SJS Parent Workshop:Language in Year 1 and 2

24.01.13

How did you learn to drive?

Take a minute to jot down the process you went

through…

What is inquiry?• Philosophy• Approach is child driven• Teaching and learning in context• All subjects are strongly linked• Acknowledge the need for explicit teaching and learning of specific skills (tools)• Looks different across the years• Many models of inquiry

Confusion is good…

… it means you are about to learn

something new!

Plant a row of Ps•Prepare•Pause•Prompt•Praise•Probe•Practise

Prepare1. Take a quick look at the book your child has

selected before beginning. This will give you a chance to think of ways to assist your child, if necessary.

2. Choose a time in the day or evening when neither of you will be distracted.

3. Find a comfortable and well-lit spot to sit together.4. Talk to your child about the book before you

begin. Look at the title and cover and talk about what you might expect to find in the book. This is the best time to introduce any new words that the child may come across in the book.

5. If the child has selected a book that is too difficult, read it to him or her, or take turns at reading short passages.

Pause• Often the best way to help your child is by

not `helping’ or intervening… straight away. Suggestions or prompts which we hastily offer can interrupt the child’s line of thought and can lead to unnecessary confusion.

• When the child comes to a word that he or she does not know, pause and count silently to 10, allowing the child time to work it out unaided.

• In the meantime, you should be thinking about ways you can help. At the end of the pause ask, `Would you like me to help you?’

PromptThe prompt is a hint to assist the child to `have a go’.

There are three situations where prompts can be used.

1. Incorrect word used, but meaning is unchanged• For example, if the text says, `The little dog played

with the big red ball’, but the child reads, ‘The little puppy played with the big red ball.’

• You can help by directing the child’s attention back to the sentence where the substitution was made and repeat what the child said. Ask, ‘Does that look right? At this point the child will probably self-correct. If so, offer praise and continue. If not, draw his or her attention to the print by saying, for example, ‘“Puppy” begins with a “p”. What letter is at the beginning of the word in the book?’

2. Incorrect word used and meaning is altered or lost• For example, if the text says, ‘The little dog played with the big

red ball’, the child reads, ‘The little day played with the big red ball.’

• You can help by repeating what the child read, stressing the incorrect word, and ask, ‘Does that sound right?’ or ‘Does that make sense?’

3. The child does not say anythingSome prompts could help:• Read aloud to the end of the sentence;• re-read the sentence or passage;• refer to the pictures;• discuss experiences you have had that are related to the story;• sound out a ‘problem word’ or break it up into smaller parts;• tell the child the word if, after two attempts, he or she has not

been able to work it out.

Praise• Learning to read is a difficult task fraught with

pitfalls and inconsistent rules. The child who feels good about himself will be in an ideal position to take on these challenges.

• Help your child to see that he or she is making progress by acknowledging his or her growing skills. Be specific in the praise that you give (e.g. ‘I could hear that you were sounding the word out. Well done, Andrew!’).

• Maintain this genuine interest in your child’s work as he or she moves through school by reading and discussing the books he or she is studying.

Probe• Recognising the words is only one small part of reading. The

other is being able to understand, interpret and use the material that you have read.

• Try probing to encourage deeper understanding by re-visiting the material in new ways. Perhaps you could encourage your child to try the following:

• retell the story in his or her own words;• draw a character or scene from the book;• write to a friend recommending the book;• make or bake something mentioned in the book.As comprehension skills develop, nudge your child’s

understanding beyond the purely literal level through activities such as:

• discussing what messages you think the author was trying to send;

• considering what you might have done in the same situation;

• sharing how you felt as different times throughout the story.

Practise• Regular reading is habit-forming. Try

to establish a pattern where you and your child read a little each day. While the reading may be for work or pleasure, try to view it as a normal part of your routine. Children are more open to learning if they can see that it has a useful application in their lives.

Bus Stop

• 5 minutes on each table• Play!

• http://www.online-stopwatch.com/

Oral Language Games

Get into roleLook at the pictures, what will each of the characters act like? Get into role as this character and use the space around you, in the way you think the character would.

Discuss afterwards why you chose to act the way you did. You can use photographs or magazine clippings for new characters. Try Google Images.

Warm UpYou need to agree an action for this traffic light game, red might mean freeze, yellow, act like an animal and green could be mime an action you do in the morning. You decide what each light means and you must do that action constantly until the traffic light changes. Keep watching, it might change quickly or slowly! The leader decides when to change the traffic lights.

What could it be?The whole group needs to be sat in a circle.

You will also need a variety of unusual objects with no obvious purpose. A large square of material, a cardboard tube, a shoelace etc.

The leader shows the object to the group and asks what it could be used for, they demonstrate the first idea i.e. the square of material could be a cape, head scarf, flag etc.

