DEBATING ABOUT ROLL PLAYING

Hi!

In this entrance we are going to speak about what have we learn till now seen the differents roll playing in class.

The principle idea we have changed is the form to speak to our students. We haven't realize that our english can be difficult and at the same time boring for them. This is something important to change and this is a good opportunity to start with it.

Sometimes, we also consider something as given, and it hasn´t to be like that. Even in the case of the children that they have less level than ours and it is important to explain simplily the activity, and to think on what the children know about this subject. For this, we must have the activitys focused on childrens age, because they can bored or lost in our class.

It is important to practice an activity before doing with children. And when it is the time to work in that activity the teachers can imit or explain with mimic that. It is interesting doing that, if we have in acount that the most of the children doens´t undersant english very good.

Related with the explanation, like we say, our english has to be simply, slow but with happyness. Even though we think that they have understood, we can made them questions to be sure. Then it will be time for children but the teacher has to be ready to help them. Besides you have to be able to answer questions children can have, we can´t get without helping them.

Focusing on different activitys we have seen, for example in someones that children has to sing, songs must be very simple, taken acount that they are in pre-school. We think that the activity will be better if it has some movements to dance.

In activitys to work in vocabulary, like we said in class, we will work specifically with pictures. However, in that pictures or objects we will put their names. For example in a home picure put "HOME" and in the box of the pictures put "PICTURES". 

But, like we say today in class, everyone has her/his principles, and he/she has to act according in that.

At the time we saw more roll-playing, we will write some other ideas. Big hug everybody!

PRESENTING PROJECT´S FIRST IDEAS

In this entrance we will speak about our first ideas of our project. We have to say, that this ideas are provisional:

- Our project will be prepare to children between 5 and 6 years.

- To carry out this project we will focus in Arangoiti ikastola. It is a small school that localizate in Irunberri, a small village near Iruña. Here they teach in basque and they have a subject of english and spanish. 

- This school offers the option to study preschool and primary.

- We think that we will work about this village´s environment, because it offer a lot of posibilities to work different aspects, such as rivers, mountains, animals, colours, seasons...

-The school has a vegetable garden. Here the children can plant some natural food, like tomatoes, strawberrys... So we think that it is very good to transmit some values of the education which we want to transmit.

What happens at the time we get older...

OUR CHILD´S PROFILE

Hi!

Now, we will speak about our child´s profile to do a rol play. First of all, we had to decided what the age of our child and her/his gener. After, her/his caracteristics. 

Therefore, we decided that our child will be a girl, who is 4 years old. She is a shameful, quiet and reserved girl, so she doesn´t participate much in class. However, she is very good person and she loves animals and newborns, because in her home has a little brother and a dog, that his name is Max.

Remember!

All of us have something inside that can make us shine

Exercises for de Uxue was born project

Considering that we are teachers in Zerain, we have prepared some activitys about the topic of new borns. Althought the topic is that, we will learn different aspects, such us different languages (basque and english), maths... We have prepared six different exercises considering that Uxue jaio da! project is for a children of different ages. Therefore, the our objective is the following: To work in class about babys.

Exercise 1:

Tittle: Preconceptions about babys.

Process: we will speak in class about newborns in Zerain,so the teacher will collect all the information that children says and what information they don`t know about babys. To do this activity, first of all, we will do some questions about babys to the children. For example: What do you know about babys? Have the babys need care or they are independents? What and how they feed?... Is important to say that this activity we will do in basque to take the more information that we can.

Exercise 2:

Tittle: Newborn´s parents from Zerain to our class

Process: To learn more about babys care the best is to know these in person. For this, we propose that newborn´s parents come to our classroom. In this way children could have the opportunity to interact with the baby. Also, they could hear mother´s explanation about baby´s care (how they feed, How much time they sleep, how they play, how change a nappy...). Also, we will do this activity in basque, in their mother tongue.

Exercise 3:

Tittle: Vocabulary

Process: After the first contact with babys, we will learn the follow vocabulary using different images.

