Some experiences in teaching new model sentences in English for class 3 effectively

A. INTRODUCTION
1. Reason to choose the topic:
Nowadays, English has been popular not only in the world but also in Viet Nam and it becomes an important subject in all schools in Viet Nam today. Therefore, the teaching and learning of English has major changes in the content and teaching methods to meet the objectives and requirements for this subject in the reform programs. This will help students improve their creativity and dynamism and develop the skills in using the language to communicate in English, especially in developing skills for reading and writing. With these perspective requests, the teacher can use the tips and classroom activities which are suitable for requirements of the program and all students.
2. Study purpose 
As an English teacher working in a primary school for ages, I have ever faced with a variety of difficulties, especially in introducing new model sentences for children in grade 3. In fact, this is the first year children are acquainted with this new models. Therefore, to remember and write the correct words is very difficult, but to understand the form is more difficult. However, teaching model sentences is very really important because we can not communicate with each other without using words and sentences, so it is all right if it will be possible to answer these questions: How to help children remember and make use of the new models effectively? How to help them love and have passion for this subject and use the language for communicative purposes? That is why I wish other colleagues to think about.
	In the process of teaching English, I have been consulted by other colleagues, lectures as well as from reference books and useful websites to apply in this topic “Some experiences in teaching new model sentences in English for class 3 effectively”. 
3. Research object: Pupils for class 3
4. Study measure
I have used ways such as: story telling, creating close situations in everyday life with children, using games, songs and so on to both give children interesting motives to learn English and make them more enjoyable and easy to remember new models without having boring feelings.
B. CONTENT
I. The basis of reasoning:
With the development of using English in the society these days, it is increasingly becoming a communicative language in everyday life. Moreover, it is an important key for the Vietnamese people in exchanging and developing economics with foreign countries. For these reasons, learning English at an elementary level is very essential for children to have a solid foundation in the next grades. This requires each teacher to find out the best way to teach children the knowledge, skills of a new language, but to teach the elements of a new culture of both the similarities and differences from the background culture of our country.
	For grade 3 pupils who are too young to absorb the complicated definitions or structures. In this age, they just know simple and familiar things, so it is very important for teachers to know their children’s characteristics. They are children that pick up languages in chunks. They focus on meaning rather than form and they learn through directly from experiences. From these, we should give them more suitable techniques to teach them best. The teacher ought to help them to acquire the meanings and the way to use new models to communicate without going into the grammar. In addition, children are very active, creative and they often like acting. Hence, we must use TPR, songs, chants, story-telling, meaningful situations, pictures or games into teaching new models. It will make class fun. Pupils feel exciting and involved in lessons. That’s why I choose the topic “Some experiences in teaching new model sentences in English for class 3 effectively”.
II. Basis, time and research subjects:
1. Background.
To conduct this study based on the theme:
casting the experience through actual teaching time.
referring a number of documents in English.
using textbooks and teachers of English 3.
giving results of the survey from the English quality of school.
exchanging and learning from the colleagues in professional groups of English inside and outside the district.
participating in training courses, workshops for primary school English teachers organized by the office.
2. Study time: From January 2015 to March 2016
III. Implementation measures:
Currently, I am teaching at a local school where people make living by raising cattle and planting rice. People’s life is so hard so many parents do not really care about the education of their children. The preparation of books and school appliances for their students is not still enough, even none. Besides, English at an elementary level is not attached special importance, even less important for some parents. For a few parents, it is not as important as other subjects like Math, literature and so on. Moreover, very few parents know English, so it is very difficult for them to check their study. As for me, it is not very easy to share ideas or ways to solve these problems in teaching with beginners because I am the only teacher of English in my school. I only refer to other comments with colleagues in other schools. Another reason is that there is a lack of the equipment to use in teaching English in my school. This affects children’s English learning and the quality of the lectures. I can really see this matter and try to make the quality go up at the same time, help children like this subject. Therefore, I decided to carry out an oral test to check the speaking ability of pupils for class 3.
