speak slowly so that other children have enough time to
switch corners.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
78
Students’ Perceptions
Nelson
“Me pareció muy buena forma de jugar y así se puede aprender mucho
inglés. Es una divertida forma de aprender. Very good!”
Kimberly
5th grade
Escuela Angachilla
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
79
Which one is missing?
“What is important in teaching a second language is to keep the students very engaged.
[. . .] using pictures to teach a language [ . . .] is very useful.” (Hazan, 2009, Miranda &
Trecamán, 2009)
Teaching Materials
Flashcards, tak
Getting Ready
2. Now, close your eyes and relax for a while. Do not cheat!
3. Open your eyes and stretch. Notice that there is one flashcard missing.
Let’s read all the flashcards again, including the one that is missing.
Follow my lead.
4. Let’s continue playing until all flashcards are gone and let’s see if we
can remember them all!
Suggestions
3. Once the activity is over, you can also challenge students to read
flashcards individually or in groups of two or three. Ask for volunteers, but
do not force anyone. In this game, knowing the English vocabulary is not
enough, a good memory is also required, which means some students may
get frustrated if they cannot remember the word.
80
that they are not processing the word at more than a superficial level, so
this alleviates that risk.
Source: Observed in Andrew Sheehan’s presentation “What really matters in ELT: some
things you already knew, and some surprises!” June 21st, 2011, Universidad Austral de
Chile.
Students’ Perceptions
Paz
5th grade
Leonardo Da Vinci
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
Juan Pablo
6to básico
Escuela Alemania
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
81
Looking for my match
“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn”
(Estrada, n.d., in Selected Quotes on Teaching, 2014).
Teaching Materials
Five sets of 20 small flashcards with pictures and/or words on one side
but with the same design on the other side, a small plastic bag
Getting Ready
2. Make classroom arrangements so that your children can sit on the floor.
3. Place your flashcards on the floor in the middle of the circle. The
pictures and/or written information should be facing down.
2. The first player will turn two cards over and see if they match. If they
do, he/she keeps the cards for his/her team. If not, he/she has to turn
them over again and it is someone else’s turn to play.
3. Continue playing until no flashcards are left. The winner is the team
that has the most sets of matches.
Suggestions
2. Ask students to say the word of the flashcards out loud every time they
turn over the cards.
3. Both groups could have a leader who saves the flashcards that their
team has won.
4. After the game is over, ask the leaders to collect the flashcards, put
them back into the plastic bags and hand them in to the teacher.
82
5. If your class is too large or if it is too difficult for you to make
arrangements, you can prepare many sets of flashcards and carry out the
activity in small groups.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Felipe
Nachita
Loreto
3rd grade
Martin Luther King College
Valdiva, Chile, 2011
83
Around the world
“[. . .] the use of “humor” in classrooms improves classroom climate,
increases student-teacher rapport, increases enjoyment, reduces tension, and even
facilitates learning and makes it a real-life experience” (Loomax and Moosavi, 1998;
Provine, 2002, in Aboudan, 2009).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Hold a set of medium sized flashcards that the students are already
familiar with. Mix them up and do not show the pictures to your students.
3. Ask the first student from the first row to stand up behind the student
who is seated by his/her side. These two will compete against each other
in the first round.
1. (Talking to both students) Look at the flashcard I will show you and
name the object/animal or person on it. The student who gives the right
answer first moves on to compete with the next person in the row. He/she,
therefore, starts “travelling around the world”.
2. Keep on playing until at least one student is able to travel to all of the
countries.
Suggestions
1. This game can last for a very long time. It may even happen that it
becomes a never-ending activity. This could make students feel bored,
sleepy and frustrated; especially if they are not as fast as their classmates.
If you experience such a situation, bring the activity to an end and ask
students how many countries they had the chance to visit. If students
want to elect a winner, tell them that the person who has visited the most
countries wins the game.
84
2. Shuffle flashcards from time to time because students can memorize the
order in which you are presenting them.
3. Fast students have more chances to win and this fact could produce
negative attitudes among students who need more time to think to give out
an appropriate answer. Therefore, constantly encourage students to beat
those who always know the answer without hurting anybody’s feelings.
4. To avoid conflicts when the students speak at the same time, tell them
you are the only judge in the classroom. A student can also help you in
case he/she does not want to participate in the activity.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Helena
“Si, me gustó mucho, estuvo muy entretenido.”
Camila
Bernardita
6th grade
Escuela Angachilla
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
85
Find someone who
“Game-like activities provide pleasurable tension and challenge through the process of
attaining some fun goal while limited by rules. [. . .] The introduction of such rules (an
arbitrary time limit, for example) can add spice to almost any goal-oriented task” (Ur, 1996,
p.281).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Make bingo-style charts, one for each student in the class. At the top of
the card, write Find someone who ……
2. In each grid, write a sentence such as: ….. is from Temuco, ….. likes
listening to loud music, …… has a pet, and other similar examples.
3. Leave a space for students to write the name of the person who replied
to the question with a YES answer:
2. Move around the classroom and ask your classmates the questions that
will complete the statements on your charts. If they say YES, write the
name of your classmate in that space to complete the sentence. If the
answer is NO, continue looking for a positive reply.
5. The five people who complete their charts first will be the winners.
86
Suggestions
likes tennis
has a brother
Students might get confused with the structures they see and acquire
grammar incorrectly. For example, they can think you do not need a
subject in English sentences.
3. The teacher should participate in the game and move around, asking
questions and supervising students in a very natural way. Being an active
member of the class will allow the teacher to check if questions are asked
in English, if questions and answers are well formulated, and if all
students are participating.
4. Telling students the game is over once you have the winners can be very
sad for some of them, especially for those who have made a great effort to
complete their chart and are about to finish. However, if competition is not
encouraged, the level of interest might be lower. One possible solution is to
reward all the students if they finish completing the chart. If you choose
this route, keep in mind you will need to think of an extra activity for fast
people who finish first.
87
Students’ Perceptions
Fernando
Sebastián
7th grade
Instituto Salesiano
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
88
Read my mind!
“[ . . .] the vast majority of vocabulary words are learned gradually through
repeated exposures in various discourse contexts” (Coady & Huckin, 1997, p.225).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Enter the classroom with your cape and wand. Tell your students you
have magical powers and can read people’s minds. Ask them if they want
your power (a positive answer is expected). Take your wand, ask students
to close their eyes and pretend that you are putting a magical spell on
them by saying: abracadabra, this spell is mine but open your eyes and
now YOU will read minds!
2. On the board, place the flashcards containing the vocabulary that you
need to review.
3. Tell students that you have chosen a word from the board and challenge
them to guess it by reading your mind now that they have magical powers.
1. I am ready. Can you read my mind? What is the word that I am thinking
of?
2. Raise your hand if you have an idea of what the word could be and be
ready to catch my ball.
4. If you guess the right word, it is your turn to pick up a new word and
challenge the class to guess.
Suggestions
1. Continue playing until you see that some students are losing focus and
the game is getting too tedious.
2. When you have decided to stop the game, make sure you tell the
students that this will be the last round to avoid students’ frustration in
case they want to continue playing.
89
3. Some shy students could stop participating when they realize that if
they guess right, it will be their turn to be the teacher. You can always ask
for volunteers.
4. You can repeat the spell when necessary and the students can even
wear the cape if they want to.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
“YES!”
Pablo
3rd grade
El Laurel
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
Rodrigo
3rd grade
El Laurel
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
90
Survival
“Teachers should [. . .] consider the advantages of games: the ability to capture students'
attention; lower students' stress; and give students the chance for real communication”
(Deesri, 2002, p.1).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
Hey Macarena!
1. Stand up.
2. When I point at you, you should say the right month of the year as
quickly and clearly as possible. We will follow the correct sequence.
Suggestions
1. Through this activity, you can practice content material that has a
sequence such as numbers, ABC’s, days of the week, seasons, among
others.
91
3. This kind of activity in which speed is required should be applied when
students are already familiar with the lexicon they are mastering. If you
take the time to review the lexicon, student anxiety could decrease
considerably.
4. If students are motivated, you can play the game faster and increase
their challenge.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Adolfo
Sebastián
“Me encantó porque pienso que jugar y aprender está bien divertido.”
Josefa
3rd grade
Master College
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
92
London Bridge
“Entertainment produces enjoyment, which in its turn adds motivation” (Ur, 1996, p.281).
Teaching Materials
Flashcards/manipulatives (optional)
Getting Ready
Since this activity is mainly for the little ones, do not supply extensive
explanation. Just act-out your expectation as naturally as possible.
2. Invite two students to come to the front. Ask them to hold and raise
their hands as if forming a bridge.
3. Call students, one by one, and ask them to make a line behind you and
the bridge.
4. Play the song “London Bridge is Falling Down”. Do not play it so loud as
you have to give your students instructions.
1. Hold your partner’s waist. Now, we are a train. Let’s start travelling! Chi
qui chi qui, chi qui, bu bu. Be careful, walk slowly. It is time to walk under
the bridge.
2. (Talking to students who are holding hands) When the song is over and
students say “My fair lady!”, lower your arms and capture a friend.
3. (Talking to the student who has been captured) What do you see in this
picture?
4. Let’s keep on singing and walking under the bridge! Be good listeners.
Suggestions
93
2. If you wish, instead of showing flashcards, you can also challenge
students to perform the actions that you tell them.
3. Don’t wait until everybody has a turn! If your students look tired and
start getting disorderly, you can tell them they can continue the trip
another day.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Arym
1st grade
Escuela Gracia y Paz
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
“Lo que más me gustó del juego fue que aprendí como se decían los
animales en inglés.”
Diego
1st grade
Escuela Gracia y Paz
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
94
The Roulette
“Games have goals that foster motivation” (Prensky, 2007, p.106, cited in Pastor, 2010,
p.53).9
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. Listen to my question and try to guess. What is the weather like in Paris
right now? Is it sunny/ cold/ foggy/ windy/ or cloudy?
3. (After the student has made a decision: cold), spin the roulette and let’s
see if you are right.
Suggestions
1. You can place your roulette on the wall. However, a portable roulette is
also recommended in order to carry out a more dynamic and interactive
activity.
2. In spite of the fact that children will need to take turns to participate in
this activity, you can involve all your class by encouraging them to call out
the word that the student has chosen while the roulette is spinning.
3. You can give students points or awards for making good guesses.
Nevertheless, keep in mind that for children, this is only a matter of luck
and some children could feel it is unfair. A solution could be to praise
9
“Los juegos tienen metas, que proporcionan motivación”. [Translation into English by
Yasna Yilorm]
95
students for making attempts to communicate in English such as: “I think
it is sunny in the afternoon”.
4. If your roulette is portable, find a safe way to hold it firmly while the
student is spinning it. Some students can spin hard and the roulette can
fly away and, eventually, get damaged. A good piece of advice is to ask
students to spin the roulette gently to avoid accidents.
5. The roulette is also a simple and easy way to interrupt your lesson when
students are tired, bored, sleepy or unfocused. You can also use it when
you do not feel like moving too much.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Catalina
Ana
4th grade
Escuela El Laurel
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
96
Stretching words
“Some of these students need more information through different senses in order for them to
understand what’s going on” (Glas, personal communication, 2008).
Teaching Materials
Rubber Bands
Getting Ready
3. Show students your rubber bands and ask them what color they are,
how long they are, what they are for, etc…
1. Leave your rubber bands on your desks and do not touch them please.
3. Now hold your rubber band with both thumbs and listen to the word I
say.
Suggestions
2. Count rubber bands before and after the activity has been carried out.
You should have the same amount of rubber bands both times. If not, do
not let students leave until you have all rubber bands with you.
97
3. In the market, you can find colorful animal shaped rubber bands. These
can be very useful, especially when dealing with animal content material.
Students could stretch the animal rubber band while saying the name of
the animal. This activity would provide students with valuable amounts of
comprehensible input.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
-.”
“Si, me gustó la actividad del elástico-
Paloma
“Yes, me gustó!”
Nelly
5th grade
Escuela Alemania
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
98
Winding yarn
“Natural teachers do not work themselves to death. Instead, they put the students to
work (Jones, 2000, p.1).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Cut many pieces of yarn of different lengths. Roll each piece, form small
balls of yarn and place them in a bag.
2. Wear your bag, open it and ask students to take out one piece of yarn.
Do not mention what they will need to do with it. This surprise effect
should keep them focused and interested.
3. One at a time, each one of you will need to count while rolling the yarn
thread around your finger. Stop counting when there is no more thread.
Suggestions
1. Some students, especially younger ones, can take a long time choosing
the ball of yarn. Therefore, avoid using translucent bags since there are
different sizes and colors. Also, challenge your students by telling them
that when picking their piece of yarn, they cannot look at the bag. Tell
them you will count up to three. When you finish counting, students
should take their ball of yarn out of the bag.
2. You can use any kind of bag, but try to look for a special one to increase
students’ motivation. Tell them the reasons why your bag is special.
Personal stories will help them focus.
3. You can cut pieces of yarn of the same length and color but having
different lengths will bring humor and surprise to the class. Having
different colors will cheer up your activity.
4. Instead of counting, your students can also speak about a topic, sing,
recite, etc…
99
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
“It is a good activity because you must speak while you are rolling
ball of yarn, then you must think all the time.”
Marcelo
Fernando
FOCAL SKILLS Group
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
100
Moving around
“Sometimes the pace that most of your students feel comfortable with is not the pace
that all of your students feel comfortable with. Some students need more time to
understand and absorb information than others. Allowing students to study
independently at learning centers lets them go at their own pace” (Busy Teachers,
2014, para 11).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Design four main activities that could be carried out in four different
centers.
2. Prepare all the different teaching materials and props that will be
required in every center.
3. Arrange and decorate your classroom. Motivating students from the very
beginning is crucial to achieve success during instruction.
5. Give each center a name that can be posted on the wall and give
children, as they enter the classroom, a piece of paper with the name of
the center they should visit first.
1. Please listen to instructions first. Do not start working till I say “Go”.
2. All of you are placed in a specific center whose name is on the wall. You
will be given a limited amount of time to carry out the activity/activities for
each center.
3. When you hear the timer, please stand up, leave all materials in the
basket/shoebox to keep the center clean and organized for your
classmates.
101
4. All of you are expected to visit all centers.
5. 1 … 2 … 3 … Ready? Go!
Suggestions
1. If you do not have a timer or your students do not enjoy its sound, you
can clap hands, whistle, play some music or use an hourglass. Music is an
excellent idea. While students are moving from one center to another, they
can sing and even dance. In other words, they can relax.
2. Once the centers have been introduced, you can establish a weekly
class routine. For example, students are informed they will work in centers
every Monday morning. This will provide an organized system in your
class. This strategy could also help your students understand they should
work hard and not necessarily in a hurry. If they are not finished when the
time is up, they will be able to continue next time.
3. Working in centers is not an easy at first. Students can take some time
to understand how they have to move and work, how much time they need
to stay in each center, how to react when they hear the timer and what
directions they have to follow to move from one center to another. This is
why it is necessary to be patient and repeat the routine.
4. Make sure chosen activities can reach a great variety of learning styles,
needs and interests in order to motivate all of your students. This way,
expectations to reach a specific center will increase. You can organize your
centers the way you prefer: per language skill or per intelligence. Interests
and needs should also be considered.
6. You can organize this activity with other colleagues or older students so
that there are helpers in every center to check student’s work, guide them
and solve any problem. This way, it is also possible for you to stay in one
of the centers and lead Guided Reading, for example. If you are the only
teacher, make sure you find your own strategies to quickly move from one
center to another.
7. To avoid noise interference from one center to another, you can separate
them with screens. Students will enjoy this scenario since it provides a
touch of suspense and surprise.
102
electronic devices at home. If parents can help, they could bring some to
school. Always be prepared in case a couple of students forget their
materials.
9. You can work with centers in different ways. For instance, at the
beginning of the class, you can hand out tickets, coupons, codes,
passports (every center is a country for example), and other similar
possibilities.
10. Centers work for all students, but they are especially useful with large
classes and hyperactive students. There is a routine and at the same time
lots of chances to move and carry out different kinds of activities during a
limited period of time.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
103
Students’ Perceptions
Matías
Emilio
8vo básico
Escuela Balmaceda
Futrono, Chile, 2011
104
Go for it!