Contents:

- Haur txikia: Newborn, baby                         - Elikatu: Feed                                   

- Zainketa: Care                                             - Esnea: Milk                              

- Pardela: Nappy                                            - Jantzi: Wear                             

- Laztandu: Caress                                         - Zapatilak: Shoes                      

- Kaka: Poo                                                    - Kamiseta: T-shirt                     

- Pixa: Pee                                                     - Prakak: Jeans

- Biberoia: Baby bottle                                   - Pijama: pygama

- Txupetea: Dummy                                       - Lo egin: Sleep  

- Gorputza: Body                                           - Sehaska: Cradle

- Gorputz atalak: Body parts                         - Jolastu: Play

- Hankak: Legs                                              - Tamainia: Size

- Besoak: Arms                                              - Txikia: Small

- Burua: Head                                                - Ertaina: Medium

- Eskuak: Hands                                             - Handia: Big

- Oinak: Foots

Exercise 4:

Tittle: Different sizes: small, medium and big.

Process: To learn differents sizes we will use the comparation of a baby´s body parts and an adult´s body parts. As we have learned the vocabulary with the previous activity, firts of all, we will do this in basque and them, in english. 

Exercise 5:

Tittle: Sing a baby song

Process: To do this activity we will put a video which we could watch and hear a lullaby. The objective of that activity is learn this song and them go to newborn´s home to sing together. During a week more or less, in the final moment of the days every children with the teacher, in circle, we will learn the song. When we have learned, we will go to sing at home of newborn´s. 

 
Exercise 6:
Tittle: What´s inside?
Process: To finish with the new borns topic, we will work about Jeanne Ashbé´s What´s inside? story. That story we will tell in english and we will try to speak about it in english too. However, for a complete understanding, we will explain the storys message in basque.

IS IT CLIL?

 Zerain poject - Uxue jaio da!

After having debate in class about Zerain project, which work based on the interests of children and in global form, we believe that it is CLIL. We think that because they integrated many aspects based on students knowledge, such us, family, language, context and contents. In this way, children learn about different topics working on various aspects of maths and languages.

WHAT IS CLIL?

HI everybody again!

In this case we are going to speak about what is CLIL, after reading articles about this. First it is interesting to explain what CLIL abrebation it is: CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning " High quality teaching and learning fit for 21st century classrooms anywhere in the world", this project sees language as the best to learn using in different purposes at different times. In an interview with David Marsh, he says that he knows a bad project, and in schools it is very important to have fun and be happy, so he started watching different exciting learnings until he found this project and children responded very well to the idea of integrated into the content learning. The future of languages teaching would be very strong. The teachers can bring it to the school community and discussing but for this to work teachers need to be looked after and to manage it properly. Teachers always think “I will never be able to teach this language”, teaching is a very tab job, but they involved who really love teaching, and who wants happy children. Besides, gave this ideas to interviewers: "CLIL refers to situations where subjects, or parts of subjects, are taught through a foreign language with dual-focussed aims, namely the learning of content, and the simultaneous learning of a foreign language'. (Marsh, 1994) "This approach involves learning subjects such as history, geography or others, through an additional language. It can be very successful in enhancing the learning of languages and other subjects, and developing in the youngsters a positive ‘can do’ attitude towards themselves as language learners. (Marsh, 2000) In conclusion as teachers if we accept language is a learning tool as well as a communication tool, then we will have to re-conceptualise our classroom practice.

AND EXAMPLE OF A CLIL PROJECT (CLIL in preschool)

CLIL IN PRESCHOOL

Clil Project approach to preschool, is based in the curriculum, the themes that it works are global and interdisciplinary. It has in mind to children´s feature psycho-evolutive so it things that is advisable to learn mother tongue. For to produce this project, Clil keeps in mind pedagogic principles, language project and 5-6 plan.

Clil has maked by 6 didactics units, for each one of them there are 6 hours, weekly 90 minutes for to work this.

Clil Project has the follow objectis;

- To improve the communicative competence.
- To learn contents from other areas in english.
- To conceive english as way of natural communication.
- To develop intellectually and emotionally.

It presents the next planning;

- Oral activities, to the learning and the understanding of children.
- When the children answer in his mother tongue, the teacher have to repeat the same in english.
- Open questions and conversations help to the understanding.