Class
Total
result
Bad
average
good
excellent
3A
17
0
2
7
8
3B
22
2
12
8
0
IV. The implementation process.
Beginning from the actual situation as described in section reason initiatives proposed in my own experience teaching process, I tried to figure out ways to help students be able to remember and understand the new models. I am pleased to present the measures which I have applied in my school in recent years, especially teaching new model sentences with steps as follows:
1. Revision:
It is an important part for teachers to consolidate the learned knowledge and to provide a familiar base that integrate a new language. Children remind of the knowledge they learned before. However, we often remind it in Warm-up section. These techniques consist of:
revise learned language by using pictures or ask questions.
ask and answer.
learn chants or songs.
2. Present model sentences.
For this stage, I will give some ways below:
use pictures, photos of characters who relate to models
use puppets or characters’ cards to tell stories.
use TPR or gesture.
make a real and meaningful situation.
elicit the situation.
3. Control practice:
It is the step for children to use the language correctly and they try to understand the meaning of the situation and they get a chance of hearing the new language, then repeat it, so I often use the following techniques:
work in pairs or groups.
play games such as: survey, physical line-up, Chinese Whisper, passing ball, Simon says. Find someone who and so on.
use pictures or flash cards.
use chants.
4. Production/use:
Through this step, children can use the language in a communicative situation where the focus is on exchanging meanings, it is also encourages them to draw on the language they already know and monitor their attempts and give feedback at a later stage. In this stage, children can use the new language in a new or varied contexts. This purpose of this step is communication:
techniques
use pair-work or group-work.
play games such as Noughts and Crosses, Passing Ball, Chain game ect.
5. Noticing language:
To draw children’s attention to the form of the language, pupils pay attention to the form of the new model sentences. These techniques are:
underline the words and explain the replacement then ask them to practice.
use gap-filling.
chants
song
These contents of some tips to teach new sentence patterns that I applied to some units in English 3.
6. Some illustrations
Unit 1: Hello
Lesson 1: 1,2,3
This is the first unit in textbook I present pupils the way to greet others in English.
I elicit the situation and use TPR to give the new models.
- First of all, the teacher raises the card of characters, Linda to the class and introduces it to them.
- Teacher: now class, today I have n new friend and what will you say to her?
- Pupils: “Xin chào”
- Teacher raises the character’s card, waves the hand and replies: Chào các bạn,. Mình là Linda.
- Some pupils say “hello” and introduce their names in Vietnamese.
- Teacher: OK. Now we have just introduced ourselves, so to know how to say greeting and introducing ourselves in English we change to section II. Model sentence
- Teacher waves the hand and says: hello
- Teacher asks them to listen and repeat in chorus then individuals/
- Teacher writes it on the board.
- Teacher puts one hand on the characters’ card and says: my name’s Linda.
- Teacher asks them to listen and repeat in chorus then individuals (repeat and put the hand on the chest)
- Teacher writes it on the board.
- Students copy.
- Teacher asks Ss to work in pairs to practice the model again.
- Students calls some pairs to practice.\
- Teacher underlines the name Linda and explains that: you can replace with a different names.
- Teacher gives each pupil a piece of paper, there is a name on them and asks them to work in groups of four to greet and introduces the names (say and do action). They use the name that teacher gave them.
- Teacher calls two groups to practice in front of the class.
Unit 2: What’s your name?
Lesson1:1-2-3
For this unit 2, I use story telling to present models.
- Teacher: today I have a story for you, now listen to me please. Today Linda will move to a new class, so she is a bit nervous because she doesn’t know anyone in this class. When she comes into the class, all of the students are very surprised. They want to know who the girl is and one of them ask. Teacher stops and asks them: who knows what she asked
- Ss: “Bạn tên gì?”
- Teacher: right! and they say in English: “What’s your name?”
- Teacher says it again and asks them to repeat.
Ss repeat in chorus then individuals.
- Teacher continues the story and she replied . Teacher stops again and asks them to guess what she said.
Ss: “Mình tên là Linda”
Teacher: “excellent”. That’s her answer. now listen: My name’s Linda
- Teacher asks them to listen and repeat. (in chorus then individuals)
- Teacher writes the sentence down.
- Ss copy.
T: asks students to work in pairs to practice the model sentence again.
Ss: work in pair.
T: call some pairs to practice.