“[. . .] the child [. . .] is simply building up competence by listening via
comprehensible input. His first words in the second language are not the beginning
of his second language acquisition; rather they are the result of the comprehensible
input he has received over the previous months” (Krashen, 1985, p. 9).
Teaching Materials
2 sets of flashcards
Getting Ready
1. Place two desks and two chairs at the front of the class. Chairs should
face the class, not the board.
3) The first student who identifies the picture obtains a point for his/her
team. The winner is the team who will have the highest score.
Suggestions
2. Encourage children not only to identify the flashcards but also to utter
words or produce sentences.
3. Change scorekeepers and captains. Children love being leaders and play
at being the teacher.
4. Say the words two or three times. Then, encourage your children to do
so.
105
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Tabita
Nicolás
5th grade
Helvecia School
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
106
Follow the Leader
“Teachers who share warm, personal interactions with their
students, who respond to their concerns in an empathetic
manner and who succeed in establishing relationships of mutual
trust and respect with the learners are more likely to inspire
them in academic matters than those who have no personal ties
with the learners” (Dörnyei, 2008, p. 36).
Teaching Materials
CD, CD player
Getting Ready
1. Arrange chairs and desks before your students come into the class.
Leave enough space to form a circle.
2. Play the music as your students come in and invite them, through
verbal and non-verbal communication, to form a circle right away. Starting
the lesson with plenty of energy and rhythm can motivate your students to
get involved with the lesson from the very beginning.
Suggestions
1. Cha Cha Cha Slide by DJ Casper is highly recommended. You can find
this song on youtube.
2. You can use different kinds of songs to make your students dance.
However, songs in which students have to follow the leader are highly
recommended. Students can feel shy at the very beginning; thus, having
someone to follow will decrease anxiety levels. Moreover, imperatives are
usually short and, therefore, easier structures to be acquired.
3. You can carry out this activity at the beginning, in the middle of the
lesson or at the end in order to say goodbye in an enthusiastic way.
5. Do not force people who do not want to participate. They could help you
with the tape recorder/computer, they can be the judges or they can just
sit and observe. By listening and observing, acquisition can also occur.
107
6. Before dancing, you can also teach students a few steps such as stomp,
hop, remove freeze, clap, and other commands in order for them to feel
familiar with some main words and actions. Body language and flashcards
can help you reach this goal; however, it is necessary to keep in mind that,
when involved, students can learn to a greater extent. They can learn the
steps by listening to the lyrics and by following you as long as you provide
an abundant amount of comprehensible input.
7. This TPR activity can be very exhausting for you and, even for the
children. Therefore, provide your class with quieter activities after dancing
so that everybody can rest and recover.
Students’ Perceptions
Millaray
“The Cha cha cha slide song was AMAZING. Dancing in the class helps
students to learn vocabulary through one thing they do everyday:
listening to music. This kind of activity (songs) helps to create a
meaningful learning as it is completely related to the students’
context.”
Erwin
“The activity is very motivating because students forget that they are
in classes, but they continue learning.”
Daniela
3rd grade
English Teaching Program
Santo Tomás University
Puerto Montt, Chile, 2011
108
Happy Birthday!
“[ . . .] when students lose themselves in characters, plots and situations, they are more apt
to experience low anxiety, increased self-confidence and esteem, and heightened
awareness” (Richard-Amato, 2003, p.230).
Teaching Materials
Chairs
Getting Ready
4. Provide an example with one of the students by acting out what will
happen. Through observation, students will begin to comprehend the
activity.
3. (Talking to the first volunteer) Say “thank you”, open your imaginary
present and give a brief comment about it! For example, I love it, It is a
very nice present, or It’s lovely, thank you.
4. Who else would like to celebrate his/her own birthday and receive an
imaginary present?
Suggestions
1. You can arrange your chairs differently, for example, make a circle,
especially if you have very shy students who could feel uncomfortable
standing alone in front of the class.
109
showing the class it is heavy or tiny. Also, the person who is celebrating
his/her birthday should open the present and show signs of happiness
while opening it and surprise when seeing it. This activity will help them
learn how to use body language.
3. If your class has negative leaders who could spoil the activity with
inappropriate comments, give students a list of presents they can offer.
5. Avoid asking students questions such as: Who would like to give a
present to …? It may happen that no one raises his/her hand and, thus,
students’ feelings can be hurt. Since this is an affective activity, you
should act as a guide and facilitator at all times.
Source: Observed in Dr. Matamala’s Drama Sessions, 1997, Centro Cultural EL Austral,
Valdivia, Chile.
110
Students’ Perceptions
Valentina
3rd Grade
English Teaching Program, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
Gabriela
Kinder
Hampton College
Valdivia, Chile, 2014
111
20 years after …
“Teachers [. . .] have found that using a drama activity [. . .] has caught and held the
attention of the students and stimulated their creativity” (Gauder, 1990, p. 245).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Arrange your classroom. You will need a large space for your students
to move. A big circle without chairs is a nice idea.
2. Before starting, carry out some breathing and relaxation exercises for
your students to relax and focus.
2. Imagine twenty years have passed. You are now around 30/40 years
old. How are you? /Where do you live?/Where do you work?/ Are you
married?/ etc …
3. Open your eyes and stretch. Twenty years have passed and you have
changed a lot!
4. Via facebook, you have been invited to a get-together party with your
classmates from school.
6. As you hear three claps, stop and talk to your classmate who is next to
you. Greet each other and exchange personal information.
7. When you hear three claps again, stop talking and begin walking
silently again.
Suggestions
112
2. As a teacher you need to constantly move around in order to check if
students are exchanging information in English and not in Spanish and to
support them in improving production. You can also perform the activity
so that students do not feel the pressure of being permanently observed
and corrected by the teacher.
4. Bring some props from home just in case. In fact, it would be great to
have a prop box in the classroom and invite students and parents to fill it
in with different clothes and accessories such as wigs, glasses, bags, etc…
Keep in mind your students will need some time to understand how to
work with props in an organized and productive way.
5. Do not force students who do not want to wear props. They can just use
body language or just speak at the beginning if they happen to be too shy.
Source: Observed in Dr. Matamala’s Drama Sessions, 1997, Centro Cultural EL Austral,
Valdivia, Chile.
113
Students’ Perceptions
Juanito
Valentina
Joseph
Jorge
CORFO, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, 2012
114
All about you
"Thinking is a process of interaction between the child and the environment" (Gargiulo &
Kilgo, 2011, p.12)
Teaching Materials
None
Getting Ready
1. (Talking to one of the two students on your left or right side) Repeat my
sentence and add another one.
2. (Talking to the rest of the class) Listen carefully! Repeat all the
sentences you hear and, then, add an extra one. You cannot take notes.
Just listen.
Suggestions
1. If you have too many students, you can ask them to make two or more
circles. Memorizing so many sentences could become too challenging for
some children.
115
4. Since this is a game based on repetition, it is very probable that
students repeat incorrect pronunciation, lexicon and/or structures. In this
case, the teacher and group captain should gently intervene, hopefully
through indirect correction, but do not let the mistakes be repeated over
and over; it could cause fossilization.
Students’ Perceptions
Alejandro
David
FOCAL SKILLS Children’s Group
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
116
Who am I?
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
5. When you are ready, put your thumb up and return your paper to the
fish bowl.
6. I will read every piece of paper. Listen and try to guess which classmate
we are talking about.
Suggestions
2. If you do not have a fish bowl, you can use any kind of container that
could be attractive to your students, for example, a hat. What matters is
that you intend to capture their attention.
117
4. You will doubtlessly find mistakes while reading the sentences. When
possible, correct them naturally, with sense of humor and with a positive
attitude so as not to intimidate your students. For example, students can
have a lot of fun correcting mistakes such as “I have one eye”.
Students’ Perceptions
Juan
Marcelo
“It is very good but I must know vocabulary for playing it. I
recommend it!”
Ana-María
FOCAL SKILL Adult’s Group
Valdivia, Chile, 2012
118
Story writing
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. If you have time, you can place the papers on the students’ desks before
they enter their classroom.
1. Clean your desks. You will only need a piece of paper and a pen/pencil.
2. When I say “Go”, start writing a story. Do not stop till you hear the
timer.
3. When you hear the timer, stand up and move to any other seat. Leave
your piece of paper on the desk.
4. When you hear “Go”, read your new story and continue writing it till you
hear the timer again.
5. I will let you know when you have to start ending up your story.
6. Ready? 1 … 2 … 3 … GO!
Suggestions
1. You can tell your students they can use sense of humor but remind
them that they are in a classroom and that content should always be
appropriate.
2. If you do not have or do not want to use a timer, you can clap hands,
use a whistle, play music, and other similar strategies.
3. For the first round, give students a certain amount of time to write their
sentences (1 or 2 minutes).Then, ask them if they need more time.
4. Ask them to write legibly. Some students could have a really hard time
trying to figure out what others have written and this could affect their
own performance.
119
5. Observe your students attentively during the activity. When they look
tired, puzzled, or bored, tell them there will be two more turns to finish
their stories.
7. To avoid frustration, you can tell your students that they do not have to
complete an idea before hearing the timer. Ideas can be interrupted; it is
part of the game!
9. After ending up the activity, you could use the Focused Rewrite
Technique to keep track of students’ progress.
10. It is also a good idea to collect all the writing pieces and select the
ones that make more sense. It may happen that some of them are
illegible, unclear, incomplete and/or inappropriate.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
120
Students’ Perceptions
Jorge
Felipe
CORFO, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2012
121
What about a cookie?
“ [. . .] a student learns when he is having a good time, when concepts are related to his
own life experiences, when he is free to differ, agree or request information, [ . . . ]”
(Waissbluth, 2013, p.202).10
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. Measure it.
3. Based on the length and width of the cookie pack, cut as many pieces of
wrapping paper as you need, depending on the amount of questions your
students will need to answer.
4. Cut pieces of paper and write or print, for example, questions about
personal information on them.
5. Glue the pieces of paper on the inner side of the wrapping paper, in the
middle of it.
6. Wrap the cookie pack with all the wrapping paper pieces and twist both
ends with ribbons.
7. Tell your class you have a present for them and invite them to unwrap
it.
1. This present has many wrapping paper scraps. Who would like to start
unwrapping it? Is there a volunteer?
2. (Talking to the volunteer) Remove the first wrapping paper, read your
question out loud and try to answer the question.
10
“ [. . . ] un alumno aprende cuando está entretenido, cuando los conceptos se relacionan
con su experiencia de vida, cuando interactúa con sus pares, cuando tiene la libertad de
discrepar, disentir o consultar temas, [. . .]” (Waissbluth, 2013, p.202). [Translation into
English by Yasna Yilorm]
122
3. We will keep on unwrapping the present till we get to know what it is.
Who would like to be the next volunteer?
Suggestions
1. You can start asking students what they think the present will be.
Guesses will lower students’ levels of anxiety.
3. When students find out what the present is, I would suggest you to give
them a 5 minute break for them to share the cookies.
4. Make sure there is one cookie for each student. Also, always have
something extra to eat such as a fruit in case a child is allergic to
chocolate, for instance.
6. Instead of gluing your questions, use a piece of tape that could be easily
removed. This strategy could allow you to reuse the same wrapping paper
with other groups of students or to review other content material.
Source: Observed in a lesson taught by Loreto Barrientos, student attending Learning
Teaching Strategies Course at UACh, 2011.
123
Students’ Perceptions
"El ejercicio que realizamos con las galletas fue una experiencia
realmente buena y creativa, ya que nadie esperaba galletas de
premio después de una actividad. Esto nos ayudó a fomentar nuestra
capacidad de participación dentro de las clases. Además, hay que
señalar que ayudó a la interacción de la profesora con los alumnos, ya
que también esto formó parte de una muestra de cariño para sus
alumnos."
José
Julio
1st grade
Ingeniería Comercial, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
124
Looking for a star
“Games contribute to vocabulary learning if they give students a chance to learn, practice
and to review the English language in a pleasant atmosphere” (Thanh & Thu, n.d).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. Cut two sets of about ten middle-sized stars, one color each, for example
red and yellow.
4. Divide the board into two. Place red stars on one side and yellow ones
on the on the other. This classroom decoration will catch your students’
attention to start the class.
2. When I say “Go”, the first student of the row will quickly walk towards
the board and will pick up a star.
3. Give it to me and I will read you the question. As soon as you are ready,
answer it out loud and move to the end of the row and it will be your
classmate’s time to play. Each time you answer a question appropriately,
you get a point for your team. If you do not know, just say “next” and
quickly move to the end of the row. It will be your classmate’s time to
answer it.
4. Time will be over when the timer rings. The teacher/score keeper will
count your correct answers and write the number on the board.
6. The group that gathers the highest amount of correct answers will win
this game.
125
Suggestions
3. Do not write directly on your stars. You could use them for another
class and/or activity.
4. Be careful with long queues. Especially at the end of the row, students
could get bored. As a consequence, it is very probable that some students
start pushing others. A very practical idea could be to have small groups of
students that could rotate. Teamwork, cooperation and partnership can
become very effective learning tools if used appropriately.
126
Students’ Perceptions
Antonia
Vasny
3rd grade
Martin Luther King
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
127
Act it out!
“[ . . .], there is an intimate relationship between language and the child’s body. Utterances,
usually commands from adults, are used to manipulate the orientation, location of the
child’s entire body” (Asher, 2003, p.2-3).
Teaching Materials
A book
Getting Ready
2. Ask your students to stand up and lead some breathing and relaxation
exercises for them to feel comfortable moving their bodies.
For example, the beginning of the breathing and relaxation session could
start as follows:
1. Now that you feel more relaxed, choose a place in the classroom and
stay there for a while till you hear instructions.
3. Listen to the story you hear and act it out when you hear the main
actions.
4. Once the story is over, close your eyes and start breathing slowly and
deeply again.
5. Once you hear your teacher’s voice, open your eyes and follow
instructions.
Suggestions
128
2. Do not force students to join breathing and relaxation activities. They
can also stay in their seats and observe others. If you can show them these
exercises are positive, fun and relaxing, they will probably ask for an extra
chance to join.
3. If this is the first time you attempt a breathing and relaxation exercise,
let your students work with their eyes open. This strategy will permit them
to listen and see what the actions are about. Moreover, it could be less
intimidating for them.
6. As a post activity, you can ask your students to work in groups and
create a new ending for the story and then perform it. While one group is
performing, the rest of the class could try to guess the different endings.
Source: Adapted from Roberto Matamala’s Drama Sessions, 1997, Centro Cultural EL
Austral, Valdivia, Chile.
129
Students’ Perceptions
Valentina
Pamela
4th grade
English Language Major, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
Helena
Kinder
Hampton College
Valdivia, Chile, 2014
130
Ball tossing
“ [ . . .] teachers should also incorporate contents and materials that the students’ appraisal
systems might categorise as potive – that is, novel, pleasant, relevant, comprehensible and
with potential for identification” (Glas, 2013, p.140).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
Suggestions
1. The ball should be soft and light, so that children do not get hurt.
2. You use different kinds of balls, not only to catch the attention of your
students, but also to keep on teaching or reviewing content material such
as colors, sizes, texture, sport games, etc …
3. Ball tossing helps students focus on the content you are teaching in an
unconscious way. In general, most of the children want to catch the ball.
Therefore, their intrinsic motivation increases and they are more willing to
participate.
4. Ball tossing can also be used to play tricks on students. It can be used
to surprise students in an entertaining way. For example, you can tell
them you are about to throw the ball but then, you don’t and pretend it is
stuck in your hands. The key point in here is to use the ball as an
instrument of surprise and humor.
5. It may happen that some students feel intimidated with ball tossing
because they do not know the answer or they simply feel they are not ready
to speak. My suggestion would be to not throw the ball to students who do
not want to participate from the very beginning as it does occur in the
Communicative Approach. Give them time to understand what is going on
in the classroom, the teacher’s question or instructions and listen to
131
different possible answers. Flashcards, manipulatives and body language
are always of great help!
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA.
