How Do I Teach English?

[Emxily]

I am a British nursery nurse and have been teaching/caring for children for 4 years. I currently work at an international pre school in Bangkok and love it.

However, people ask me to tutor their children in English...How?

If i have a small group of 5 or 6 year olds where do i start? What do you teach on the first day. If i knew the topics to teach i could work out the activities, but i am lost. Can anyone help?

Know any good websites with lesson plans?

And what if the kids can speak some basic English - then how do you decide what to teach.

Do you do 'colours' in one lesson 'animals' in another, then 'body parts'???? Or a bit of everything? And do you do writing with young kids or not bother? Should i sit them down and learn our ABC's or just play some games and do some art and crafts?

If i could find a great book or website of lesson plans and when to do each one i would be very excited.

Any help is great !!!

[Jet Gorgon]

Please go to the teaching in Thailand forum, in the business section. They will help.

[Ijustwannateach]

Moved to Teaching Subforum.

[Robski]

I think the mods will move it to the teaching forum, once they've had their coffee and woken up. And just as I was posting....

You've got the right idea, ABC, 123, colours, animals, days of the week etc, keep it fun and encourage them all even when they get it wrong, kids are competitive and will learn what they need to do to get praise, even if it doesn't yet make sense.

Keep talking, they will learn from your words and actions.

As for the mechanics, there are plenty of good members in the teaching forum that will show you the way, I'd say take some time to concentrate on phonetics, but keep it short and simple, as I'm sure you are aware kids can get bored easy, but love fun and games. Good luck.

Edited January 20, 2007 by Robski

[Jet Gorgon]

You've got the right idea, ABC, 123, colours, animals, days of the week...they get bored easy, but love fun and games. Good luck.

Sounds like trying to amuse TV members.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I teach second grade here and I stick to one topic a week - however I have much larger classes. I teach 30-35.

Just think about what you do usually and try that. Presume that they can't do anything - repeating topics is something the students will enjoy.

On a first day I would teach useful classroom language:

How to ask to go to the toilet; How to ask to go get water; How to say you don't understand; How to ask for help.

I would do some activities that intro the words and get them to repeat the phrases - moving onto activities where they have to remember what to say.

On thing that I think is very important is to have a classroom assistant. Maybe the parents could take turn to help you, and after a while - once the kids understand your style - you can manage fine without one.

Hope that this helps.

Oh, and if you want a source of good lesson plans I would buy the Let's Go 1 teacher book - this has activities and work for an appropriate level - although you may have to be patient with 5 year olds. The Let's Go book has the best lesson plans that I have ever found for children in a teacher's book.

Good Luck!

[ajarnmark]

I am a British nursery nurse and have been teaching/caring for children for 4 years. I currently work at an international pre school in Bangkok and love it.

However, people ask me to tutor their children in English...How?

If i have a small group of 5 or 6 year olds where do i start? What do you teach on the first day. If i knew the topics to teach i could work out the activities, but i am lost. Can anyone help?

Know any good websites with lesson plans?

And what if the kids can speak some basic English - then how do you decide what to teach.

Do you do 'colours' in one lesson 'animals' in another, then 'body parts'???? Or a bit of everything? And do you do writing with young kids or not bother? Should i sit them down and learn our ABC's or just play some games and do some art and crafts?

If i could find a great book or website of lesson plans and when to do each one i would be very excited.

Any help is great !!!

PM me, I will introduce to my friend who is teaching in an International School. She is very good and experienced teacher and she teaches different age groups.

[Emxily]

WOW! My first submission to thai Visa,

Thanks everyone, all good stuff that really help!!

[Emxily]

Oh, and if you want a source of good lesson plans I would buy the Let's Go 1 teacher book - this has activities and work for an appropriate level - although you may have to be patient with 5 year olds. The Let's Go book has the best lesson plans that I have ever found for children in a teacher's book.

Good Luck!

Do you know where i could buy that book in Bangkok? And do use the student's book too?

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Let's Go is the set text for the Prathom (Primary or Grade 1-6) students in my school. There is a Teacher's book, Student Workbook, a song and chant book (which they really enjoy) and a grammar book - which is photocopiable worksheets that help to reinforce the grammar. I try to get the students to use the workbook for homework so they have to think a little bit about the work in class.

I can't tell you where to get them in BKK, I live in Chiang Mai. What I can tell you is that you should be able to pick them up in any good Thai bookstore.

I can't recommend the books highly enough - they are one of the few books that allow you to follow the stages of a lesson almost word for word. There may be other good books out there, but in my 4 years of experience I have never found a better kids one.

[PeaceBlondie]

And, for fillers (when you run out of time, or an opportunity presents itself), don't just teach nouns. Teach adjectives like cold, hot, black, blue, three, five, good, bad. Teach verbs like read, write, see, hear. Don't teach future perfect subjunctive continuous passive, if you were to have been being inclined to do so.

There is an excellent book: the Oxford Picture English Dictionary (or something like that title), available in British and American versions; also an interactive computer game that goes with it. The children can play the games under their own names, and receive scores. The computer game has audio.

And welcome to ThaiVisa!

[bina]

lets go! i recommend (we use it in israel )...

dr. suess had some good english books for pre schoolers (not all kids that age can identify abc... or read...)

use songs: there are good cassettes/dvd's for that age group... search on the net

too bad thai visa couldnt start a lending library for this stuff for those living in thailand; after all kids out grow there textbooks/dvd's etc. faster than adults (who tend to reuse their books )

[justarrived]

Oh, and if you want a source of good lesson plans I would buy the Let's Go 1 teacher book - this has activities and work for an appropriate level - although you may have to be patient with 5 year olds. The Let's Go book has the best lesson plans that I have ever found for children in a teacher's book.

Good Luck!

Do you know where i could buy that book in Bangkok? And do use the student's book too?

There is a big bookshop close to the Democracy Monument (nearby Mc Donald) At 2 floors you'll get a lot of things (books, tapes, CDs, flashcards, posters and many more).

[graesta]

if you are into speaking skills- I recommend tiny Talk Ia..