Thread: In at the deep end

relax. have fun with them. they can smell fear.

For now here's a *Months of the Year* song, which you sing together with the melody of Ten Little Indians (you'll be able to download the music off the net).


Months of the Year
January, February, March, and April,
May, June, July, August, and September,
October, November, and December,
These are the months of the year.

For your English classes your students should have a young learner's textbook and workbook which includes chants, flashcards, wall charts and a teacher's tape cassette.

If they don't, get a young learners (e.g. Go Go Loves English) teacher's edition with a tape cassette pronto and the relevant temporary photocopies for the kids and text/work books ordered for them.


Next, enroll yourself in a TEYL course, ASAP.

All the best.

thanks. I designed my own simply using a table in word.

that's an excellent tool. thankyou.

A TEYL course will teach you multiple ways of introducing language to first-grade kiddies.
Try dropping a search into Google and you'll find a language school, here in Bangers which still does these courses.

I wouldn't think that the months of the year would be difficult to introduce, use your imagination, think about birthdays, public holidays, local celebrations, use your whiteboard markers and *bingo*, before you know it you’ll have taught them the days of the week, a few short sentences to describe when their birthdays are and made them laugh.

There’s a couple of related flashcard sets and worksheets here,

http://www.mes-english.com/flashcards/months.php

http://search.enchantedlearning.com/cgi-bin/uncgi/search?key=months+of+the+year

The latter is a fantastic website I use it all the time, even more now that I've a membership.


Here's a link to the old British nursery rhyme music of Ten Little Indians,

http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/royalty-free-music/ten-little.html

Find a jingly Hello song and Goodbye song while your there, too

Download them, burn them to CD and play them on a CD player which the school should provide for you.


I wouldn’t try following a lesson plan designed for Japanese kids, to the letter.

Write your own lesson plan, based upon the material you have now.



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In the absence of you enrolling in and completing a young learners course, post back here when you know it's time, i.e., when you feel that some kids won't listen to you, sit down and aren't progressing, etc. Then, I'll give you a couple of first-grade classroom management tips and tricks to minimise these problems.

The joys and challenges of grade one.

Here's another great site, http://www.readinga-z.com/ , you can print out readers of different levels of your choice or the even the same level if you've a *perfect* class. Have the rest of the students silently reading or coloring the pics in the book, while you have a small guided group or individual kids reading aloud.

However, you must have the rest of the class *silent* while the kids are reading, or the learning value of the lesson is lost.

Originally Posted by MrSteve

I've just got a job at a private school, I'm only just out of TEFL school and have no previous teaching experience.

Can anyone help me with ideas for games including the months of the year suitable for P1 students at a private school. I've no idea where these kids are at with their English. I just have a curriculum and a lesson focus.

I would also appreciate pointers to resourses like word finders that I can use as a filler if my lesson falls flat.

Fake it until you make it.