Teaching in elementary schools can be a very rewarding experience. In general, the students will be open to new experiences, enthusiastic, and very friendly once they get used to you.
There are some basic techniques you can use in order to make friends with elementary school students:
Elementary school students have an extraordinary capacity for learning. In order to maximise this potential, it is helpful if ALTs can expose them to as much understandable English as possible. By understandable I mean within a context that makes it possible for students to guess the meaning. Merely speaking English at the students will not result in them learning it. If, however, you give the students a frame of reference (such as a gesture, facial expression, or example) then you will be surprised as how much they can understand. The language skills of guessing from context and listening for familiar language can be taught to your students within normal English classes by giving them the chance to guess language. The more practice your students have, the better they will get at it.
Praise is extremely important in elementary school classes. It is important to reinforce a supportive atmosphere where having a go is more important than success or failure. Students should be encouraged to help each other if necessary, and you should avoid a stressful academic atmosphere.
Perhaps the most important thing to do at elementary school is to enjoy yourself. If you can go in and enjoy talking to and playing with your students, both you and they will have a good time. Remember that English classes at this level are supposed to introduce students to English in a fun way, and provoke their curiosity about the world. Don't worry about getting the lesson plan done, just relax, have fun, and get to know your students a little better.
Alphabet Memory
Introduce or review the alphabet through card memory matching
Alphabet Soup
A quick letter or word practice
Animals
Teach and practice English animal sounds
Around the World
An activity to reinforce and memorize vocabulary
At the Beach
Beach vocabulary using "What's this?" grammar
At the Restaurant(2007)
Lesson plan to introduce and practice ordering food in restaurants
Basic Elementary School Lesson
A basic adaptable lesson for elementary school visits
Battleships Plurals
Easy to implement version of battleships to practice plurals. Great worksheet included
Blind Man's Walk(2007)
A simple activity to practice directions in ES
Chinese Whispers Dress-up Game
A fun and active activity to practice clothes vocabulary
Christmas Card
Making Christmas cards, learning colours and Xmas vocabulary
Circle Karuta
Students race to circle the things the teacher calls out
Classroom Objects
Vocabulary and games for classroom objects
Cleaning
An opportunity to talk to students outside of class and get to know them better
Cops and Robbers
Energetic and loud activity to reinforce vocabulary
Do you have X
Card game with animals, practicing "Do you have ~?"
Elementary School Teaching Tips(2007)
Some tips and recommendations for ES teachers
Elimination
Competitive game to reinforce vocabulary
Emotional Bowling(2007)
A bowling activity to practice feelings vocabulary
English Janken lesson
Very simple and thorough lesson plan to practice greetings and janken in English
English in the Gym
Physical activities in a large space, to teach vocabulary and grammar points
Feelings
Learn feelings vocabulary with flyswatter and janken games
Fish Fish(2007)
A lesson plan for kindergarten to learn about things in the sea
Frog Family
This is a simple storytelling activity for younger students that involves acting, gestures, movement, and lots of listening
Fukuwarai with Totoro
Directions, face parts, and a blindfold!
Fun with Numbers
Songs and Bingo with numbers
Guess Who
A great game reviewing "Are you ^?" and Do you ~?"
Harry Potter Game
How are you?, Feelings, Voldemort, and wants. Nuff said
How are you
Feelings lesson for middle grades.
How are you 2
Greetings as a warm-up and mood builder
How are you - What's this - Racing Game
Misc games for ES
How many what colour
Using classroom and incidental English to encourage communication
Insects
Making paper insects while learning vocabulary
Janken Games
2 different Janken games reviewing grammar points
Karuta Variations
Two karuta variations: bowling and apple bobbing
Last Four Standing
Adaptable activity to practice any language in small groups. Encourages student independence
Letter Sounds
Simple activities to practice phonics with JHS1 students
Likes and Dislikes Bingo
My Body(2007)
Lesson plan to practice body parts with young ES students
My family
Lesson plan to practice family members and prepositions (on, under, etc.)
No Frills Introduction
North, East, South, West
Learning directions and some geography, for older grades
Not your standard Self-Intro
Need help from friends to show diversity of English speakers
Octopus
A "Do you like -" tag game
Parts of the Body
An activity to practice body parts
Parts of the Face
A drawing activity to practice parts of the face
Personal Pronouns Potential Cootie Catchers
A simple and fun activity to practice making sentences using personal pronouns and 'I can'/'I can't'
Phonics ABCs
A method to use phonics practice to improve pronunciation (without reading and writing) and motivation
Phonics Little Preparation
A simple phonics practice activity based around worksheets
Phonics Slap
A simple game for practicing listening for specific sounds
Pin the Tail on the Donkey
Classroom variation of the traditional party game to practice directions
Presentations
Using a show and tell format to allow students to personalise language
Questions Othello
A board game based on Othello that encourages students to practice a grammar point.
Quiz
Quiz activity done all in English using props and realia
Scary Monster plan
Body parts, numbers, monsters, and you
Seasons
An activity/lesson plan to practice the four seasons
Shapes - Winter snowflakes
Shape vocabulary with arts and crafts
Single Row Bingo
A simple and fast-paced variation of bingo
Singular and Plural(2007)
An activity to teach and practice singular and plural forms of nouns
Spider Eats All
Interesting card game to pracice bug names (very adaptable). Includes colour worksheets...
The Mystery Box
Practice vocabulary with younger students using a 'mystery box' and realia/objects
Tic Tac Toe(2007)
An activity to use with special needs classes
Totoro Bingo
Transport(2007)
An activity to learn and practice vehicle vocabulary
Typhoon Game
Adapting the JHS game for ES
UK Nations Geography Lesson
Teaching about the various cultures and countries in the UK
Weather(2007)
A lesson plan to introduce and practice weather language with ES students
Weather II(2007)
An activity to practice weather and learn geography using a world map
Weekday Doubt
A version of the card game B.S. (or Liar) to help students learn the days of the week
What do you like
Grammar point with Bingo
What do you want to be
Jobs/profession vocabulary with some future tense grammar
What I Want
An adaptable activity to help students practice locations and the verb 'want'
What sports do you play
Sports vocabulary and grammar point
What's Missing(2007)
A simple adaptable activity to practice vocabulary through a memory game. Good warm-up or drill activity
What's this
Where Are You(2007)
Activity to practice locations and the question 'where are you?'
Yet Another Zombie Game
A zombie variation of the cockroach evolution janken game.
Zombies
Sentence construction, conversation practice, and brains
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