Task 5: Jane Howes' talk

Last Friday, we had a talk about the use of text books in English learning. It was very interesting because we can learn more about how we can use them in our lessons and how they are organised.

The speaker was Janes Howes. She is a teacher at our university, so she trains future teachers. Moreover, as she wants time for her family, she writes books at home; in this way, she can work as the same time as she is spending time with her sons. It gives her more freedom. She sometimes works with kids in order to know more about nowadays situation and to check the effectiveness of her methodology.

During the talk, she explained us the organization of her books and the importance of a type of text at the beginning of the unit. It also includes some CLIL lessons. Furthermore, she introduce us the teachers' book which contains ideas for lessons and different related activities that we can do apart for the ones in the book.

In addition to her presentation, we did different activities which her book includes. We did as a child and then we evaluated the structure and objectives. It helps us to think about how we can related them with other kind of activities and what themes of the language can we work with them. Personally, I really enjoy the one about doing a poem with an animal. It was the first time that I have thought that writing a poem is easy!

To sum up, I would like to say that I have changed my point of view about text books because, in some subjects, we have talked about teaching without books; but thanks to her speech I have realise that we can prepare original and dynamic lessons including text books. More people like Jane should write these books in order to increase their effectiviness.

Task 4: Brown Bear, Brown Bear.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear. What do you see? Watch the video and answer the following questions:

1. Why is this an appropriate story to read with both preschool and primary children? Give at least 3 different reasons. 

• Pictures help children to understand and learn the new vocabulary about animals and colours, which are the most typical topic at these ages.
• The repetitions can help children to memorize basic grammar structures of questions and answers (Whats do you see? / I see a … looking at me) that they can use in their real lives. It can also introduce pronouns in a very realistic and natural way, the ones that they use more in these ages (I/me, we/us, you). Moreover, they can realize that in English we put the adjective before the noun.
• It includes creativity because the animals are different colours, which are not the common ones, for example: purple cat. Also, they can feel that they are characters of this story because at the end they are the ones who are looking.

2. How would you use this story with your students? Think of two before reading activities, two during reading activities and two after reading activities that you could do with your students if you read this story in class. 

BEFORE READING ACTIVITIES

• Ask about what they can see in the cover to start working the vocabulary of colours and animals. They can thinkwhat animals might appear during the story in order to know what vocabulary they have already known.
• Let them talk about what they think that is going to appen in the story. As they are very young, we can make simple questions to help them to give their oppinion.

DURING READING ACTIVITIES

• Let them make the noise of each and animal to keep their attention and help them to understand and memorize the vocabulary. Moreover, they can do gestures in the questions (what do you seer?) and in the ansewers (I see a … looking at me) to reinforce comprehension.
• As there are many repetitons, we can say all together the question (what do you see?). Also, in some pictures we can ask them if they know the animal or the colour.

AFTER READING ACTIVITIES

• Ask questions to try to memorize the vocabulary and to work the comprehension (what colour is the duck? who is blue? what does brown bear see?)
• Let them draw their own animal and then we can create the same story but with our own characters.

3. What age and grade would your students be?

I think that the most aproppiate grade for this story would be first or second grade of primary because it is when they learn this vocabulary and when they can start to learn basic structures of grammar which can be used in their speaking in real situations.

4. What language objectives would you have for this story.

The language objectives would be the vocabulary of animals and colours. Moreover, they can learn that in English the adjective goes before the noun. They can learn the grammar structure of present simple in questions and affirmative sentences, too. It also introduce in a very natural way the pronouns that they usually use when they start to speak English (I/ me and you; it also includes we/us).

5. Find one other story written by either Eric Carle or Bill Martin Jr. that you could also use with your students. Eric Carle has a wonderful website you might want to explore.

I would chose “The Tiny seed” because I believe that it is a story which includes many different vocabulary (seasons, places, plants…) and grammar structures, so it can be a good option to read with the oldest students and to work their comprehension and evaluate their knowladge. Moreover, it keeps children attention because they would want to know what is going to happend next to the seed. Finally, we can related it with other subjects as Siences and it teach them values as well.