[Profe]

Hello fellow teachers,

I am in need of some help. I am teaching English to a group of 3 children: 2 eight year olds and one 6 year old. They are brother and sisters so I have to teach them all together in the same class.

The 6 year old is very smart and picks up everything that I am teaching them. I try to do simple games and worksheets but I have reached the point where I don't know where I am and where to go in regards to topics, grammar, etc.

I know they are too young to introduce them to grammar so I have been using worksheets on colours, animals, bodyparts, numbers.

Has anybody got any suggestions on what type of games, worksheets to prepare. I am lost and I don't want to let the parents down. I am currently downloading some disney clipart in order to prepare some worksheets but I honestly think I am the most uncreative person that has ever walked on this planet!!

If anybody could throw some suggestions this way I would be grateful. Oh and any tips on how to teach.

Thanks in advance

N.V.

[emile]

It would benefit you a lot just to sit down and write out a course outline: week 1 - numbers, week 2 - colours etc. and then fill it in from there.

In other words, get the big picture first.

You wouldn't want to teach them grammar, but you would want them to use simple forms correctly - How many people are there in the picture? There are...

Finally, why not head to the bookshop and get a children's activity book? They must have tons of them there.

[Profe]

Thanks.

[jenniferp]

I would second Emile's advice. I teach (Korean age) 6 & 7 yr olds and while I wouldn't call a lesson "a grammar lesson", I teach them verb subject agreement, adjective placement, comparative & even superlative adjectives etc. when it comes up.
I think it will come naturally in the course of the lessons so when it is right to include "I am, you are " eg they can grasp the concept easily enough.

There are a heap of great websites out there for kids. This one and www.mes-english.com, bogglesworldesl.com abcteach.com eslkidstuff.com
Try and find, if you haven't already, a good bookshop to see what ESL textbooks there are. I use Magic Time with one of my classes and while some of it is still a little difficult it is well structured so you can get ideas from it at the least.

ONe tip, for what it's worth, is just persevere..! Kids will talk about anything so the trick is to get them to "accept you". Once they are comfortable around you they will want to share stories and ideas and that is where the language will come from. They are have notoriously short attention spans so don't despair if a worksheet that you have spent an hour on is dismissed by them in 5 minutes. Arm yourself with a number of activities, worksheets, songs, games and just chop and change as it's needed. Remember the successful ones as you can re-use, re-cycle, re-work. Kids don't mind that.

Good luck, if you need any more info, just shout!
xx jen