Students’ Perceptions
Valentina
“Encontré que es una forma didáctica de aprender inglés, ya que no es
fácil. Ojalá siempre hiciéramos clases así, nos entretendríamos y
aprenderíamos mucho.”
María-Constanza
6th grade
Escuela Alemania
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
132
Guess who it is!
“If communication is [T]he aim, then it should be [T]he major element in the process” (Brumfit
& Johnson, 1994, p.167).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
4. Make a set of cards, one for each picture in the board. Give names to
people.
3. (Talking to the class) You will have to guess what picture your classmate
has chosen. Ask questions related to their clothes, physical
characteristics, and/or professions.
4. When you know the character, ask the following question: Is it Pedro?
Suggestions
1. You may use famous people to be placed in each square. This is also a
great opportunity for you to introduce positive leaders in the world. Just
make sure you are very neutral.
2. You can also work with your own student’s faces. School staff could also
be part of the game. Encourage your students to say nice things about the
members of their school community.
3. Help students to ask at least three questions before trying to identify the
character right away.
133
4. Invite students who have guessed appropriately to the front to choose
another character. It is an excellent idea since it could increase some
students’ motivation and enthusiasm. However, since some other students
could feel intimidated with this strategy, do not overuse it or just look for
volunteers at first. We do not want students to feel nervous about
participating because it would mean going to the front. Always tailor your
activity to your classroom.
Source: Observed in a Symtalk workshop conducted by its author, Maurice Hazan. Loudoun
County Public Schools, VA, USA. 2011
Students’ Perceptions
Karla
Fernando
6th grade
“Adivinar es entretenido.”
Monserrat
7th grade
Taller de Inglés Entretenido, Escuela de Verano, Universidad Austral de
Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
134
Which one is false?
“Second language acquisition is primarily emotionally driven and emotion underlies most, if
not all, cognition” (Schumann, 1998, p. 10).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Cut small rectangular pieces of paper, one for each student in your
class.
Suggestions
1. Move around the classroom and support your students during their
writing process.
2. You can also encourage peer-editing once the activity is over. Ask
students to exchange their sentences and have them improve their written
communication.
3. Advise students to write sentences using the English they already know.
When instructions are too open, students will tend to translate and they
could make more mistakes. Let’s avoid sad feelings because writing is full
of corrections.
135
4. Tell your students not to write too obvious information such as I have
got blond hair and, in fact, it is black. There should be challenges for
others to find out what sentence is false.
5. When students know each other, this activity can become more
challenging. However, it is also an excellent way to get to know classmates
deeply.
Source: Activity learned in the Textbook Inside out. Pre-intermediate Level by Philipp Kerr.
Students’ Perceptions
Daniela
Sandra
CORFO, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2012
136
KWL chart
“[ . . .] most of the materials that ordinary people seek for entertainment and enlightenment
are authentic. People enjoy authentic materials and eagerly devote hours of their time to
reading or viewing them. They provide a depth of interest and a breadth of variety that
cannot be found in even the most outstanding textbook series” (Hastings & Murphy, 2002,
para 2).
Teaching Materials
Paper, pens/pencils
Getting Ready
1. Design a chart in which there is a column for K (know), one for W (would like
to know) and a third one for L (learned).
K W L
2. Then, write three healthy foods you would like to try. Draw quick
pictures.
3. At the end of the class, you will complete the last column to see how
much you have learned.
137
Suggestions
1. You can also have your students complete only one column in the
poster that you leave on the wall till all the columns have been completed.
If the topic sounds interesting, cooperative learning should occur.
2. This KWL chart can also be used for guided reading activities. Children
are especially curious about stories their parents or friends read with
them.
3. To make the activity more natural, you could even ask these three
questions orally without necessarily having to complete a chart.
4. To keep good track of your students’ learning progress, you could ask
them to complete each row with related ideas. For example,
K W L
6. When working with older students, you can encourage them to add
quotes in the Learned column. This strategy will also help them respect
other people’s ideas and avoid plagiarism. You could suggest and
introduce APA style.
Source: FLES Teachers (2004-2007), Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, USA
138
Students’ Perceptions
Marisela
"In my opinion, the KWL Chart is very useful. It helps to let students
identify what they know and are looking forward to learn, and finally
to give both the teacher and students a feeling of achievement."
"En mi opinión, la KWL Chart es muy útil. Ayuda para que los
estudiantes identifiquen lo que saben y esperan aprender, y
finalmente para darle tanto al profesor como a los estudiantes un
sentimiento de logro."
Stefanie
4th grade
English Teaching Program, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
139
Who is next?
“It is very difficult to remain on task and be attentive when the input received is totally
incomprehensible” (Ariza et al, 2003, p.39).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
4. On another piece of paper, write the definition of the animal you just
wrote on the previous card.
1. (Distributing cards) All of you should look at the name of the animal
written on your card, except for one student. (Talking to Juan) You should
read your description.
2. Listen to the description very carefully. If you happen to have the animal
your classmate is talking about, raise your hand, say the name of the
animal, turn your paper down and read your definition.
3. Then, it will be one of your classmates’ turn to identify the animal, say
its name and keep on working the same way till everybody has had a turn.
Suggestions
1. Check your cards very carefully at home. Make sure every animal has a
definition. If you forget a definition, the activity will not work and you will
probably feel very uncomfortable in front of your students. If possible, I
would recommend that you carry out the activity with other people before.
140
2. Add a picture next to the animal to provide comprehensible input. Even
if students have practiced the lexicon before, some of them might have
forgotten the words.
4. After you have carried out the activity, encourage your students to do it
again but faster. If they feel more confident, it will be more efficient.
6. All kinds of content can be taught or reviewed through this activity. For
example, past tenses, stories, dialogues, among others.
Source: Observed in North Virginia Community College, Sterling, Loudoun County, Virginia,
USA. 2007
141
Students’ Perceptions
Fernando
“This activity is good because you listen to verbs and then you can
remember the verbs.”
Marcelo
FOCAL SKILL Group
Valdivia, Chile, 2012
142
Let’s celebrate!
“To bring children and books together successfully, children have to experience the
pleasures of reading. They have to hear stories, make predictions, visualize characters, talk
about plottwists, imagine story settings, emotionally respond to characters, and think with
new information” (Robb, 1996, p. 6).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Write a note to parents and tell them that you are organizing a very
special activity to celebrate Christmas or any other event with your
children. Inform them that you need a very cheap present (setting up a
price is a very good idea) that could be fine for any student in the class.
Most importantly, also ask them to wrap the present.
2. Write a story in which the words ‘left’, ‘right’ and ‘across’ are frequently
named. Write your story based on your students’ interests. You could also
refer to Christmas or any other special time.
3. Through different activities, practice the words ‘left’, ‘right’ and ‘across’
beforehand. Thus, students become familiar with the vocabulary.
2. Listen to the story I tell you and every time you hear ‘left’, ‘right’ or
‘across’, follow the directions and give your present to the classmate on
your right: the one on your left, on your right or across.
3. When the story finishes, you can keep the present you have in your
hands.
4. If you happen to have your own present, you can exchange it with
another classmate.
5. When each one of you has a present, wait for my instructions and then,
open it.
143
Suggestions
1. Ask parents to send the present a few days before the activity, to make
sure all students receive a present.
2. Just in case, buy a few presents. You do not want to have a kid without
a present or a kid with no chance to participate.
3. If you are working in a school in which parents cannot afford any kind
of presents, ask the school for some help and buy a few candies you could
also wrap.
4. Apart from setting up prices, you can also define the kind of present
that is required. For example, chocolate (if all your students can eat them,
of course).
5. Students love to be part of the story. Therefore, you can use their own
names and experiences. Always check that all of the students will be
named and appreciated in the story.
7. If everybody has chocolate bars or candies, you could give them a break
to eat their snack. Encourage sharing!
8. You can carry out this activity at any moment of the year, to celebrate
something or to praise your students’ job.
144
Students’ Perceptions
Josefina
Javier
6to grade
Windsor School
Valdivia, Chile, 2012
145
Rhyming words
“The repetitive nature of most children's songs and rhymes help students learn vocabulary
and the rhythm of the language” (Brown, 2006, para. 6).
Teaching Materials
A red apple
Getting Ready
Arrange your classroom and leave a large open space to invite students to
form a circle and sit on the floor crisscross apple sauce.
1. I will give one of you a red apple and while we rhyme words, you should
pass the apple to the friend on your right side.
2. If you have the apple when we finish rhymes, it is your turn to tell
others what your name is.
3. Let’s start! Take the apple. The rhyme goes like this:
Suggestions
1. This activity is specially meant for the little ones. If you would like to
adapt it to older ones, Hot Potato is a great possibility.
2. Depending on the content you are teaching, you can change the
questions. Always check if your new lyrics rhyme. Rhyming catches
students’ attention and is also useful for retention.
3. Although the original song in Spanish says Perú, you can change the
country. It will help your students to gain cross-curricular knowledge. You
can also replace the word apple if you need to reinforce other contents.
4. Since you are dealing with food, it is always positive to bring them
something to eat; especially if it is healthy food.
146
5. You can use a manipulative or a real apple. I would recommend that
you use a false one since children tend to ask for it at the end of the
activity. It is not advisable either to show students we can play with food.
Source: Observed in North Virginia Community College, Sterling, Loudoun County, Virginia,
USA. 2007
Students’ Perceptions
Sebastián
“Yo opino que jugar en inglés está bien porque nosotros aprendemos
mucho más así, también aprovechamos de jugar.”
Josefa
Master College
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
147
Can you guess?
“[. . .] self motivation, rather than external motivation, is at the heart of creativity,
responsibility, healthy behavior, and lasting change” (Deci, 1996, p. 9, as cited in Mateos,
2012, p. 8).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Ask students to bring a special object from home and a bag to hide it in.
1. (Talking to a volunteer) Keep your object in your bag and give a hint
about it to your classmates. For example, “It is a school object”.
2. (Talking to the rest of the students) Ask questions about the object in
order to guess what it is.
3. The first one to guess can show his/her object hidden in the bag for
others to start guessing.
Suggestions
1. To avoid any kind of difficulties, give the students some ideas about
which object they could bring. For example, agree on a specific size or kind
of object.
2. If you have students with a lower level of English, you can adapt this
activity by teaching a few structures through modeling. For instance, show
your object and tell the students: “It is small and round”; “I use it to pay my
bus ticket”; “What is it?”
3. In case a student has forgotten to bring an object, just ask him to look
for something he/she has in his/her pocket.
148
5. Be careful with some objects that are special. This is an affective activity
and some students can become very emotionally involved. In this case,
parents can be of great help in choosing the object at home. If students
start crying, just try to help the student finish the presentation and ask for
a big round of applause.
6. Some students may think that this is a great opportunity for them to
show an expensive toy or jewelry. Prepare your students for this activity so
that they understand it is not meant for showing off but rather for sharing
personal and significant experiences.
149
Students’ Perceptions
Karla
Camila
4th grade
English Teaching Program, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, 2011
150
How about me?
“[ . . .] knowing a word well involves knowing a range of aspects of the world, including its
mening, form and use” (I.S.P Nation, 2008, p. 5).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. Cut pieces of tape, one for each student. Before starting the activity, roll
them and place them on your desk.
2. When I say ready, you can open your eyes and stretch.
3. All of you have a piece of paper on your backs. Take a pencil/pen and
stand up.
4. Move around the classroom and gently write a positive adjective on each
of your classmates’ papers placed on their backs.
Suggestions
1. Please tell your students that positive adjectives are expected. This is an
affective activity not only meant to acquire adjectives but also to increase
students’ self-esteem.
2. Also, check if they are all using their pencils gently. Some of them could
start punching other students’ backs.
4. You are very welcome to participate. On one hand, you will be able to
supervise your students’ work and see if all adjectives are positive and
appropriate. And, on the other hand, your students will appreciate that
you value their character.
151
5. I strongly recommend you play some soft and pleasant music while
papers are being placed on students’ backs. It will relax them and help
them strengthen a positive attitude towards the English class and their
classmates.
7. When everybody is ready, then, tell them they can go to their seats and
savor all the compliments.
8. Encourage them to keep the piece of paper and read it when they feel
down.
Students’ Perceptions
Lorena
Patricio
CORFO, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, 2012
152
What about you?
“[. . .] students are actively engaged in constructing meaning and making sense of the
interesting world presented to them through the vehicle of the target language” (Curtain &
Dahlberg, 2010, p.283).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Leave enough space in your classroom for having two circles, a small
one inside a bigger one.
3. Make a small circle with half of the chairs. These should not face each
other. Turn them so that people do not look at each other.
4. With the rest of the chairs, form another circle around the small one
you have just formed. This time, chairs have to face people who belong to
the small circle.
2. (Talking to students who belong to the inner circle) Once the first
conversation is over, you should move one place to the right and, then,
share personal information with another classmate.
3. (Talking to students who belong to the outer circle) Once the first
conversation is over, you should move one place to the left and, then,
share personal information with another classmate.
153
Suggestions
1. If you do not have time to arrange seats and desks before students
arrive, plan an efficient classroom strategy for your students to get
organized and make the circles. Give students specific roles to play during
classroom arrangement.
2. Apply the same strategy when you are done with the activity.
3. Instead of using a whistle, you can play music, clap hands or make a
gesture, depending on your own abilities and/or students’ characteristics.
5. When giving instructions, tell students how much time they will be able
to speak (1 minute, for example). If not, they might feel frustrated if they
are suddenly interrupted, especially if students have a higher command of
the language.
7. You can adapt this activity to your students’ language levels, needs and
interests. For example, instead of exchanging personal information, they
can read short stories to each other or play brief games.
8. Ideally, all students should meet each other. However, this will depend
on the amount of students you have, time constraints and student’s
motivation.
154
Students’ Perceptions
“Me gustaron mucho los círculos rodantes, ya que con ellos se rompe
el hielo inicial en un curso. Permiten desarrollar mejor el lenguaje
hablado y generar confianza entre quienes participan.”
Sandra
Fernanda
4th grade
English Major, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
155
CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
156
Blind hen
"Children love touching everything. They are able to experience their world through their
hands. Their sense of touching can be developed more effectively if eyes are blindfolded.
They are challenged to recognize an object with their fingers” (Wolf, 1979, p.25).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Look for realia or toys related to the contents you are teaching.
1. I will cover your eyes with this blindfold. You are not supposed to see.
Just in case, keep your eyes closed.
Suggestions
2. Always check whether your students can or cannot see through the
blindfold. After covering the student’s eyes, show him/her a few fingers
and ask how many fingers they can see. This exercise will promote
enthusiasm for students and get them more involved. It is also an
entertaining way to review numbers.
4. Children love this game. Give your students enough room so that they
all can see the item. This is important because it will increase enthusiasm
and participation of all students in the class.
157
Students’ Perceptions
“Es bueno porque pude aprender más tocando porque es más fácil.”
Beatriz
Graciela
5to básico básico
Leonardo Da Vinci
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
158
Let’s play in the woods
“[ . . .] this activity is great to get
children to relate something they are learning in a fereign language
to their own knowledge and cultural background. Also, the fact that
they can actually understand the meaning of the song thanks to this is
very motivating” (Paredes, personal communication, 2013).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. Tell students to place 5 crayons on their desks and identify the colors
they will need, one by one.
1. Sing along with me and very carefully listen for what piece of clothing
and what color of clothing the wolf is putting on.
2. As soon as you hear the color, look for the right crayon and color the
piece of clothing accordingly.
3. Continue singing and coloring until the wolf is fully dressed and ready
to come out to the Woods.
Suggestions
1. While students are coloring, teachers can continue singing and act out
as if they were playing “Juguemos en el Bosque”. You can use a wolf
puppet, non-verbal communication and/or wear a mask to look like a wolf
in order to make this teaching experience more authentic.
159
2. Students can be given as little as10 to 15 seconds to color. Make sure
you count out loud and slow enough so that everybody can complete the
activity. Arts and crafts activities in the English classroom need to be
guided. If not, they become art lessons instead of English ones.
