Treehouse Workshop

Introduction • About the Speaker • About this Presentation Teaching English to Very Young Learners • Characteristic of Very Young Learners • 10 Tips for Teaching English to Very Young Learners • How and when do children learn? • Rote Learning vs. Meaningful Learning • Experiential Approach • Stealth Learning Introduction to Treehouse an English course for very young learners of English • Class Walkthrough • Interactive Workshop

Inspired to teach. Inspired to learn.

James Hall has been working with young learners since 2004 • English Teacher in Canada & Korea

• Teacher Trainer in Canada, USA, Mexico, Egypt, Korea, Japan, China,

Thailand, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Cambodia, & Taiwan

• Content Development Professional as a writer and editor for more than twenty publications

• Academic Consultant providing course design and curriculum planning to educational institutions

• Publisher with Compass Publishing


We believe that all commercial opportunities in publishing pale in comparison with the vital investments made by students and teachers. Today’s interactive workshop will provide teachers with academic information and practical easy-to-apply activities that can be used in the classroom. Rather than focusing on teaching you about a product, we want you to leave this presentation with lots of good ideas that you can use in the classroom.


• VYL are at a pre-school and KG program the first few years of schooling.

• VYL have a holistic approach to language

• They understand meaningful messages but can not analyze language yet

• They have lower levels of awareness about themselves and language learners

• They have lower levels of awareness about the process of learning

• They are more concerned with themselves than others

• They have limited knowledge about the world

• They enjoy make believe, fantasy, imagination

• They enjoy movement


How and when do children learn?


• Enjoyable

• Meaningful

• Supported

• Social

• Purposeful

• Full of practice


Children learn when they…


are engaged and activated by what they are learning.



are interested and invested in what they are learning.



can relate to and care about the content they are learning.

1. Make English learning active and fun

2. Use lots of visuals and movement

3. Establish classroom routines in English

4. Encourage creativity

5. Give students a chance to personalize

6. Move from activity to activity

7. Check comprehension often

8. Use thematic units

9. Use L1 as a resource only when needed

10.…


We remember

____% of what we read

____% of what we hear

____% of what we see

____% of what we see & hear

____% of what we see, hear, & discuss

____% of what we see, hear, discuss, & practice


We remember

20% of what we read

20% of what we hear

30% of what we see

50% of what we see & hear

70% of what we see, hear, & discuss

90% of what we see, hear, discuss, & practice


Source: Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension, 2004

Treehouse Series Concept


What activity is he doing?

What is Daniel-san really learning?


Stealth Learning Learning through experiential approach

with meaningful content


What is stealth learning? • Stealth learning, coined by Douglas Crockford in 1987, is designed at making

a fun game with no overt teaching involved but to have the enjoyment enhanced as you learn more about the subject matter (Falstein, 2005).

• It can be argued that learning takes place best in story-based, human-centered circumstances (Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1993).

• A cleverly disguised way to introduce learning objectives through non-traditional tools, such as games, to encourage students to have fun and learn.

• Students think they are merely playing, but they are simultaneously learning.


Why use stealth learning? • In order to create a memory, an individual needs to have an

emotional involvement to the learning, which causes a chemical reaction in the brain.

• Children learn in a variety of ways.

• Play is an important vehicle for developing self regulation and promoting cognition, and social competence.

• Development and learning advance when children are challenged.

• Children learn best when they can relate to and care about the content they are learning.

• Children learn best when they are interested and invested in what they are learning.

• Children learn best when they are engaged and activated by what they are learning.


Stealth Learning in Treehouse In Treehouse, each unit is structured as a story that learners participate in. The learning is “disguised” as students focus on the plot, setting, and characteristics of the stories which makes learning more enjoyable and effective.


Stealth Learning in Treehouse


Stealth Learning in Treehouse Games

• Many lesson-supporting games are included in the Teacher’s Guide

Benefits of Using Games

• Improved class performance and memory

• Provides new and varied learning environments

• Actively learn rather than passively learn

• Offers a more interactive and less linear approach to learning

• Accommodate various student-learning styles while encouraging complex skills, such as decision-making

• Multiple learning opportunities allowing school to become a place to learn rather than a place to teach

• Develop social skills

• Academic games improved achievement scores by 20% (Marzano 2009)


Go Get It! Purpose: To practice reinforcing target lesson vocabulary, enjoyment, intensity, social opportunity, teamwork

Organization: Pair, individual, group, suitable for large classes

Focus: Vocabulary

Materials: Set of Flashcards

Procedure:

1. Strategically place one set of flash cards around the room

2. Select 2 team captains

3. Team captains select 3 additional team members

4. Teams line up at the starting line

5. Teacher “says” or “shows” the word or flashcard for students to hear

6. Teacher says “Go get it!” One student from each team runs and tries to grab the correct flash card.

7. Team with the most cards wins


Communicative Approach • The communicative approach is based on the idea that learning

language successfully comes through having to communicate real meaning. When learners are involved in real communication, their natural strategies for language acquisition will be used, and this will allow them to learn to use the language.

