In a nutshell - an English native speaker who holds evening classes has been taken ill. There are 4 Polish children, two girls, two boy, twelve years old. She asked me to cover for her for one hour this evening and I agreed. No teacher qualifications or anything like that, I just need to encourage conversation between them. I have no idea what the hell I'm going to do.
I'm leaving in 90 mins. Interesting & humorous topics might help.
Over to you guys.
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You'll manage all right BBD, you're a kindly soul. I'm a hopeless teacher myself but you may find it easiest to get them to talk about what they are interested in. Ask what differences there are between them, sporting, intellectual, frivolous, artistic, etc. Explain from your own and your family's experience the advantages of bilinguality...
I seem to remember an unknown class of nippers can be very forbiddingly shtum, and one has to take care not to rabbit too much oneself.
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Good icebreaker for kids is always favourites.
Food, group, day out, sport etc, then take it from there Dave, you'll be fine;)
Pat
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Some sort of game is often a good start. Maybe a map of Europe and some pictures of objects that you could ask them to associate with the right country. People in other countries are always interested in the differences between their own way of life and yours, so you could base something on that.
Then, to finish, a nice round of Pin The Tail On Godfrey Bloom. Good luck.
}:---)
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When you speak to the kids, unless their English is good, speak a bit on the slow side, but do not speak to them as if they were deaf. Use shortish, uncomplicated sentences.
Get them to introduce themselves, and introduce yourself.
Pat's idea about favourites is very good. Get them to follow up simple statements (e.g. "I like football") with some kind of reasons.
Ask them about brothers and sisters, but beware of getting into embarrassing situations if you don't know their home background. Get them to tell the others, not just you - and sitting in a circle with them will make that easier. Get the others to ask questions also.
One hour is a long time for twelve-year-olds to concentrate. Do you have time to set up a little role-playing thing for part of the time? Each child takes it in turn to be at the till of the corner store, and one of the others has to ask for certain items and pay for them. The kids have to improvise some simple dialogue. If you've got some props that could help.
If you can show any pictures - landscape, work-related or whatever, that you can get the children to describe, that might work. As it's a small group, something on a laptop would do. Or take some interesting objects in - natural or man-made.
I almost wish I was there doing it!
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Get them talking about oil. How often to change it, semi or fully synthetic, drain the sump or pump it out etc. Add an environmental element to satisfy the PC Brigade, cart it to the tip or just pour it down the drain.
They'll not only learn useful English for when they qualify as plumbers and come over here but they'll get an early introduction to some important motoring info.
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Phew, I made it through, thanks for the wise words.
I started with an introduction, then asked them about their brothers and sisters.
Then I tried Pat's icebreaker - favourite sport and food which went straight to basketball of course. Poles love basketball. So I then explained that I'd been to the dentist for a filling (very true) and it had been a horrible day and I was feeling horrible and was in a horrible mood so I wanted to learn all the things they found horrible. I just wanted to flip it round, from favourite to horrible. Surprise them. I had a list of twelve topics and asked each kid, for example - Who is the worst pop star ever? And for my benefit, to coax replies I had written under each question a few possibilities - Bad singing, silly hair, rubbish song.
Because of what FocalPoint said when I proposed the 12 questions I was very careful to guide the answers away from family, income, religion or race. So for example I couldn't ask - what is the most horrible country or in that kind of direction. But some others were scary dreams, horrible food, worst haircut, boring programme on the telly etc etc. And I certainly heard a lot of enthusiasm in the answers. They do not like their geography teacher. And who is this hated dude, Beiber? Nearly caused a classroom riot.
That took 45 minutes so ended with WdeBs suggestion of a game - hangman which I played on the blackboard. If I had more time to prepare, or if I were to be asked again, I would sort out some imagery or objects or props as suggested. I think that would be a fantastic idea.
AC says 'Ask what differences there are between them, sporting, intellectual, frivolous, artistic' etc - quite amazing really, you don't need to ask - just listen carefully and they're bursting to say what they really want to say. I think I'd nailed them within 15 minutes. There was boy A) Bright, leader-type and ultra-cool dude. Boy B) Excellent language, eager to demonstrate knowledge and loved sport. Girl C) The most enthusiastic, best in language, clearly bright and had a problem because some of her school teachers weren't good enough. D) The more reserved, but very funny and three of her answers included artists. Me) D+ Try harder. Outshone by the four of them.
As for DVDs Runfer, I ask them what would they like to watch. I was just bewildered by their choices. Never hear of them. I'm stuck in Jurassic Park and Toy Story. I feel like an old dinosaur.
Last edited by: BiggerBadderDave on Tue 27 May 14 at 22:44
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I know how you feel BBD. Whenever I stay with my California friends I am coerced into 'teaching' a class of 8 year olds for an afternoon with my teacher host. I make a list of approximately 8 topics and take it from there.....sport, food, geography, people, history etc etc.
Foreign money always goes down well, so I take a selection of euros and sterling notes.
I always get a great insight into the American psyche. They are amazed we don't have bears and coyotes, mummy & daddy don't have a mini arsenal of weapons stashed somewhere, what is rugby? And dry stone walls? And hardly any huge pick ups, even fewer In n Out Burgers and definitely no Mexican gardeners.
Time well spent, especially when I give the darlings a selection of sterling coins as a little momento and the tanned yummy mummies come to say 'hi' to the strange Yorkshire bloke who has kept their children entertained for the afternoon.
Last edited by: VxFan on Wed 28 May 14 at 01:17
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Just don't show the mummies your ferret LL.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Tue 27 May 14 at 23:05
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I never go into stereotypical Yorkshire mode. No mention of ferrets, cloth caps, pigeons or dark satanic mills. Or ever try to explain cricket.
I ask them to explain American Football and Baseball. It surprises me just how knowledgeable these young kids are on the finer points of these two sports, leaving me feeling quite inadequate.
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You could try rhubarb.
Come to think of it, I haven't had rhubarb crumble in far too long. Custard of course.
Don't suppose they have pickled herrings either, but that's more of a Scandinavian thing so might be off topic.
Nice though.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Tue 27 May 14 at 23:12
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"Phew, I made it through..."
Well done, that man.
Pour yourself something nice and congratulate yourself.
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Try winter tyres next time..........plenty of stuff on here !
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Help, I'm a nervous wreck. - Armel Coussine
