[Rouvrou]

Thanks Kevin. I will indeed have a look at "Get, Set Go", but I don't think the local inspectors / advisers would be too keen on the exclusive use of a commercial scheme and as a teacher I have always wanted to adapt and use my own materials. The European framework does provide a very good structure, so I use the framework to set objectives and then design activities around them. I have bought the "English for Primary Teachers" book by Mary Slattery and Jane Willis and have found lots of useful stuff there. I have also found this forum really useful for ideas for activities. As to the classroom - under this programme you are teaching for 2 x 45 minutes in the children's state school classroom. Of course good display is really important and I am able to put up temporary displays in the four classrooms that I work in, but in this instance you are working in another teacher's classroom so there is a limit to what you can do.
regards
Rouvrou

[KEV5446]

Okay. I just assumed most schools will use at least one text book or student , activity book. The state schools in france and Spain give parents a list of text books they have to buy for the coming year so try it. What do you do have a file and then file all the worksheets and material yourself or do you let the children copy ,cut and paste into a book. I am glad that´s not me because here i teach from 9.00-17:00 and I have maybe two hours of prep a day. The classes are 55minutes. I use a pupils book with comprehension ,reading and singing activities. It is accompanied by a workbook and both is based around the national framework . most books and we re-view them every year is the same but the characters or style is different. We also have another book to copywrite in or do extra activities. I have three classes a week with the7,8 year olds and rely heavily on songs,flashcards witch i source to iontroduce new vocab. copy writing is also important. We also supplement the book or change certain units depending on how the children are doing.I couldn´t imagine having to teach by worksheet. It is difficult to let children of that age copy cut paste file without instruction in their native tongue. We teach natural science in english as well and I have my class twice a week and we work from scratch. We have a english department with both local and native speakers all with university degrees and we type at the beginnning of every year the syllabus and objectioves for each class and prepare extra activities etc and that is hard work without if not close to impossible without a textbook.we are struggling in sciemnce becuase we decided to go against a textbook. we also have a virtual classroom for parents and children on the schools web-site. I am surprised by the amount of time it takes to pre-pare well thought of worksheets and material. The best thing about a book is it is a spine you can grow your body around and the class should flow. I find That the worksheets made on worksheet engines on the net on tefl sites is not enough. anyway best of luck kev

[Rouvrou]

I don't use worksheets much either Kevin as the emphasis is very much on aural / oral, with only a very little bit of written language for the older children. We do lots of games, songs, and oral practice, with pictures and real objects or toys. This half term I am building the work around "Traditional Tales" and the characters in them (Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks etc). If you have a look at the Key Stage 2 website (link in an earlier post in this thread) you will see what the objectives and teaching activities look like - all very much based on active learning.

The European initiative is really about giving the children a good experience of language learning in state Primary Schools, not about teaching for the Cambridge Exams or similar. My son teaches in an Academy in Spain and I know he does more written work and grammar teaching with them. He also has much smaller classes though - fifteen maximum as opposed to 26+ in my classes.
regards
Lisa

[Pernickety]

Rouvrou,
You mentioned traditional tales which led me to wonder if you have received the Alice in Wonderland book from Langues pour Tous, recommended by the minister of education? It comes with 1/2 the story (!), plus exercises and a CD to go with it. Looks good. I'm going to start with it this term.

Our school didn't receive it but another local one did and they don't teach Eng there so someone kindly passed it on to me. Published by Livre de poche, maison d’édition, actualité littéraire – Editions Pocket

I'm going to ask the inspecteur this week about it (and if there are more freely available) when he inspects me this week (!) I'll let you know his answer.