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English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 1
This special issue contains several articles published in previous issues of English Teaching Forum as well as a lesson plan based on the environmental play Save the Lofty Trees.

This special issue contains several articles published in previous issues of English Teaching Forum as well as a lesson plan based on the environmental play Save the Lofty Trees.

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Table of Contents

Teaching the World's Children: ESL for Ages Three to SevenExpand

This article discusses teaching English as a second language to very young learners. The authors talks about how important it is for children to have a wide variety of experiences when building language and literacy. The authors explain how the use of various environments, including learning centers, block centers, art or sand tables, writing areas, science and technology centers, and even libraries, can help shape the way a child learns language as well as improve other skills.

Author: Mary Ashworth and H. Patricia Wakefield
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The Children's Response: TPR and BeyondExpand

This article describes a technique called The Children’s Response, which can be used to teach young EFL learners. The technique is based on Total Physical Response (TPR), which actively involves children from kindergarten to beyond third grade. The article offers three lessons that provide practice with the form and function of the present and past tense as well as prepositions and imperative commands.

Author: Caroline Linse
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Teaching Young LearnersExpand

This author shares her unique approach to teaching young learners. She emphasizes that her approach involves features of communicative styles, the audio lingual approach (AL), and Total Physical Response (TPR), as she believes it is necessary to bring together all three styles of teaching to develop language proficiency. She includes a lesson plan for beginner level students to improve grammar competency.

Author: Kerstin Klein
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Story TheaterExpand

This article introduces an interactive and engaging classroom activity entitled Story Theater. The goal of this activity is to provide students with a text to read aloud as they act out the storyline using props and special effects. The purpose of Story Theater is to aid fluency and memorization and to provide students with a chance to use the language and their imaginations. This activity can be used with all ages and all English proficiency levels. The author includes examples of effective Story Theater lessons.

Author: Mary Hines
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English Proficiency Test: The Oral Component of a Primary SchoolExpand

This article discusses the various problems found when teachers try to design the oral production part of English proficiency tests for young learners. The authors discuss matters such as intimidation or the possibility of relating the test too much to other conventional tests. They offer ways to address these issues, including testing for fluency, using elicitation procedures, and changing the view of the test into a more relaxed game-like scenario. The authors provide examples of where these ideas have been implemented.

Authors: Ishbel Hingle, Viv Linington
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Assessment of Young LearnersExpand

This article discusses how the trend towards low-anxiety, communicative-based language teaching and integrated language and content teaching has created a need to change assessment strategies for young learners. The author describes alternative assessment techniques such as nonverbal responses, oral interview, narratives, group assessment, and dialogue journals, and suggests how they can be carried out through regular classroom work.

Author: Kassim Shaaban
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Save the Lofty TreesExpand

This is a script for a play called Save the Lofty Trees intended for students use in ESL classrooms and is intended for young learners. This play gives students a chance to take part in group work by acting out the various scenes of the script. This will provide students with opportunities to use their skills and build fluency.

Author: Leslie Mills
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A Plan for Using - "Save the Lofty Trees" by Leslie Mills Expand

The author describes how to use the play “Save the Lofty Trees” in a classroom. The plan offers six activities that will promote student interaction, involving guided imagination, brainstorming, group-work, creative movement, and an interactive read through. This lesson plan is intended for young learners and addresses all learning styles.

Author: Maria Snarski
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Alphabet Connect: From "The Lighter Side" of TEFLExpand

This activity, called “Alphabet Connect,” aims to help vocabulary skills. It asks students to connect the letters of the alphabet to create the name of animal that lives in forests of Southeast Asia and Africa. It thus uses integrated skills to learn about animals in other countries.

Authors: Thomas Kral, Editor
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A Reading Programme for Elementary SchoolsExpand

This article provides ways to create a positive attitude toward reading through a structured reading program. The article argues that reading programs should include increased reading materials via libraries, fund-raising, and other various collection ideas. The author emphasizes the importance of motivating and structured activities, parental involvement, and various teaching techniques, followed by promises and rewards. This helps young learners create a positive attitude towards reading.

Author: Rizwana Habib Latha
Format: Text
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