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How to start the first English lesson in 1st grade?
![How to start the first English lesson in 1st grade?](/images/blog/teacher-1.png)
The first English lesson is an exciting event not only for students and their parents, but also for teachers. After all, we have several difficult tasks ahead of us. The main thing is to interest young students. School years cause awe and delight in few people, as often some subjects seem boring and incomprehensible, and by the end of school, most children completely lose interest.
To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to cultivate love and a desire to learn from the first grade.
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Primary school children do not yet understand why they need a school or English. From or to motivation won't work with them, so it's important to use the right approach. While they cannot control their discipline and motivation, we as teachers must show them that English lessons are an adventure. That is why such exercises as inserting a missing word or putting in the right form of a verb will not be successful without a fun introduction and rhyme.
Therefore, in the first lesson, it is not the amount of knowledge and new words that the child will carry away after that is important. It is important with what mood the student leaves such a lesson. In this article, we will tell you how to spend English in grade 1 so that children fall in love with it once and for all.
What should a child know in first grade?
Many parents try to introduce their child to English since kindergarten and get very upset if a first grader cannot speak fluently by the end of the year. It is important not to set impossible tasks for children of 7 years old. If both parents in the family speak Russian and the child hears and trains English only at school, then the result will be appropriate.
As you know, at this age, children easily and quickly memorize information, but there is one “but”. It does this through constant repetition. If you organize this process competently and clearly, then remembering new words and even phrases will not be difficult.
So, for the first academic year, the child will master the basic knowledge on topics such as:
- alphabet and numbers;
- pronouns;
- a family;
- colors;
- animals;
- rooms;
- toys;
- body parts;
- food.
In addition, he will be able to introduce himself and learn basic dating phrases. The most important thing is not just to give the child words to learn, but to gradually help organize individual words into whole sentences. Let's break down the structure of the first lesson.
English Lesson Plan
Of course, teaching children is significantly different from teaching adults, primarily in terms of approach. Therefore, a lesson on the same topic “animals” will look completely different. Before we dive into the steps of the first lesson, I would like to note an important unspoken rule. Smile, children feel good mood. It is not so much important for them how well you speak or with what accent, but your care and attention. That is why it is important to know everyone in the class by name and to be interested in the mood of the students. Also, do not scold the group for mistakes, on the contrary, show that it is not only possible, but necessary, to make mistakes.
Lesson planning is a mandatory element of training for teachers. This will help to strictly observe the “timing”, and with children this is very important, since they cannot yet calmly study in the lesson for all 45 minutes.
The main stages lesson with first graders:
- Acquaintance (5 minutes).
- Goal setting (3 minutes).
- Warm-up (5 minutes).
- Main topic (10 minutes).
- Controlled practice (5 minutes).
- Free practice (7 minutes).
- Physical education (5 minutes).
- Reflection (5 minutes).
Let's analyze each of the stages separately.
Acquaintance
Acquaintance involves creating a first positive impression of you as a teacher. Try to win over students to yourself, using a pleasant intonation and a leisurely pace of speech. Use greeting and introduction phrases that you can then repeat each lesson.
ПIntroduce yourself and help the students introduce themselves. For example: "My name is Yulia Sergeevna. What is your name?"
Tell your students why you are here today and what you will do in class. Ask them what English is and why it is needed. And then tell them what they will learn today and how they can use it.
Warm up
The warm-up can include any quick exercises that will help you tune in to a foreign language. Here you can demonstrate classroom language.
The main commands in the lessons that you will constantly use:
- Listen.
- Repeat after me.
- What is it.
- Open your books.
- Close your books.
- Show me something.
Topic of the first lesson
Choose a topic and choose some exercises that will help students remember it. The best place to start is with flashcards. Show students cards with numbers or animals and say it out loud, then say "Repeat after me".
Controlled practice
Contains exercises to practice the main topic with answer options or various prompts. For example, show a card with a crocodile and ask: "Is it a monkey?" Or lay out the cubes with letters and ask them to find and compose the hidden word.
Free practice
These are tasks for using the studied material in a free form. But since this is your first lesson, and the children do not yet know colloquial and grammatical structures, you will have to help them. These can be leading questions or the beginning of a phrase that the children must continue on their own. Instead of translating, we recommend showing words using emotions.
For example:
- What is your favorite animal?
- I love...
- I'm afraid of...
If you studied colors, then use a small cartoon or YouTube, stopping each time and drawing the attention of the guys to a specific color that they should remember and name.
Physical activity
After a mental load, be sure to take a short break using physical exercises or dancing. For example, if you have completed the topic of "parts of the body", turn on the song Head, shoulders, knees and toes and arrange a contest where the guys have to touch the parts that they hear in the song. This is a way not only to warm up and relax, but also to spend time usefully.
Reflection
Reflection is as important a stage of the lesson as the exercises themselves to consolidate the topic. Ask students what they went through today, what they learned to do in English, and which exercise they enjoyed the most. It will be useful for teachers to notice which tasks cause delight and happiness in young students.
Methods of learning English in elementary school
In addition to a positive attitude, teaching children includes certain techniques and exercises that will be effective because of their age and abilities. Unfortunately, there is no perfect way that will suit everyone and give the same result. Just like there is no perfect textbook that you can use without hesitation to conduct classes. That is why experienced teachers combine different approaches.
Methods for elementary school students:
- The classical approach has been known to many since the times of the USSR under the name "grammar-translation method". Here it is not forbidden to explain the meaning of a certain structure in Russian, and tests and opening brackets in sentences are used to consolidate. Since this method does not help the development of speech skills, it is rarely used separately, but in the modern educational process it complements other techniques.
- The communicative technique, in contrast, does not place a strong emphasis on the rules for using grammar, but considers its use in various contexts. This effectively develops speaking and vocabulary.
- The game method is necessary when teaching children 6-8 years old. At this stage, it is difficult for children to concentrate and devote themselves to their studies. In this case, games will be an interesting pastime for them, and the teacher will be able to convey the topic of the lesson.
- The project method implies the development of students' autonomy, and is clearly not suitable for first-graders. But children from grade 3 will be interested in preparing their own project on a given topic using English outside of school.
- Fortunately, combined approach does not have clear rules and boundaries, the teacher himself chooses certain techniques based on the interests and abilities of the student.
- Glen Doman's method is identical to using flashcards, where children easily memorize new words with the help of repeated repetitions after the teacher.
- Using the Zaitsev method, you can significantly increase the child's vocabulary, as well as work on spelling. Here cubes with letters of various colors are used. While learning the alphabet, it is very important to show children that letters are different from sounds and sound different when combined with each other. Use these cubes for reading and conducting dictations.
Conclusion
English teachers do a great job in the classroom and during the preparation for it. After all, it is important not only to transfer knowledge, but also to instill a love for learning English. In the first grade, this is especially important, since during this period the foundation of the attitude to study and mental work is laid.
Methodological diversity greatly facilitates the educational process. But how to choose the right techniques and combine them with each other? The TEFL/TESOL online course helps English teachers navigate and easily select materials for children and adults, as well as quickly and efficiently work with grammar and vocabulary in the classroom. In a few months, you will learn to determine the goals of the classes and select exercises based on them. Sign up for the course right now to get it at a 50% discount.
Enrol now
Get your TEFL TESOL certification
Teach English! It is the best way to earn money.
Travel, work online, get a job abroad, or be
an EFL and ESL teacher in your country.
Get it nowTravel, work online, get a job abroad, or be
an EFL and ESL teacher in your country.
We hope that this article will become your "guide" for your first English lesson. We will be happy to answer your questions in the comments.