Basic technique
1 Put down any pens, paper, etc you have and hold up one hand in front of you.
2 Each finger represents one word. Use your other hand to indicate each word / finger in turn as you say the sentence (or you elicit the sentence from the
students). ,
3 The learner gets a clear visual indication of the shape of the sentence.
(NB The word order for your students must read left to right, so from your
position ‘behind’ your fingers, the sentence will appear to be right to left.)
Students may need a little training before this technique shows its real simplicity
and power. The first time you use finger sentences’, make sure your students are
clear that fingers represent words. Don’t let them rush you; allow time to focus
clearly on the individualwords / fingers and clarify the problem they have. Once
learners have seen the technique used three or four times, it soon becomes a
valuable classroom tool