• In the Treehouse series, students do not just learn language and complete practice drills; they use the language they learn to help the story progress.

• This gives more meaning and purpose to the language students are learning and helps them to comprehend and retain the language better


Word Order Whisper

Purpose: To practice listening, speaking, and reinforcing target lesson vocabulary. Provides enjoyment, intensity, and social interactions.

Organization: Group work, suitable for large classes

Focus: Vocabulary, speaking, listening

Materials: Flash cards

Procedure:

1. Have students form two teams and form a line with each team

2. Teacher shows three flashcards and whispers the three words into one student’s ear

3. That student must then whisper the three words to the next student

4. This continues until the last student says the three words out loud to the teacher


Let’s Take a Closer Look at the

Treehouse English Coursebook

• A three-level coursebook series for very young learners of English.

• Learners join our characters, Louie, Monty, and Anna on a different adventure in each unit.

• Learners are engaged through a variety of fun and exciting activities to help each unit’s story progress.

• The characters, adventures, and activities help learners develop skill with vocabulary, foundational grammar structures, colors, shapes, numbers, phonics, values, and cross-curricular content.



Materials for

STUDENTS

For Students

Worksheets

Activity Book Student Book


For Students Student Book: Story Introduction

• Learning Objectives

• Two-Page Spread Illustrations

• Audio Tracks

• Teacher’s Notes and Icons

Stealth

• Learners become interested in a story about robots playing basketball, but learn about body parts and sports.


Story Box

• Rather than unconnected learning points, students in Treehouse become part of the story

• The story box shows the story plot for each unit

• Treehouse connects all the points to make learning meaningful


For Students Student Book: Song, Vocabulary, Structure

• Song Page (input)

• Lyric Illustrations

• Song Activity Page (output)

• Story-Progressing Task

Stealth & Communicate

• Learners use the vocabulary and structure learned in the song to build a robot.


For Students Student Book: Chant, Vocabulary, Structure

• Chant & Animation (input)

• TPR Dance Suggestions

• Chant Activity Page (output)

• Story-Progressing Task


• Learners chant key action verbs and then use them to teach the robots what to do in the basketball game.


Shoot and Score Extension Activity

Purpose: To practice reinforce target letters & vocabulary Organization: Group work, suitable for large classes Focus: Vocabulary Materials: Two or three baskets, a ball, and flashcards Procedure: 1. Have students form two teams. 2. Have students form lines and the teacher stands at the front of the class. 3. The teacher presents a flashcard and the first student to speak the correct name

of the letter/vocabulary gets a chance to shoot the ball into the basket. 4. The closer basket it worth one point and the basket further away is worth two

points. 5. Give students a chance to participate two or three times. 6. Then total up the score and see which team is the winner.

1 Point 5 Points 3 Points


For Students Student Book: Motor Skills, Phonics

• Practice Writing Shapes

• Activate Prior Knowledge

• Complete Letters

• Listen and Speak


• Learners listen to the story progression then trace. Next, a phonics sticker activity and it progresses in the AB and WS.


Vocab Sock Toss Purpose: : Identifying letters, initial sounds, words

Organization: Group work or pairs, suitable for large classes

Language Focus: Phonics and Vocabulary

Skills Focus: Speaking, listening

Procedure:

1. Print each letter of the alphabet on a separate A4 sheet. (If possible,

laminate these for prolonged life).

2. Create bean bags by filling old socks with dried beans, rice, sand, etc.,

then tie them shut.

3. Place letters scattered out in an area.

4. Divide the class into teams, or play individually.

5. Students then stand at an assigned line and toss a bean bag onto the

playing area.

