Language Week Berlin Teachers Training College 30 January - 6 February

LESSON PREPARATION
First review the last lesson:
1. What children need more attention? What learning items need repetition, reinforcement?
2. Then think of the lesson itself:
Ideas?
Write out the order of the LESSON items.
Make sure there are moments of concentration followed by moments of relaxations.

REPERTOIRE:


5 COUNTING-OUT RHYMES stress the beat as index-finger moves from one participant to the next participant. NB Beat is not the same as rhythm (see further down). Tinker, tailer, soldier, sailor; Rich man, poor man, beggar-man, THIEF!
Acker, Backer, Soda Cracker, Acker, Backer BOO; Acker Backer, Soda Cracker, OUT goes YOU!
Jeremiah blow the fire 'Puff, Puff, Puff'. First you blow it gently, then you blow it ROUGH!
One potato, two potatoes, three potatoes, FOUR;Five potatoes, six potatoes, seven potatoes MORE; So OUT you must go, because the Kind and Queen say SO!

5 PROVERBS
When in Rome do as the Roman do.
A stitch in time saves nine.
The early bird catches the worm.
Barking dogs don't bite.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Let sleeping dogs lie.

Intonation and sentence stress

DO you want to come here tomorrow?
Do YOU want to come here tomorrow?
Do you WANT to come here tomorrow?
Do you want to COME here tomorrow?
Do you want to come HERE tomorrow?
Do you want to come here TOMORROW?

TWO GROUPS: A DIFFERENT STORY IS TOLD TO EACH GROUP - ALL GROUP MEMBERS RETELL THEIR STORY TO ONE PARTNER FROM OTHER GROUP

STORY ONE

As Nasruddin emerged form the mosque after prayers, a beggar sitting on the street solicited alms.
The following conversation followed:
- Are you extravagant? asked Nasruddin.
- Yes Nasruddin. replied the beggar.
- Do you like sitting around drinking coffee and smoking? asked Nasruddin.
- Yes. replied the beggar.
- I suppose you like to go to the baths everyday? asked Nasruddin.
- Yes. replied the beggar.
- ...And maybe amuse yourself, even, by drinking with friends? asked Nasruddin.
- Yes I like all those things. replied the beggar.
- Tut, Tut, said Nasruddin, and gave him a gold piece.
A few yards further on. another beggar who had overheard the conversation begged for alms also.
- Are you extravagant? asked Nasruddin.
- No, Nasruddin replied second beggar.
- Do you like sitting around drinking coffee and smoking? asked Nasruddin.
- No. replied second beggar.
- I suppose you like to go to the baths everyday? asked Nasruddin.
- No. replied second beggar.
- ...And maybe amuse yourself, even, by drinking with friends? asked Nasruddin.
- No, I want to only live meagerly and to pray. replied second beggar.
Whereupon the Nasruddin gave him a small copper coin.
- But why, wailed second beggar, do you give me, an economical and pious man, a penny, when you give that extravagant fellow a sovereign? - Ah my friend, replied Nasruddin, his needs are greater than yours.

STORY TWO

There was a poor family living in Ireland during the times of the potato famine.
An old man and his wife, who was blind. Their daughter and her husband, who had been waiting for a baby that wouldn't come.
Potatoes was practically all they had tp eat. The young man always went to get some potatoes from the garden every day.
One day, when he came out into the garden there was a strange smell in the air.
- Oh, my God, I hope our potatoes haven't gone bas as well.
When he saw the potatoes they had all gone black and squelchy, stank to high heaven.
In the moment of his despair he herd a little voice behind him. It was one of the 'little people' (a leprechaun).
- What's the matter?
- Look at the potatoes! They've all gone bad. We have nothing to eat!
- Yes, I can see that. But I can give you a wish.
- Only one wish?
- Yes, only one wish this time, I'm afraid.
- Can I first discuss it with my family?
- Of course! I'll be here at the same time tomorrow.
And ffft off he was!
His mother-in-law said:
-Wiah for my eyesight. I want to be able to see again.

His wife said:
-No, don't do that. Wish for our baby!
But the old man said:
- No we must think. We need gold. To buy food with.
The following morning the leprechaun was already there waiting for him.
-Well, have you made up your mind?
- Yes, we have. Only one wish?
- Only one. As I said yesterday.
- Well it is this: My mother-in-law would like to see my wife's baby in a golden cradle!

C. FIRST WRITING BOOK

During the first few months in Class 4 the children copy their 'favourite' verses, rhymes, songs, stories, conversational exchanges, speech exercises, language learning games, circle games, finger plays, the repetitive parts of stories into their 'First Writing Book'.
1. For 15 minutes in every one of their three (!) weekly lessons the children copy WHOLE TEXTS, off the blackboard (whiteboard, flipchart etc.).
2. We don't write single words during this time.
3. We write only texts they know "by heart", have "in their ear"!
4. During this time children will recognize the verses and with a bit of luck will be able to "read", recite or sing them.
5. When the first children have written for two or three weeks we start helping them to "NOTICE" REGULAR SPELLINGS that are "always" pronounced the same way, for example: A, E, O, I, U in short one-syllable words!
6. The word-shape CONSONANT-SHORT VOWEL-CONSONANT can be written more or less as children hear it:
For example: bet, bit, hot
the cat sat on the mat
This is my chin, my chin, my chin
tick tock, the clock