Depending on the activity there are four types of groups; groups of a person, of two, in little groups (4-8 persons) or all the group together.

This is a global Project, this works the follow points;
- The emotions, the feelings.
- The transport means.
- The dinosaurs.
- The animals.
- The Jobs
- ...

To work these, there are two keys: Quality (methodology) and exposure (contact with the language).

WHEN, WHERE AND HOW TO START LEARNING ENGLISH

Hi everybody!!

In this entrance we will speak about when, why and how to start learning english. Is important to say that this matter is very interesting and controversy, because each person have her opinion about this.

WHEN:
After reading "komunikazioaren garapena", we can say that learning language is a very complex procces. In this procces participate a lot of factors. So we think that the best age it can be four years old. After the child set appropriatelly his mother tongue, because if the child didn´t set one lenguage teaching another different it can be the worst thing we can do.

WHY:
Basque people need learn another language apart from basque and spanish. Because the society demand this quality of multilingual. Nowadays we need a lot of language if we want a job, with basque and spanish languages we have less options to get it. So if we start teaching english with four years old the chil get used to hear a strange language and little by little it will become familiar.

WHO:
We think that is more important metodology, is the key for a successful result. We arrive to this conclusion because, as we spoke in class, for some people is better to start earlier and for other isn´t. Is not the same if child start whit four years old and the metodology being awful, or start with the same age an the methodology being very good.
Another key element is the exposure. If the child have a contact with the language will be easyer to learn english. So the teacher have to offer a enriching environment refering to a english lenguage.

IF YOU WANT YOU CAN GET IT!

NOTHING IS IMPOSIBLE, IF YOU WANT YOU CAN GET IT!

First principles for the proyect

In this post, we are recollecting the principles and objectives to our proyect. We have to say that we complete this objectives we want for our project listening another classmates opinion. So this are the ideas we wont to do: 

 - We will have an space for english. In children education classes they've got "etxe txokoa", "jolas txokoa", "marrazteko txokoa"... and we will build another space for english in wich the only language will be english between the children and the activitys in this areas will be focus on learning this language and the culture and habits english people have, like the typical music, food, customs… 

- Apart from this, we think that this language learning has to be in a practical way, and children have to be happy in all the process with this learning form, and if it isn´t like this, we will changed the metodology. To be practical, we seem interesting, to do different plays, song... in english.

- Also not only teach with song, plays etc. We think that is very enriching using rituals. With this we want to say that we will use some songs, phrases, dancings... and make the most out of this ideas. 

- Working in litle groups. For example, give children time to speak between them in english. We think that the interaction between them assist the learning, because they share knowledge.

- It seems to be learning like a pleasure.

- Respect the rhythmn everyone has. 

- Colaborate with other teachers.

- Have flexibility with ALL.

- Learn experimenting, not only listening and remaining silent.

- The teacher have to motivate all the children, because it can happen that the children lose the interest. And this is the worst thing to learn a lenguage.

- Beliaving in children, they can achieve all they want so we have to believe that. 

- Based on children interests have them in a count to do different exercises, to motivated them at class. 

- Using school surroundings, like fish market, families etc to learn different vocabulary with the excuse to visit different places of the city. Is very enriching leave the school for some hours and visit another places, and if is to learn another lenguage much better. 

Also, they are some ideas that we don´t want to do:

- No taking in account the children interest and no respecting their rhythmn. 

- Have hurry to teach the most things of a lenguage. 

- Use boring methods to teach them.

- Learn lenguage only listening and remaining silent.

Some tools

We reminded last wear tools that we saw on IKT, so we started to looked for some activitys to learn english. 