3. When the wolf is fully dressed, students will probably be very excited
waiting for the wolf to come. Collect handouts as quickly as possible,
pretending that you are in a hurry because the wolf is coming. Then,
encourage your students to be quiet. If the wolf does not hear any noises,
he will leave and everybody will be safe.
5. Also, the wolf could be introduced as a positive character so that all kids
could feel comfortable.
160
Students’ Perceptions
Gabriela
Juan José
Hampton College
Kinder
Valdivia, Chile, 2014
161
Finger spelling
“When preparing your lesson, [ . . .] you may need need a light filler to provide relief after a
period of intense effort and concentration” (Wright, et.al, 2006).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Gather sand.
2. Give a plastic plate to each student and place a portion of sand on every
plate.
1. Using your finger, write the letter/s you hear in the sand.
2. After checking if your letter is correct, erase it from the sand board by
gently moving the plate from side to side and then, write the next letter.
Suggestions
162
Students’ Perceptions
Michael
Marcelo
3ro básico
Escuela Holanda
Valdivia, Chile, 2012
163
Papaya
"Culture is who we are. It is a wellspring of imagination, a source
of belonging at a time of change and a force for innovation in an age of limits” (Bokova,
2014, in Howson and Dubber, 2014, p.2)
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. For each group, cut small pieces of paper and write words related to the
content you are teaching, for example, infinitive forms of irregular verbs.
Fold them in two.
4. Form groups and deliver one plastic bag and one die per group.
1. Open your plastic bag and place all the pieces of paper on your desk.
2. Roll the die one at a time to decide who will start playing first. It could
be the highest or the lowest number.
3. Hold all of the pieces of paper in your hand. Turn your hand over and
open your fist, your palm facing upwards. Throw all pieces of paper in the
air at once. While pieces of paper are floating in the air, turn your hand
over again. The more pieces of paper that land on the back of your hand,
the better; this will give you the chance to identify more past tenses and,
therefore, win more points. If your answer is correct, you can keep the
piece/s of paper. If not, you must return it/them back to the pile.
5. The winner is the student who has the largest amount of paper.
164
Suggestions
2. You can also teach other contents through this activity, but since
irregular verbs are so difficult to master and students do not generally feel
motivated to do so, teaching and learning them through humor and games
will help students acquire them more naturally.
3. Students can also prepare their own bags with words. Writing verbs can
help them get familiarized with irregular verbs. I would recommend that
you start only with 10 verbs. When they have acquired those 10, you can
introduce another set.
4. Appointing a captain per group will help organize group work. Sharing
the power with students will also challenge them to be more independent
to make their own decisions.
165
Students’ Perceptions
Yisela
Sebastián
8vo año
Colegio Balmaceda
Futrono, Chile, 2011
166
Azucarcandia
“Games increase learners’ proficiency in practicing grammar communicatively. With the help
of grammar games, students can develop their ability in using language as they are given a
chance to use language in the situations which have a purpose” (Deesri, 2000, p. 3, in
Yolageldili and Arikan, 2011, p. 223).
Teaching Materials
Pieces of paper
Getting Ready
1. Take your paper with action words written on it. Fold them.
2. Choose a few students (four is a good number) from the class and ask
them to stand up and come to the front.
3. Pick up a piece of paper and hide it flat between both hands. Ask
students in the front of the class to place their hands the same way you
are holding your hands when playing azucarcandia.
4. With your hands tight, say the following rhyme to your students:
Azucarcandia, azucarcandia,
Here? There?
Where?
And, secretly, pass the piece of paper to a student by dropping it into their
hands.
5. Tell the four students who are participating not to show that they have
the piece of paper and not to move their hands.
6. Choose one student from the rest of the class to answer the question.
167
Instructions for Students
1. (Talking to the class) Tell me: Where is the piece of paper? Who is
holding it?
2. If your guess is right, the student who has the piece of paper will have
to open it and follow directions such as (sing, dance, jump, etc…)
If your guess is wrong, one of the students will have to carry out the
action.
Suggestions
4. Add a touch of humor when students are performing the actions. For
example, “count up to 30 and jump on one foot at the same time”. Humor
provides a positive atmosphere to students.
5. Advise students who are in the front not to show others that they are
holding a piece of paper. This way, guesses will be more challenging.
168
Students’ Perceptions
Laura
5th grade, Domus Mater
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
Gabriela
Pre-Kinder. Mi Rincón
Valdivia, Chile, 2012
169
Hula hoop
“ [ . . . ] linguistic knowledge is not conscious knowledge. The linguistic system – the sounds,
structures, meanings, words, and rules for putting them all together – is learned
subconsciously with no awareness that rules are being learned” (Fromkin et al, 2003, p.13).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Arrange your classroom and leave an open space, big enough for hula-
hooping without hitting others.
2. Enter the classroom holding your hula-hoop. This will catch your
students’ attention right away.
1. Are you ready for your own turn? Is there a volunteer to play this game?
2. (After you pick a student) We will keep on playing until everyone who
wants to hula-hoop has a turn.
Suggestions
1. If you are good at hula-hooping, stop the game when students start
showing difficulties with bigger numbers or when it is getting too long.
3. You can also combine your teaching materials: hula-hoop, rope and/or
yoyo. Students love and appreciate choices. They see more chances to be
successful. Variety will help you reach more students and it will make
your teaching more democratic as well.
170
4. If your class is enthusiastic and has a good attitude towards
competition, you can form groups. Students can count the numbers they
reach as points. It is an excellent way for them to reinforce other content
areas such as Mathematics in this case.
5. You can reinforce other contents such as days of the week, months
of the year, ABCs, seasons, among other themes that can be named in
a sequential way.
6. If you are short of time or if your students are really good at hula-
hooping, tell them that they have to stop hula-hooping when they reach a
specific number or letter.
171
Students’ Perceptions
Gabriela
Pre-Kinder
Jardín Mi Rincón
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
Fernando
Kinder
Martin Luther King.
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
172
TIC-TAC-TOE
“Games have become crucially important for English language learners and teachers not
only because they provide enjoyment and relaxation, but also as they encourage students
to use their language in a creative and communicative manner (Yolageldini & Arikan, 2011,
p.1).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Place on the board nine flashcards, related to the content of the lesson,
in three horizontal rows of three flashcards each as when playing “el gato”.
3. Divide the class into 2 teams and assign letter X to one group and letter
O to the other one.
4. Ask for a first volunteer from Team X to come to the board and start
playing Tic-Tac-Toe.
1. Choose a flashcard and identify its name out loud. If your answer is
right, take out the flashcard and place either X or O depending on the
group you belong to. If it is wrong, you lose a turn and the other group can
play.
2. The first team that can form three matching letters, such as XXX or
OOO in a horizontal, vertical and/or diagonal line, should say Tic-Tac-Toe
out loud and, therefore, wins the game.
Suggestions
1. You do not necessarily have to work with flashcards. You can challenge
students with questions, commands, riddles, tongue twisters, etc …
2. Depending on the objectives of your lesson, you can play other versions
such as asking both groups to ask and answer questions to each other. If
answers are right, then winners are allowed to play Tic-Tac-Toe by
marking X or O.
173
3. Since this game is not only a matter of knowing the vocabulary in
English but also an opportunity for students to show their logical
intelligence through the selection of appropriate strategies, some students’
affective filter can increase while being in front of the class. Always
encourage your students to try to do their best!
4. Since this is teamwork, it may happen that some members of the group
show students who are playing their discontent by giving them negative
comments. Since this attitude is considered unacceptable behavior, tell
students that if they have a negative attitude towards others’ performance,
teams will lose turns.
Students’ Perceptions
Fernanda
“Las mujeres nos ganaron pero igual uno aprende tal vez ganando o
perdiendo.”
Javier
Nicolás
8th grade, Colegio Balmaceda
Futrono, Chile, 2011
174
Hide and seek
“ [ . . .] the essencial element in developing fluency lies in the opportunity for the meaningful
use of vocabulary in tasks with a low cognitive load” (Nation, 1994, p.viii).
Teaching Materials
Classroom Realia
Getting Ready
1. At the beginning of the class, ask students if they want to play “la
Escondida” in the English classroom (A positive answer is to be expected).
1. (Talking to the person counting) Face the board, close your eyes and
count up to 20.
2. (Talking to the student who is going to hide) Silently find a place to hide.
Go, hurry up!
3. (Talking to the person counting) Ready? Now you get to twenty seconds,
find your hidden classmate.
5. (Talking to the rest of the students) Do you all agree? Encourage peer
correction if necessary.
Suggestions
1. In order to save time and avoid accidents, give students a set of possible
safe places in which they can hide, such as, “under the teacher’s desk”,
“behind the jackets and schoolbags”, and similar places.
2. If you want to reinforce other subjects, you can ask your students to say
the months of the year, the days of the week, the ABCs, etc… instead of
saying numbers while counting.
3. Students need to be told that they should count slowly to give enough
time for the student to hide.
175
4. While the person counting is looking for his/her hidden classmate,
encourage the students to count up to twenty so they can continue
reviewing the numbers.
5. To involve and encourage all students, ask the class to help the person
counting find the hiding student by using the words cold, warm and hot,
depending on how close the finder is.
6. Be careful! Some children could leave your room because in their minds,
this game is usually played outside.
Students’ Perceptions
Karen
Mirko
3ro Básico, El Laurel
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
176
Picking up sticks
“To prepare learners to perform in authentic settings, they must be allowed to practice in
social settings” (Egbert, 2005, p.6).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Look for a set of different colored plastic sticks in an arts and crafts
store.
2. Arrange your classroom so that the students can sit on the floor and
form a circle.
1. Have a student drop all the sticks at once in the middle of the circle.
4. After picking up a stick, say its color and the amount of sticks you have
out loud. For example, children can say: “2 blue sticks” or “I have 2 blue
sticks!”
5. After all the sticks are gone, add up your points in silence.
7. The leader should verify results and write the scores on the board.
8. The student who has the highest amount of points is the winner of the
game.
177
Suggestions
1. If you have trouble finding different colored plastic sticks in the arts and
crafts store, you may use kebab sticks and color them. If so, make sure
you cut off pointed ends to avoid an accident.
4. Make sure students count in English and not in Spanish. You can ask
team leaders to be in charge of verifying if rules are being respected.
5. The amount of points each stick is worth can change and your students
can decide this. This strategy will allow them to get quickly involved in the
activity.
6. You can switch leaders every round so that everyone gets a chance to
drop the sticks, count the points and encourage the use of English.
7. With younger children, you can adapt this game by placing sticks on a
desk and by asking them to pick the right sticks. For example, “show me
two yellow sticks”.
178
Students’ Perceptions
Fernando
“I think that the picking up sticks is very funny and I can remember
contents from other classes.”
Ana-María
FOCAL SKILLS Adult’s Group
Valdivia, Chile, 2012
179
Sea, earth and air
“Buiding up a useful vocabulary is central to the learning of a foreign language at primary
level” (Cameron, 2008, p.72).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
3. Ask for volunteers to stand on one side of the rope. Three to four
students can comfortably play with one meter of rope.
1. As you hear one of the words from the flashcards, jump to that side of
the rope.
2. If you jump to the wrong side or do not jump when you need to, you
must go back to your seat and another classmate will have a turn.
Suggestions
1. Do not force students who are not good at jumping or who do not have
good coordination skills to participate. They could also be part of a jury
who determines who the winner is for each round of the game.
2. Instead of a rope, you can also use a piece of masking tape. Just make
sure that you will be able to peel it off quickly after you finish your lesson.
3. If students ask you to declare a winner, you can invite those who have
survived the longest to play a final round.
180
4. If possible, plan this activity in advance and ask students to wear tennis
shoes or other comfortable shoes.
5. If the lexicon has been well acquired, you can place two words on each
side of the rope and challenge your students to listen to four words
instead. Have high expectations.
6. To add a touch of humor and ensure that all students have a turn, you
can speak more quickly, which will imply that even the best English
students and jumpers will make mistakes.
7. If a student would like to play without jumping, you can play extra
rounds where jumping is not required and just moving is accepted. This
way, all students will be able to enjoy the activity no matter their skills
and/or interests.
181
Students’ Perceptions
“Mi opinión del lazo es que es una forma de aprender y quiero jugar
todos los días.”
Kimberly
Catalina
3rd Grade
Colegio Gandhi
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
182
Raffle time!
“Communicative games give language learning a whole new meaning. Learning takes place
[. . .] while the students are engaged in a self-motivating activity (Shameem and Tickoo,
1990, p. vii).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. Show it to the students and tell them that there will be a raffle at the
end of the class. Anxiety levels should decrease.
Instructions for Students
3. Once you have answered, write your name on the piece of paper, fold it
and place it in the fishbowl.
4. I will choose one piece of paper. If the answer is right, the student who
wrote that answer, will get the prize.
Suggestions
1. You are welcome to choose the prize you find most appropriate for your
students. However, school supplies that could be used in the English class
or teaching materials to reinforce contents such as books, sets of stickers,
among others are highly recommended.
3. Avoid saying the name of the students before reading the answer. In
case it is wrong, the student who has answered could feel embarrassed.
4. Before reading the answer to students out loud, read it in silence. If the
answer does not make sense, do not share it with students. This activity is
meant for increasing students’ engagement, positive attitudes and level of
participation!
183
5. For the same reason, ask challenging but not extremely difficult
questions.
6. To make the selection of the winner more entertaining, you can tell
students that two pieces of paper will be taken out and that the winner will
be the third one if the answer to the question is right. This way, you will be
providing a more natural environment, which should help students to
produce naturally.
7. Some children can feel unmotivated with the raffle results, especially if
they do not win. They may feel that winning is not a matter of knowing the
contents but a matter of luck instead. Therefore, it is necessary to check
that questions are well-answered. This fact will give students more
credibility.
8. Since luck is a main factor in this activity, this should not be overused.
9. The raffle is an excellent way to carry out formative assessment and also
review more difficult and complex contents.
10. If students are too noisy or impatient, you can play the raffle after one
activity. Waiting till the end of a lesson could be tiring and even tedious.
Always evaluate students’ reactions.
11. Deliver papers at the moment of playing the raffle. Papers are likely to
be lost or destroyed.
184
Students’ Perceptions
Krishna
6th grade
Escuela México
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
Flora
4th grade
English Teaching Major, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
185
Jumping rope
“ [. . . ] teachers’ gestures facilitates students’ comprehension because they capture and
maintain students’ attention” (Alibali & Klatsky, 2003, p.200).
Teaching Materials
A jump rope
Getting Ready
1. Enter the classroom with your jump rope. Children should show signs
of interest.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, …
4. When you stop jumping, stop saying the alphabet and try to find the
name of a student that starts with that letter.
3. (Talking to the class) Let’s help your classmate to say the alphabet as
he/she jumpsthe rope.
4. (After the student has stopped jumping) Who is his/her best friend?
186
Suggestions
2. Open a wide space so that no student gets hurt while jumping rope.
4. Regarding cultural issues, you are welcome to introduce any other kind
of food as long as it rhymes. If you do not want to refer to a specific
culture, you can just say “cake”.
5. Some students can be really good at jumping rope and, therefore, can
play for a very long time if you do not stop them. This fact could also
intimidate those who are not very good at it. To avoid this from happening,
you can tell students that everybody has to stop when all the ABCs have
been told. In this case, if you are working with letters, they will need to
find someone whose name/nickname/last name starts with letter Z.
6. If the students cannot identify a classmate’s name with their letter, they
can refer to middle and last names and even to other friends who are not
in the class. You can also tell students to find English names to keep on
reinforcing the language at all times.
7. To avoid long turns, you can also tell students to stop at the first letter
of their best friend’s name. However, this may be dangerous since it can
hurt some children’s feelings if their names are never called out. To avoid
this kind of situation, one of the rules of the game can be that each name
can only be called out once.
Source: Adapted from Childhood Memories.
187
Students’ Perceptions
Miguel
Andrés
1st Grade, Master College
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
188
1, 2, 3, freeze!
“Teachers should provide activities in the classroom that offer opportunities for active
involment of the students” (Herrel & Jordan, 2008, p. 5).
Teaching Materials
A tambourine
Getting Ready
1. Stand up.
2. Perform the action you hear me sing and play my musical instrument.
3. When I stop playing my musical instrument and say freeze, you should
all freeze like statues.
