The very hungry Caterpillar: Before, while and after reading activities.

1.- Butterflies from the world: We are going to visit Faunia, a specific place where are lots of butterflies for all over the world.

2.- Life-cycle of the butterfly: The teacher brings to the class some caterpillar in a box. In this way, we can se the life-cycle. We have also to feed them.

3.- The number song: We are going to sing some songs like, "Ten little fingers" or "Five little monkeys".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9KmC1-jGNc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1MxtTPm-Ek

4.- Mathematics: We are going to work shapes: circles, rectangles and triangles; for creating a caterpillar.

5.- Arts & Crafts: With collage, we can create a caterpillar and a cocoon, too.

6.- ICT: Find some interactive activities about food, using the smart board, or something similar.

7.- For recognizing different types of food, we are going to create a bingo game.

Methods: Second language acquisition

1) It has been said that the Grammar- Translation Method teaches students about the target language, but not how to use it. Explain the difference in your own words.

Grammar translation method only teaches language’s structure (grammar) while other methods that also use communicative skill.

2) In the Grammar-Translation Method, grammar is treated deductively; in the Direct Method, grammar is treated inductively. Can you explain the difference between deductive and inductive treatments of grammar?

Deductive: it’s grammar translation method. First teacher, teach the rule and then gives the examples.

           

Inductive: Direct methods. First the learner receive inputs (examples), then create the rule, by himself, based on the experience receive through the inputs.

3) Which of the following techniques follows from the principles of the Audio-Lingual Method, and which ones don’t? Explain the reasons for your answer.

a) No audio-lingual / Yes grammar-translation.

b) Yes (but not all). Read and answer questions.

c) No audio-lingual / Yes grammar-translation.

5) Asher believes that foreign language instruction can and should be modeled on native language acquisition. What are some characteristics of TPR that are similar to the way children acquire their native language?

- Give orders to the children for getting inputs.

- Children are silent. They don’t talk, they only listen.

- Comfortable environment for the children.

7) A lot of target language structures and vocabulary can be taught through the imperative. Plan part of a TPR lesson in which the present continuous tense, or another structure in the target language, is introduced.

Transports

"Stand up if you came to school by car / train / bus...". Teacher completes the action with a picture of the transport.

Vocabulary: car, train, bicycle, walk, boat, underground...

Is ZOG an appropiate book?

ZOG is a great book to use with five-four year old students.

The topic includes magical characters as dragons and princesses, things that will help to keep the kids focused on the plot. The story also is good in order to motivate the kids, to help them to develop positive behaviors, imitating character’s attitudes during the story.

It’s a good book to use storytelling because the pictures are good enough to help the students to follow the story looking to them. The structures are simple and there are no long descriptive paragraphs, and even though vocabulary is a bit difficult, the teacher can change difficult words and the children can follow the story easily thanks also to the pictures that, as we said before, are very descriptive.

After listen it a few times in class. It can be given to the kids in order to let them read the story by their own, discovering the vocabulary that the teacher has changed during the storytelling, the repeated structures and the rhymes.

Reader: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Hello! My name is Charlie Bucket.

I live in a very little house with my family, my father and mother and my four grandparents, my mother's parents and my father's parents.

We do not have much money because my father is the only one with a job in the family.

We usually eat cabbage and cabbage soup, but I prefer to eat chocolate, because it is my favorite food.

That is the reason why I love my birthday's present, a tinny chocolate bar that I eat slowly.

Every day when i go to the school I see Willy Wonka's huge chocolate factory that smells like chocolate and makes me feel starving.

I would really like to get in the factory and discover how it is from the inside