[chokosaki]

Hey there! Lately I have been training several new teachers here in China. So far they have really been improving quite a bit and they suggested I go online and share some of the techniques and advice I gave them. Some of the things they really enjoyed were some of the different techniques I use for reviewing content with my younger students. These are all quick activities and can be used to adapt to any sort of vocabulary and lots of other material.

I've also decided to start a blog to give out some useful tips and advice. If you like what you see you can find it here.

Young Learners Review Techniques. Note: These methods are for quick review (not full games).

1.) High and low: In this method your students should start off saying one word high, loud voice and then the next word in a low, soft voice. From there it goes: high, low, high, low, high, low…and so on. This method works very well with body parts (pointing to the parts as you go through them) and numbers/letters/phonics.
High and low also works well with alternating flashcards.

2.) Quick Shot: With this method you need flashcards. Begin by facing the back of a flashcard to your students. Quickly show them the front and then switch it back to opposite side. This works best with letters, numbers, colors, and any sort of picture that isn’t incredibly detailed (ie…a windy rainy day as opposed to just a rainy day).

3.) Slap: Hold a card in front of the student and illicit the name of the card. Students should slap the card when doing so.

4.) Body Slap: Show the flashcard to a student. Say a body part. The student shown the card should react quickly by touching the card with the correct part.

5.) Good Listener: Say a number and then show a card. Students should say the name of the card as many times as the number said. This number should only be in the 1-5 range. If a student says the name too many times (or not enough) then that student must stand up and perform a silly task. I try to trip students up in this task by counting with my fingers as they go. Maybe I will say 5 but I will only count to four with my fingers. I might keep going past 5 (at which point they should stop at 5 and not continue on). I might even count by showing just one finger each time. For the first few times it’s not surprising for several students to be have to perform the silly task.

6.) Slow reveal: In this activity you should have an extra piece of paper (or a flashcard) as big as or bigger than the current flashcards being reviewed. The target card is covered with the extra card or piece of paper. Slowly remove the card cover to reveal the target card underneath.

7.) Let’s Concentrate: Line up cards on the floor or on the board. Go through the line of cards, having children repeat along the way. Turn over one or two cards (so their back is facing up). Go through the line of cards again. Repeat these steps until all cards are face down. You should also mix up the direction in which you advance through the cards (maybe from left to right or right to left). By doing this the students aren’t just memorizing the order in which the names are said.

Well that's all! If you have any ideas that are different from the ones already here, please post 'em! I'd love to see your thoughts.