- Details
- Written by Diana Bolgare
- Parent Category: English
- Category: English before 7
- Created: 31 March 2014
Context:
Private classes of English; Groups of 6 children aged 6-7, 5 - 6, 4-5.
Children attend the lessons once a week for 1h
1. Lesson / task description - before
TA aim :
- To teach the ss parameters and its features
- To teach ss comparing things using at least 1 feature from the common parameter
- To teach ss justifying their choice
In terms of subject matter:
- Teach/ repeat shapes, materials, colours, sizes, qualitative characteristics of objects (cold – warm-hot, heavier than – lighter than)
- Teach/repeat new vocabulary: furniture, house areas
- To teach ss to ask questions : “Is it the…?”
- To teach ss to justify their choice by saying: “We are similar, because we are made of…/smaller than this box…/ rectangles in shape…/green…/heavier than this box…
Materials I am going to use:
- Names of stations (Material, Size, Shape, Colour, Quality)
- Objects in the room/house
Tasks I am going to use:
- Find a relevant object at each station
- You can go through this door only if you say what do you have in common with me. I’m a Door!
2. Lesson / task description
Procedures:
After the routine of a TA journey, I stand at the door and say that you can go through, only if you say what you have in common with me. I demonstrate what I expect from the children, using the mediator Bunjie:
Me: - Now I am a door.
Bunjie – Ok, I am a table. We are similar, because I am made of wood and you are made of wood!
Me – Good! That’s a similarity. Go!
For each student I transformed into a different thing and received the following answers
Me – I am a door!
Student A – I am a wall. I’m hard and you are hard.
Me – Excellent! That’s a similarity. Go!
Me – I am a lamp!
Student B – I am a glass. I’m made of glass and you’re made of glass!
Me – I am a carpet!
Student C – I am a sofa, because I am made of fabric and you are made of fabric!
3. Overall reflection on the lesson / task
- 75% of all my students could find similarity and justify their choice within 1 parameter. As to the rest 25% - they belong to my youngest students (4-5 year olds). They didn’t really get what I wanted from them. The 6-7 year olds managed the task to 100%.
- My expectations for the next lesson are that I give my ss only one object and will ask to find a similar object according to each of 5 parameters we are working with now.
- Here I would like to compare the results of my previous experience with the theme “Animals” and the present theme “Objects”.
|
Theme /Vocabulary |
Testing of vocabulary
|
Parameters |
Class work |
Result |
|
Animals |
The vocabulary was present at the lesson, though there was no regular testing |
Animal covering, Food habits, Habitat
|
Each lesson we worked at each parameter, though I didn’t feel, that these parameters went deep into ss’ minds
|
No measurement |
|
Objects |
Each lesson I gave my ss a set of words (4-5 to learn) and checked their knowledge before each lesson. At the end of the month there was an oral test in a playful way. |
Material, Size, Shape, Colour, Quality of objects
|
Here I gave all the parameters at once and each lesson we practiced each of them one by one in a TA journey. I felt that ss have a bigger and more complete picture of parameters now. |
75 % of all my students showed the ability to compare objects within 1 parameter and justify their choice |
Comments
1. As I understand, all the parameters are presented to students (can there be alternative approaches here as well?). What about values? Are they also presented? Do any of the students ever come with the values that have not been presented to them before? (btw, what are the values of the parameter 'quality of objects'? I am not sure I understand it).
2. How do you encourage students to notice 'new' parameters and new values for them? Is there any room for this in the tasks? Could there be?
3. Could it be possible to also add the imagination dimension to the task? Would it be useful to think of some additional parameters that would exist only in some imaginary world? (eg the one your Bunjie comes from)
4. When measuring the result, do you distinguish between the students' ability to compare as someone has compared before vs. their ability to compare in a new way?
1. The parameters are presented as sheets of paper with the titles - SHAPE.... There can also be presented alternative approaches, like the one I got to know just recently - a picture of a house with several rooms. There is a symbol in each room, presenting one parameter, like the picture of a pie chart with one segment detached, meaning the part of a system. The values are presented in an oral way or on the cards. We repeat them every time we get to the station. When we get to the MAterial station, children keep naming the new features. Every other time I add to my set a new card. Quality of objects - hard/soft; cold/warm/hot.
2. We have a station with a question mark. Every time we get there, I ask my ss, what station we can add to our journey. Normally they are stuck. Sometimes I leave it as a homework for children and parents.
3. I haven't thought yet of imaginary parameters. I will.
4. I notice, when a child repeats after someone or thinks by himself. If I see, that this is his comparison, I let him go. If the next time he uses the same parameter, like material and repeats himself, I encourage him to find a new parameter. There are some, who do not still get the point. I have to show them one more time how comparison is made.