Anyone else have to adjust to kindergarten?
 

I am teaching kindergarteners in China, starting as young as age four. I did not think they would make me a kindergarten teacher , but they finally told me that would be my position the day before I started working. With no tour of the classroom having no clue what I had to work with, and not much information on materials available I made a rather bland lesson plan where I also overestimated the students English ability.

It seems I am having trouble adjusting from past classroom environments where I have taught older students with a working knowledge of English to start with

The classes are only 30 minutes long and I just want to make sure I am working to the satisfaction of the school. Has anyone had to make the adjustment from older students, to kindergarten before, or does anyone have a lot of experience with kindergarteners? What are some general rules of thumb, useful methods, and what would an ideal 30 minute schedule look like? What are some ways to get around a lack of resources at the school? (tv's with sound or video streaming not always available, not all classrooms have toys and lots of props).

I have relative freedom in regards to lesson planning. I have been given a list of weekly topics, with a few key sentences and words required. How I work with this I'm given to understand is up to me.

I know this is probably a lot, please know your help is appreciated.

Re: Anyone else have to adjust to kindergarten?
 

I totally hear you! I went from teaching adults and youth-age children to 1st grade! It's quite a shock to the system at first, but it's doable. You just need lots of patience. :)

Start with TPR (google it if you're not sure what it is). It's extremely helpful when teaching commands and everyday things like sit down, stand up, put your bag down, get in line, wash your hands, walk, run, etc. Do not be afraid to make TPR a natural way to teach (I use my hands and body more now that I'm teaching ESL than I ever did before). Young children learn best by observing and repeating, so as you do the TPR say everything you're doing - i.e. if you sit down, say "Sit down". Repeat this over and over and over and over. Their young brains will absorb it, some quicker than others.

I know you've gotten lists for each week, which is great and extremely helpful, but do supplement it with simple things like ABC's and 123's. Once you've laid that basic foundation, it's amazing what you can build on from there. Something that helps me is to think, "What does my culture (American in this case) start teaching children in pre-K and Kindergarten? What is important for their foundational learning?" and then go from there.

The internet is a wealth of ideas and help. I have spent more time googling ideas and games to play in my classroom settings since I too do not have a lot of toys and other resources available to me where I teach. A little imagination, a little time and google can be your best friend while teaching.

I hope that helps. Hang in there. It's always hardest the first year but it gets easier!

Re: Anyone else have to adjust to kindergarten?
 

I don't envy you; it's hard work. I think though that the golden rule here is to keep it as simple as possible. Meaning tons of repetition and never being afraid to go back over what you've been practicing again and again. Of course that also means that whilst you're keeping the language the same the exercises and presentation are varied. The other major thing I find when teaching young learners is the attention span - keeping activities under 5 minutes when they start getting bored.

A couple of useful links: TPR (Total Physical Response) and TEYL or Teaching English to Young Learners