Suggestions
1. You can use any musical instrument. However, if you cannot play a
musical instrument, a maraca or a tambourine, can be an excellent option
to incorporate musicality in your EFL classroom and, thus, especially
motivate students whose musical intelligence is more developed than
others.
189
3. It is an option to ask students to sit down if they move. You can
absolutely disregard the use of this strategy depending on your class’
attitude and/or behavior.
4. When students freeze, moving around the class and checking if students
are moving or not is a great idea in order to motivate them to continue
participating in this activity. Children enjoy being challenged!
5. This song and rhythm and calling out activities that students are
already familiar with will help them feel more secure, more confident and
at ease while performing.
Students’ Perceptions
Martin
Paloma
Isidora
Pre-Kinder, El Laurel
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
190
Rock, paper, scissors
“Learners are active constructors of meaning and users of language, rather than
passive receivers of vocabulary and information” (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2010, p.xxi).
Teaching Materials
None
Getting Ready
1. Place your right arm and hand behind your back and through non-
verbal gestures tell your students you are hiding something.
2. Challenge your students to guess what object you are hiding by asking
them a few questions, such as: Is it paper? (showing students your hand
in a horizontal position); is it a rock? (showing them your fist); are they
scissors (showing only two fingers from your hand). Students will
immediately guess it is “cachipún game” and will, probably feel
enthusiastic about it.
3. Divide students in two teams by cutting the class group into two.
2. (Talking to both volunteers) Face each other and place your arm and
hand behind your back.
4. Ready to play ‘rock, paper, scissors, go’? The team who scores more
points wins.
Suggestions
1. I highly recommend the use of games, songs and rhythms that students
are culturally familiar with. These can become really successful teaching
experiences because children are likely to feel emotionally identified while
playing or singing them.
191
2. Although this activity is perfect if you are teaching school supplies, you
can use it at any times to cheer your students up, calm them down or
motivate them if they feel tired, distracted or bored.
3. You can also use this game as an organizational strategy for turn
taking. For example, if we have two teams to play a board game and we
need to know who is to play first, ‘rock, paper, scissors, go’ is an excellent
solution! It is fun, it connects students with their own culture and keeps
them in contact with the target language.
Students’ Perceptions
Marcela
Enzo
4to básico, Escuela Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
192
Darting chart
“Games and game-like activities are among the most natural means available for
developing a context for communication with young learners” (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2010,
p.364)
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. Place the game of darts on the board. As soon as students see it, they
will raise their hands to be volunteers.
3. To start the activity, take a dart and make an attempt to hit the target.
If you are working with numbers, tell students which number you got.
2. (Showing the student the place where they should stand) Do not move
from here! Hold the dart and take a turn.
3. Depending on the number you reach, either you or the teacher is the
winner.
Suggestions
1. You can form teams as well. However, students love playing against the
teacher, especially in this kind of games in which they could be stronger
than him/her. It can become quite a challenge to beat the teacher.
2. It may happen that some students are not very good at playing this
game and, therefore, cannot reach the target as easily as others. In this
case, they can move closer to the board and try to hit the target again.
They will probably feel more motivated.
193
4. Give each student more than one chance to play. Self-confidence should
increase.
Students’ Perceptions
Cristofer
Scarlet
Emanuel
5to básico, Escuela Francia
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
194
Hangman
“Children bring to language learning their curiosity and eagerness to make sense of the
world. They will tackle the most demanding tasks with enthusiasm and
willingness” (Cameron, 2008 p.246)
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Enter your classroom and draw a hangman on the wall as well as blank
spaces for letters that stand for a word.
1. Look at the letters and try to guess the word I plan to write.
2. Raise your hand and say a letter to complete the word. If you are right,
the letter will be placed in the right spot. If not, one part of the hangman
will be removed.
Suggestions
1. Instead of drawing your hangman, you can make one with cardboard
and place it on the board. Make sure all the body parts can be easily
removed.
3. I recommend you to first display all the alphabet letters on the board. If
you can, use flashcards instead of writing the letters on the board, since
you can easily remove them when a good answer is provided.
195
5. Since the hangman is usually a living being such as a person or an
animal, removing parts of his/her body could be considered as an offensive
or aggressive attitude for some children and parents. Also, it could
encourage some of them to laugh when one part is removed. This situation
could negatively impact disabled students for example. A possible solution
could be to use an object such as a school building, a house, a toy, a
landscape, among other possibilities.
6. If you realize it is getting hard for students to figure out the word, you
can give them hints. For example, “It is an animal”.
7. Once the word has been found, check if all students can understand the
word without translating.
Students’ Perceptions
Carlos
Roberto
2nd grade
Instituto Salesiano
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
196
STOP!
“All languages have words. Language emerges first as words, both historically, and in
terms of the way each of us learned our first and any subsequent languages. The coining of
new words never stops” (Thornbury, 2008, p.1).
Teaching Materials
Paper, pencils
Getting Ready
1. Based on the traditional “Stop Game”, prepare a chart with several rows
and, at the top, write the different topics you would like to review with
your students.
3. Agree, with your students, on how many points will be given to each
right answer.
1. I will silently say the alphabet. Student X, please say stop whenever you
want.
2. As soon as you hear my letter, start completing your chart with words
that are connected with the topics and that start with the given letter.
3. When you are ready, please say STOP! Say your words out loud for the
teacher to verify if they are correct. If not, the class can continue playing
until we hear someone else say “STOP”.
4. If the answers are right, all of you need to count your points, write them
down and keep track of them.
Suggestions
197
allow students to use dictionaries only when it is not a review lesson or
when you see students are getting too frustrated because they cannot find
the required words.
3. In order to lower students’ levels of anxiety, you can also invite them to
work in groups. They will probably feel more secure since they will have
more chances to feel successful.
5. Although you know what topics your students need to review, you can
also invite them to select the main topics. Include different levels of
difficulty: easy and challenging topics.
6. Review the ABCs before playing. This will allow the game to become
more fluent. Quickly reviewing some crucial words from the main topic will
also be great support for students to feel more confident and allow the
game to be carried out smoothly.
7. Stop the game when you see students getting tired, bored or too
frustrated.
8. You can also divide the class into different groups and invite students to
play on the board. This strategy can be very appealing for students but it
is necessary to be aware that some kids could feel a lot of pressure. In this
case, play this version of the game only if you think your class is able to
handle it without hurting others.
198
Students’ Perceptions
David
8vo básico
Inmaculada Concepción
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
“The stop game was a very funny game. It is a challenge for your
vocabulary!”
Ricardo
FOCAL SKILL GROUP
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
199
Marco Polo
“Students are intrinsically motivated to learn, to undertake challenges, and to solve
problems” (Deci & Ryan, 1985, p.11).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. Show students a picture of Marco Polo. Say “Marco” out loud as if you
were calling him and ask your students to say “Polo”. Repeat this exercise
a couple of times.
3. Cover your eyes with a blindfold and ask your students to be quiet. The
feeling of not knowing what is going to happen should help them follow
instructions carefully and appropriately.
4. Ask a student to become the teacher and choose one student at a time.
5. Say “Marco” out loud and place your hand behind your hear. Your
assistant should choose a student to say “Polo” a few times to help you.
6. After you hear “Polo”, move around the open space trying to follow the
voice you have just heard.
7. Once you have found the student who has said “Polo”, you can touch
him/her and say his/her name.
1. (Talking to the student whose voice you have recognized) Would you like
to come to the front and cover your eyes? Say the first name of an
important and famous person in the world.
2. (Talking to the rest of the students) If you know the last name of that
person, raise your hand. If it is your turn to answer, say the name out
loud three or four times.
3. (Talking to the rest of the class) What other famous people do you
know? Any volunteers?
200
Suggestions
2. You can also play the Marco Polo game to review other contents such as
infinitives and past forms, adjectives and comparative/superlative forms or
singular and plurals, among other possibilities. For example, if you say
“speak”, one of your students should respond “spoke”.
3. Prefer paper masks with rubber bands instead of hats and caps for
preventing head lice. You can also ask your students just to close their
eyes.
Source: Adapted from Childhood Memories.
Students’ Perceptions
Student
“The Marco Polo activity was a very fun way to exercise verbs and
past tenses. It can also be useful for any vocabulary learning like
opposites.”
Student
3rd Grade, English Teaching Program, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
201
Hot, warm or cold?
Provide maximum opportunity to students to speak the target language by providing a rich
environment that contains collaborative work, authentic materials and tasks, and shared
knowledge (Kayi, 2006, para.18).
Teaching Materials
An object
Getting Ready
Prepare for the activity by silently hiding the object in the classroom.
(Talking to the volunteer) Please sit down and close your eyes.
3. (Talking to the rest of the class) Be a good listener and observer in order
to help your classmate find the object.
4. (Talking to the rest of the class) When your classmate is far away from
the object, you can all say “cold”. When he/she gets closer, you can say
“warm”. When he/she is really close, you can all say “hot”.
Suggestions
1. Give students a list of possible places where the object could be hidden.
Some students could take a long time trying to find it and others enjoy
hiding objects in remote places.
202
5. Some children can take a long time looking for the object. Have a
student keep track of time and give each student around 30 seconds to
find the object.
Students’ Perceptions
Karla
“Yo recomiendo este juego porque divierte a todo el que está incluido.
Aprendimos Hot, Cold y Warm.”
Sebastián
Claudio
FOCAL SKILLS Children’s Group
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
203
Don’t say ‘NO’! Don’t say ‘YES’!
“To improve their second language proficiency, English language learners [. . .] need a solid
knowledge of vocabulary” (Fols, 2008, p.12).
Teaching Materials
A ball
Getting Ready
1. I will throw this ball to one of you. Then, I will ask you questions. You
can answer with all kinds of words as long as it makes sense, but you
cannot use the words YES and NO.
3. You cannot answer with expressions that have already been used by
your classmates.
Suggestions
1. You can also play this game with teams. If they answer YES or NO, they
might lose a point. Children love challenges!
3. To make the game easier, at first, you could write, on the board, some of
the expressions we could use to reply a question. You can erase them from
the board little by little.
4. This activity can be more challenging if you ask questions that are
related with your students’ personal lives. You can, therefore, make them
answer a short questionnaire before, so that you exactly know their likes
and dislikes, for example.
204
5. Encourage students to ask questions as well. It is an excellent
opportunity for them to practice YES/NO questions in an implicit way.
6. If expressions are new to your students, you could allow them to reuse
some of the expressions that have already been used.
Source: Adapted from Childhood Memories.
Students’ Perceptions
Student
Student
1ro Medio
Hampton College
Valdivia, Chile, 2014
205
PROJECTS
206
Performing tunes
“Music acts as a balance to the many linguistic and logical tasks we do during the day. It
represents a refreshing shift into a different domain and provides a way of opening up to
new perpectives in life” (Amstrong, 1999, p.71).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Look for a song that could be appropriate for the ages of your students
and corresponds to their interests and needs. The song chosen for this
project was “The Wheels on the Bus”.
2. Develop your vision for the performance of this song. Think about dates,
invitations, a possible stage, the performance and props.
Suggestions
3. Have students sit on the chairs. I gave my students a few props such as
glasses, moustaches, hats, etc… for them to start creating a new character
with a special personality. Diversity is one of the cross-cultural objectives
that I intended to promote.
4. Play the song and ask students to move as if they were on a real bus.
What matters is that students learn the song in the bus itself, not in pre
and post activities. Immersion activities will help them acquire the
language because it provides a natural environment.
5. When the song and performance are ready, measure the length of the
bus. Bring white cardboard that matches it. Also, provide students with
some paints and ask them to wear white smocks.
207
6. Encourage children to decorate the cardboard to make it look like a bus.
Help them write positive words, phrases or sentences in English. They can
also print their hands.
General Suggestions
1. If you cannot perform this kind of activity within your English lessons,
you can absolutely create an English Club where students could have
more time and space to practice, and you, as a teacher, could have more
freedom to carry out other activities.
3. If you are going to present your activity to the school community, send
invitations and start performing far in advance.
4. Try to perform on the same stage in which students will finally present.
5. Always check that technological devices work well and that every kid
has his/her own costume.
6. It may happen that some children do not want to perform. Do not force
them. They can be presenters or be in charge of the CD player, for
example.
208
Students’ Perceptions
Daniela
5to Básico
Arturo
6to básico
Taller de Verano, Inglés Entretenido, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
209
Announcements
"The first requirement for the use of learner-centered activities is a relaxed and friendly
atmosphere in the group [of learners]" (Klippel, 2006, p.7).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. As your students enter the class, say hello with the help of the
microphone. This should immediately call students’ attention.
Suggestions
2. Place strips containing the information you will say on the board,
especially the first time you carry out this idea.
3. While speaking into the microphone, I would suggest you to act as if you
were on a TV program, adding a touch of humor as well. Motivation levels
usually increase when students see their teachers in different roles.
4. Some students can get easily intimidated with some activities that
require being in front of the class. Therefore, do not worry! You can also
offer them choices:
210
happen that very shy students hide behind others who are more
sociable. This situation could be favorable for some but intimidating
for others.
c) Create specific scenarios that make the activities more real. You
can invite your students to create a cardboard TV and/or wear
costumes. These strategies can also help less outspoken and less
sociable students.
5. This is a very simple and short activity that you can even carry out
every single day. However, depending on your students’ levels, you can
raise your expectations and organize more complex activities such as
reading the news.
6. If you do not have many volunteers, keep on doing it. Enthusiasm will
catch on!
211
Students’ Perceptions
Rebeca
Eric
7mo básico
Escuela Balmaceda
Futrono, Chile, 2011
212
Making a ladybug!
"[ . . .] young learners require hands-on learning experiences with concrete objects, the early
language classroom must have a wide reality variety of objects and materials available, as
many of them as possible from the target culture” (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2010, p.335).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Since children will be eating in this activity, ask your principal for
formal permission.
2. Ask parents to sign a note in which they authorize their children to eat
the foods you are going to offer during the activity.
3. Have all of the ingredients ready before you start your lesson. For
example, separate and wash lettuce leaves, cut the red apples into two
pieces, count and place raisins and grapes in different bowls and open the
manjar (dulce the leche) containers.
4. Before students enter the classroom, ask some team leaders to help you
organize your classroom into different centers and place the ingredients on
different tables. Also, place an instruction sheet with pictures in each
center.
5. Leave an open space and invite them to sit on the floor criss-cross apple
sauce.
6. Read the “Ladybug” recipe book called “Un bocado especial” (Tatler,
1996) to your students as a storytelling activity so that students
understand the instructions mainly through pictures (See suggestions
below).
213
a) First, I place one piece of lettuce on my paper dish.
b) Second, I place one half of the red apple on the piece of lettuce, as
if it were the ladybug’s body.
1. If you cannot obtain financial support to carry out this activity, you can
ask parents to cooperate by donating the required ingredients. If so, you
will need to collect food in advance to have enough time to buy some extra
ingredients in case some children do not bring theirs.
2. If you cannot find the book, you can make your own. Just include the
steps you will follow to make the ladybug. Remember to make a big and
colorful book! It is also possible to carry out this project without reading a
book. You could also use any book related to insects, food or body parts to
reinforce content material. All these alternatives work perfectly if students
are motivated and your activity is well organized.
3. Once students have completed their ladybugs, you can let students eat
them but there are other options as well. Students can take them home,
the teacher can take pictures or an expo can be organized so that other
students can watch it. If this is possible, it would be great to make other
bugs or animals with different food.
4. Organize your class to clean desks and pick up fruit or vegetable pieces
from the floor.
5. If you do not have or do not want to use manjar (dulce de leche), any
other sticky substance can be used. Raisins and grapes can also be
replaced by other similarly shaped pieces of food.
Source: Loudoun County Public School Elementary Teachers, Virginia, USA (2004-2007).
214
Students’ Perceptions
Daniela
5to básico
Valentina
6to básico
Taller de Verano
Valdivia, Chile, 2012
215
DEAR
“To make reading easy for students, the bottom line requirement is an inviting classroom
library, organized so it’s simple for children to find books and return them” (Atwell, 2007,
p.37).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
3. Organize a simple and easy way for students to choose a book, register
and then select another book.
