The second part of the introduction to Millie.

Multi-sensory approach

All children are different and learn in different ways. This is why it’s important to engage all the senses and use a variety of techniques. We encourage teachers to use sounds, music, pictures and other visual aids (including real objects that the children can touch and smell). It’s also important to make use of the children’s natural need to move around and incorporate physical movements and mime into any language work. The more opportunities a teacher has to combine the different senses, the better.

Making this important link between listening, speaking and movement, we regularly introduce “action stories”. Here the language which children hear is supported with actions to aid memorisation and to make the activity more enjoyable. The teacher introduces the movements and the children join in. (E.g. PB: U8, L3, pp. 84–85.)

Our book also contains craft activities which allow children to create and manipulate simple “products” that they can take home and enjoy. These products are always used to support some kind of speaking practice.

For example, in Unit 3 Lesson 4 colours are introduced. Towards the end of the unit the children make a colourful butterfly. The teacher demonstrates the steps of the craft activity and the children do it while watching the teacher and listening to her instructions:

Sample language:

T: Cut out the wing of the butterfly like this. Now I can colour the wings. I like red, green and yellow. Let’s fold the wing like this. I take two wings and join them with the paper clip like this. We can make our butterfly fly. Do it like this. The butterfly can fly now. When the butterflies are ready, the children will describe their products to each other, using the relevant language from the unit. All the butterflies are displayed on the wall and the children will match each description with the picture.

Reading and writing

While we’ve placed the emphasis on listening and speaking, we recognise that the majority of children at this age can already read in their first language quite well. And they are interested in reading and writing in English, too. The difficulty is that the sound and letter correspondence in English is irregular. We believe that only one teaching technique (using phonics, for example) is not sufficient. Therefore, our approach to teaching reading combines several techniques. First of all we use the whole word method to encourage word recognition. For example, after some new words have been introduced orally, the teacher will play various card games with the children to match the picture cards with the words.

We also teach the whole alphabet at the very beginning of the course. Then, in every lesson of the first 3 units of the book, we focus on a set of letters in some detail. Moreover, we suggest a variety of activities to practise spelling, through word games, crossword puzzles and word snakes. These are included in the activity book. From Unit 4 onwards phonics is introduced through We can read (in PB) and We can read and write (in AB). (E.g. PB: U4, L4, p. 41.) We also attract the children’s attention to letter-sound correspondence through the

meaningful contexts of songs, chants and rhymes, by asking pupils, for example, to find rhyming words. As for writing, in the first units we’ve put the emphasis on teaching the techniques of writing, so that later on we can start developing the skill. Such techniques include letter tracing, copying and matching words and phrases. When possible, this is done through some kind of a game or puzzle. There are writing tasks for more able pupils, which require them to complete their own messages and offer examples and support, such as a “skeleton letter” to fill in. Here is an example of the letter to Santa Claus/Father Frost in Unit 5 Lesson 6 (Activity Book):

Learning to learn

We believe that it’s our job as English teachers to help children learn the language as effectively as possible. In our English lessons children should also learn skills which they can use in other learning situations. For example, we should teach them that, when they are trying to understand the overall message of the text, they should pay attention to the key words in the texts, rather than to every single word. Or they can guess the meaning of some words by relying on their knowledge of international words. In our book we give advice to teachers, so they can make the most of these opportunities to make the learning process as effective and enjoyable as possible.

Children also need to be able to learn to reflect on their own performance and to take responsibility for some aspects of their learning. Taking responsibility for every aspect of the learning process is not a realistic goal, even for adults. With this age group we only need to take small steps. One small step forward in our book is that children can begin to make choices. For this reason we have included open-ended tasks.

For example, in Unit 4 Lesson 2 the teacher should teach the names of pets that the children in the class actually have, rather than a pre-determined list. This is an open-ended approach which takes children’s choices into account. Allowing them to do this, and to listen to their own initiatives and ideas, will motivate them to learn better.

Assessment

We don’t recommend formal testing at this age. Instead, we strongly believe that competitive testing would demotivate many learners. However, there is a need for teachers to follow their learners’ progress. So teachers are encouraged to use a systematic observation sheet for each learner in the class.

