I'll just start with what, in general, the students say...
"It's too difficult to understand the definition in the Monolingual dictionary."
"It takes too much time to use the Monolingual dictionary." "I want a concrete equivalent L1 word so I can remember the English word more easily."
"I don’t know how to use them. Nobody has shown me."
"Because of cultural differences, I cannot understand the exact meaning of many
of the words used in the English definition."
Let's fight back...
Teaching ideaAsk each group to perform their song in front of the class. Count the topic words and vote the the best song and the song which used the most topic words correctly. Kids love this.
Tell the students that they are going to write their own song using as many of the topic words as they can and the song must rhyme. They must use the given tune. Give a set amount of time to finish.
Hum a well known tune, such as 'happy birthday' a couple of times.
Elicit 15 important words related to the topic. Put a few visuals up on the board if appropriate.
Decide on a topic with the students or use a revision topic.
Have plenty of copies of a junior rhyming dictionary which you have previously taught the students how to use.
a rhyming dictionary.
Translating into an ICT Activity
- Use an online rhyming dictionary such as http://www.rhymezone.com/
- Use a podcast/MP3 of the tune.
- Put one keyboard player in each group (if possible) or get keyboard players to move around the group and record the tune on the Google doodle guitar - if it is something simple it will be easy to record. http://www.google.com/logos/2011/lespaul.html
- Record their songs using audacity and upload them to a wiki or similar.