In the word-shape CONSONANT-SHORT VOWEL-CONSONANT the English A (æ) and U (ʌ) may cause confusion.
We try to get the children to discover those two typically English sounds and their spellings as quickly as possible:
rat-tat-tat
Jack
let's get the fishing-net
puff, puff, puff
how much are those buns?
7. SPELLING PRACTICE FOR SHORT VOWELS (later this will be SPELLING RULE 1)
To strengthen the first two steps the children write from hearing.
First begin with words ending in VOICELESS CONSONANTS so as to keep really short vowels:
the cat sat on the mat
let the net get wet
he hit it and it bit
it has not got a lot of dots
cut the nuts into a cup

We could also use the following:
Betty Botter bought a bit of butter
But, she said, the butter’s bitter,
If I put it in my batter,
It will make my batter bitter,
But a bit of better butter,
That would make my batter better.

If the children get the hang of this they will enjoy these "dictations" - many children will get everything right simply by listening and writing accurately! You or some of the pupils can make many more of these "listening exercises" yourselves! 8. DOUBLING OF CONSONANTS AFTER SHORT VOWELS (later this will be SPELLING RULE 2)
Rule: When the short vowels come in words of more than one syllable the consonants need doubling:
For example:
bat - battER
bet - bettER
bit - bittER
but - buttER

bed - beddING
bud - buddING
hap - happY
pig - piggY
sop - soppY
sob - sobbED
9. NOT DOUBLING THE CONSONANTS (later this will be SPELLING RULE 3):
LONG VOWELS come if we do not double the consonants in words of more than one syllable:
patter...later
better...Peter
bitter...biting
Bonnie.. phoning
funny...fuming

10. The LONG VOWEL SOUNDS come when a SILENT E follows the RULE-1 words (later this will be SPELLING RULE 4):
Put the following words side by side by side:
mat... mate
sit ... site
not ...note
fun ...fume (F-YOU-M)
and we "discover" the "rule" that long A, I, O, U appear when a SILENT "E" comes after the short words!

11. The second exercise has words ending in VOICED CONSONANTS which LENGTHEN the short vowel (later this will be SPELLING RULE 5):
the bad lad had bag
she fed the hen in bed
it hid the fig in the bin
the mob nod to the dog and the hog
the cub dug in the mud

12. Also LONG VOWELS become SHORTENED before UNVOICED CONSONANTS (later this will be SPELLING RULE 6)
made mate
feed feet
bide bite
road rote
code coat
hood foot
good put
booed boot


B. WRITING EXERCISES

WRITING EXERCISE ONE
1. The King's Fool was an extremely wise and clever man.
2. One day he met the King, who seemed depressed about something.
3. ‘I can cheer you up, ‘ said the Fool. ‘Did you know that I'm the best liar in the world?’
4. The King said he didn't believe it and added: ‘I'll give you a hundred silver shillings if you tell me a really big lie.’
5. ‘All right, then,’ said the Fool, ‘I'll tell you a really great lie then.’
6. ‘One evening your father and mine were playing cards with a group of friends - this was twelve years ago.
’ 7. ‘Your father ran out of money and my father lent him a hundred silver shillings.’
8. ‘The sad thing is he never got his money back.’
9. ‘You liar!’ That's a bloody great lie,’ shouted the King.
10. Why was the King now forced to pay his Fool a hundred silver shillings?

WRITING EXERCISE TWO
Everyone in the class gets a sheet of paper and writes a 7-word question for their desk partner who then writes a corresponding answer and gives back the sheet. The partners then write a follow-on question in 6 words, return the sheet and get an answer which is also in 6 words. This goes on with 5-word questions and answers, 3-word questions and so on. At the end everyone reads out the sheet in front of them.

WRITING EXERCISE THREE
THE CLASS IS DIVIDED INTO GROUPS AND EACH GROUP DICTATE SINGLE WORDS FROM A STORY ERYBODY KNOWS. EACH GROUP CHOOSES A "SECRETARY" WHO WRITES THESE WORDS IN COLUMNS ON THE BLACKBOARD.

(The children always know which story the word comes from. Each word is like a mosaic stone from a big picture!)
- READ THROUGH THESE WORDS. CROSS OUT ANY DOUBLES, TRIPLES. (This means the class are reading!)
- DO WE ALL AGREE WITH HOW THESE WORDS ARE SPELT? The question is not "right" or "wrong" but "Can we agree?" (Class reading again!)

- LET'S TAKE THE FIRST WORD. WHAT WAS THE WORD BEFORE IT; OR AFTER IT?
(Grammar in practice!) - THE SAME FOR AS MANY WORDS ON THE BLACKBOARD.
- WHO CAN REMEMBER HOW EACH OF THE STORIES BEGAN?
- GRADUALLY RECONSTRUCT THE TWO STORIES.
- WRITE OUT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN REMEMBER.
(A writing exercise par excellence!) - LEARN THEM BY HEART.(Some will do precisely that, others will remember the inner pictures)
- Recite and/or write out story by heart.