1. PALM TREE
Palmeira
Group 2 (5-6 year olds)
Hello teacher! Welcome to Vivadi’s first cycle of work. This is the beginning of a journey that we’ll go through together, to help our students acquire the english language!
THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS CYCLE ARE:
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Understand Vivadí’s class routine and distinguish the English class from the other classes.
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Develop a curiosity for the content and start building a relationship with the language.
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Begin to recognize the class as a safe environment for experimenting with the new language.
When you see that there is progress in these areas, you can move on to the next cycle. Check the rubric that will help you know if the group is ready to move forward!
WE SUGGEST YOU CHECK THE EVIDENCE WITH WHICH YOU WILL OBSERVE IF YOUR STUDENTS HAVE ACHIEVED THESE OBJECTIVES
CLASS PLAN
My class lasts between
25 and 30 minutes!
We know that some schools count with more frequent and shorter English classes of 25 to 30 minutes. In those cases, we suggest you follow this shortened plan of activities. It is based on the activities that follow.
The most important is that the essence of the Vivadí Class is respected to make sure that the immersive atmosphere is not disrupted!
If you have any suggestions don't hesitate to tell us!
1. STARTING SONG
To start, we need to make sure that the English moment is clearly separated from other classes the children have in the same room and the same conditions of learning. To do this, it is essential to modify the space as this helps the students to receive something different (which is, in this case, a different language).
That is why, in favor of creating a new working routine, you will ask the students to clear the tables and benches to free the area in the middle of the classroom. They will not need the desks or the backpacks, nor pencils or notebooks. In addition, they should take off their shoes and leave them in a place that you determine. Don’t forget to take off your shoes too! While they do this, you will play the following opening song.
*REMEMBER TO SPEAK
ENGLISH AT ALL TIMES!
TRUST YOURSELF!
It would be good if, little by little, the song became interactive. That is to say that the children can be doing the slogans that the song invites to perform, such as giving a hug. This will help them to make sense of what they are listening to and eventually, singing.
SUGGESTION:
Lyrics
If your friends are in the classroom, say hello.
If you see your teacher smiling, show your teeth
If you want to show your feelings, give a hug
If you feel like being silly, make some noise
If you want to get together, make some room
Let your heart feel so much better, make some room
Let’s get ready for Vivadi
Let’s have some fun and play with English in our world
Let’s get ready for Vivadi
We are all in this together
We’ll do it you and me
We’ll be a big great family
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
If you want to, show the kids the following video. Gestures are really important in this cycle as children don’t manage the language. In this video, the students will be able to watch and copy a choreography that will indicate with dance steps what the song is saying.
COMMON THREAD
At this moment, we will “call” a character who will guide the children through the activities of the cycle. This way, the children can identify with it and the cycle itself will become more meaningful to them.
Make the time to “call the character” a fun time for students. Create an environment of expectation and curiosity to know who is coming. In this way the students will engage more deeply with the class.
1
It can be a stuffed animal or toy that you have. If you choose this option, ask students to pick a name for the character.
2
Print one of these images in color or black and white for coloring. They are some of the characters that are in the stories of the storytelling moment. That's why they come with the given names.
3
VIDEO
We suggest you use the following video. You will find Jessie who will intercede at various moments to present the different moments of the class. Press play to the first video of the playlist to make the character present itself. For Jessie to present the different moments, press play on the following videos in the playlist.
Once the character is made up, it would be great if it could “own” a part of the classroom and turn this special corner in the character’s place (meaning the English corner).
Each class the children will add up features of the character in the character’s place. Those can be features of the character’s personality or things that he/she owns, like for example, a pet.
This will help to symbolize the pass of the children through this cycle and the construction that they can build all together. As classes pass by the character will become more of a part of the cycle and the activities to them. And the fact that they created the character and gave a name to it, will make the cycle and the process of acquisition of the language more meaningful for the children.
2. GAME
SAD
HAPPY
A FINE FINE LINE
Ask your students to stand next to each other in a line.