Pass the item around the group to find as many possible ways of using it. Try to avoid repeats.

Party TimeYou need a host in each group.

The host has to try and guess which emotion the rest of the group have come as. They ask them “Are you happy / sad / excited?” etc

As soon as the host guesses correctly and the group say “Yes” they continue a conversation with the others in the same manner.

Then a new host and emotions are chosen.

You are

happy

Your are sad

You are

excited

You are shy

You are

crying

You are

tired

You are

worried

You are

proud

You are

scared

You are ill

You are

jealous

You are

bored

You are homesic

k

You are confuse

d

You are

guilty

Mime TimeIn this game you have to make your actions very clear so people can guess what you are miming.

In teams of 6, one person stands at the front and begins to mime an action written on a card.

When the rest of their team have guessed correctly, the next person mimes a new action from the cards. The team to win is the first team to be sitting quietly, after guessing all 6 of their mimes.

Brush your teeth

Pay for somethi

ng

Make and toss

a pancake

Open a present

Eat some food

Make a sandwic

h

Play on a games console

Vacuum the

carpet

Play football

and score a

goal

Make a phone

call

Iron your

clothes

Write on a white board

Put on music and

dance

Have a shower

Get dressed

Tie your shoe lace

Play tennis

Make a cup of

tea

Throw a snowball

Dig a garden

Take a dog for a walk

Post a letter

Use a compute

r

Build a snowma

n

Hammer a nail

into the wall

Close the

curtains

Jump on a

trampoline

Have a drink

Drive a car

Take a photo

Story CircleIn this game a story is created!

The whole group contributes to the creation and one person writes it on a flip chart.

Each person adds a word or short phrase and takes the story in the direction they would like it to go.

You may need to go around the group a few times to get enough content.

The whole group then splits into smaller groups of around 4 to create some freeze frames of the story, explaining to the rest of the group which part they are acting out.

These can be very funny with an imaginative group.

I am thinking of…The whole group needs to be sat in a circle.

Begin a rhythm of children clapping or tapping. One person is chosen to start and says in time with the steady clapping:

“I – am – thin - king – of – types – of – food” (this could be changed to colours, items of clothing, lessons at school etc)

All of the group must then provide an example in time with the clapping (remember to match the syllables), if they miss more than one beat, or repeat an item they miss their next turn by sitting back from the circle and a new item is chosen.

FrustrationThis game is to be played in pairs, the same lines need to be repeated. No other lines can be used, therefore the expression must be changed each time.

Some scenes will need characters to be frustrated, some angry, desperate etc. The pairs can choose what is happening in the scene and act it out using the lines.

Each time encourage the pairs to put themselves into role and really make the audience believe the way they are acting. Ask volunteers to perform in front of the group who evaluate by saying something they liked and something that could be improved.

Can I have an ice cream?

No.

Stop it.

Make me.

I didn’t mean to.

Yes you did.

Can I play?

No, we’ve got too many people.

Mum?

Just a minute.

Hurry up.

Wait a minute.

Help me.

I can’t.

Why did you hit your brother?

I didn’t.

Go on tell me.

I can’t

It’s mine.

No it’s not, it’s mine.

I’m telling.

So?

I don’t like you.

I don’t care.

What are you doing?

What does it look like?

We’ve got to go now.

I don’t want to.

It’s bedtime.

I’m not tired.

Nice to meet youThe whole group needs to be sat in a circle, this is best to be played with a new group. The leader explains we are having a party and everyone has to bring some food. Each person must think of a food that begins with the same letter of their name and say “Hello, my name is (Chris) and I have brought some (cheese)”.

The next person introduces themselves and also all of the people who went before them. Silent clues may be given if people get stuck. Hello my name is

Chris and I have bought some

cheese

Headband ActingOne person will need to wear a headband. A card is tucked under, or attached to the headband (The headbands can be made from card). Each person in the group can tell the headband wearer a clue about the card but not say the actual item or object, alternatively the person can act out a clue. From these clues they have to guess what item they are.

I am a lion

I am a cat

I am a dog

I am an elephant

I am a rabbit

I am a bird

I am a pair of socks

I am a pair of

trousers

I am a pair of shoes

I am a hat

I am a scarf

I am a pair of gloves

I am an iron

I am a televisio

n

I am a teapot

I am a bed

I am a compute

r

I am a candle

I am a car

I am a bike

I am a train

I am a chair

I am a table

I am a tree

I am a carrier

bag

I am a coat

I am a book

I am a bar of

chocolate

I am a mobile phone

I am a fridge

Glue!The whole group needs to be in a space, as soon as the leader shouts “GLUE!” they are no longer allowed to move their feet. The leader will shout out various actions to perform, the group must perform the action any way they can without moving their feet. Anyone who moves their feet must sit down. The person left standing is the winner. The actions may include:

Ski

Do a ballet dance

Play football

Throw a ball

Skip

Jog

Who am I?One member of the group is sat at the front on a bench with a space next to them.

