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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: What book are you using or think is good for children?
Hey hey!
So I've been teaching few years children aged 3-14 years old and gone through a few different books.
So far I hate when the schools have their "own" curriculum and books, that's when you usually encounter problems in classroom.
As for other books, best I've encountered is the "Kid's Box" from Cambridge.
Right now I'm at a school where they let me choose which book to use for our curriculum, I'm planning to use the "Kid's Box" right now, though I'm open for idea if you guys have any better suggestions.
I'm mainly just looking for a book that can stimulate their interests with good topics that focuses on daily situations.
Thanks.
7 years 30 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
Wow, thanks for all the different advice! Quite surprised to get this much response. I totally agree that children 3-6 should focus on vocabulary and overall just having fun while learning simple phrases. And as for grammar.. At least I don't like to really really teach it for this age, I prefer to include it into the sentence patterns I teach and kind of teach them without them actually knowing about it.
Robrocks, your topics are great and that's exactly what I do now. Though, Chinese prefer to have books to show and sell to the parents. So your topics would be extra things you teach, when you're done with the book material.
As for songs, I love the supersimplesongs ones.
RobRocks:
get yourelf a bag,that bag will be your teaching bag so you can put books,balls hammers,flash cards,play dough and stuff like that in it,all for back up if you have a bad lesson then you have something to fall back on if something goes wrong.
nzteacher80:
That's what I do. Good advice. Always have something up your sleeve.
Dear Tired Teacher 1122.
What is your wechat ID?
I will add you, you pay me Y100 RMB and I will give the names & places to buy all the books online you'll ever need.
imho regardless of age anyone can benefit from the wisdom in this book
Younger kids (3-7 years) should just be learning vocabulary, some songs, and a few fun games. This can all be found online @ www.esl-kids.com and other websites. Have a search for yourself. All resources for this age focus on vocab acquisition, pronunciation and listening.
After 7 years I'd go for a set of books from one of the reputable publishers. Here is a free one if you know how to torrent (torrenting is easy);
https://thepiratebay.bid/torrent/10189833
It's a set of books called New Headway by Oxford University Press. Yes, it isn't a legal copy. They are a good set of books with a teacher book, a student book, a work book and a set of tests for each level. They are quite comprehensive if a little dated. They're all in PDF format and can easily be printed out. They also have audio to accompany the books. They go from Beginner to Elementary to Pre-Intermediate to Intermediate to Advanced (adult.)
Shining_brow:
"Younger kids (3-7 years) should just be learning vocabulary,"
I respectfully disagree... when we were 3-7 years old, we were learning the basics of grammar (although not explicitly), and by 7 years old, we had about 80% of our grammar down pat (barring irregulars). This is especially important in China, which uses a very different grammattical system... so it needs to be sorted out NOW... with vocab, they can just use a dictionary - can't do that with grammar!
Grammar doesn't change (too much), but vocabulary is morphing all the time. Go with adjectives and adverbs rather than nouns - they've far more useful.
icnif77:
Little kids are like 'vacuum' at learning English or any other 2nd language. I read somewhere (maybe here) that 2-4 years old babies learn both languages as one language.
They'll learn anything you throw at them ...., if they like you--->teacher.
nzteacher80:
You quote-mined me.
"Younger kids (3-7 years) should just be learning vocabulary, some songs, and a few fun games." I didn't say don't teach grammar. Songs and games often contain grammar. It's pointless teaching grammar if they don't have any tools in their box in the form of known words. I don't focus on grammar early on but my lessons will move into grammar once children have some basic vocabulary. You can't teach a child grammar who has no vocabulary.The Kindergarten where I teach we use Dr Bird I think its from Taiwan.its ok,comes with books for k1,k2 k3,and flash cards and dvd.
then you just some extra things with your lesson like days of the week,weather,months of the year etc.
each topic you can teach for about 3 weeks,also has 3 songs to learn with each topic.
RobRocks:
the book that I have shown are for nursery class ages between 2 -3 years old
Topics you could try
fruit
food
transport
farm animals
colors
zoo animals
insects
things in the home
clothes
good habits-brush teeth,comb hair,wash face etc
numbers
ABC
I like
my family
for me having a book is good as it gives a me guide,you can things around your lesson to make it better.
RobRocks:
these books are good to read as a story or go with a topic as well.
any way hope this helps for the younger children,feel free to ask me a question if you need any more help.
Songs you could sing in class
Im a little teapot
Twinkle Twinkle little star
If your happy
The wheels on the bus
ABC
Baa Baa Black Sheep
open shut them
the rainbow song
whose wearing yellow today-its a color song and you could also whose wearing a t.shirt (clothes)
where is thumbkin,also same song for childrens names
Hokey Pokey
10 little Indian boys
this is the way I wash my face early in the morning
head shoulders knees and toes
5 little monkeys
you could do arm up arm down,legs up legs down,stand up sit down shake your body stop then the children have to stop,then you do shake your body then stop.
could get the class to walk around a table,walking, flying,creeping,stomping,running,
the weather song
itsy bitsy spider
Wow, thanks for all the different advice! Quite surprised to get this much response. I totally agree that children 3-6 should focus on vocabulary and overall just having fun while learning simple phrases. And as for grammar.. At least I don't like to really really teach it for this age, I prefer to include it into the sentence patterns I teach and kind of teach them without them actually knowing about it.
Robrocks, your topics are great and that's exactly what I do now. Though, Chinese prefer to have books to show and sell to the parents. So your topics would be extra things you teach, when you're done with the book material.
As for songs, I love the supersimplesongs ones.
RobRocks:
get yourelf a bag,that bag will be your teaching bag so you can put books,balls hammers,flash cards,play dough and stuff like that in it,all for back up if you have a bad lesson then you have something to fall back on if something goes wrong.
nzteacher80:
That's what I do. Good advice. Always have something up your sleeve.