ideas for beginner high school students

[drumpounder]

Hello,
I am new at the ESL thing. Less than 2 months in Korea. I teach at a technical high school. Thus far their one and only teacher. The kids are mostly from poor families with zero english background. I could use some good ideas about games. These are nice kids but this is the end of their education, then it's off to factories etc. They are not going to be tested on anything I teach them and they know it. Thus a sincere lack of interest. I don't blame them one bit. They are all about 17 years old. Most of the stuff I have found just doesn't fit the mold. I don't have the experience necessary yet to figure much stuff out. I'm the only foreigner in the school and my co-teacher , while very kind and generous, has limited ability beyond basic well structured conversation. Obviously learned by rote from memorization lessons. Help me if you can. Thanks

[FangWB]

Hello,
I am new at the ESL thing. Less than 2 months in Korea. I teach at a technical high school. Thus far their one and only teacher. The kids are mostly from poor families with zero english background. I could use some good ideas about games. These are nice kids but this is the end of their education, then it's off to factories etc. They are not going to be tested on anything I teach them and they know it. Thus a sincere lack of interest. I don't blame them one bit. They are all about 17 years old. Most of the stuff I have found just doesn't fit the mold. I don't have the experience necessary yet to figure much stuff out. I'm the only foreigner in the school and my co-teacher , while very kind and generous, has limited ability beyond basic well structured conversation. Obviously learned by rote from memorization lessons. Help me if you can. Thanks

I am sending you some of the ideas and teaching strategies in one of my research papers. I hope it helps. From my 14 years of teaching experience, I think a great way to motivate students is to let them telll their stories.
There are many different strategies and activities to teach communicative languages. Which ones should be selected to best meet Chinese ELL learner’s needs? In her research Communicative Language teaching: Approach, Design and Procedure, Liao (2000) listed the following criteria for selecting activities: purpose, procedures, sequencing, complexity, resources, grouping, strategies, language, time, outcomes, and assessment. When selecting and implementing approaches and strategies, teachers should consider who the learners are and be sensitive to their cultural background.
1. Actions
Davis-Wiley (1994) conducted a research in a foreign language classroom in a Tennessee elementary school during 1982. 405 students were taught with the TPR method. Parents and teachers reported that students were motivated and enjoyed the class. Teachers favored the minimal preparation, variety of activities, and high degree of patience exhibited by the children. Students learned in a fun and active way which help them remember and comprehend messages easily.
However, keep in mind that Chinese students are usually conservative and may not feel very comfortable to follow the teacher at the beginning. It is better to start with slow and non-assertive movements.
Activity: Simon says
The teacher starts the game by saying: “Ms. Wang says…” and pointing at the proper body parts. Then let students take turn to be the leaders.
2. Building vocabulary

Vocabulary is fundamental to English language learners. In her book Reading and learning to read, Vacca et al. (2003) provided many word building strategies. Flip books and nursery rhymes are both good for beginners.
Activity: Chinese Zodiac
Give each student a paper plate; ask him/her to divide the plate into 12 sections (do not cut, draw lines); give each student 12 pictures of the animals in Chinese Zodiac; ask student to paste on the plate in one section the animal that represents the year he/she was born first; next, students may paste animals that represent the years that their family members were born; ask students to interview others to find out the years their friends were born and complete the Zodiac; when they finish, they may share in small groups or whole class.
3. Games

Piaget’s theory of human development stresses that children learn through play (Huitt & Hummel, 2003). Thus, games are certainly welcomed by students at all ages. Make sure to select games that can be easily incorporated with Chinese culture.
Activity: Picking up marbles with chopsticks.
Students pick up marbles with chopsticks. Meanwhile, they need to count the numbers of marbles they have picked up and describe the colors of each marbles. There can be many variables depending on the learning objectives.
4. Realia
Using realia and concrete objects not only helps students build vocabulary, but also increase comprehension (Lapp, Fisher, & Flood, 1999; Peregoy & Boyle, 1997; Roney, 1994.). Students learn the best by using all five senses. When they can smell, touch, see, hear, and taste the objects, they can easily remember the words and understand the meaning of the messages.
Activity: Fruit party
Each student brings a different kind of fruit. For example: student brings one apple, student B brings four strawberries, and so on so forth. Cover one student’s eyes with a blind fold. Place an apple (or other fruit) in his/her hands. He/she may ask questions about the fruit and guess what it is.
5. Acting out/Role play
When role playing, students are actively involved in learning. They acquire language through a fun and meaningful way. Role play can easily incorporate all four aspects of language in one lesson.
Activity: Lang Po Po (The story of Lang Po Po)
Teacher reads the story to the class first. Students decide which roles they would like to play in the show. Try to get every student involved. Students role play Lang Po Po and draw or write reflections on the show and the story after the play.
6. Illustrations/Movies

Using pictures to aid understanding is extremely important for young children and beginning ELL learners (Routier, 2003). Students seize the meaning of words by connecting the words to pictures. Although many people do not believe they can learn a second language by watching movies, movies are still one of the most effective ways to improve listening comprehension, build vocabulary, understand culture, and ultimately comprehend messages. Teachers need to provide background knowledge before showing movies to students.
Activity 1: Guess the word
Form students into groups; give each student 3 -5 pieces of paper; ask each student to draw a picture on a piece of paper; share the picture in groups and ask group members to guess what he/she draws; write the word underneath the picture. There can be many variables depend on the learning objectives.
Activity 2: TV interview
Show students a short movie; ask them to discuss the movie (e.g., what they like or dislike); Ask them to interview each other and produce a TV talk show.
7. Music
Music is a universal language which everyone can speak. Routier (2003) stressed that music makes a significant impact on children’s cognitive development. Teachers may select picture books of songs and start with the tunes that are familiar to Chinese ELL learners (e. g., Twinkle, twinkle, little star).
Activity: Musical chair
Select a rhyming song to start with; Students move around a circle formed with chairs whiling singing along; the teacher and students take turn to be the composer (who controls the audio cassette or CD player). When the music stops, whoever does not have chair is out and he/she becomes the composer. If a student who is out can say two words that rhyme, he/she can come back to play.
8. Storytelling

Storytelling is for students who have had some English language experience. Vacca, et al (2003) indicated that storytelling is “a natural way to present literature and oral traditions to both young and older students.” (p. 419). It helps students build confidence, improve oral and listening competence, organize materials, and enhance comprehension.
Activity: My story
The teacher reads a book on Chinese New Year; ask students to draw or write down what they do during Chinese New Year; then tell the story to the whole class verbally.

[drumpounder]

Thank you FangWB for the tips. I hope some or all of them will prove to valuable.