Any information is greatly appreciated!
HELP with Kindergarden demo class!!!!!
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HELP with Kindergarden demo class!!!!!
I have been teaching middle school students in Lanzhou, China for the past 6 months and now have been offered job teaching Kindergarden kids in Shanghai. Before I formally get the job I must do a demo class but I'm not sure exactly what is expected of me. The job description calls for a bubbly, young, female teachers that can be very exciting and really grab the students attention for the 20 min. long class period. OK, I can do this but I'm not sure what I should teach. Maybe bring in some fruit and learn the names, then play a game? I feel really lost since teaching kindergardeners anything is hard, but teaching them English sounds impossible. Please, if anyone has any experience with kindergardeners and also demo classes, let me know what's expected of me.
Any information is greatly appreciated!
Any information is greatly appreciated!
Check out www.genkienglish.com for some ideas for games. I would structure your class with some vocabulary (no more than 5 new words). Remeber, when you teach this age group, try to be like a sesame street character. You have to be very excited about each new word so that the kids will be too. Say each word at least 3 times, and vary your volume and facial expression so that the kids will also find it more fun.
After you have gone over the new words, then you can play a game using them. Try something easy like a game called the sun and the moon. The game goes something like this. You take two flash cards (for example: the sun and the moon) and you hold one in each hand. show the cards, and point to either side of the room as you call out the name of the card. The children run to the side that they prefer. (This works very well with food and colours) After you have played a few times using the cards, stop using the cards and just point to each side of the room as you say the words.
At the end of the class, you might want to do a song with them. I would recommend doing something with actions. If there is a song that they already know, do that, or do a song that is very easy such as 10 little monkeys or London Bridge.
After you have gone over the new words, then you can play a game using them. Try something easy like a game called the sun and the moon. The game goes something like this. You take two flash cards (for example: the sun and the moon) and you hold one in each hand. show the cards, and point to either side of the room as you call out the name of the card. The children run to the side that they prefer. (This works very well with food and colours) After you have played a few times using the cards, stop using the cards and just point to each side of the room as you say the words.
At the end of the class, you might want to do a song with them. I would recommend doing something with actions. If there is a song that they already know, do that, or do a song that is very easy such as 10 little monkeys or London Bridge.
Dear CC,
a demo class in a kindergarten - I have won many such classes hands down! I am not bragging - they are easier than you imagine!
But you must lower your expectations to what five-year olds are intellectually capable of. That is the biggest challenge for a TEACHER! Don't forget - a kindergarten is NOT a SCHOOL!
Unfortunately, Chinese need to understand the difference too, and herein lies the major problem!
Anyway, it is really good to be bubbly! First lesson: Walk in, sit down, say "Sit down!" Then stand up, saying "Stand up!". Repeat this three times, without any Chinese!
Your kids will emulate not only your action but repeat the words!
Then, next, do some pointing, touching of limbs - "pinch my nose!" "Touch my knee!" "Pull my ear!"
Of course, what you are going to do once you have been hired is, perhaps, another matter! I for one believe that kids MUST NOT blindly memorise, mindlessly speak after adults, and so on! Basically, they are at an age where they are forming in their minds concepts and the ability to think, so I usually use visuals a lot.
There are good VCD's. Flashcards are very, very helpful too.
I teachthem the ABC and draw a lot with them, but in doing this I break a rule: CHildren are not supposed to learn to write the ABC at this tender age, which I consider a stupid rule!
I hope your classes will have no more than 25 kids, and your assistant will cooperate fully with you!
Good luck
Roger in Guangdong
a demo class in a kindergarten - I have won many such classes hands down! I am not bragging - they are easier than you imagine!
But you must lower your expectations to what five-year olds are intellectually capable of. That is the biggest challenge for a TEACHER! Don't forget - a kindergarten is NOT a SCHOOL!
Unfortunately, Chinese need to understand the difference too, and herein lies the major problem!
Anyway, it is really good to be bubbly! First lesson: Walk in, sit down, say "Sit down!" Then stand up, saying "Stand up!". Repeat this three times, without any Chinese!
Your kids will emulate not only your action but repeat the words!
Then, next, do some pointing, touching of limbs - "pinch my nose!" "Touch my knee!" "Pull my ear!"
Of course, what you are going to do once you have been hired is, perhaps, another matter! I for one believe that kids MUST NOT blindly memorise, mindlessly speak after adults, and so on! Basically, they are at an age where they are forming in their minds concepts and the ability to think, so I usually use visuals a lot.
There are good VCD's. Flashcards are very, very helpful too.
I teachthem the ABC and draw a lot with them, but in doing this I break a rule: CHildren are not supposed to learn to write the ABC at this tender age, which I consider a stupid rule!
I hope your classes will have no more than 25 kids, and your assistant will cooperate fully with you!
Good luck
Roger in Guangdong
I teach a group of 4 - 6yr olds and find the thing they love to do most is run around, so I use this to my advantage when teaching new vocabulary! I have pictures of words I want to teach on cards and pin them up around the room. Then it is simply a matter of shouting out the word for the kids to run to (pointing at the beginning or even running with them to the correct picture as you shout out the word). After a while, you can ask "What is it?" when the kids have arrived at the picture for them to repeat the word back to you, there are lots of variations and activities that can be done with a simple set of pictures and a bit of space! Just remember to make it fun for the kids.