6. Points are rewarded as follows: • Don’t know anything = 0 points,

• Only know the name of the letter = 1 point

• Know the name of the letter and the phonemic sound = 2 points

• Know the name of the letter, the phonemic sound, and a word that starts with the letter = 3

points

• Know the name of the letter, the phonemic sound, a word that starts with the letter, and can make a sentence with the word = 4 points

*Remove the flashcard after the bean bag to avoid students continuously tossing the bean bag on the same letter


For Students Student Book: Numeracy, Story

• Number Key

• Learn a New Number and Color

• Sticker Activity

• Review Vocabulary and Structures


• Learners count the colored robots then finish their story with a sticker activity.


For Students Student Book: Real-World Connection

• Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) (related to the theme of the unit with vocabulary review)

• 21st Century Skills (extracted from the Common Core Standards)


For Students Activity Book

• Extend the lesson or provide homework

• Activities based on YLE test questions, and use a more direct approach compared to stealth learning

• Review the unit’s academic vocabulary

• Bolster story words necessary for learners to comprehend the story plot

• Facilitated different teaching styles



• Vocabulary Practice

• Listen and Color (story words)

• Speak

• Stick and Match (reinforcing 1st vocabulary set and

structure)



• Trace and Color

• Listen (review of shapes) (books 2 and 3, developing patterns)

• Color

• Listen and Write (extension of learning the alphabet, phonics, and vocabulary review)



• Stick & Write

• Count (number and vocabulary review)

• Speaking

• Game/Activity (story review) maze, find-the-differences, sticker puzzle


Identifying Differences

Purpose: Students describe different versions of an image that has been slightly altered.

Organization: Individual, pair work, group work

Focus: Speaking, describing objects in detail and accurately

Materials: Altered versions of the same photograph or drawing

Procedure:

1. Tell the students to describe and compare their images in order to identify differences. Tell the students how many differences there are so that they know when they have finished. You may also decide to give a time limit.

2. Remind students that this activity requires equal participation, that is, both students must describe their image and ask questions of their partner.

3. Remind students to keep their images hidden from each other to discourage peaking. Hint: have students keep their images in their laps.

4. Review any relevant vocabulary or pertinent phrases as well: “Is there a dog in your photo?” “Is the dog next to a man?” “What color is the dog?”


Identifying Differences



Materials for TEACHERS

Teacher’s Guide

• Teaching Materials

• Learning Objectives

• Story Summary

• Learner Outcomes


For Teachers Teacher’s Guide

• Teaching Tips

• Sample Language

• Timetable

• Extension Activities


For Teachers Song Posters

• Display in the classroom

• Mini-song posters available

• All lyrics displayed

• Tool for teaching structure and vocabulary


For Teachers Interactive Teaching CD

• Interactive material for each page

• Activities for students (color, games)

• Audio for songs and chants

• Animation for songs and chants


For Teachers Downloadable Materials

• Linked worksheets

• Colorful flashcards


Total Physical Response Dance Extension Activity

Purpose: Encourages cognitive thinking related to target vocabulary and phonetic recognition Organization: Focus: Materials: TG TPR animated videos Procedure: 1. From the teachers guide whiteboard videos CD, select a song/chant for your

students 2. Ask the students to mimic and mime the movements of the target vocabulary

words from the unit 4. Ask students to create a unique dance in groups 5. Ask students to guess the words from the dance movements


TPR Dance Extension Activity



Additional

ACTIVITIES

Clapping Master Extension Activity Purpose: To help students develop their

motor skills and phonetic recognition for the target vocabulary Organization: Teams Focus: Vocabulary and phonetic recognition Materials: Flashcards Procedure: 1. Students can sit in a circle with their teacher as they are shown 2. The teacher shows a flashcard to a student and says the word 3. The student must break the word down into syllables and say each

syllable with a clap 4. If they are correct, they get a point 5. If they are wrong, discuss the mistake and move to the next student, use

the same word until a student gets it right


What Stops Children From Learning?

• Feeling uncomfortable, distracted or under pressure • Feeling confused by abstract concepts of grammar rules and

their application which they cannot easily understand • Activities which require them to focus attention for a long

time • Boredom • Being overcorrected


Summary: How Very Young Learners Acquire Language

Children learn by…

• Having more opportunities to be exposed to the target language • Making associations between words, languages, or sentence patterns

and putting things into clear, relatable contexts • Using all their senses and getting fully involved; by observing and

copying, doing things, watching and listening • Exploring, experimenting, making mistakes and checking their

understanding • Repetition and feeling a sense of confidence when they have

established routines • Being motivated, particularly when their peers are also

speaking/learning other languages • Making the learning meaningful!


THANK YOU

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Treehouse Workshop

Education

Transcript of Treehouse Workshop