When they are forming the line tell them that they know how the character is feeling. When they take a step forward the character is happy and taking a step back the character is sad. When you name any of these emotions, they should jump to the corresponding emotion. Once your students are more comfortable you can add two more actions: when the character is angry, step to the left. When the character is scared, take a step to the right.
* You can guide the game once or twice and then you can pick a helper from the students that will guide the game saying the words out loud. You can even ask the student to choose another three emotions to play and in this way expand the vocabulary employed in the game.
* If you want to connect this game to the students, ask them how they are today and they must reply with the same gestures. For example, if they are happy, take a step forward.
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TIP: If the kids are euphoric: you can add movement tasks that involve jumping, twirling, moving arms or hands or making facial expressions.
CONCENTRATED MODE
If the kids are concentrated, we propose a few activities that will help you manage the energy of the group.
WHO'S MISSING?
Tell the students to make a big circle all together.
Call one student to the middle of the circle and tell him or her to close and cover his / her eyes.
Ask another student to get out of the circle and hide somewhere in the classroom. You must not say the student’s name out loud.
Then the first student will open his / her eyes and will have to guess who is missing in the circle.
KNOCK, KNOCK, WHO IS IT?
Ask the kids to sit on the floor and look at you. Then ask one of the students (student A) to stand up and look at you showing the others his / her back.
Another student (B) that you call silently must stand up and get near student A’s back. Student B has to knock on student A’s back and say “Knock knock, who is it?” and then get back with the rest of the students.
Afterwards, student A has to guess who knocked his/her back.
Angry
Sadness
3. EMOTIONAL
VIDEO
Invite the children to sit together to look at the screen in the class. Introduce the moment, with the assistance of the character explaining that they will watch a video and they must focus on the scene it shows.
You can choose between the different options. They are both great! (this can be prepared from the first moment to avoid wasting time and prevent the kids from dispersing).
*If you don't have a projector: we recommend that you act what happens in the video. You should create a situation in which two people laugh wildly.
Happiness
After watching the video, play the following game!
SEE AND GUESS
You will start making a facial expression that shows a feeling that relates to the story that has just been told. For example: a sad face.
The student that guesses the feeling will come to the front and you will tell him a feeling to make with his/her face. If the student doesn’t understand the word in English show the face to him taking care that none of the other students see it.
4. STORYTELLING
Choose the story that you think your students will adapt to the best. The idea is that you read this story to the children interpreting it to the fullest, with a lot of gestures and different tones of voice. Think that children will probably not understand the words you use.
There will be a video support that will help children imagine what you are saying. But in any case, we want you to concentrate more on yourself and your performance than on what will be projected or shown.
*If you don't have a projector: it is convenient that you read with intonation, while another person acts what happens in the story.
TIP: It is usually advisable to practice how you are going to do this, including mime, or actions you plan to use to convey meaning, the way you are going to use your voice, eg for different characters or to create surprise or suspense, and the places you are going to pause or ask questions to encourage the children to show their understanding or predict what’s going to happen next.
When you tell the story make sure that everyone can see and hear you and the illustrations. As you tell the story, it is a good idea to maintain frequent eye-contact with the children, in order to help them stay focused and attentive. You also need to give them time to look and think.
CONCENTRATED MODE
If the kids are concentrated, we propose a few activities that will help you to manage the energy of the group.
EUPHORIC MODE
If the kids are euphoric, we propose a few activities that will help you manage the energy of the group.
5. MOVE YOUR
HIPS!
Encourage the children to act the story out dividing the characters among them!
Assign the characters to them and give them something to identify the character.
*You can print a flashcard of the character or make one of your own. The flashcard may be hanging on the student.
Assign a different word, that appears many times in the story, to each kid and tell them that whenever they listen to that word (that may be “laugh” in “The Lost Laugh, for example) they have to do something such as snap their fingers or touch the floor. In this way you will encourage the children to listen actively to the story.
Take one transitional object that relates to a certain character in the story that you’ll tell and ask the children to pass the character to each other symbolizing the movements that the character is doing.
Change of rhythm!
Children need to express themselves and move freely (especially after staying seated for some time).
CONCENTRATED MODE
If the kids are concentrated, we propose a few activities that will help you manage the energy of the group.