In line with our approach to learning to learn, we’ve included a Progress Page after every second unit. This should be filled in by individual pupils to give them a chance to check their own progress. Of course, the teacher should be there to monitor and help too.

The Progress Page contains activities to check the children’s achievement through familiar exercises. While the pupils have an opportunity to check their own progress, the page is also used to highlight problems, so the teacher can make a decision to revisit something in the previous unit if several children are having the same problem.

The children should be encouraged to try again until they are satisfied with their scores. The emphasis is on all children succeeding. Pupils add up their scores. Four categories of achievement are possible:

Super!

Well done!

OK!

Try again!

Within the Progress Page, we also encourage children to reflect on what they can do in English on a regular basis. We suggest that teachers ask children what they enjoyed and why. Teachers can use this information to begin to reflect on their present practice and consider changes to their usual practice.

At the very beginning the teacher uses Russian when asking children to brainstorm which rhymes, songs, chants and games the children like, enjoy and can reproduce. Later she encourages pupils to some English usage as well. They can use: I like/love, My favourite … is, I can… We should try to emphasise what the children can do instead of what they cannot! This approach will have a positive effect on their motivation and confidence.

Story

The book incorporates one episode of a separate story, in the 6th lesson of every unit. The story represents an “Upside- Down World”, engaging the children’s fantasy and imagination. The aim of the story is to give extra listening practice in an enjoyable way. We suggest ideas to elicit children’s feelings about the story, using L1. As a unique feature, the story is printed upside down in the book. This makes handling the book more interesting and adds a physical reality to the upside-down idea. (E.g. PB: U6, L6, p. 67.)

Information boxes

In our book we encourage children to use the foreign language as a wonderful tool for acquiring new ideas and information about the world, and to amuse themselves. For these reasons, the Pupil’s and Teacher’s Books contain special boxes: Do you know ? and Did your pupils know that …? For example, in Unit 4 (“My Pet”) the teacher can tell the children, using L1, which animals can be kept as pets at home and which can’t. In Unit 9 (“Lunchbox”) children can get to know where and when the biggest hamburger in the world was made.

Cross-cultural awareness and “Russianness”

We think it’s very important to raise pupils’ awareness of cultural differences, in particular with regard to the lives of children around the world. The book is not limited to the traditional dialogues in the mother tongue and the foreign language cultures but a really global context.

For example, in Unit 5 children can find the information about the name for Santa Claus not only in the UK and Russia but also in France, Italy and China. Some materials have got a really Russian flavour. Crosscultural links help learners to appreciate Russian culture and its place in the world. At the same time, these links help to develop respect for other countries and their people.

Cross-curricular links

The book includes some elements of other subjects in the primary school curriculum (Maths, Science, Art, Crafts and Music). This helps pupils get a more “holistic” picture of the  world around them. The cross-curricular links will become deeper in the next books and will include other subjects, such as History and Geography.

Classroom management

The learning activities require a combination of several patterns of interaction. In addition to whole class activities, teachers will have to organise both group work and pair work, to give children the opportunity to practise language. Children enjoy talking to their friends and this gives them a real sense of achievement. Talking in pairs and groups also lowers anxiety levels and takes the pressure away from individuals.

Our materials can be used with either small or large classes. For some activities the teacher will need to divide the class into several groups. Special notes on how to manage bigger classes appear in the Teacher’s Book.

Teacher’s roles

The teacher in the primary English classroom is a very important source of input for the children. This is why it’s crucial to use L2 whenever possible. The teacher should pay special attention to praising and encouraging everybody in the class. Teachers should display the children’s work on the wall. This is a way of showing appreciation of their work. Such work can also be used as useful visual support.

We also recommend that teachers and parents work together. We think it’s a good idea to initiate communication with parents so that they can support their children at home if they choose to (see parents’ page in PB p. 124).

Good luck note

We hope that you’ll enjoy working with our series, Millie, as much as we’ve enjoyed writing it! And enjoy trying out all the ideas in your classrooms!

Have fun!

Authors