T: underlines the name Linda and explains that: you can replace with a different names.
Teacher gives them some pieces of paper which contain a question “what’s your name?” or some names like Nam, Peter, Tony, Hoa and ask them to practice in two groups.
For example: when the teacher raises the question to group 1, they will say: “What’s your name? ” and teacher raises the name Nam to the group 2, they will say: My name’s Nam then teacher reverses
Unit 4: How old are you?
Lesson 1: 1-2-3
For this lesson, I present the way to ask and answer about someone using Who’s that? It’s .I use a real situation to present this model.
T revises the word “mean” that they learnt.
T gives them a photo of Lan who they don’t know. They would be curious and ask the teacher: Đó là ai vậy?
T answers: Đó là Lan
T leads them to this model. To know how to say these sentences in English we change to section II. Model sentence.
T reads the question as a model and asks them to repeat.
Ss repeat in chorus then individuals.
Ss copy down.
T asks them to practice in pairs to practice this model sentence.
A: Who’s that?
B: It’s Lan
T calls some pairs to repeat.
Then T uses a game called Guessing game. Teacher calls a pupil to go to the board and blindfold him and calls some other pupils to stand in font of him. He has to touch them and guess who they are. When he touches each pupil, the class will ask: Who’s that? and he has to guess and answer: It’s .
Unit 8: This is my pen
Lesson 1: 1-2-3
In this lesson, I create a real situation in the class to present identifying school things, using: This/That is ..
First, I ask some pupils to lend me some pens, then I raise them in front of the pupils and ask: Whose these pens are they? The pupils sitting near me will say: “Đây là cái bút của em”
T gives them back their pens and leads them to the model.
T: OK. We have learnt some school things in vocabulary so to know how to say about identifying them in English, we change to II. Model sentence.
T holds a pen on the hand and point to the pen and asks them :Who knows what I will say:
Pupils answer: Đây là cái bút của em
T: good! and in English we say: this is my pen.
T asks Ss to raise their pen and repeat after the teacher.
Ss raise their pens and repeat in chorus then individuals.
T writes the sentence on the board.
Next, teacher puts a pen on the table and stands far from them, point and repeat.
Ss point to their own pens and say in chorus then individuals.
Teacher writes it on the board.
Teacher asks them to work in pairs to practice the model again.
Ss work in pairs to practice.
T calls some to practice.
Then teacher asks them to identify school things what we say.
Ss repeat the model sentence.
Teacher underlines the word pen and explain that we can replace it with other things. Then teacher asks them to use learned school things in English and practice the model again in groups of four.
Ss work in group point and say their own school things.
Teacher calls some of them to repeat.
Unit 10: What do you do at break time?
Lesson 1: 1-2-3
In this lesson, the teacher present the ways to ask and answer questions about break- time activities, so I use eliciting situation to give model sentence. 
After presenting new words about break-time activities, the teacher asks them to play a game: Slap the board to check vocabulary which relate to the model.
T: I’ve presented you some interesting activities and tell me: When do you often play them?
Ss: we play them at recess.
T: I see all of you play games and sports at recess but I don’t know what each of you play so I ask: What do you do at break time?
t asks them to guess the meaning of the question.
Ss: answer: “Em làm gì vào giờ ra chơi?”
T: Good! Now listen again: What do you do at break time?
T asks them to listen and repeat (in chorus and individual)
T asks them on the board.
T: so how can you answer this question? Teacher calls some of them to answer.
Pupils: Em chơi bong đá/ Em chơi cờ vua/ Em chơi nhảy dây
Teacher: very interesting! and in English we say: I play football,.
Teacher asks them to listen and repeat(in chorus and individual)
T asks them on the board.
Teacher asks them to know other activities (check the meaning)
Pupils answer the question: What do you do at break time? and how to answer.
Pupils: I play football
Teacher asks them to work in pairs to practice asking and answering about the activities at break time.
Teacher calls some to repeat.
Teacher underlines the words – football and explain that we can replace it with other games or sports: I play football.
Teacher give them some pictures of activities and asks them to work in pairs to practice.
Pupils work in groups of four to practice using the model sentence and pictures.