3. Tell students that when DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) takes place,
they will need to bring a cushion, a blanket or a piece of clothing
comfortable enough to sit on. This strategy will make your children happy
since they will not only be allowed to sit in a favorite spot of the classroom,
but also bring a belonging from home; affording them comfort and
security.
3. Sit down and read until you hear the timer ring. You will have
approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Close your book, return it to the library and quietly go back to your
seat.
Suggestions
2. If you do not have books available, you can use magazines or students
can use books that they created in class.
a) You can start creating them away in advance. Students and even
parents can help you to make the pictures.
216
b) You can also ask the school for some financial support.
5. In case you are not able to build your own library, you can reserve the
computer room and students can read from the web. Always recommend a
specific web page which offers many alternatives for students.
6. If your class is too wild, you may tell your students in advance what
places can be picked for reading. This way, you can avoid accidents.
7. If students constantly fight for places, you can also tell each one
individually, where they should sit. However, please do not forget that the
ideal situation is to allow them pick their favorite place.
8. The teacher MUST read as well! Students need to see the teacher as a
model. However, he or she should also be vigilant and maintain control of
the class while they are reading.
9. Mind your body language while reading. Show students you are
interested and motivated to read.
10. You may sit next to the library in order to receive and rearrange books
when students are done reading.
12. If you have enough room in your classroom, you can tell students to
leave their cushions in a corner of the floor and use them for reading time
and other activities that are held on the floor.
13. It may certainly happen that you do not have your own classroom.
Therefore, build up a portable library or ask the head teacher of the class if
217
you could install it during EFL lessons. If cushions will be kept at school,
also address the head teacher.
14. DEAR can also be carried out when students look tired, bored,
unmotivated or too noisy. It will definitely help them to break the routine
and have fun while reading an interesting story.
15. It would be great for students to be able to write the books they have
read on a wall poster. There are lots of fun ideas such as a paper library or
tree or a passport they could make.
Source: Loudoun County Public School Elementary Teachers, Virginia, USA (2004-2007).
Students’ Perceptions
Matías
“Sí, me gustó porque pude aprender todo en inglés y por todos los
dibujos que estaban allí.”
Dayana
5to básico
Escuela Alemania
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
218
It is English Day!
“Teaching does not mean to traspass knowledge, but to create spaces for its own
production or construction” (Freire, 1997)11
Teaching Materials
All kinds of teaching supplies (paper, glue, scissors, staples, etc …) and
teaching materials such as authentic and multisensory materials and
realia (manipulatives, games, flashcards, movies, songs, among others).
Audio-visual aids will also be required.
Getting Ready
4. If your proposal has been accepted, ask the principal if you can inform
the school faculty so you can inspire other teachers and ask for help and
support.
Proposal
A few considerations
11
“Ensinar não é transferir conhecimento, mas criar as possibilidades para a sua própria
produção ou a sua construção” (Freire, 1997) [Translation made by Yasna Yilorm]
219
1. Pick a weekday and use all the rooms in which English is going to be
taught. Depending on the number of rooms and on students’ ages,
different activities will be carried out.
2. So that all students can visit all rooms, prepare 15-20 minutes
activities.
3. Organize turns so that all teachers and students know the sequential
order of rooms that they will need to go to throughout the whole activity.
b) Puppet Show
d) Dancing spot
e) Music Show
f) Games
g) Movie Time!
h) Cooking Time!
2. Your proposal could be based on your own creativity and teaching goals
and/or on your school policies. However, it is necessary to tell your school
community that students’ needs and interests regarding the English
subject are to be a priority during the whole event.
6. You will need to praise students for the participation. Provide them with
positive feedback at all times: stickers, stamps, rounds of applause,
certificates and a participation diploma handed out during the closure
activity.
8. You can survey students in order to know their different interests such
as best singers, bands, music, favorite movies, songs, actors, food, among
others.
10. To celebrate English Day, you can absolutely carry on the next activity:
Travelling around the World.
Organized by: Teaching Practice Students, Miss Yelor and Miss Yilorm.
221
Students’ Perceptions
Marcelo
“Fue muy divertido todo lo que hicimos. Gracias por haber venido!
Ricardo
Anónimo
Camila
222
“Con toda esta experiencia cultural, me doy cuenta que el mundo es
genial.”
Katalina
Hector
“Yo creo que esto no se da todos los días y que lo disfrute mucho.”
Antonio
8vo básico
Colegio Balmaceda
Futrono, Chile, 2011
223
Travelling around the world!
“Language, that is our total communicative ability, allows us to develop human qualities by
learning from vicarious and symbolic (as well as direct) experiences, to help formulate our
thoughts, and to convey them to someone else. Without language, none of this is
possible” (Fantini, 1997, p.10).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Talk to the Principal about your project and formally ask for permission
orally and in a written format.
3. Give each group a passport and prepare a few exercises for them to get
familiar with the lexicon. A crossword is a good idea.
Suggestions
2. First, carry out your activity with approximately four classes in two days
(two classes per day). If you are successful, in the future, you could
increase the amount of classes that can participate. Ideally, it could even
become a school activity.
3. In order to save time and avoid giving an arts and crafts lesson instead
of an English one, it is recommended to work only on the lexicon section of
the passport with students during one of your own lessons and to ask
them to make their passports at home.
4. In case you believe it is a good idea to make the passport during one of
your English lessons because it can motivate students or because it can
ensure you that all students will have passports, you will need to guide the
activity in English at all times. For example, take out your scissors and cut
224
five pieces of paper. When you hear the timer, everybody should be ready
for the next instruction.
6. If you do not have access to expired passports, you can print fake copies
from the web.
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Organize the activity from the very beginning till the end. Think
about dates, committees, number of students per committee, classroom
arrangement, materials required and tourists’ visits. Do not forget to
organize personal and written communication with the school community.
3. Introduce the activity. Provide general ideas and dates. The level of
motivation should be high but it is necessary to find out students’
particular interests and skills. Leadership skills should also be detected at
this point.
4. It is very important to let students know that the activity will take place
during two days. They will be hosts and will, therefore, need to receive
visitors and, then afterwards, they will become visitors.
225
dance, food, sports, among other topics that will then be displayed in
different stands.
4. I will write the committees on the board. Please let me know, by raising
your hand, what committee you would like to be part of.
5. Your presentation per committee should include:
a) 5 minutes long and should be repeated when new visitors come in.
b) coherent and well-organized.
c) well presented. Behave as naturally as possible.
d) creative, dynamic and entertaining. You may bring all the
necessary props and costumes.
e) culture-based. Extra cultural displays to show dances, typical
food, sports, etc.. are expected.
Suggestions
Receiving visitors:
1. Advise students that this is a formal activity. They will need to know
that you expect a positive attitude and appropriate behavior from them.
Keep in mind that the students will have to wear costumes and dance,
among other duties and some of them could misbehave.
3. Tell students that this activity must not consist of copying, pasting and
then memorizing. On the contrary, based on what they have read, they
have to express ideas with their own English, using simple structures and
lexicon. For example, Brazil is in South America/ The capital is Brasilia/
People in Brazil speak Portuguese. Let students know that if they just
memorize facts and structures, they will probably make mistakes.
226
5. Make sure you find a way to check that everybody is working on the
project and that everybody will show up while decorating. A good idea
would be to leave 5 to 10 minutes of your lessons to talk about the project,
check if students are working and answer questions as well as meet
parents.
Getting Ready
1. Give enough time for your students to set up their classroom. However,
limits are always necessary. If you do not fix a precise starting time, they
will not be ready when you expect them to be.
Suggestions
2. Regarding evaluation, you may give your students two different grades.
227
* adequate use of Verbal and Non-verbal communication.
* use of understandable English.
* fluency.
* motivation and creativity.
3. Since this activity is supposed to promote natural immersion, you do
not need to assess it. However, compliments and rewards are great ways to
recognize jobs well done.
228
Students’ Perceptions
Byron
2ndo año
Ingeniería Comercial
Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2010
Student
2ndo Medio
Colegio José Manuel Balmaceda
Futrono, Chile, 2014
229
Bulletin Boards
“A bulletin board is important because it helps students and teachers to work together and
it also may be useful for parents because they can get information through it” (Illanes,
personal communication, 2011).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
3. Send a note home to ask for materials related to the topic (pictures,
cards, art crafts, maps, etc…)
4. Work out the materials needed. Cut them out, glue them on cardboard,
make decorations, and so on.
Suggestions
1. Many schools do not have a bulletin board. Then, plan its design and
implementation and present your proposal to the principal in order to
obtain one.
2. Topics are free but they could be connected with school content
material, values, and cultural issues. Displaying information about
English-speaking countries is a very motivating idea to start designing
your bulletin board.
230
5. Depending on your students’ level of interest and behavior, you could
invite them to participate as helpers and organize turns. In this case,
teacher’s supervision should be a requirement; school authorities and
parents should be informed and students authorized.
7. Bulletin Boards have multiple uses! Student work, projects and pieces
of art, for example, can be displayed on them. Displaying their work will
make them feel proud, validated and appreciated.
Source: Adapted from Loudoun County Public School Elementary Teachers, Virginia, USA
(2004-2007).
Students’ Perceptions
Kimberlin
6to básico
Escuela Angachilla
Valdivia, Chile, 2012
Danira
6to Básico
Escuela Angachilla
Valdivia, Chile, 2014
231
English is Everywhere
“[. . .] the imaginative resources of a group are always greater than those of only
one student [ . . ]” (Ur, 2008, p.15).
Teaching Materials
Paper, markers
Getting Ready
5. Write the names of the objects and rooms you will label.
Suggestions
2. You can carry out this activity by yourself but involving students will
definitely increase their learning expectations. On the one hand, students
will feel motivated if they are part of the project and on the other hand,
their enthusiasms and interest should allow them to complete this task in
a natural way, and therefore, language content material should be
acquired in an easier way.
3. If you decide to carry out this activity with students, it is very
important to ask for help. You will need assistants for supervising
students, especially when it is time for them to visit the school and take
notes of the rooms that could be labeled.
4. A few students from different groups should visit the school, identify
the spots that should be labeled and, then, finally, label them. The
more classes that are involved the better, so that all students can feel part
of the community.
5. Make sure that you, as a teacher, check all labels to avoid that any
spelling or lexicon mistakes are displayed.
232
6. Students can write with their markers but it is preferable to print words
with appropriate fonts and sizes so that all school members can
understand written texts.
Source: Adapted from Loudoun County Public School Elementary Teachers, Virginia, USA
(2004-2007).
Students’ Perceptions
Exequiel
Camilo
3ro Básico
Escuela Angachilla
Valdivia, Chile, 2012
233
Are you voting?
“The ‘Are you voting?’ activity is very useful. It helps to develop cross-curricular objectives
such as civic conscience, responsibility and decision making (Zuñiga, personal
communication, 2012).
Teaching Materials
A ballot box, pens, pieces of paper, desks, chairs, pencils, a sheet of paper
Getting Ready
b) The person in charge of table two will give students a voting ballot.
c) The person in charge of table three will open and close the ballot
box. He or she will also take the votes out of the box.
2. I will call four students. Please make a line. Visit all tables and follow
directions.
f) Once the voting process is over, we will count the votes out loud.
Suggestions
1. Students can help you make the ballot box and the voting ballots. They
can also arrange the as well. Levels of interest and motivation increase
when students are involved. A great idea is to get ready during recess.
Some kids will be very willing to help you.
234
2. You can carry out this activity to reinforce different topics: those you are
teaching, giving instructions, numbers, and citizenship, among others.
3. You can give students some clear instructions on what voting is them to
be better prepared. For example, we should vote only once, every vote is
secret, blank and null votes, etc…
5. Try to laminate your cards so that they cannot be destroyed easily. Most
importantly, educate your children to take care of the labeling.
Source: Adapted from Loudoun County Public School Elementary Teachers, Virginia, USA
(2004-2007).
Students’ Perceptions
Vicente
Joaquin
Kinder
Hampton College
Valdivia, Chile, 2014
235
International Night
“All these activities have created an eagerness to learn the Spanish language and respect
for other cultures and traditions” (Pisani, personal communication, 2007).
Teaching Materials
All kinds of teaching supplies, props (costumes, flags, arts and crafts,
etc…), technological devices (CD player, microphone, speakers, data show,
etc…)
Getting Ready
3. Opening: Anthem of your country with all the kids on the stage.
7. International dinner.
General Suggestions
236
2. I recommend that you end up the presentation with a special song or
poem in which the concepts of diversity, peace and children can be
reflected. A beautiful scenario with candles/flashlights could be created.
3. Once the presentation is over, you can invite students to enjoy the
international dinner, which needs to be prepared by parents and teachers
who are able to cooperate. Encourage helpers to bring the dishes ready
and to place, next to each plate, a small card which indicates the name of
the dish and the country it comes from. The international dinner should
work as a self-serve activity. That is why I strongly suggest that you carry
out this activity in the cafeteria of your school if chairs are removable.
4. There is no way you can carry out a project of this kind without the help
of the school community. You will need help to organize the event and,
especially, to implement it. As a good leader, organize committees and
delegate tasks based on each activity you will present.
Source: Carried out in Meadowland Elementary School, Loudoun County, Virginia, USA
(2004-2007), under the supervisión of Mrs.Seck, School principal.
Tatler. S. (1996). Un bocado especial. USA: Celebration Press.
237
Students’ Perceptions
“For these shows, the students’ excitement was high. All of the boys,
my younger son included practiced and danced and were very proud
of their accomplishments.”
Parent
“The result was an outstanding event that showcased the culture and
clothing from Kenya, Korea, India, Sweden, and many other countries
and finished with a potluck spread of native dishes from many
cultures.”
Parent
3rd and 4th grades
Meadowland Elementary School
Sterling, VA, USA, 2006
238
NEW PROPOSALS
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
STRATEGIES
239
Who is present?
“It does not matter when you take attendance; it is how you take attendance. What
is important is that students do not lose class time” (Epperson & Rossman, 2014,
p.78).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Enter the classroom pretending that you are looking for someone in a
crowded place.
240
Suggestions
1. When calling the roll in the traditional way, I suggest teaching your
students to reply “Here we are” as a group or “Here I am” as an individual.
2. You can add a touch of suspense and humor to your lesson by repeating
the question you first asked. For example,
Teacher: Where are my fourth graders from class A? I cannot see you!
3. You cannot sing this song twenty, thirty or forty times in one sitting.
Students will probably get tired and bored. However, you could choose
every fifth student and repeat the refrain every 15 minutes or when you
notice that students are getting tired or unfocused. Eventually, you can
even mix different strategies to call the roll to keep your class from
becoming tedious by spending too much time on one activity.
4. The first time you teach the song, you can teach the students the song
lyrics using posters.
241
Students’ Perceptions
Sebastián
5to básico
Escuela Alemania
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
Annais
6to básico
Escuela Adventista
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
242
Yes, you CAN!
“It is important to point out to students how much progress they’ve made and let them know
that you will provide futher practice so that they will ultimately reach the objective”
(Epperson & Rossman, 2014, p.119).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. Glue the colored ice-cream stick to the back of the mouse so that you
can firmly hold on to it.
3. Make a one meter cardboard athletic track that contains around four
hurdles depending on the amount of objectives you have set up for your
lesson.
4. Trace a line in the middle of the track and then cut it down the line so
the mouse can easily slide towards the goal.
5. Place the track on the board and challenge students to run a race! At
the beginning of the lesson, the mouse should be at the start of the track,
ready to participate in the race. In every hurdle, write a main objective of
the class such as “Identify farm animals”.
Suggestions
1. You can also use the athletic track for explicit classroom management
issues such as: If you do a good job, the little mouse will jump hurdles and
move forward towards the final goal; if not, he will move backwards. If
students reach the goal because of good behavior, they can receive a prize.
243
3. Make sure objectives are reachable so as not to frustrate students. Their
self-esteem can be strengthened if they understand their learning process
and can see that it is possible to improve.
Students’ Perceptions
Sebastián
5to básico
Escuela Alemania
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
Marcelo
3ro básico
Escuela Angachilla
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
244
Shhhh, be quiet!
