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LUCKY NUMBERS' FOR A REVISION LESSON
Most of the English revision lessons at the end of term at a lower/upper secondary school are often boring and place a heavy burden on both the teacher and his/her students. We can make them more interesting and challenging by playing the revision game 'Lucky Numbers'.

Procedure :
Numbers of questions: 4 kinds of numbers:
1. Lucky numbers (about 1/5 total questions)
Revision numbers consisting of:
2. Numbers for vocabulary questions (about 2/5 total questions)
3. Numbers for use of English questions (about 1/5 total questions)
4. Numbers for Pot-luck questions (questions for fun, about daily
things in class, some English skills like speaking, singing songs,
doing puzzles, etc. which account for about 1/5 of the total
questions). Other kinds of numbers may be added to the list,
according to the teaching content.

Teacher writes all the questions beforehand on a sheet of paper or another class generates them!
Teacher draws a square of numbers on the blackboard, see left for example.

Each group takes turns to choose a number. If it is a lucky number, this group will get 5 marks as a bonus, then go on to choose another number. If it is a number for vocabulary or use of English or pot-luck questions, the group will have 30 seconds to prepare then answer the question. Each right answer will get 5 marks. In case this group fails to answer the question, the other group will have a chance to answer it and get marks for their correct answer. Teacher writes marks for each group (under the suitable group columns on the blackboard) after each go. Remember to cross out every chosen number.

When all the numbers have been chosen, the teacher adds up each group's marks and declares the winner. Most of the time, the prize for the winner is a round of applause !
Good luck for your next revision lesson !

Interested in finding out more? Contact address below.
Nguyen Huu Long - Quang Ngai DOET
longsgd@yahoo.com

Teaching English to Vietnamese primary school children
in a resource-poor context
Ha Van Sinh
Nha Trang Teacher-College
Email: hvsinh@dng.vnn.vn

Mr Sinh teaching vocabulary the easy way.

(1) What are the differences between teaching English to young children and adults?
ChildrenÕs cognitive development is supposed to be different from adultsÕ. We, therefore, should be aware of the following particular principles of teaching EFL to young children.

ChildrenÕs cognitive development

Young children
(a) have great communicative desire (Titone, 1972) and mimicking ability (Phillips, 1993);
(b) have a short concentration span and extreme animation (Scott & Ytreberg, 1993; Ur, 1996);
(c) are able to understand a whole communication message (Dunn, 1985; Houwer, 1999).

Principles of teaching EFL to young children

We should
(a) be able to create a language-rich environment and minimize the use of L1 in class;
(b) use various types of activities and songs, poems and chants with physical movements;
(c) present language items in natural language settings, without grammatical analysis

(2) What should we consider when applying these principles to the teaching and learning context in Vietnam?

The majority of primary school children in Vietnam are learning English in a resource-poor context and we need to take into consideration the following factors when applying the above-mentioned principles.

a. Resource-poor vs. Resource-rich contexts

Resource-poor context

• large-class sizes
• fixed physical settings
• cassette-player: the only facility
• photocopied copies of textbook
• insufficient exposure to classroom instructions in English
• lack of English environment outside the classroom
• lack of qualified teachers
• insufficient parental support

Resource-rich context

• small groups
• air-conditioned classrooms and moveable furniture
• modern facilities (LCD, disk/tape player, monitor, computer)
• beautifully illustrated textbooks, available cards, pictures, etc.
• native-speaker teachers (and Vietnamese assistants)
• full parental support

b. Language-rich environment can be created and L2 maximized
• by teacherÕs modeling with dolls, toys, teacher-made visual aids, pictures, wet plastic bags as picture hangers;
• by using L1 when the focus is not on language, but instructions; however, L1 should be gradually replaced by English.

c. Variety of mental and physical activities
Different authors have recommended the following activities:
• songs, poems, chants with physical movement (moving around, snapping fingers, clapping hands, tapping feet) (Klein, 1993)
• TPR (Total Physical Response) activities (Klein, 1993)
• audio-lingual techniques with choral/single drills
(Klein, 1993)
• games, songs, actions and tasks involving colouring, cutting and sticking, simple repetitive stories, and simple, repetitive speaking activities that have an obvious communicative value (Phillips, 1993)

When applying them to a resource-poor teaching context, we have found that
• games combining language with action and movement are the most popular and effective activities (Charades, Slap, Pairs Race, Beanbag Circle, Do As I Say, Please);
• successful conduct of games in a resource-poor class requires creativity and good management skills;
• we should avoid games that require space, moveable furniture, single chairs (Scramble, Dialogue Musical Chairs); or games that need cultural knowledge and interest (Baseball); or games in which costly materials must be used (Concentration), or games requiring time-consuming preparation (File Grids) and hard to manage in a large class (Who Said It?);
• repetition/substitution drills are practical and effective in sustaining pupilsÕ attention;
• frequently changing partners must be a habitual classroom practice;
• to meet varying rates of young childrenÕs development:
(a) activities/tasks should be simple/within childrenÕs ability (b) activities/tasks should be largely oral-based
(c) written activities/tasks should be sparingly-used.

(Note: The games mentioned above can be found in LetÕs Go TeacherÕs Book by Oxford University Press, 2000.)

Conclusion

Quality in teaching English to primary school children requires:
• class placement according to specific age
• application of appropriate principles/techniques
• pedagogical and parental support
• teacherÕs patience and compassion

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