Another member is given a card, they have to go up to the first person (they can sit down if they want to) and pretend that the person already sat down is the person on the card. The person sitting down needs to guess who they are and carry on the role play in that manner. Eg the second person would enter the scene and say “I’m really sorry sir, I forgot my homework” the first person would then develop the role of a teacher.

The scene is given 2 minutes or until it naturally ends, and then the audience has to guess who the first character was.

The person sitting on the bench is your teacher.

The person sitting on the bench is your brother.

The person sitting on the bench is your favourite pop star.

The person sitting on the bench is Bart Simpson.

The thing sitting on the bench is your dog.

The person sitting on the bench is your best friend.

The person sitting on the bench is a police officer.

The person sitting on the bench is a famous footballer.

The person sitting on the bench is your grandma.

The person sitting on the bench is your dad.

The person sitting on the bench is the Prime Minister.

The person sitting on the bench is a Hollywood actor.

Big ChiefThe whole group needs to be sat in a circle. An ‘investigator’ is identified and leaves the room or turns their back whilst a ‘chief’ is identified.

The chief then chooses what action the whole group must follow, i.e. clapping, running on the spot, waving arms in the air.

The group need to observe the chief carefully, in order to follow their action, without giving them away.

The investigator is allowed 3 guesses before coming back into the circle.

ImproviseThe whole group needs to be in pairs, make up a pair with another person if you have an odd number or observe if you have even numbers.

Each pair chooses a scenario card where there are 2 clear characters, they then choose who will play which character, they can swap after a couple of minutes to have a go at both sides of the argument.

Try to avoid “Can I___”, “No”, “Please”, “No” conversations and encourage greater use of vocabulary. Allow time for discussions and then ask pairs for volunteers to show the rest of the group.

A – You have found a kitten on your way home from school. He follows you home and you want to keep him. Persuade your parents.

B – You do not let your child keep the kitten, you must find the owner and return him to them.

A – You score a goal in a playground football match, whilst you are celebrating your friend shouts “Offside”, the goal is not allowed. You begin to argue

B – You know the goal was offside, but also know your friend will be upset with you because you called offside, what do you do?

A – You want to play Monopoly, your friend wants to play Cluedo. You think Cluedo is boring.

B – You want to play Cluedo, your friend wants to play Monopoly. You think Monopoly is boring.

A – You really want to watch a 15 rated film on DVD, you are 10 but you borrow it off your friends older sister. You take it home and your mum finds it in your bag.

B – You find a 15 rated DVD in your child’s bag, what do you do?

A – You have to go to the dentist to have a filling. You don’t want to go and think that if you say you feel sick your parents wont take you.

B – Your son / daughter say they feel sick, but they have to go to the dentist. You’re not sure, what do you do?

A – You and your friend are deciding which clubs to sign up for. You want to join math's club but your friend doesn’t.

B – Your friend wants to join math's club but you think it sounds really boring. You try to get them to join drama club instead.

A – You are a teacher and are trying to teach one of the children their 5 x table. All they want to do is talk about TV shows.

B – Your teacher is trying o help you learn you tables. You find maths hard so are trying to distract them by talking about TV.

A – You are a babysitter, one of the children will not go to bed because they are scared of the monster under the bed. Try and reassure them that there is no monster.B – You are convinced that there is a monster under the bed and don’t want to go to bed even though your babysitter says it is time.

Zip, zap, boing!The whole group needs to stand or sit in a circle.

Someone begins by saying “Zip” pointing to their left or their right, the ‘zips’ then continue around the circle in the same direction.

Introduce ‘boing’, when someone says “Boing” they hold up their hands and the ‘zips’ have to travel back in the opposite direction.

A ‘zip’ can be ‘zapped’ across the circle by pointing and saying zap. That person then has the choice of ‘zipping’, ‘zapping’ or ‘boinging’!

You can add more actions, speed up or slow down to make the game easier or harder. It’s great fun and requires concentration.

Top tips on supporting language learning – in any

language• Talk at home• Talk when you are out• Talk in the car, on the bus or MTR• Talk about the TV or radio• Talk with family• Talk with friends• Talk with your neighbours• Talk about topics covered in school• TALK• Talk some more!

Top tips for supporting reading – in any language

• Make it fun!• Make it meaningful.• Develop a passion for literature.

• Always TALK about the content first.• Short periods of time regularly.• Confidence & fluency before accuracy.• Give the task a purpose and function.• Provide a wide range of experiences, shopping

list, email, fax, letter etc• Stress free.

Questions?

• Take a handout• Email us and your classroom teacher

at any time• VELoCity• More Parent Workshops coming up…