Language Arts Activities

− Dicto-comp may be adapted for younger learners in primary schools, as in the following two examples:

♦ Learners listen to the teacher’s reading of a story at normal speed. Then, as in traditional dictation, they listen to the teacher’ reading of five to seven sentences from the story but in a jumbled order three times. In the first reading, learners just listen and do not write down any words. In the second reading, the teacher breaks each sentence into sensible groups so that learners can write down the sentences in their dictation books. Then the teacher reads the sentences a third time for learners to check their work. Afterwards, learners reconstruct the text by arranging the sentences in the right order in groups or individually.

♦ Learners listen to the teacher’s reading of a story at normal speed. Then they listen to the teacher’s reading of some words from the story and fill in a mind map or a concept map. The class and the teacher discuss the mind map and work out the sequence of the words according to the content of the story.

Based on this sequence, the class and the teacher compose the story in a shared writing activity.

provides opportunities for the development of cultural awareness and generic skills, in particular, critical thinking skills and creativity.

When young learners are engaged in language arts activities such as singing songs and making up rhymes, English becomes a source of pleasure and entertainment. This helps young learners develop interest and a positive attitude towards learning a second language.

As far as possible, language arts activities should be integrated into learning modules to stimulate learners’ thinking and creativity, to help them make connections to the knowledge they have acquired and to guide them to express their observations, thoughts, feelings and communicate their emotions and personal experiences.

The following are some language arts activities suitable for learners in primary schools:

• Singing:

Singing encourages risk-free language play and allows children to make mistakes as they experiment with the new phonemic system in the process of learning a second language. More importantly, singing helps learners overcome shyness and boosts their confidence in using a second language. Catchy tunes and lively melodies make songs fun to learn and easy to remember. The repetition and chorus in songs helps young learners gain fluency and control over the pronunciation and use of the repeated words and phrases. Singing can be introduced as an activity for the Reading Workshops as it enhances literacy development in young learners. Many songs are suitable for learners in primary schools. Teachers can write the songs on chart paper or present them in the format of a big book. Before and during singing, the teacher can use a pointer to run under the words.

Singing shared reading texts using the melodies of familiar tunes (e.g.

London Bridge is falling down) is also effective and can help learners internalize the use of the target grammar items and structures in an enjoyable way. Learners in Key Stage 1 may also enjoy finger plays or miming while they are singing, as the movements provide clues to the meaning and enhance understanding of the content of the songs or the shared reading texts.

• Listening to, reading aloud and making up rhymes and tongue twisters:

Rhymes (e.g. Mix a pancake) and tongue twisters (e.g. She sells seashells) have a natural rhythm and motivate learners to say the sentences or expressions quickly. They usually contain elements of fun or playing with the language. As young learners repeat rhymes and tongue twisters, they manipulate the sounds and intonations of familiar and new language. Some rhymes involve learners in movements and are called action rhymes. Doing the actions while reciting helps young learners understand and remember the rhymes, and so they are more suitable for learners in Key Stage 1. Making up rhymes and tongue twisters provides opportunities for learners to experiment with words and sounds and develop creativity, so this kind of activity is more suitable for learners in Key Stage 2.

• Listening to stories and storytelling:

All children enjoy being told stories and should be provided with ample opportunities to listen to stories. Through storytelling, young learners develop their listening skills and confidence in reading English books on their own. In storytelling, teachers use simple language, rich facial expressions and appropriate gestures to help young learners understand the content of the stories. Props, pictures and cut-outs are often necessary to help learners understand and interact with the content of the stories better. Learners need opportunities to become storytellers themselves, so that they can experiment with the use of facial expressions, gestures and intonation patterns. Learners may retell their favourite stories from reading, or create their own stories. Storytelling can be collaborative or individual and can be easily linked with dramatic plays and writing tasks. (Please refer to Appendix 5 for suggestions on using storytelling as a teaching strategy for reading.)

• Role-plays and dramas:

Role-plays or dramas provide opportunities for learners to take on roles and use make-believe to act out situations and play episodes.

For example, learners can pretend to be the Gingerbread Man or the crocodile after reading the storybook and they can act out the episode

EXEMPLAR 9 ELE KLA CG (P1-S3)

EXEMPLAR 3

Gingerbread Man, the crocodile or the narrator, as well as the sort of language used for interacting with their peers about the play itself.

The experience helps learners develop empathy, critical thinking, collaboration skills, creativity and positive attitude in the use of English for purposeful communication.

• Show-and-tell:

Young learners are eager to talk about what they like and find an interest in. Show-and-tell is an interactive and meaningful language activity. Learners can bring to class something they want to talk about. They can talk about their favourite toys, storybooks they have read, songs they like or poems they have created, or photographs or drawings they have. The teller is encouraged to be creative and the learners who listen are encouraged to participate by asking questions after the show. The teacher has to model questioning and encourage elaboration and clarification. This can be a group activity as well as a class activity from Key Stage 1 onwards.