On the day I observe this class, the children are
excited and fully engaged in the game. If a child does
not recognize a command or remember the meaning of a
preposition, Ms. Yasemin repeats the same sentence until
everyone understands. Repetition gives the children more
opportunities to hear English and respond to it appropriately.
Some children observe their friends and mimic their
actions. Informal assessment is quick and easy. After the
game, Ms. Yasemin says,
If they seem confused about an instruction or if they
only follow their peers’ actions, I know they are having
diculty understanding the language, and I review
the language by playing the game again. I also
write the sentences on the board to present the language
visually. If there is a further need, I can provide
individual assistance. Simon Says helps children
better understand prepositions and imperatives, and
they enjoy playing and learning at the same time.
Children can learn to give instructions in English and take
turns being Simon. Ms. Yasemin also uses this activity if
there is time at the end of a class for fun and reinforcement.
Teachers frequently use Simon Says to introduce
children to a new language through listening and physical
involvement. Children demonstrate their comprehension
through physical response and learn to connect new language
forms to their meaning. Noticing a formal element,
for example, imperatives, prepositions, and the present continuous
tense, is the first stage of learning, and each new
element becomes part of the children’s language resources
for use in dierent situations (Cameron 2001). After hearing
and responding to prepositions, children can start to
use them to communicate in dierent contexts.
Practicing questions and answers:
Find Someone Who
In the third grade classroom, Ms. Zeynep uses a survey
activity called Find Someone Who to practice the simple
present tense, the question form (how often?), and frequency
adverbs. She writes the survey questions based on
the children’s ages and interests. First, the children answer
the questions. Then they walk around the class, ask one another
the same questions, and write on the board the names
of the children they surveyed. Ms. Zeynep emphasizes
frequency adverbs—words that tell us how often something
occurs—such as never, sometimes, often, usually, and always.
She introduces the question form how often?, provides
sample sentences, and explains the meaning of adverbs
that can be used in a reply. The children need to know the
meanings of these adverbs to use in their questions. They
then take part in a series of question-and-answer dialogues,
as in this example:
Cenk: How often do you drink milk?
Aslı: I usually drink milk.
Cenk: How often do you go swimming?
Aslı: I never go swimming.
Ms. Zeynep writes sample sentences on the board, and
for extra clarity underlines the language forms used in the
activity. The written sentences help reinforce accuracy and
give children a chance to revise any incorrect use of the
simple present. Questionnaires and surveys let children
learn about their friends’ interests, answer questions about
themselves, and share information about their hobbies—
creating a genuine communicative activity. Ms. Zeynep
also uses surveys when she begins new topics to gauge the
children’s background knowledge and the extent to which
they are familiar with the topic.
Hearing English: Cartoon characters
Ms. Yasemin uses the second-graders’ favorite cartoon
characters to teach the present continuous verb tense as
used in the has versus have structure. The children use
have to describe their own belongings and has to describe
something possessed by a character. To review the has/
have structure, Ms. Yasemin asks the children to draw a
cartoon character on the board before the activity begins.
After the children color in the characters, Ms. Yasemin asks
questions such as “What has she got in her hand?,” “Has she
got blue trousers?,” and “What has she got on her head?”
Most of the children understand the questions and answer
correctly. Mehmet says, “She has yellow trousers and a blue
shirt.” Selin adds, “She has sunglasses.” Taking turns, the
children answer the questions.
In an extension of this activity, Ms. Yasemin asks the
children to bring toys from home to introduce to their
classmates. When she asks them what they brought, their
responses include, “I have a teddy bear. He has a big head
and a grey nose,” and “I have Woody (from Toy Story). He
has short brown hair.” If children need help with their sentences,
Ms. Yasemin prompts them in English. The children
enjoy sharing and talking about their personal belongings
with each other.
Ms. Yasemin says, “Sometimes the children paint the
cartoon character, and sometimes I pin a poster on the wall
or project a picture on the screen.” Introducing colorful
cartoons and other pictures is a good way to get children’s
attention. In this activity, the teacher encourages the
children to listen to one another before speaking, although
Ms. Yasemin sometimes has to repeat one or more of the
classroom rules because the children often forget the rules
when they become excited.