For example in Agrega page, there are lots of activitys and they are seem good. There are lots of teaching units to work with children. Here are some to do an idea: 

1. THE JUNGLE

2. A DAY IN THE FARM

3. BUG HUNT

4. FOOD TO BE TO TAKEN TO A PICNIC

5. MY HEAD

6. MY PETS

7. NUMBERS UP TO TEN

8. THE CIRCUS

9. THE COLOURS OF THE RAINBOW

10. THE ZOO

11. A CATERPILLAR´S LIFE

12. GINGERBREAD MAN

13. OUR COMUNITY

14. PLANTS AND FLOWERS

15. SNOWFLAKES EVERYWHERE: WINTER

16. THE SECRET FOREST: AUTUM

17. USEFUL WORDS

18. WE RE MATHEMATICIANS

19. AT THE RESTAURANT (4 URTE)

20. MOVE YOUR BODY (4 URTE)

21. GOING SHOPPING (5 URTE)

22. MEALS OF THE DAY (5 URTE)

23. HEALTHY HABITS AND RUTINES (4-5 URTE)

New units
24. THE POLICEWOMAN AND THE FIREFIGHTER
25. MY TOWN
26. MY SCHOOL
27. AT THE HOSPITAL
28. LONG AND SHORT CATERPILLARS
29. FLY FLY BUTTERFLY
30. A TINY CATERPILLAR
31. PEOPLE IN MY TOWN
32. BIG AND SMALL
33. LONG AND SHORT
34. MORE AND LESS
35. IN, ON AND UNDER
36. UP AND DOWN
37. EMPTY/FULL
38. HOW MANY?
39. ADDING ONE MORE
40. WRITING DIGITAL NUMBERS
41. PLAYING OUTDOORS

And here i give you an example of this: 

An example in agrega

At the time we find more tools, we will try to share them here. Big hug!

Estuding english

There is some people like in this video, which doesn´t like this language!

(is a video to have some fun, i think you will like!)

Hi!!

Here we leave this video which transmits the great role of hospital clowns in Denmark. Is really beautifull watch how children smile thanks to these clowns. Gitte Madsen (Hospital clown) explain how she work.

We recommend you see this video!

Age criteria for the project.

HI everybody! We talked about how age criteria put to our project. We think that the age to our project should be between five and six. Also, after discuss a lot of time, we arrive to an agreement: this is the best age to learn a third lenguage, because before that age can be very early to understand three languages, in the case of the basque country. Children have enough learning the two lenguages they heard in the day a day, so the third lenguage can be create a trouble in the early learn process of the youngest children. Also, we think that we shouldn´t have hurry to teach langeguages. So because of those ideas we arrive to the accord of the age criteria we decide.

QUESTIONS FOR THE PROJECT

Some interesting questions for our project:

1. If we have children of different level in the same class is better? Or of the same level? And children of different age? How  influences it in their development? And, how could we evaluate that?
2. What is better, learn english in group or with individual activities?
3. We think that we can`t obligate children to speak english but, how can we motivate and help children to express in that language? Normally in a class there are different level of english and in any language, how can we keep the atention of the children who have good level in english to learn the children who haven´t so good level? And vice versa?
4. Are the films in english good tool to learn english in preschool? We have studied in literatura that for a child who knows to read the films in english language with subtitles in him language tongue are a good tool to learn it. But what happens with the children who don´t know to read the subtitles? Some researcher of this topic say that for get children used to the english is suitable, and other researches say, that watching films in a language that the children don´t know , the children only listen to noise. What have to do if we are  using a wrong tool? How can we know what is the appropiate tool to get our objective?

Everyone to dance and to sing!

We found a fantastic website which offered various resources to learnd English. Here, there is a wonderful list of songs for children. These songs are represents with lyrics, pictures and dances. There are very attractive. We think that it is a fabulous material to encourage regular use of English in Preschool.

To see more:

 http://www.angles365.com/classroom/songsci03.htm

The Forbidden Education

In class, we saw The Forbidden Education documentary (in spanish, La Educación Prohibida), that is released in 2012. The film documents different alternative education practices and unconventional schools in Latin America and Spain. The documentary is presenting a different aspect of education in the school context, such as the history of the school system, authority and power in school, the role of teachers...

 Here, you can see the trailer:

Boiseko Ikastola, EEUU

Now we are learning english, but in this video we can see who in a different place of the world children also are learning vasque. Here appear Broiseko Ikastola, in EEUU, that apart of english, they teach vasque. It´s the only Basque pre-school outside of the Basque Country. As they grow, they have an advantage in areas such as mathematics, language and cultural awareness. We think that it´s very interesting and exciting.

We hope that you like it!!

   


To more information, you can see this page: http://www.boisekoikastola.org/