“Language learning is hard work ... Effort is required at every moment and must be
maintained over a long period of time. Games help and encourage many learners to sustain
their interest and work” (Wright, et.al., 1984, in TEFL Games, 2015).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. Before starting the lesson, place your doll bed and blanket on your
desk.
3. Ask your kids to keep silent and start looking for your doll. When you
find it, hold it like a sleeping baby. Do not say a word. Just pretend it is
real and needs silence because it is resting.
4. Place the doll in the bed and cover it with the blanket.
1. (Whispering and tiptoeing) Shshsh! Our doll is sleeping. Let’s keep quiet!
Suggestions
1. You can use any stuffed animal. It can be a teddy bear, a toy, a puppet,
even a pet such as a turtle.
4. Make sure you, as a teacher, do not forget the stuffed animal is real for
students. Always take good care of it! A good piece of advice is not to leave
it in inappropriate or dangerous places. Students’ feelings could be hurt
since they believe it is real or, on the contrary, they could lose total
interest in it and magic could vanish.
245
5. When students are noisy, just quietly remind them that their doll is
asleep! No words are required for students to remember they should be
quiet. Approaching Minnie and making a Shhhh be quiet gesture should
be enough.
Students’ Perceptions
“Yo opino que la Minnie es muy floja pero nos ayuda a estar callados.”
Nicolás
María-Elena
3ro básico
Escuela Angachilla
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
246
Harvest time
“By providing students with authentic reasons to communicate in English, they are given
opportunities to practice their English communication skills in a low-stress
environment” (Herrell & Jordan, 2008, p.97).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Make a big paper apple tree and many red and/or green paper apples.
2. Place the paper apple tree on the board or on a visible spot of the wall.
1. Whenever you do a good job, the tree will grow an apple for you.
2. If you misbehave, an apple will fall off the tree. However, you can get it
back if you improve your behavior.
3. If, by the end of the week, the tree is full of apples, we will be able to
harvest.
Suggestions
1. Do not forget students can get apples back if their behavior improves. It
is important to teach students that we can all make mistakes and that we
all have the right to apologize and do a better job. It could be very
frustrating for students to realize all apples are falling down off the tree.
2. You are free to decide which surprise you will give the students.
However, to make the activity more authentic, giving students real apples
is an excellent idea. Moreover, you would be encouraging students to
prefer healthy food.
3. Do not make too many apples. It could be too difficult for students to
grow them. Goals should always be achievable.
247
5. This activity could vary depending on your creativity. For example,
instead of taking apples out, you could simply decide not to add extra
apples, keeping in mind that to reach a goal, the tree must have at least 10
apples. This could be a good way to avoid frustration and demotivation.
Students’ Perceptions
Betzaida
7mo básico
Escuela Balmaceda
Futrono, Chile, 2011
José Tomás
Kinder
Hamptom College
Valdivia, Chile, 2014
248
Team time
“It encouraged partnership and feeling comfortable with your classmates. It also
encouraged creativity” (Cárdenas, personal communication, 2014).
Teaching Materials
Pieces of paper
Getting Ready
Cut out small rectangular pieces of paper and deliver them to students.
Instructions for Students
1. Work with the partner who is next to you and on one piece of paper
clearly write a question of any kind and on the other one write a possible
answer.
3. As soon as you are ready, put your thumb up and I will collect the
papers.
4. (Shuffling cards) Each one of you will be given a piece of paper. Read it,
stand up and look for your question or answer, that is, for a match.
Suggestions
5. To incorporate culture, I have also carried out this activity with pieces of
natural yarn dyed with different herb plants, as our Mapuche people do.
Students love choosing colors or plants! Being aware that they have been
dyed sounds magical to them.
6. When using teaching materials, be very well organized. You can place
your candies or pieces of yarn from different colors in different plastic
bags. This will facilitate your job.
249
7. If using colors, students should be able to identify them easily. Avoid
colors that may have different shades. Students might get confused!
8. While students are writing their sentences, move around the classroom
so that you can verify if content is well-written and appropriate for a
classroom.
Students’ Perceptions
“I liked it because it gives you the chance to pair with people you
haven’t worked with before, which can strengthen our classmates’
relationships.”
Maritza
“In my opinion, the activity is very interesting and useful. First of all,
we all have the possibility to participate in a didactic way and to work
with classmates that we have never worked with. We can share
opinions and know a little bit more about our classmates’ interest.
This activity can be used for any topic and based on different
contexts. In conclusion, it is a great strategy to arrange couples of
work within the classroom”. :)
Felipe
4th grade
English Major, Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
250
Lights, camera and action!
“People can indeed acquire a [foreign] language naturally, if given the opportunity to do so
[. . .]” (Hastings, 2003. p. 1).
Teaching Materials
None
Suggestions
5. You could also implement this activity with teaching materials such as
flashcards or a hand-made cardboard camera. The latter will make the
activity more real and students will know how to react as soon as they see
the camera.
6. After some practice, work on just pointing to objects and performing the
actions. Students will quickly say the words for you.
251
Students’ Perceptions
Student
“El juego Light, Camera and Action me parece muy divertido porque
es muy diferente a los juegos que acostumbramos en clases
normalmente.”
Angela
7th grade
Angachilla School
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
252
NEW PROPOSALS
GAMES
253
Just look at me
“'There is a common perception that all learning should be serious and solemn in nature,
and that if one is having fun and there is hilarity and laughter, then it is not really learning.
This is a misconception. It is possible to learn a language as well as enjoy oneself at the
same time. One of the best ways of doing this is through games” (Su, 1995, p.35).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Place two chairs in front of the class and do not anticipate information
to students. Classroom arrangement changes can incredibly impact
students’ levels of motivation and enthusiasm in a positive way.
2. Quickly divide the class into two big groups by telling and showing them
which group of students belongs to group 1 and which group of students
belongs to group 2.
Instructions for Students
1. I need a score keeper and two volunteers from group A first. Who would
like a turn?
3. (Talking to the scorekeeper) This is the timer. I will let you know when to
play it.
4. (Talking to the student who is facing you) I am going to show you a set
of flashcards. When you see the picture, perform the action only. Do not
say a word. However, you can utter sounds.
9. When you hear the timer, stop playing. The teacher will count the
amount of flashcards you got and the score keeper will write the number
down.
254
10. Then, it’s time for players from group B to participate.
11. The winner is the team which gathers the greatest amount of
flashcards.
Suggestions
1. Some students doubtlessly feel better when acting out and others are
better at remembering and delivering the words and/or expressions
learned. You can, therefore, give them the chance to choose which place
each student should have or help them decide according to your student’s
needs.
2. When introducing words before starting the game, you can display the
written words and/or expressions on the board. Make sure they are placed
next to the picture to increase vocabulary retention.
3. Depending on your students’ skills, you can either leave the words
and/or expressions on the board or remove them. A good option consists
in leaving the words and/ or expressions available on the board during the
first two rounds and then, you can challenge students to play with no
vocabulary available.
4. You can divide your class in many other different ways. However, due to
the game complexity, easy to carry-out strategies to form groups are
recommended to quickly start providing instructions. Boys and girls is also
a nice option.
6. Students enjoy being in charge of the timer or the watch and some beg
to be the score keeper.
7. As the activity moves on, keep on assessing the amount of time you will
give students and provide less or more minutes accordingly. Challenging
students with fewer minutes could motivate your children, especially
because this is a cooperative activity.
255
Students’ Perceptions
Paulina
M. Solar
5to básico
Windsor School
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
256
Treasure hunt
“Games encourage, entertain, teach, and promote fluency. If not for any of these reasons,
they should be used just because they help students see beauty in a foreign language and
not just problems that at times seem overwhelming” (Uberman, 1998, in TEFL Games,
2015).
Teaching Materials
A short book, four copies of each book, blanket, four envelopes, tak
Getting Ready
2. Make four copies of the book and cut pieces of paper containing
different parts of the book.
3. Place the pieces of paper in the envelopes, one story in each envelope.
8. Make four groups of students and ask each team to move to one of the
corners of the classroom.
2. Do not move and do not cheat (while placing, at random, all of the
different parts of the story in each one of the four corners).
5. As a team you have to look for all the different pieces of paper and
organize them chronologically.
257
6. As soon as you are finished, say “Ready” and read the story to your
teacher.
7. The winner is the group of students that has organized the story in an
appropriate way in a shortest time.
8. Is everything clear? Then, when I say “Go”, you may stand up and start
looking for the pieces of paper.
Suggestions
1. You can implement your reading corner with a small library, a special
carpet, a rocking chair and motivating posters, among other teaching
materials.
2. You can even ask your children to bring in cushions to sit more
comfortably on the carpet. This way, this cozy place could be used for
many other activities.
3. If you do not have your own classroom, you can carry or leave a
“reading blanket” in your school.
5. You can also carry out this activity with songs, news, essays, and/or
cartoons. Just look for different motivating ways to introduce your
authentic materials. For example, a song could be introduced through a
karaoke exercise so that students can first see the lyrics.
6. To save time, you can also ask the groups themselves to hide other
groups’ pieces of paper while you count up to fifteen. For instance, while
two groups put their heads down, the other two can hide the papers.
7. Use plastic eggs for Easter or for any other occasion to hide the papers.
Students will feel more enthusiastic about looking for eggs than for papers.
Do not forget, though, to bring children a chocolate egg.
258
Students’ Perceptions
“Me gustó buscar los huevos porque fue fácil para mi.”
Alejandro
Kinder
Hampton College
Valdivia, Chile, 2014
Claudia
CORFO Program, UACh
Valdivia, Chile, 2012
259
Wind up your robot!
“It is important to ease as much as possible the tension of performing the commands in front
of their peers” (García, 2007, p. I-4).
Teaching Materials
A board, a marker
Getting Ready
1. Tell students that you are tired and need a robot urgently. Students will
immediately show a great deal of enthusiasm.
1. (Talking to your robot) Do not move! I need to wind you up first (acting it
out!).
2. Ready? Stand up, run, stop, walk backwards, stop, come here, turn on
the lights,go back to your seat.
Suggestions
1. When telling the students that you need a robot, set up a suspense-
surprise atmosphere so that children can calm down and focus.
4. It is very probable that all students will ask for a turn; especially the
first time you play it with your children. If you attempt to give everyone a
turn, the activity may become boring. Therefore, I highly recommend to
use this activity as a classroom management strategy and use it as
positive reinforcement for good behavior.
5. You can also challenge students to be the robot’s owners once they are
more familiar with the content being taught. However, let them know they
have to give appropriate commands. For example, you can give them a list
of actions to be mastered. Do not forget to add pictures in order for
students to understand at all times.
260
6. If you have students who are not that kinesthetic, you can adapt the
activity by asking students to bring a little toy and move it according to the
teacher’s commands while remaining in their own seats. In order to
prevent students from comparing and fighting about their toys, you can
make little cardboard dolls and distribute them to students.
Students’ Perceptions
Fernanda
Escuela El Laurel
Valdivia, Chile
Tiare
4to básico
Escuela El Laurel
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
261
True or False?
"The optimistic energy that comes from humor will enable [people] to embrace difficulties
with resilience" (Morrison, 2008, p.2).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Ask your students if they are cold or hot, hungry or thirsty, tired or
energetic, among other examples. Use non-verbal communication so that
students can match statements and actions.
2. If the words correspond to the picture, you repeat the word. If not, you
keep quiet.
Suggestions
1. This game requires teacher’s sense of humor through the use of non-
verbal communication in order to work successfully. For instance, when
students repeat the word in a mechanical way without checking whether
there is a match or when they are right, the teacher should let students
know with gestures and compliments.
2. One interesting strategy to make the activity more fun and dynamic is to
say true matches for a couple of times (four to five would work
appropriately) so that students get used to repeating. Suddenly, say a word
that does not match the picture. It is very probable that at least some
students will repeat the wrong word, which will cause lots of enjoyment
among students, especially younger ones.
3. It may happen that one or a few students start giving wrong answers
when they understand this situation can be fun. These students can be a
great help to make the activity more entertaining and thus, lower the
262
affective filter. However, make sure they do not constantly interrupt or
intimidate others.
4. Avoid playing this game when students know the content very well
unless you have tricky strategies and strong histrionic skills to make them
make a mistake.
5. You can challenge your students with more difficult exercises such as
placing flashcards upside-down, which will be funny and, therefore,
appreciated by them.
7. Students can also play at being the teacher. After presenting the activity
for a couple of times, they can absolutely have a turn to perform the
activity in front of the class.
263
Students’ Perceptions
Alexander
Kevin
3ro básico
Escuela Holanda
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
264
Tapping
“It is also important that students perceive communicative activities as a legitimate learning
strategy. Positive attitudes to learning activities are essential if the desired outcome is to be
achieved” (Shameem & Tickoo, 1999, p.viii).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Make groups of four students. Keep students, who are close to each
other, together so that desks can be joined.
2. As soon as you hear the letter or word your teacher will shout out, place
one of your hands on the right flashcard.
3. If you pick the right flashcard, you can then keep it.
4. Once all flashcards are gone, you can count how many you have.
Suggestions
1. If your students respond well to classroom rules, you can also use mini
toys instead of flashcards. Real cards work perfectly as well.
2. Shuffle cards in front of students or ask them to do so. It will make the
game more real.
4. Give students different tasks to keep the game organized. For example,
for shuffling the cards, delivering them, counting and registering scores.
6. Depending on the class’ behavior, your students can either tap or just
point at the cards.
265
Students’ Perceptions
Sofía
1ro básico
Domus Mater
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
Antonia
3ro básico
Instituto Alemán
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
266
NEW PROPOSALS
INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES
267
Let’s cheer up!
“If students are interested in the class, many discipline problems disappear” (Renaud et al,
2007, p.13).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
T: Time to cheer up! A-N (Show the letters through flashcards, for example)
S: AN
T: G - A
S: GA
T: C-H-I
S: CHI
T: L-L-A
S: LLA
T & S: ANGACHILLA SCHOOL!
T & S: We like English. Yes, we do. That is why we are so cool!
Wo, pe do, wo, po, pe do, Wooooooooo!
(Everybody waves hands and/or jumps)
Suggestions
1. You can introduce the ABCs and new vocabulary before. However, it is
not a must. Since this activity requires lots of body language, it gives
students the great chance to acquire language content.
2. You may write this cheer on a poster and paste it on the wall while
students become familiar with it. Keep in mind, though, the text should be
comprehensible to students.
3. This activity can be used every morning, in the middle of the class when
students are bored or tired, or at the end to finish the class with plenty of
energy. It can also be used in the school community events such as
ceremonies or spelling before a contest to support participants.
4. Since this activity highly motivates students and relaxes them, you
could also use it before a test or when facing any kind of tense or difficult
situation.
268
5. This cheer could be adapted for any kind of school. As long as it
rhymes, and, therefore, becomes more interesting for the students, you
can make all the necessary changes.
6. You can also use pom-poms or flags to make the cheer more real.
7. I do strongly recommend that this cheer be used at all school levels and
is shared with parents as well. This is a great opportunity to motivate your
school community to enjoy English and understand its importance as a
common means of communication.
Students’ Perceptions
“¡Es genial!”
Francisco
4to
Taller de Inglés Entretenido, Escuela de Verano
Valdivia, Chile, 2013
Natalia
8vo
Escuela Angachilla
Valdivia, Chile, 2014
269
Clapping hand greeting
"[The learning of a foreign language] involves an alteration in self-image, the adoption of
new social and cultural behaviors and ways of being, [...]" (Williams, 1994, p.77).
Teaching Materials
None
Getting Ready
Share some basic instructions with students. Ask them to stand up and
invite them to participate by waving your hand to say hello.
Suggestions
1. You can greet students and ask them to stand up without making any
noises, just by using gestures and maybe whispering. Silence is not what
most students expect when starting a lesson; therefore, a sudden change
could positively impact them.
2. If students are not familiar with the lexicon yet, you could change
gestures. For example, instead of clapping hands, encourage your students
to wave hands.
3. While greeting your students, make sure you move around the
classroom. It will help them to keep alert.