Unit 11: This is my family
Lesson 1: 1-2-3
In this lesson, I present asking and answering questions about family members, and use: Who’s that?- He’s/She’s. I use photos to present this model.
First, teacher reminds the language that children learned: Who’s that? It’s 
Teacher: point to a pupil and calls another pupil answer.
Teacher: Who’s that?
Pupil: It’s Lan
Teacher: Good! We learned to ask and answer the question about identifying the others using this for people, but it is clearer to identify the sex what we answer.
Teacher gives a photo of Nam and has a pupil ask and the other answers
Pupil A: Who’s that?
Pupil B: It’s Nam
Teacher: Nam is male so we can also answer: He’s Nam.
Teacher asks them to listen and repeat (in chorus and individual).
Teacher writes it on the board.
A: Who’s that?
B: He’s Nam	.
Teacher makes them ask and answer the model in pairs.
Teacher calls some pairs to practice.
Teacher underlines the words – she and Nam then explain that we can replace the word “he” with “she” when we talk about the female and Nam with other names.
A: Who’s that?
B: He’s Nam
Teacher gives them another photo and asks: Who’s that?
Pupil: It’s Mai
Teacher: Right! She’s Mai
Teacher gets them to listen and repeat (in chorus and individual)
Teacher writes it on the board.
Teacher has them work in pairs to practice the model.
Teacher makes them play a game: Guessing game to guess the character.
Teacher gives some photos of Nga, Nam, Ba, and hide them then asks them to play in three groups and take a guess the names of them
Cues: teacher calls pupil of each group to go to the board and gives a photo of Linda, the class ask him or her: Who’s that? one of three pupils who raises the hand the fastest will answer and who has one point with a right answer , then teacher calls other representatives of three groups and gives different photos
And the team will be the winner with the highest point.
 Nga Nam Ba
Unit 19: They’re in the park
Lesson 2: 1-2-3
I use the character cards of Linda and Mai and story telling to present the way to ask and answer about the weather.
Teacher asks them to play the game: Kim’s game to check vocabulary.
Teacher: Today Linda is in Ho Chi Minh City and Mai is in Ha Noi. Mai is going to visit Ho Chi Minh City so she calls Linda to ask about the weather there. Who knows what she says.
Pupils answer then the teacher raises the character card of Linda then says it in English: What’s the weather like?
Teacher asks them to listen and repeat (in chorus and individual)
Teacher writes on the board then continues the story, the weather there is sunny, so Linda answers: . the teacher has them guess.
Pupil: Trời nắng
Teacher: It’s sunny (say and do some actions, put two hands around the head)
Teacher underlines the word “sunny” and tells the way to replace.
Teacher makes them repeat the way to ask about the weather and answer.
Teacher asks them to sing a song: What’s the weather like? (based on the rhythm of ABC song)
	What’s the weather like today?
	It’s cloudy and snowy.
	What’s the weather like today?
	It’s sunny and rainy.
	What’s the weather like today?
	It’s stormy and windy.
Teacher asks them to sing along and do action: group 1 will sing the question
Group 2 will sing the answer then reverse.
These are some ways I apply in some typical lessons in English 3. After using the ways above, I find it very effective for primary pupils.
Below is a sample lesson plan which I have applied in innovative ways to teacher English when carrying out this topic.
Unit 6: Stand up
Period 36: Lesson 2 *(1-2-3) Page 42
I. Objectives: By the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to:
- Ask for and give permission, using May I ..? answer Yes, you can/No, you can’t.
II. Teaching method: Communicative method.
III. Teaching aids:
student’s book, tape, cassette, pictures
IV. language focus: 
Vocabulary: come in, go out, speak
Structure: May I come in?
Yes, you can. No, you can’t.
V. Time: 40 minutes
VI. Procedure:
Teacher and student’s activities
Language focus
I. Warm-up (3-4’) Simon says
- Teacher asks students to play the game in groups.
T: Who wants to play the game?
Ss: answer
- Teacher divides the class three teams and guides them to play.
- Teacher says classroom instructions that students learned in lesson 1.
Ss play in groups
T introduces the new lesson today.
T: we have just revised classroom i