4. After having practiced two or three times, challenge your students to say
hello in many different ways: faster, more slowly, as if you were
270
happy/sad/ tired, whispering and finally soundlessly to bring them back
to their seats.
5. You can add a touch of humor by challenging your students to say hello
with one eye closed, by jumping high or by standing on one foot.
6. This activity can also be carried out in the middle of your lesson if you
realize your students are tired, unfocused or demotivated. You can also
end your lesson with this activity to say goodbye to your children.
7. To make it a little bit more complicated, you can have different actions,
such as jumping, snapping fingers, tapping feet, etc…
Students’ Perceptions
Miguel
Vicente
3ro básico
Martin Luther King College
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
271
Find my match!
“[. . .] game[s] can be used as learning activities, reinforcing new knowledge or expanding
emerging knowledge and skills” (Collier,1996, p.3, as cited in Hui Chin Li, 2008, p. 117).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
1. Make medium-sized flashcards with pictures that stand for the lexicon
you are teaching.
4. Show students the words and ask them to place them next to the
appropriate picture.
1. (Talking to Group A) Put your heads down and close your eyes.
2. (Talking to four volunteer from Group B) Come to the board. You have
one minute to shuffle the word strips. Then please sit down!
3. (Talking to Group A) Put your heads up, open your eyes and stretch.
4. I need two volunteers from Group A. Please come to the board. You have
one minute to place the word strips next to the appropriate pictures.
Suggestions
1. Once the game is over, check with students if the flashcards match the
right word strips. It is a great opportunity to practice Yes/No questions
naturally.
272
2. Apart from checking how many right matches each team has made, you
can also measure, with a watch or timer, how long they take to make all
the matches. In fact, you will need to add this strategy after a few rounds
since children will quickly learn the matches and figure them out at the
shortest time. This challenge will motivate students to do a better job next
time they play, helping them, this way, to internalize content under study
in a more rapid and effective way.
c) All pictures and/or strips could be placed face down and students
could play a memory game trying to match words and pictures
appropriately.
Students’ Perceptions
Vicente
Valentina
2ndo básico
Inmaculada Concepción
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
273
Back Spelling
“Often students feel more comfortable taking language risks with their classmates
than they do with the teachers” (Westbrook, 2011, p.5).
Teaching Materials
Getting Ready
2. Ask students to work in groups of two and sit as if they were in a train,
one behind the other. Make sure students do not face the teacher.
3. Tell them that the student who is driving the train (the conductor))
should have a pen and a piece of paper and should not turn around. The
student who is closest to the teacher (the passenger) can turn around and
look at the flashcards when asked.
1. (Talking to the passenger) Look at this word and, with your finger, spell
it on your classmate’s back. Do not speak.
2. (Talking to the conductor) Feel the letters and write them down on your
piece of paper. When finished, you can say: “Ready!”
3. I will check if the spelling is correct. If so, your team gets a point. If
incorrect, it’s time for another group try.
4. The round will be over when one of the groups has spelled it correctly.
5. The conductor and the passenger can switch roles between rounds.
Suggestions
274
3. Remind students to be gentle when spelling on their partner’s back
because it may happen that some of them could cause pain.
4. Depending on the level of your group, you can also challenge your
students to spell many words and then, form sentences. Make sure
sentences are funny and/or interesting so that students can enjoy the
activity and relax.
5. You can also have your students spell their own words. If so, you must
constantly check if they are spelling words that are appropriate for the
classroom.
6. Always show the picture at the end of a round. It will help remind
students what the words mean.
Students’ Perceptions
“Me pareció divertida y eso -. PD: Fue BKN sentir en mi espalda las
letras.”
Aracely
Victoria
5to básico
Escuela Mexico
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
275
Magic bag
Teaching Materials
A bag, flashcards/realia
Getting Ready
2. Continue your lesson without removing the bag. This fact should attract
your students and therefore, increase their level of interest.
Suggestions
1. You can also use a bag that is special for you, for example a bag made
by yourself. That should make the game special. Students usually
appreciate what natural teachers can do.
3. All children will probably ask for a turn and even for extra ones. As a
consequence, make sure you are focused enough to remember who has
had a turn and who has not.
4. Remind students that they cannot feel the objects inside the bag and
that they cannot change their mind once they have made a decision. This
could be unfair for other students.
5. If necessary, you can show your students what you have inside the bag
and review the contents before playing.
276
6. To keep your students focused and enthusiastic, I strongly suggest you
involve all the students when playing this game. For example, when the
student has made a decision and has named his/her option, you can
invite all the students to call out the word several times in order to cheer
their classmate up.
7. When students’ choices are not right, remind them that this is just a
matter of luck!
8. Since luck is a main factor in this game, you can avoid having two
groups competing against each other. Some students might find it too
unfair.
Students’ Perceptions
Paz
Student
1ro básico
Colegio Domus Matter
Valdivia, Chile, 2011
277
GLOSSARY OF TESOL-RELATED TERMS
278
used in the classroom in a way similar to the one it was designed
for” (Cited in Chen, 2003, p.1).
279
COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT: “The Input Hypothesis claims that humans
acquire language in only one way- by understanding messages, or by
receiving “Comprehensible Input” (Krashen, 1985, p.2).
280
FREE VOLUNTARY READING (FVR): Free Voluntary Reading a technique
created by Stephen Krashen (2003) where students read for pleasure for a
short time in class. “‘Voluntary’ implies that there is no student
accountability: no questions to answer, book reports to write, words to
look up. Students have the right to get up and exchange books whenever
they wish, much like we do when we go to a bookstore or library”
(Andrews, n.d.).
MAGIC BAG: This teaching material can be any kind of container that is
special for you and/or the students. You can use it for saving stickers,
coupons, stamps, crayons or any other teaching materials.
282
MULTISENSORY TEACHING MATERIALS: Multisensory Teaching
Materials involve the types of resources used in the classroom to reach
students whose learning styles are auditory, visual, tactile, and
kinesthetic.
REALIA: “[. . .] the word realia means using real items found in the world
around us to help teach English. Using realia, helps to make English
lessons memorable, creating a link between the objects, and the word or
phrase they show. [...]. The use of realia is only limited by your
imagination and possibly practicality too. Using realia stimulates the
mind, and makes the vocabulary more memorable than a picture would.
Students can, touch, smell, and with a food item, taste it. Realia saves
time, as recognition of an object is often immediate; elicitation of
vocabulary becomes much easier as simply holding up the object with a
raised eyebrow, will usually result in the desired word being spoken” (TEFL
Survivar, 2010).
SILENT PERIOD: The silent period hypothesis is the idea that when a
language is learned, there should be a period in which the learner is
not expected to actively produce any language. This is based on
observations
283
of a listening period in infants when they learn a first language (Houson,
et al, 2014).
284
285
REFERENCES
Aboudan, R (2009). Laugh and Learn: Humor and Learning a Second Language.
International journal of Arts and Sciences.
Altrichter, H., Kemmis, S., McTaggart, R., & Ortrun Zuber-Skerritt, (2002). The
concept of action research. Learning Organization: Vol. 9 Iss: 3, pp.125 -
131
Andrews, B. (n.d). Free Voluntary Reading: a Win-Win Proposition for Teachers
and Students (article title). Retrieved from http://members.buckeye-
express.com/barbiesa/PDF/reading.pdf
Ariza, E., Morales-Jones, C., Yahya, N., & Zainuddin, H. (2003). Why TESOL?
Theories and issues in teaching English as a second language with a K-12
focus. Boca Raton, Florida: Revised Printing.
Asher, J. (2003). Learning another language through actions. Los Gatos, CA: Sky
Oaks Productions, Inc.
Atwell, N. (2007). The reading zone: how help juds become skilled, passionate,
habituak, critical readers. New York: Scholasctic.
286
Audio English (2013). TECHNIQUE. Retrieved from
http://www.audioenglish.org/dictionary/technique.htm
Bernal, B., Jiménez-Pérez, R. & Mellado, V. (2008). ¿Cómo podemos llevar a cabo
una investigación-acción para mejorar la práctica en el aula de ciencias?
Retrieved from
http://www.if.ufrgs.br/public/ensino/vol13/n1/v13_n1_a3.htm
Bitchener, J., Young, S. & Cameron, D. (2005). The effect of different types of
corrective feedback on ESL student writing. Journal of Second Language
Writing 14 (2005) 191–205 Retrieved from
http://peoplelearn.homestead.com/MEdHOME/SPECIALISATIONS/Writin
g.feedback_on.writing.pdf
Brown, J. (2006). Rhymes, Stories and Songs in the ESL Classroom. The Internet
TESL Journal, Vol. XII, No. 4. Retrieved from
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Brown-Rhymes.html
287
Chen, Z. (2003). Authentic Material. Retrived from
http://www.math.mun.ca/~yliang/authentic.htm
Chomsky, N. (1965). Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Curtain, H., & Dahlberg, C. A. (2010). Languages and children: Making the
match, new languages for young learners grades K-8 (4th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Curtain, H., & Dahlberg, C. A. (2014). Languages and children: Making the
match, new languages for young learners grades K-8 (4th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Deesri, A. (2002). Games in the ESL and EFL Class. The Internet TESL Journal,
Vol. VIII, No. 9, Retrieved from
http://iteslj.org/ http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Deesri-Games.html
Edution World. (2011). Ten activities for establishing classroom rules. Retrieved
from http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson274.shtml
288
Elliot, J. (2000). La investigación-acción en educación. (4ta ed.) Madrid: Ediciones
Morata, S.L
Ellis, R. (1995). Quality assurance for university teaching. Great Britain: The
Editor and Contributors.
Epperson, M. & Rossman, M. (2014). Strategies for motivating and managing the
Chilean classroom. Ministerio de Educación Chile. Embajada de los
Estados Unidos de América. ISBN: 978-956-455-9
Fols, K. (2008). Six Vocabulary Activities for the English Language Classroom.
English Teaching Forum. Vol. 46. N° 3.
Ferris, D. (2004). The ‘‘Grammar correction’’ Debate in L2 writing: Where are we,
and where do we go from here? (and what do we do in the meantime ...?).
Journal of Second Language Writing 13 (2004) 49–62. Retrieved from
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.110.4148&rep
=rep1&type=pdf
Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. (2003). An introduction to language. (7th
ed.) Boston, Massachusets: Thomson Wodsworth.
289
Galloway, A. (1993). Communicative language teaching: An introduction and
sample activities. Retrieved from www.cal.org
Garcia, R. (2007). Instructor’s notebook: How to apply TPR for best results. Los
Gatos, CA: Sky Oaks Productions, Inc.
Hastings, A. & Murphy, B. (2002). Some implicit standards for explicit grammar
teaching. Retrieved from http://www.focalskill.info/articles/implicit.pdf
290
Hazan, M. (2010). Qtalk method. Retrieved from
http://www.emcp.com/product_catalog/index.php?GroupID=1367
Houson, P. & Dubber, J. (2014). Culture matters. Why Culture should be a t the
heart of future public policy. Edinburgh: British Council.
Houghton, P., Hoghtong, T., & Pratt, M. (2005). APA: the essay way. American
Psychological Association. Washington: Baker College.
Howson, P. & Dubber, J. (2014). Culture matters. Why culture should be at the
heart of future public policy. Retrieved from
http://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/britishcouncil.uk2/files/culture-
matters-report.pdf
Hubbarb, S. & Power, B. (2003). The art of classroom inquiry. A handbook for
teacher-researchers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Hui Chin Li, G. (2008). Pedagogies proving Krashen’s Theory of affective filter.
Hwa Kang Journal of English Language & Literature, No. 14, 113-131.
Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED503681.pdf
International Center for FOCAL SKILLS (2012). The FOCAL SKILLS Approach to
Language Education. Retrieved from http://www.focalskills.info/
Jones, F. (2000). Tools for teaching. Discipline, instruction, motivation. Hong Kong:
Fredric H. Jones & Associates, Inc.
291
Kitao, K. & Kitao, S. (1997). Selecting and Developing Teaching/Learning
Materials. Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Kitao-Materials.html
Krashen, S. (1985). The input hypothesis. Issues and implications. Torrance, CA:
Laredo Publishing Co.
Larimer, R. & Schleicher, L. (1999). New ways in using authentic material in the
classroom. Bloomington, Illinois, USA: Pantagraph Printing.
Larimer, R. & Schleicher, L. (2002). New Ways in Using Authentic Materials in the
Classroom. Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other
Languages, Inc.
Linse, C. (1983). The children's response: TPR and beyond toward writing.
Hayward CA: Alemany Press.
Long, J. & Frye, V. (1989). Making It till Friday: A Guide to Successful Classroom
Management. Princeton Book Co.
292
Ludescher, F. (n.d). Total Physical Response. Retrieved from
http://www2.vobs.at/ludescher/total_physical_response.htm
Mateos, R. (2012). Playful Learning in the EFL Class: The Beneficial Use of Board
Games and the LEGO Serious Play Method. Retrieved from
http://www2.uah.es/master_tefl_alcala/pdf/tfm/regina_mateos_rodillo.pd
f
McMillan, J., & Schumacher (2005). Investigación educativa. 5a. ed. Madrid:
Pearson Educación, S.A.
Montessori, M. (1979). The Absorbent mind. United States: Dell Publishing Co.,
Inc.
Morrison, M.K. (2008). Using humor to maximize learning: The links between
positive emotions and education. Maryland: Rowmand and Littlefield
Education.
293
Norris-Holt, J. (2001). Motivation as a Contributing Factor in Second Language
Acquisition. The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VII, No. 6. Retrieved from
http://teslj.org/
Parade’s Community Table (2014). 15 of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Most Inspiring
Motivational Quotes. Retrieved from
http://communitytable.com/252644/viannguyen/15-of-martin-luther-
king-jr-s-most-inspiring-motivational-quotes/
Ray, L. (2007). Language of the Land: The Mapuche in Argentina and Chile.
Retrieved from
http://books.google.cl/books?id=HS_rlyC8y8sC&printsec=frontcover&dq=
Language+of+the+Land:+The+Mapuche+in+Argentina+and+Chile&hl=es&s
a=X&ei=INXwUaiiAuOsigKm9oGwBw&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=
Language%20of%20the%20Land%3A%20The%20Mapuche%20in%20Arge
ntina%20and%20Chile&f=false
294
Richards, J., & Rodgers, T. (2001). Approaches and methods in language
teaching. 2a.ed. United States of America: Cambridge University Press.
Ribes, B., Ziemilski, A., Gultelman, M., Berquer, J., and Hall, B. (1983).
Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación la Ciencia y la
Cultura. París: UNESCO.
Robb, C. (1999). Can the poor influence policy?: participatory poverty assessments
in the developing world. Washington: The Word Bank.
Rubin, R.B, Rubin, A.M & Piele, L.J. (2005). Communication research: Strategies
and sources. (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Ryan, R. & Deci, E. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classi Definitions
and New Directions. In Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 54-67.
Stake, R.E. (1999). Investigación con estudio de casos. (2nda ed.). Madrid:
ediciones Morata, S.L
295
Stewart, K. L., & Felicetti, L. A. (1992). Learning styles of marketing majors.
Educational Research Quarterly, 15(2), 15-23.
Su, L. (1995). Creative Games for the Language Class. Vol 33 No 1, January -
March 1995 Page 35. Retrieved from http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/usia/E-
USIA/forum/vols/vol33/no1/P35.htm
Tauber, R. & Mester, C. (2007). Acting Lessons for Teachers: Using Performance
Skills in the Classroom. Westport, Connecticut, London: Library of
Congress.
TEFL Games (2015). Why use games in teaching English. Retrieved from
http://www.teflgames.com/why.html
TEFL Survivar (2010). What is Realia? And why should I use it? Retrieved from
http://www.teflsurvival.com/teaching-aids.html
TEFL Games (2015). Why use Games in Teaching English? Retrieved from
http://www.teflgames.com/why.html
University of Michigan (n.d.). Motivation for High Skates Testing. Retrieved from
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.nichols/extrinsic_motivation
Wolf, A. (1979). Una Guía para padres al aula Montessori. Hollidaysburg, PA:
Parent Child Press.
Wright, A., Betteridge, D., and Buckby, M. (2006). Games for language learning.
Cambridge: Cambridge University.
297